Monthly Archive: September 2005
RICHARD STRAUSS: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme Suite; Duett-Concertino for clarinet and bassoon; Sextet from Capriccio – Daniel Sepec, violin/Nicole Kern, clarinet/Higinio Arrue, bassoon/The German Chamber Philharmonic of Bremen/Paavo Järvi – PentaTone
The more subtle chamber music side of orchestral master Richard Strauss
DEBUSSY: Preludes, Books I and II – Pascal Roge, piano – Onyx
Debussy performances to stand next to those of Gieseking, Cortot and Casadesus
Expo – Magic of the White City (2005)
Dense and detailed documentary on the largest world’s fair ever – the 1893 Chicago Expo
Tour de France Musicale = RAVEL: Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2, The Valley of the Bells, Boléro; FAURE: Pelléas et Mélisande Suite; DEBUSSY: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun – Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Amsterdam/Yakov Kreizberg – PentaTone
Pops concert of French music in the best possible style & sonics
Audio News for September 29, 2005
Toshiba Delays HD-DVD to Feb/March; New High End Music Download Service; Content Community Seeks More Restrictions on Consumer Rights
Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet – Nocturne = JADIN: Nocturne No. 3, J. C. BACH: Quartet in A major, HANDEL: Suite in G Minor, LOCATELLI: Concerto Grosso Op. 1 No. 11, SAMMARTINI: Symphony No. 10 in F Major, etc. – Channel Classics
Never mind how they got their name, these recorder tootlers are the best!
BEETHOVEN: Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 1, No. 2; Piano Trio No. 5 in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 “Ghost” – Storioni Trio – PentaTone Multichannel SACD
Surround sound spotlights the elegant playing of the Storionis in these two piano trios
Borodin Quartet 60th Anniversary = BORODIN: String Quartet No. 2 in D Major; Serenata alla Spagnola; TCHAIKOVSKY: Andante cantabile, from Op. 11; RACHMANINOV: Romance; SCHUBERT: Quartettsatz in C Minor, D. 703; WEBERN: Langsamer Satz – Onyx
Sheer beauty of sound in this release from a new classical label
Horn Concertos = TELEMANN: Horn Concerto in D; CHERUBINI: Sonata No. 2 in F; FOERSTER: Horn Concerto; WEBER: Horn Concertino; L. MOZART: Horn Concerto in D Major etc. – Barry Tuckwell, horn/Eng. Ch. Orch.;St. Martin in Fields/Marriner – EMI Classics
One of the great British exponents of French horn playing following Dennis Brain
Earl Wild at 30 = SCARLATTI: Sonata in D Major; MENDELSSOHN: Capriccio; DAQUIN: Le Coucou; MOUSSORGSKY: Ein Kinderscherz in D; RACHMANINOV: Polichinelle; Prelude in G Major; MacDowell: Hexantanz; LISZT: Sonata; CHOPIN: Polonaise “Heroic” – Ivory Classics
Earl Wild, from radio broadcasts of the 1940s
CASADESUS: Viola Concerto in B Minor in the Style of Handel; WALTON: Viola Concerto; BERLIOZ: Harold in Italy–Symphony, Op. 16 – William Primrose, viola/ RCA Victor Sym./Frieder Weissman; Philharmonia Orch./William Walton; BSO/Koussevitzky – Naxos
The world’s leading viola virtuoso in his time
Ben Hur (1959), 4-Disc Collector’s Edition
Hi-Def transfer of both the 1959 epic and the 1925 silent version, with many extras
WAGNER: Der Ring Des Nibelungen, (complete)
All four of Patrice Chereau’s exciting Bayreuth productions, newly remastered
SHOSTAKOVICH: String Quartet No 8 in C Minor, Op. 110; BORODIN: String Quartet No. 2 in D Major; RAVEL: String Quartet in F Major – Borodin String Quartet – BBC Legends
1962 recordings by legendary Russian quartet
Lorna Doone (1922)
Visually beautiful rendering of a popular film subject of the early 20th century
“Tone Poets” – 23 mandolinists and 23 guitarists in solos and duos – Produced by David Grisman – (2 CDs) Acoustic Disc
31 tracks featuring both solo and duo mandolin and guitar with 42 different master pluckers
Boris Kovac & La Campanella – World After History (Kovac, alto & sop. sax, voice; Goran Penic, accordion; Vukasin Miskovic, classical guitar; Milos Matic, doublebass, tamburitza; Istvan Cik, drums & percussion) – Piranha Musik
Both sad and joyous world music from the Balkans
Yoshida Brothers II – Ryoichiro and Kenichi Yoshida, Tsugaru-Shamisens – Domo Records
Two young Japanese shamisen virtuosos tear thru a dozen tracks with gusto
The Blues Brothers, 25th Anniversary Edition (2005)
Filled with 15 minutes restored footage plus new extras, it’s the Hummer of musicals!
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 8 in C Minor
Pierre Boulez conducts Vienna Philharmonic in an impressive Baroque church
BILL EVANS – The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 (Evans, piano; Scott LaFaro, bass; Paul Motian, drums) – Riverside 3 CD Set
Now we get to hear everything worthwhile from these epoch-making piano trio tapes
Carly Simon – Moonlight Serenade (Arrangements by Richard Perry) – Columbia
Her fourth venture into The Great American Songbook