Monthly Archive: September 2005
SURVEY OF THE AUDIO & HT PRINT PRESS
Latest issue summaries of contents and gear reviewed in each publication
Audio News for September 23, 2005
$30 T-Amp Not a Hoax; B.B. King Named Living Legend; Young People/Old Ears
SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, D. 759 “Unfinished”; MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 in D Major – Bavarian State Orchestra/Bruno Walter – Orfeo
Early post-war performances by Walter in Germany
SMETANA: Czech Song; SUK: Fairy Tale, Op. 16; NOVAK: Slovak Suite, Op. 32 – Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/ Prague Philharmonic Choir/ Vaclav Talich – Supraphon
Part of a Talich series of excellent inscribings from the 50s
SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960; 6 Moments musicals, D. 780 – Dejan Lazic, piano – Channel Classics
Impressive Croatian pianist in the monumental Schubert D.960
XL – Choral Works for 40 Voices = TALLIS: Spem in alium; PITTS: XL; PURCELL-SANDSTROM: Hear my prayer; BACH: Contrapunctus 1; HARVEY: Come, Holy Ghost; NYSTEDT: Immortal Bach; KODALY: Laudes Organi – Rundfunk Choir, Berlin/ Simon Halsey – HM
Superb program spanning history of polyphony, with completely surrounding choral sonics
HANDEL: Organ Concertos, opus 4 – Matthew Halls, organ/ Sonnerie: Monica Hugget, director & violin – AVIE
Bright and enjoyable organ concertos in outstanding sound
MOZART: Sonatas for Violin and Piano: F Major, K. 377; C Major, K. 303; E Minor, K. 304; A Major, K. 526 – Mark Steinberg, violin/ Mitsuko Uchida, piano – Philips
A happy collaboration results in rapt performances of these Mozart gems
MOZART: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat, K. 22 “The Hague:” Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K. 201; Serenade in D, K. 239 “serenata notturna;” Serenade in G Major, K. 525 “Eine kliene Nachtmusik” – Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra/Marco Boni – PentaTone
The familiar Eine kliene wraps up a program of Mozart works sampled throughout his career
HAYDN: Symphony No. 104 in D Major “London;” SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 82; SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944 “Great” – Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam/Paul van Kempen – TAHRA
Part of 3-volume set of Van Kempen recordings from 1930s thru 1950s
RACHMANINOFF: Moments musicaux Op. 16; Morceaux de fantasie; Fragments; Prelude op. posth.; Zdes’ khorosho (It Is Lovely Here) op.21 no.7; Vocalise – Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano – Decca
Late Romantic miniatures from the Russian composer-pianist
3 Guitars – Larry Coryell / Badi Assad / John Abercrombie – Chesky
Exciting guitar trio combines contrasting styles
ASTOR PIAZZOLLA = Oblivion – Salvatore Accardo, violin and director/ Orchestra da Camera Italiana – Fonè
One of three SACDs of Piazzolla arranged for string orchestra and solo violin
ROSSINI: Famous Overtures = The Barber of Seville, The Italian in Algiers, La cambiale di matrimonio, The Silken Ladder, Tancredi, Il Signor Bruschino, The Turk in Italy, L’inganno felice – St. Martin in the Fields/ Sir Neville Marriner – Pentatone
Eight peppy Rossini overtures and Wm. Tell stayed home
Audio News for September 16, 2005
iPods Hot at Recent CEDIA; Hitachi Introduces 1TB DTV Recorder; Push for Networked Digital Home Storage
Schultze Gets The Blues (2005)
“Semi-documentary” about a retired German miner who gets Zydeco music in his veins
RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor; PROKOFIEV: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C – Van Cliburn, piano/Symphony of the Air/Kiril Kondrashin (Rachmaninoff); Chicago Symphony/Walter Hendl (Prokofiev) – RCA Red Seal
Another Living Stereo 3-Channel classic heard as originally recorded
Le tombeau d’une tipula – Evelyn Nallen, recorder/ David Gordon, harpsichord – Works of BADINGS, GORDON, ROXANNA PANUFNIK, NIGEL BUTTERLEY, HEINRICH POOS, HERBERT MURRILL, CARL RUTTI, RUBBRA, MARTIN SHAW, ALAN LANGFORD – Mister Sam Records
Accessible contemporary works for recorder and harpsichord
WALDTEUFEL: The Skaters Waltz; J. STRAUSS: Tristsh-Tratsch Polka; J. STRAUSS. SR: Radetzky March; Thunder and Lightning Polka; CHABRIER: Espana; Marche joyeuse; SUPPE: Light Cavalry Overture etc. – Philharmonia Orch./Herbert von Karajan – EMI
Philharmonia Promenade Concert from the 1950s
Mediterranean Sounds – klapa fa lindo (9 female voices) & klapa sinj lipo ime (11 male voices) – Nenad Bach Music
Mystical choral folk music from Croatia
CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor; Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor – Arthur Rubinstein, p./New Sym. Orch. of London/Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (1); Sym. of the Air/Alfred Wallenstein (2) – RCA Red Seal/BMG
Chopin specialist Rubinstein in both Chopin concertos via Living Stereo & SACD
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 9 in D minor (original version) – Radio Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra/ Günter Wand – Profil
Part of a multi-volume Günter Wand Edition series
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
