Monthly Archive: October 2005
PEETER CORNET: Keyboard music – James Johnstone, harpsichord and organ, with The Cardinall’s Musick directed by Andrew Carwood – Gaudeamus
First recordings of a 17th century composer whose works were only recently discovered
BRAHMS: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78; Horn Trio in E-flat Major; VIEUXTEMPS: Ballade et Polonaise – Arthur Grumiaux, violin/ Francis Orval, French horn/ Gyorgy Sebok, piano (Brahms)/ Dinorah Varsi, piano (Vieuxtemps) – PentaTone
Elegant chamber music with a master violinist, in 4.0 surround sound
LISZT: Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Major; SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto in A Mino; WEBER: Konzertstueck in F Minor – Claudio Arrau, piano/ New York Philharmonic/Dimitri Mitropoulos (Liszt)/ New York Philharmonic/Victor de Sabata (Schumann) – Music & Arts
Three towering performances by the great Arrau, who died in 1991
Audio News for October 24, 2005
Feds Move Analog TV Cutoff Date to 2009; HP Tries to Bring HD-DVD and Blu-ray Together; Naxos Provides Their Entire Catalog to eMusic; Mark Levinson Sound System for Lexus
Badi Assad – Verde – Badi Assad, vocals and guitar; featuring Nana Vasconcelos and Cordel do fogo Encantado; many others – DGG Edge
Much more eclectic album than Assad’s previous ones for Chesky Records
CAVALLI: Sacred Concert Music – Academy of Antique Music, with vocal and instr. ens., Romano Vettori, Organ & Cond. – Foné
Small-scale works from a contemporary of Monteverdi
BRAHMS: Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98; SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, D. 485 – BBC Symphony Orchestra/ Rudolf Kempe – BBC Legends
Athletic performances in stereo by Kempe shortly before his death
Audio News for October 20, 2005
CEA Projects 9% Increase in Consumer Electronics for the Holidays; Five Technologies to Watch; Sirius Satellite Radio First in Retail Market Share; Woman Battles the Recording Industry
BRAHMS & TCHAIKOVSKY: Violin Concertos – Jascha Heifetz, violin – Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner, Conductor – RCA Living Stereo
One concerto is two-channel, the other three, but Heifetz’ balance sounds correct either way
CHANT WARS: Sequentia and Dialogos – Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
A ‘battle of the chants” in spacious surround sound
CACCINI/PICCININI: New Music and Works for Theorbo – Johannette Zomer, soprano, with Fred Jacobs, theorbo – Channel Classics
Madrigals and arias accompanied by a variant of the lute, in uncanny realism and surround
Anna Moffo: Arias – Anna Moffo, soprano – Rome Opera Orchestra, Tullio Serafin, Conductor – RCA Living Stereo
Remarkable 3-channel sound and a superb coloatura program
Ernestine Anderson – Never Make Your Move Too Soon – Ernestine Anderson, vocals; Monty Alexander, piano; Ray Brown, bass; Frank Gant, drums – Groove Note
The best yet sonics from a great Concord Jazz session by chanteuse Anderson in 1980
Du temps & de l’instant (Moments in Time): Jordi Savall, viola de gamba; Monsterrat Figueras, vocals; Arianna Savall, vocals and harps; Ferran Savall, vocals and theorbo; Pedro Estevan, percussion – Alia Vox
Tour de force of ancient and modern music in incredibly realistic surround
R. STRAUSS: Scenes from Salome and Elektra – Inge Borkh, soprano, with Paul Schoeffler, baritone, and Francis Yeend, soprano – Chicago Symphony Orchestra with the Chicago Lyric Theater Chorus, Fritz Reiner, Conductor – RCA Living Stereo
Swiss soprano Borkh brings these Strauss heroines to incredible life
Renee Fleming – Haunted Heart – Renee Fleming, vocals; with Fred Hersch, piano and Bill Frisell, guitars – Decca
One of the few successful jazz forays for an operatic vocalist
HANDEL: Partenope – Rosemary Joshua, Kurt Streit, Stephen Wallace and other soloists, with the Early Opera Company conducted by Christian Curnyn – Chandos Chaconne
Unusually light opera for Handel, done with energy and panache
VIVALDI: Concerti con molti strumenti, Vol. 2 – Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante – Virgin Classics
Mostly little-known Vivaldi with spice and snap
KHACHATURIAN: Masquerade Suite; Valencian Widow Suite – Alexander Detisov, violin/The Moscow Symphony Orchestra/ Veronica Dudarova – Moscow Studio Archives
Rare Spanish-flavored suite by Khachaturian coupled with his light and popular Masquerade, recorded 1987
Aldo Ciccolini, piano – “Homage to DEBUSSY”
Beautifully played and lovingly photographed Debussy recital by a master
Interview with founders of MMC Recordings
The Joys and Tribulations of Independence
MAHLER: Symphony No. 6 in A Minor “Tragic” – Budapest Festival Orchestra/Ivan Fischer – Channel Classics
Topflight surround recording is the first to be made in the new Budapest concert hall
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
