Monthly Archive: April 2006
Elevator to the Gallows (1957)
Miles Davis’ improvised score heightens the chilly atmosphere of this thriller
WAGNER: Parsifal: Prelude, Act I; Good Friday Spell; Finale, Act III; Tristan und Isolde: Prelude, Act I; Gotterdaemmerung: Dawn and Siegfried‚s Rhine Journey; Funeral March; A Siegfried Idyll – Stuttgart Radio Symphony/ Carl Schuricht – Hanssler Classic
Lustrous Wagner performances by Schuricht from 1950 to 1966
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467; Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488; Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, K. 491; Piano Concerto No. 26 in D Major, K. 537 “Coronation” – Robert Casadesus, piano/ various conductors – Music & Arts
Two-disc set features the French pianist with four different conductors, 1958 thru 1968
Audio News for April 21, 2006
Stepped-Up DTV Education Effort; West Coast Home Entertainment Show 2006; New Showcase Dealership for Home Electronics; More Remastered Quad Recordings on SACD
“Dead or Alive” – CHOPIN: Etudes Op. 10 & Op. 25 – 1904-1928 Welte piano rolls by Horowitz, Lhevinne, Pachmann, Paderewski, Schnabel, Serkin and others plus Peter Orth playing today – Tacet
More of the Welte piano roll reissues, but covering nearly all of the two Chopin opus numbers of Etudes
CHOPIN: 14 Waltzes – Avner Arad, piano – MSR
Arad plays with a natural lilt and easy grace
Aeon Flux (Widescreen Special Collector’s Edition) (2005)
Second-best up against the original animated series
Nature’s Concertos – Original works and arrangements by Randy Petersen, Bill Mize, Kevin Quinn, and David Goldbatt with nature sounds – First Impression Music xrcd
Superb New Age album in music, sonics, sounds and packaging
MOZART: Three Divertimenti for Strings (K136, 137 & 138); Serenata Notturna K 239 – Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields/ Neville Marriner – First Impression Music xrcd
The glorious natural string tone of the analog original is preserved in this digital reissue
Resonance Reduction Widgets
• TuneBlocks from Boston Audio Design
• VTS Tuning Dots from Marigo Audio
BABATUNDE OLATUNJI – Love Drum Talk (with septet and trio of vocalists) – Chesky
The virtuoso of West African percussion passed away April 6th at the age of 75
Sinfonia Ventus = Una tarde en la Alameda – Sinfonietta Ventus conducted by Jorge Mester – Urtext
A hot wind ensemble from Mexico City
Flic Story (1975)
The classic French detective tracks down the classic escaped bank robber
In Celebration of Israel = KURT WEILL: Hatikva; CHAJES: Old Jerusalem, Hebrew Suite, Adraim; FROMM: Pioneers Suite; Israel Suite; WALTER SCHARF: The Palestine Suite; Yemenite Cycle; SHOLUM SEUNDA: Yom’b’kibbutz – Jorge Mester cond. – Milken Archive, Naxos
Orchestral and choral works on an Israeli theme
The Giants of Jazz – Recorded Live at the Victoria Theatre in London (Dizzy Gillespie – trumpet; Art Blakey, drums; Sonny Stitt, sax; Kai Winding, trombone; Thelonious Monk, piano, Al McKibbon, bass) – Collectables
The 1971 Super Group on a double-CD album originally on the Atlantic label
Anthony Branker and Ascent – Spirit Songs – (Antonio Hart- Alto Saxophone; Ralph Bowen- Tenor and Soprano Saxophone; Clifford Adams- Trombone; Jonny King-Piano; John Benitez- Bass; Ralph Peterson- Drums) – Sons of Sound
A free spirit professor
Audio News for April 18, 2006
Digital Music Transferring Service; Hi-Res Downloads for WMA Player 10 Users; Digital Rights Management Eats Batteries
BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135; WALTON: Sonata for Strings – Amsterdam Sinfonietta/ Candida Thompson, leader – Channel Classics
Beethoven expanded from 4 to 33 players, plus an interesting juxtaposition with Walton’s work for strings
J. S. BACH Organ Works – Robert Clark at the Brombaugh organ of First Presbyterian Church, Springfield, IL = Arsis Audio
Fine selection of Bach works on two SACDs from a noted organist and Bach scholar
Uri Caine – Toys – (Uri Caine, piano; Don Byron, bass clarinet; Gary Thomas, flute/tenor; Dave Douglas, trumpet; Joshua Roseman, trombone; Dave Holland, bass; Ralph Peterson, drums; Don Alias, percussion) Winter and Winter/Polydor
A Musical Stew
Vincent Herring – Ends and Means – (Vincent Herring, alto/soprano sax; Jeremy Pelt, trumpet; Danny Grissett, piano; Essiett Essiett, bass; Joris Dudli, drums) High Note
In Good Company
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21; Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36 – Kammerorchesterbasel/ Giovanni Antonini – Oehms
A rare transparency and refreshing clarity of detail due to the original instrument approach and SACD sonics
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
