Monthly Archive: April 2006
LISZT: Piano Transcriptions = WAGNER: Tristan und Isolde: Isolde’s Liebestod; The Flying Sutchman: Senta’s Ballad; SCHUMANN: Widmung; Fruehlingsnacht; SCHUBERT: Morgenstaendchen; MENDELSSOHN: On Wings of Song; VERDI: Rigoletto Paraphrase – Thomas Otten
Otten maintains a transparent, clarion texture in his MSR CD
MOZART: Violin Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Major, K. 207; Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Major, K. 211; Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K. 216 – Europa Galante/ Fabio Biondi violin and director – Virgin Classics
Athletic, revisionist Mozart at its musical best
Art Farmer – Yesterday’s Thoughts (Art Farmer, flugelhorn; Cedar Walton, piano; Sam Jones, bass; Billy Higgins-drums) – Test of Time Records
A Classic Re-Release From Art Farmer
Dave Frishberg At the Jazz Bakery – (Frishberg: Solo Piano & Vocals) Retromania – Arbors Records
Retromania-A Refreshing Nostalgic Visit
Eric Alexander – It’s All in the Game – (Eric Alexander, tenor sax; Harold Mabern: Piano; Nat Reeves, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums) High Note
A Young Master Continues His Ascent
Ten Years Gone – A Long Awaited Return to Vinyl Playback
Another opinion on the old digital vs. analog audiophile debate
LAGQ (Los Angeles Guitar Quartet) – “Spin” – (John Dearman, William Kanengiser, Scott Tennant, Andrew York – with Colin Currie, percussion) – Telarc
******** MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH *********
GORECKI: Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of sorrowful songs); Canticum graduum – Ingrid Perruche, soprano/Sinfonia Varsovia/ Alain Altinoglu – Naïve
Hi-res surround version of the contemporary symphonic hit of almost 15 years ago
DAVID WILCZEWSKI, reeds – Room in the Clouds (with two guitarists, bass, drums, and vibes/percussion) – Opus 3
All original compositions by a skilled performer and equally adept sidemen
Yundi Li, Vienna Recital = SCARLATTI: Sonata in E Major, K. 380; Sonata in G Major, K. 13; MOZART: Sonata in C Major, K. 330; SCHUMANN: Carnaval, Op. 9; LISZT: Rhapsodie espagnole – Yundi Li, piano – DGG
The brilliant tone and technique of the Chinese pianist has been compared to that of Horowitz
MOZART: Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581; Horn Quintet in E-flat Major, K. 407; Oboe Quartet in F Major, K. 570 – Lorenzo Coppola, clarinet/ Pierre-Yves Madeuf, horn/ Patrick Beaurigaud, oboe/ Kuijken String Quartet – Challenge
Delicious Mozart chamber works from a leader in the authenticity movement for over two decades
BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonatas = Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 14, No. 2; Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31, No. 2 “Tempest;” Sonata No. 24 in F# Major; Sonata No. 9 in E Major, Op. 14, No. 1; Sonata No. 27 in E Minor – Andrew Rangell, piano – Bridge
Rangell is a Beethoven acolyte of individual power and concentration
PURCELL: Music for Queen Mary – Academy of Ancient Music/ Choir of King’s College, Cambridge/ Kate Royal, soprano/ Andrew Staples, tenor/ David Hansen and Tim Mead, countertenors/ Directed by Stephen Cleobury. EMI
Some of the English master’s loveliest works
Audio News for April 14, 2006
Limeys Lambast Low-Res; Soundcast Launches New Wireless Technology; Misguided California Regulation of DTV Adapters Concerns CEA; San Francisco Symphony Expands Mahler Recording Project
SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960; Drei Klavierstuecke, D. 946 – Jos van Immerseel, pianoforte Troendlin, ca. 1835 – North West Classics
The forte piano provides appropriate timbre for the Schubert works, and the disc is also a CD-ROM with info on the instrument
50 Famous Recordings Added to The National Recording Registry
Introduction, List, and Description of Each
The 5 Browns – “No Boundaries” GERSHWIN: Rhapsody in Blue; COPLAND/DVORAK: Simple Gifts/Goin’ Home; STRAVINSKY: The Firebird; Works by LECOUNA, NOVACEK, RAVEL, LIEBERMANN, LISZT, LUTOSLAWSKI, GINASTERA & RACHMANINOFF – RCA Red Seal
The second 5 Browns DualDisc features spectacular 5-piano arrangements of Gershwin and Stravinsky in DD surround
“Legends of Jazz” Showcase
First DVD release from the new PBS series with Ramsey Lewis
Plymptoons (2002)
Black humor pervades a passle ‘o animated shorts from the creator of How To Kiss
“In Search of Mozart” = MOZART: Andante in B-flat Major; Oboe Concerto in C Major; Aria in F Major; Aria in F Major(for The Marriage of Figaro); Andante and Rondo in D; LEBRUN: Oboe Concerto in D Minor – Albrecht Mayer, oboe /Claudo Abbado – DGG
This new version of Mozart’s oboe concerto has a new gloss
BEETHOVEN: Triple Concerto in C Major for Violin, Cello, and Piano; Septet in E-flat Major – Gil Shaham, violin/ Truls Mork, cello/ Yefim Bronfman, piano/Zurich Tonhalle Orch./ David Zinman – Arte Nova Classics
A happy performance of an exhuberant work from a musical master
Audio News for April 11, 2006
PBO Offers MP3 Downloads on the NET; CEA Audio Sales Stats for Year To Date; Universal Reverses Stance on Downresed HD-DVDs; Atlantic Technology Corners Subwoofers
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
