Monthly Archive: May 2006
DEBUSSY: Children’s Corner Suite; Suite bergamasque; Deux arabesques; Images, Books I-II – Alain Planes, piano – Harmonia mundi
A special piano with extra strings in the treble provides a more atmospheric Debussy sound
Napoleon Dynamite (2004) Special Edition
Cult favorite about painful high school daze
Jimi Plays Monterey / Shake! Otis at Monterey (1986)
Criterion now offers these two complete performances at the reknowned Pop Festival on a single DVD
Borsolino and Co. (1974)
Alain Delon gangster drama is compared to French version of The Cotton Club
SCHUBERT: Trout Quintet, String Trios D. 581 & D. 487 – Leopold String Trio with Paul Lewis, piano, and Graham Mitchell, double bass – Hyperion
Reproduction as clear as the stream in which the trout resides
Teorama (1968)
Pasolini challenged conventional mores and notions of identity in this obsessive film
Inspired by Bach = BUSONI: Fantasia After J.S. Bach; Prelude et etude arpeges; Perpetuum mobile; Trills Etude; TRONCON: Six Preludes and Fugues – Carlo Grante, piano – Music & Arts
Contrapunctally-leaning works by both composers owe a debt to J.S.
Nathalie…(2003)
Sexy French drama for a trio of fine actors
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 108 – (Haas Version) – Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/ Bernard Haitink, cond. laureate – RCO Live
Magnificent performance in a perfect hall plus widestage surround sound
BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 16 in G Major, Op. 31, No. 1; Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31, No. 2 “Tempest”; Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-flat Major, Op. 31, No. 3 – Mari Kodama, piano – PentaTone
The latest in Kodama’s Beethoven series continues the well-balanced performances and exemplary piano reproduction in surround
Vaclav Talich Special Edition 8 = WAGNER: Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod; TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 “Pathetique” – Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (Wagner)/ Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/ Vaclav Talich – Supraphon
The great Czech conductor often compared to Furwangler and Mengelberg had a love of Russian music
CASSANDRA WILSON – Thunderbird – EMI/Blue Note
The singer-guitarist’s strengths lie in blues and country music
Gyorgy Cziffra, The Early Columbia Records – Urania (2 CDs)
These recordings for a 1956 LP testify to the pianist’s flamboyant, natural fluency
BEETHOVEN: Egmont Overture, Op. 84; HANDEL: Concerto Grosso in E Minor, Op. 6, No. 3; R. STRAUSS: Ein Heldenleben, Op 40 – Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Kurt Sanderling – Weitblick
A ravishing reading of the monumental Hero’s Life
The BACH Gamut II – Bach Program with Virgil Fox, organ- Includes Preludes and Fugues in E Minor & B Minor, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Fugue in G Major, Toccata in F Major, four other short sel. – SeeMusicDVD
Provides 5.1 or stereo audio with kaleidoscopic images for three of the selections, plus a separate CD
CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor; Fantaisie in F Minor Op. 49; Bolero Op. 19; Fantaisie-Impromptu Op. 66; Polonaise in A-Flat Major Op. 53 – Olga Kern, piano/ Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra/ Antoni Wit – Harmonia mundi
“I play strong like a man but feel like a woman”
Talmadge Farlow (1981)
Tal Farlow – A Life of Wise Choices
Phil Woods – A Life in E Flat [Portrait of a Jazz Legend] (2005)
Woods explains his life and philosophy between the studio takes for a new album
Eddie Daniels Quartet – Mean What You Say – (Eddie Daniels, clarinet & tenor sax; Hank Jones, piano; Richard Davis, bass; Kenny Washington, drums) – IPO
Nicely-recorded disc from a reed player who’s been out of the limelight lately
The Bill Holman Band – Live Jazzed Media
A West Coast Master’s Latest Masterpiece
AUERBACH & SHOSTAKOVICH – “Ballet of a Lonely Violinist” – Vadim Gluzman, violin/ Angela Yoffe, piano – BIS
A deeply affecting disc of two oddly similar composers
Phil Woods – This is How I Feel About Quincy – Jazzed Media
Phil Woods’ Tribute to Quincy Jones
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
