Monthly Archive: February 2007
ROBERT KYR: Violin Concerto Trilogy: “On the Nature of…” (#1 Love, #2 Harmony, #3 Peace) – Robert Kyr, conductor – New Albion Records
This is intense, thoughtful, beautifully wrought music.
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, K. 271 “Jeunehomme”; Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503; Rondo in A Major, K. 386 – Pascal Roge, piano/ Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra/ Raymond Leppard – Onyx
Pascal Roge brings his innately graceful, fluent style to bear on two Mozart concertos
Jeremy Cohen & Friends
A delightful hot violin concert in tribute to the jazz violin pioneer Joe Venuti
Audio News for February 28, 2007
Cheaper Sony Blu-ray Player; Film Music Weekly Magazine Launched; Costco Reduces Return Period for Electronics to 90 Days; Writer Lauds “Workarounds” to Hi-Def Format War; Windows Home Server
The Very Tall Band – What’s Up? – Oscar Peterson, piano; Ray Brown, bass; Milt Jackson, vibes; Karriem Riggins, drums – Telarc Jazz
A dream piano trio – two of the its members no longer with us.
Harry Connick Jr. – Chanson du Vieux Carré – Band Arranged, orchestrated and conducted by Harry Connick Jr. – Marsalis Music
New Orleans singer and pianist Connick did these sparkling arrangements mostly on his tour bus while traveling the country doing gigs.
JOHN BEVAN BAKER: Songs of Courtship; Duo; Piano Suite; Spring; Triptych; A Song for Kate; Eclogue; Rorate Coeli Desuper – Hebrides Ensemble/ Consort of Voices/ William Conway, director – Linn
A tribute album to a fine Scottish composer
VERDI: Un Ballo in Maschera (complete opera) – Placido Domingo (Gustavo III)/ Josephine Barstow (Amelia)/ Leo Nucci (Renato)/ Florence Quivar (Ulrica)/Choir of the Vienna State Opera/ Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/ Herbert von Karajan – DGG (2)
Karajan’s last operatic hurrah
BOWEN: Violin Concerto; Piano Concerto No. 1 – Michael Dussek, piano/ Lorraine McAslan, violin/ BBC Concert Orchestra/ Vernon Handley, conductor – Dutton Epoch
More stunning sounds from a composer whose time has come
HANDEL: Concerti Grossi, Op. 3; Sonata a 5 (HWV 288) – Academy of Ancient Music/ Richard Egarr, conductor – Harmonia mundi
Handel’s problematic Opus 3 given a fresh treatment in rich sound
FRANZ BERWALD: Reminiscence of the Norwegian Mountains: Symphonic Poem; Konzertstück for Bassoon and Orchestra*; Etude for String Orchestra; Fantasiestück for Orchestra “Serious and Joyful Fancies;” Ov. The Queen of Golcona – Gävle Sym. /Sakari – Naxos
His style comes from the Germanic tradition, with the influences of Spohr, Weber and Mendelssohn.
“Appassionato” – Yo-Yo Ma, cello (with various performers) – Sony Classical
This is one of the most romantic-sounding, melodic and unhackneyed sampler collections I have heard in some time.
CHOPIN: 24 Preludes, Op. 28; Prelude in C Sharp Minor, Op. 45; Prelude in A-flat Major, Op. posth.; SCHUMANN: Papillons, Op. 2 – Claudio Arrau, piano – PentaTone
In the surround sound medium, the Preludes carry a particular resonance of awesome power
“Konsert” by Steffen Horn, piano – DUSIK: Sonata No. 1; RACHMANINOFF: Six Preludes, Op. 23; GRIEG: Lyrical Pieces Op. 65, Andante from Sonata Op. 7; PROKOFIEV: Sonata No. 1 – Steffen Horn – 2L
The applause is some of the most astoundingly realistic I have heard on any hi-res surround recording
“Breathe – the relaxing jazz piano” – Sampler featuring Cyrus Chestnut, Oscar Peterson, Jacques Loussier, David Brubeck, McCoy Tyner, George Shearing, Benny Green, & Michel Camilo – Telarc
The notes have complete credits and reproductions of each CD cover and number
Styx – One with Everything
Probably a must-have DVD for any Styx fans or listeners that like power rock music.
The Beatles – “Love” – Remix by George and Giles Martin – Capitol Multichannel DVD-A + separate CD
******* MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH ********
MICHAEL GORDON, DAVID LANG & JULIA WOLFE: The Carbon Copy Building (A Comic-Strip Opera) – Singers: Theo Bleckmann, Tony Boutte, Katie Geissinger, Toby Twining; Music Director: Martin Goldray – Cantaloupe Records
Texts and comics-style drawings in the bound libretto are by Ben Katchor, creator of the “Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer” comics.
DAVID CHESKY: Urban Concertos = Concerto for Piano and Orchestra; Concerto for Orchestra; Concerto for Bassoon – Martin Kuuskmann, bassoon/ Love Derwinger, piano/ The Symphony Orchestra of the Norrlands Opera/ Rossen Gergov – Chesky Records
The Concerto for Bassoon is sometimes aggressive, sometimes yearning, other times humorous and clever.
GEORGE LLOYD: Symphony No. 1 in A (1932); Twelfth Symphony (1989) – Albany Symphony Orchestra/ George Lloyd – Albany Records
The composer had had a checkered reception in the UK, partly due to the BBC feeling that his music was old-fashioned in its tonalism
CHOPIN: Ballade No. 1 in G Minor; Ballade No. 2 in F Major; Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major; Ballade No. 4 in F Minor; Nocturnes – Alfred Cortot, piano – Naxos Historical
In tastefully resurrected remasterings by Mark Obert-Thorn, Cortot’s potent magic in Chopin – especially when he had been practicing – shines forth.
Audio News for February 24, 2007
New Technology For Surround Sound Using Existing Stereo Channels; Consumer Testing of AM Broadcast Transmission Bandwidth
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
