Monthly Archive: September 2007
Quartet San Francisco – Whirled Chamber Music – ViolinJazz Recordings
The main theme is celebration of the centennial of the birth of the versatile iconoclast composer/bandleader/inventor and electronic music pioneer Raymond Scott
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor “Little Russian”; Overture in F Major; Festive Overture on the Danish National Anthem in D Major; The Storm (Groza) – Overture – Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra/ Neeme Järvi – BIS
The three “fillers” are all most interesting to hear
ZBIGNIEW PREISNER: Silence, Night & Dreams – Teresa Salgueiro, voice/ Tom Cully, boy soprano/ Aukso Orchestra cond. by Marek Mos/Camerata Silesia dir. by Anna Szostak – EMI Classics
Silence, Night and Dreams is for soloists, choir and orchestra and uses texts from The Book of Job and the Gospel of St. Matthew.
Dave Brubeck Quartet, Live in ‘64 & ‘66, Jazz Icons Series
Terrific music, playing, filming and sound – a treat!
Duke Ellington, Live in ‘58 – Jazz Icons Series
The earliest known film of an entire Ellington concert
Greta Matassa, The Smiling Hour – Origin Records
A voice with real personality, range, control, and good humor.
HUBERT KLYNE HEADLEY: California Suite; Piano Concerto No. 1 “Argentango”; Piano Concerto No. 2; Symphony No. 1 for Radio – Anna Bogolyubova, piano/ Russian Philharmonic Orchestra/ Dmitry Yablonsky – Naxos American Classics
The two short piano concertos are greatly contrasted and interesting works that should be part of today concert repertory.
SCHUMANN: Three Romances, Op. 28; Davidsbuendlertaenze, Op. 6; SCHUBERT: Six Moments Musicaux, D. 780 – Adrian Aeschbacher, piano – KASP Records
Aeschbacher was a pupil of Artur Schnabel, whose excellent work with Edwin Fischer and Wilhelm Furtwaengler remains precious to collectors and connoisseurs.
Jazz Festival Vol. 2 – Duke Ellington (1962)
Also: Bobby Hackett Sextet & Mike Bryan Sextet
Meet the Fockers, HD DVD (2004)
The sequel to the Ben Stiller comedy hit “Meet the Parents”
“Mosaic” – New Interpretations of Early Music for Horn, Cello & Piano – Duende Trio: Jeffrey Agrell, horn/Gil Selinger, cello/ Evan Mazunik, piano – MSR Classics
Their idea is that if they can create music on the spot, so to speak, why not create completely fresh interpretations of existing old music?
RESPIGHI: Ballad of the Gnomes; Three Botticelli Pictures; Suite in G Major for Organ and Strings; Adagio with Variations for Cello and Orchestra – Soloists/Philharmonia Orchestra/ Geoffrey Simon – Cala
This particular story is not about nice garden gnomes by any means; in fact it’s rather shocking.
HOWARD HANSON: Merry Mount – opera in 3 acts – Lauren Flanigan/Walter MacNeil/ Richard Zeller/ Charles Robert Austin/Seattle Symphony Chorale/ NW Boychoir/Seattle Girls’ Choir/Seattle Symphony/ Gerard Schwarz – Naxos
First recording of Hanson’s large-scale opera based on a story by Hawthorne
Audio News for September 15, 2007
Two Ways to Access Home Media Today; Comcast Pulls Plug On Big Users
Away From Her (2006)
A very hard-hitting and realistic portrayal of the affliction of Alzheimer’s disease
Lady Day: The Master Takes and Singles – Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra, Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra, Benny Carter & Orchestra, Eddie Heywood & Orchestra – Sony Legacy 4-CD Set
These cuts sound remarkably good, considering that some of them are over seventy years old.
The Replacement Killers, Extended Cut, Blu-ray (1998/2007)
Chow Yun-Fat is a really, really nice guy – even when he’s blowing away a dozen bad guys at once.
Sam Yahel Trio – Truth and Beauty – Origin
A talented organist/composer, a tenor sax man among the very best, and a first rate drummer just as comfortable in elegant support as he is in driving a tune.
WILHELM FURTWANGLER: Symphony No. 2 in E Minor – Staatskapelle Weimar/ GEorge Alexander Albrecht – Arte Nova Classics
This is not the first recording of the 81-minute work, but is probably the best available version sonically.
Ohm Micro Walsh Tall Speakers
Just the ticket if you have a small room and you value quality over quantity of sound.
Encounter Point (2007)
A moving documentary on some brave fighters-for-peace in both Israel and Palestine
ROBERT WARD: Symphony No. 3; Dialogues – A Triple Concerto for Violin/Cello/Piano/Orchestra; Sym. No. 6; A Western Set – Soloists/Iceland Sym. Orch./Igor Buketoff (Sym. 3); Triangle Ch. Orch./Lorenzo Muti (Con. & Sym. 6); Czech Phil./Alan Balter – Albany
Exceptional tonal works from an important American composer
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
