Monthly Archive: February 2008
The New Friends of Rhythm – Performances from 1939-1947 – Hep Records
Among the sources for some of these sides are: Bach, Brahms, Stephen Foster, Gliere, Mozart, Paganini, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Victor Young and Fats Waller.
Sir John Barbirolli conducts Russian Favorites = RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Capriccio espagnol; LIADOV: Enchanted Lake; TCHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake: 5 Scenes; Romeo and Juliet–Overture Fantasy in B Minor; Marche Slav – Halle Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli – Guild
From a 1953 recording from Manchester comes an item new to CD – Liadov’s sultry mood piece, Enchanted Lake, long a Koussevitzky staple.
BACH: Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of Fugue) – Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano – Deutsche Grammophon
An almost 80-minute-long metaphysical and intoxicating battering of what many of us think of as the usual J.S. Bach sensibility.
L’Esprit Galant – Works by LAMBERT, LE CAMUS, CHARPENTIER, HOTMAN A.O. for soprano and French theorbo – Johannette Zomer and Fred Jacobs – Channel Classics
Not only did characteristics of delicacy and spirited delivery apply to the words and music but also to the style of performance.
The Michael Rabin Legacy: Unissued Recordings 1950-1956 = WIENIAWSKI: Violin Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp Minor; GLAZOUNOV: Violin Concerto in A Minor; Excerpts of concerti of BRAHMS, LALO, TCHAIKOVSKY & MENDELSSOHN – var. orchestras – Tahra (2 CDs)
Among the more tragic figures in classical music making is Michael Rabin (1936-1972), the exceptionally gifted son of New York Philharmonic musician George Rabin and pianist Jean Seidman.
DELIUS: Violin Sonata No. 1; Violin Sonata No. 2; Violin Sonata No. 3; RUBBRA: Violin Sonata No. 2 – Albert Sammons, violin/Evelyn Howard-Jones, piano/ Kathleen Long, piano (Delius Sonata No. 3)/Gerald Moore, piano (Rubbra) – Dutton
Violinist Albert Sammons’ (1886-1957) big tone and big technique having brought many works of Elgar, Bax, Delius, and Rubbra into the world.
SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944 “The Great” – Hessian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Ferenc Fricsay – Tahra
The performance resonates with richly sensuous lines; orchestral definition of utmost clarity; deliberate, measured tempos; and a romantic sensibility and tragic color.
RACHMANINOV: 9 Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 39; 6 Poems, Op. 38; Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42 – Elena Brilova, soprano/Alexander Melnikov, piano – Harmonia mundi
This gorgeous disc concentrates the late, lyric impulse in Rachmaninov’s oeuvre into a small but intensely variegated space.
Audio News for February 19, 2008
The HD Format War Is Over!; Interconnectibility and Wireless Features of New HDTVs; MusicGiants Launches VideoGiants
WAGNER: The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure (arranged by Henk de Vlieger); Siegfried Idyll – Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Neemi Järvi – Chandos
An orchestral adventure employing 60 minutes of music taken from The Ring
Canta in Prato = Songs, Dances, and Arias – Cappella Stravagante – Profil Hanssler
One of the few recordings to truly sample the age spanning the Renaissance to the Baroque
PANUFNIK: Old Polish Suite; Concerto in Modo Antico; Jagiellonian Triptych; Old Polish Music – Divertimento after Janiewicz; Hommage a Chopin – Igor Cechoco, trumptet/ Hanna Turonek, flute/ Polish Changer Orchestra/ Mariusz Smolij – Naxos
An interesting collection of some parochial compositions
The Songs of Robert Schumann, Volume 10 = Kate Royal, soprano/ Felicity Lott, soprano/ Lydia Teuscher, soprano/ Ann Murray, mezzo-soprano/ Daniela Lehner, mezzo-soprano/ Stephan Loges, baritone/ Christoph Bantzer, reciter/ Graham Johnson, piano – Hyperion
A stunning achievement for Kate Royal, and another well-deserved feather in the Hyperion cap as this enthralling series continues.
DVORAK: Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81; Quartet in E-flat, Op. 51; Romance for Violin, Op. 11 – Windscape/ Jeremy Denk, piano/ Daniel Phillips, violin – MSR
Fear not to tread where these terrific musicians want to take you
DVORAK: Piano Trio in F Minor, Op. 65; Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 87 – David Golub, piano/Glenn Dicterow, violin/ James Kreger, cello/Gerald Robbins, piano (Op. 87)/Karen Dreyfus, viola – Bridge
This fine disc is dedicated to the memory of pianist David Golub, who died in 2000 at the age of 50.
Les Plaisirs du Palais (Drinking and Eating Songs) and A Feast in the Time of Rabelais – Ensemble Clement Janequin/ Dominique Visse, director – Harmonia mundi
A little Renaissance naughtiness, along with a good meal
The Doo-Wop Box – “It All Started With Doo-Wop” (9 CDs + one DVD) Time-Life/Rhino Custom Products/Direct Holdings America 2007
This impressively exhaustive Time-Life set is assuredly the best way to appreciate the Doo-Wop
style.
Cannon Re-Loaded – All-Star Celebration of Cannonball Adderley – Concord Music
A dream team of players honor the memory of the legendary saxist/leader, including two alums – George Duke and Nancy Wilson
Corellisante = CORELLI: Sonatas, No 10, op. 4; No. 8, op. 3; No. 12, op. 3; No. 6, op. 4; No. 9, op. 1; TELEMANN: Sonatas Corellisante 1, 2, 3, 5, TWV 42 – Rebel – Dorian
Brilliant Corelli and a tribute from Telemann mark this supercharged disc
We Own The Night, Blu-ray (2008)
While not a classic of the genre, I still found the film offered significant entertainment value.
Crimson Tide, Blu-ray (2008)
An excellent presentation of an extremely well-acted movie; if you’re a big fan, this is definitely the version to own.
BACH: Sinfonia to Cantata “Wir mussen durch viel Trubsal”; Cantata “Ich habe genug”; Cantata “Mein Herze Schwimmt in Blut”; Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B-minor, BWV 1067 – Johannette Zomer, soprano/ Florilegium/ Ashley Solomon, dr. – Channel Classics
Excellent British Bach performed with grace and vitality
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
