Monthly Archive: March 2008
Opera Fantasies for Violin – Livia Sohn, violin/Geoff Nuttall, violin/ Benjamin Loeb, piano – Naxos
All very pretty, even quite marvelous by some standards.
VERDI: Macbeth (complete opera)
Vastly superior to the previous DVD release, this is a must have for opera lovers.
Independence Day, Blu-ray (1996)
This film depicts the biggest and baddest alien invasion of any sci-fi movie before.
Audio News for March 18, 2008
Color-Match Your Home Electronics; Festival Son & Image Next Month; Dynamic Level Adjustment in Multiroom Speakers; Latest on “Greening Your Home Electronics; MusicDirect Featured in American Express TV Commercial
Mary Lou Williams – A Grand Night for Swinging – HighNoteThe Mary Lou Williams Collective – Zodiac Suite: Revisited – Mary Records
Mary Lou Williams: Original & Revisited
LISZT: Rhapsodie Espagnole; Malediction; Fantasia on Hungarian Folk Themes; SCHUBERT-LISZT: Wanderer Fantasy Op. 15 – Joshua Pierce, piano/ Moscow State Philharmonic Orch./State Symphony orch. of Russia (on Hungarian Fantasia)/ Paul Freeman – MSR Classics
Pierce is fully up to the virtuoso challenge and delivers the full Romantic goods.
SIBELIUS: String Quartet in D Minor, Op. 56 “Intimate Voices”; STRAVINSKY: Three Pieces fro String Quartet; RAVEL: String Quartet in F Major – Daedalus Quartet – Bridge
The Daedalus Quartet is a talented group of young players who occupy a central place in New York City’s musical life.
“Spectral Trio” = MADELEINE DRING: Trio for flute, oboe & piano; Danza Gaya for oboe and piano; WM. GRANT STILL: Incantation & Dance for oboe & piano; Miniatures for flute, oboe & piano; JEAN-MICHEL DAMASE: Quatre Divertissements; Trio – Blue Griffin
The Spectral Trio delivers a fine program of British, American and French works for this elegant chamber aggregation.
“The Classic Trumpet” = BALDASSARE: Sonata No. 1; HERTEL: Trumpet Concerto in E Flat; MARCELLO: Adagio; TARTINI: Trumpet Concerto; NERUDA: Concerto in E flat; BACH: Air on a G String; HANDEL: Suite in D Major – Jens Lindemann, trumpet – Marquis
The full power of the trumpets’ voices is delivered with great impact, as well as fine detail in the quiet lyrical passages.
Enrico Granafei, chromatic harmonica/guitar/vocals – In Search of the Third Dimension – MilesHighRecords.com
He discovered the amazing jazz harmonicist Toots Thielemans and immediately taught himself how to play jazz harmonica.
Fabian Beghin & Didier Laloy, chromatic & diatonic accordion duet – Cryptonique – homerecords.be Jean-Christophe Renault, piano & Didier Laloy, diatonic accordion – Hors-piste – homerecords.be
Accordions Galore!
CHOPIN: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, “Funeral March”; Barcarole in F-sharp Major; Ballade No. 4 in F Minor; Polonaise No. 7 in A-flat Major “Polonaise-Fantasie”; Etude in E Major, Op. 10, No. 3; Scherzo No. 1 – Vladimir Horowitz – Naxos Historical
This disc reminded me of many joys in Horowitz I might have otherwise forgotten. Heartily recommended.
I, Robot – Blu-ray (2004/08)
This disc has an astounding number of on-screen features which can be easily brought up while viewing the film.
Sergio Fiorentino, piano: The Early Recordings, Vol. 6 = SCHUMANN: Carnaval, Op. 9; Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13, Arabeske in C, Op. 18, Kinderszenen, Op. 15 – APR
Idiomatic Schumann of the first order in decent sound.
TERRY RILEY: The Cusp of Magic – Wu Man, pipa/Kronos Quartet with various toys & percussion – Nonesuch
The new element is the addition of the Chinese lute-like instrument, the pipa. played by Wu Man – with whom the quartet has collaborated before.
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 10 in E minor; DETLEV GLANERT: Theatrum bestiarum (A Theatrical Bestiary) – Songs and Dances for Large Orchestra – WDR Symphony Orchestra of Cologne/ Semyon Bychkov – Avie
The Tenth was completed only a few months after Stalin died.
MAHLER: Symphony No. 9 – Berliner Philharmoniker/ Simon Rattle – EMI Classics
This is Rattle’s second try at it and it belongs in every Mahlerite’s collection!
Audio News for March 14, 2008
Bad Taste of Home Electronics
The Essential Julian Bream – (Selection of his favorite recordings) – guitar & lute with Melos ensemble/Malcolm Arnold, and harpsichordist George Malcolm – RCA Red Seal
A good collection for either classy background music or in-depth close listening.
Works of ISOTARO SUGATA – Kazuhiko Komatsu cond. – Naxos Works of TAKASHI YOSHIMATSU – Yasuaki Itakura cond. – Camerata
Concert music by two Japanese composers working in a European music style.
MIECZYSLAW WEINBERG: Symphonies Nos. 2 in A minor & 4 in A minor; Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes – National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice/ Gabriel Chmura – Chandos
I find the composer’s Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes to be the hit of this disc.
Appleseed Exmachina, Blu-ray (2007)
Lavish computer game choreographed by John Woo and featuring a giant mechanical rabbit?
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
