Monthly Archive: June 2008
A Meeting by the River – Water Lily Acoustics/Analogue Productions
Two slide-guitarists’ spontaneous improvisations – one from the West and one from India.
PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 5 in B flat Major Op. 100 – London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent – Everest/Classic Records – DVD-A/DVD-V + CD
Another fine 3-channel 35mm magnetic film transfer by Classic; this one unscathed by deterioration of the original film material.
MOZART: Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A Major; Quintet for Horn and Strings in E-Flat Major; Quartet for Oboe and Strings in F Major – Kuijken String Quartet/Lorenzo Coppola, clarinet/Pierre-Yves Madeuf, Horn/Patrick Beaugiraud, oboe – Challenge
Mozart’s chamber music is warm and satisfying on original instruments.
SMETANA: Ma Vlast (My Fatherland) – Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/Vaclav Talich – Opus Kura
Amazing that we can listen to an important interpretation such as this which was recorded almost 80 years ago!
Hugh Masekela – Hope – Triloka Records/Analogue Productions
This was a live show by Masekela and his band recorded at Washington D.C.’s Blues Alley back in l993.
CARL ORFF: Carmina Burana – Ann Achibald, sop./John Graham-Hall, tenor/ Peter Sidhom, baritone/Royal Choral Society/The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Richard Cooke – Membran
Just one of the over 150 SACDs in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Series
SEQUENTIA – The Rheingold Curse – A Germanic Saga of Greed and Revenge from the Medieval Icelandic Edda – Sequentia/Benjamin Bagby, et al – Marc Aurel Edition
Explore the origins of the Germanic legends used in Wagner’s Ring Cycle
FRANZ BIBER: Soldiers, Gypsies, Farmers and a Night Watchman – Combattimento Consort Amsterdam/Jan Willem de Vriend – Challenge
Leave it to creative Dutch musicians to come up with a fresh and interesting take on an area of early music that is going to win a much wider audience
Richard Strauss conducts = R. STRAUSS: Der Rosenkavalier; Waltz, Act III; MOZART: Die Zauberfloete Overture; GLUCK: Iphigenie in Aulis Overture; CORNELIUS: Overture; WAGNER: Tristan und Isolde–Prelude;The Flying Dutchman Ov. – Dutton
These are all instrumental selections because Strauss actually feared an inscribed opera would set too many musical precedents in stone.
Audio News for June 17, 2008
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Promotes Safe Listening; Stage Production Incorporates Zenph Studios Art Tatum Re-performances; Blu-ray Hardware to See Lower Prices Soon; Talk About Mini Speakers!
Xuefei Yang, guitar – 40 Degrees North = ALBENIZ: Sevilla; Cordoba; Castilla; STEPHEN GOSS: The Chinese Garden; TARREGA: on the Carnival of Venice; HE ZHANHAO and CHEN GANG: The Butterfly Lovers (I); GRANADOS: Valses Poeticos; WANG HUIRAN: Yi Dance – EMI
Sweet playing by one of the most heralded new guitarists on the scene today
MILHAUD: La Creation du Monde; DEBUSSY: Khamma–Ballet; Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra – Boston Symphony Orchestra/Charles Munch (Milhaud) /Suisse Romande Orchestra/Ernest Ansermet – HDTT
The Dance of Desire and Fugue proves a rousing, multi-dimensional sound-byte, worthy of any audiophile’s attentions.
STANFORD: Symphonies No. 3 (“Irish”) and No. 6 (“in honour of G.F. Watts”) – Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/ David Lloyd-Jones, conductor – Naxos
Standards remain high in Lloyd-Jones’s continuing cycle
DOMENICO SCARLATTI: Madrid Mass; Missa Breve, “La Stella”; Stabat Mater – Simone Gheller, organ/ Melodi Cantores/ Elena Sartori, conductor – Tactus
Fine, sturdy singing of what are becoming new baroque standards
SCHUBERT: Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667 “The Trout”; MOZART: Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major, K. 493 – Yefim Bronfman, piano/Pinchas Zukerman, violin/Jethro Marks, viola/Amanda Forsyth, cello/Joel Quarrington, double-bass – Sony/BMG
Bronfman’s aggressive style is turned inward so his natural polish and smoothly articulated pulse integrate themselves in the fine skein of Schubert’s lyrical outpourings.
Edition Geza Anda, Vol. II = BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major; Piano Sonata No. 7 in D Major; Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major; BRAHMS: Piano Sonata No. 3; 3 Intermezzi; LISZT: Sonata in b – Cologne Radio-Sym./Geza Anda, piano & cond. – Audite (2)
A splendidly-mounted set celebrating “the troubadour of the piano”
The Sand Pebbles, Blu-ray (1966/2008)
Right up there with Patton – one of the very best of Fox’s recent classic catalog Blu-rays.
RAVEL: Daphnis et Chloe (complete ballet); Pavane pour une infante défunte – Boston Symphony Orchestra (Orchestre de Paris in Pavane)/ Charles Munch – HDTT
A 1961 recording by same forces as in the well-known 1955 version of the famous Ravel ballet score.
Art Blakey/Mike Mainieri and their combos – Jazz Legends Series (1982/2007)
Jazz filmed at the Brecker Brothers’ jazz club in 1982 is entertaining but short.
Monique de la Brouchollerie, piano, Vol. 2 = Works TCHAIKOVSKY, BRAHMS, SAINT-SAENS, CHOPIN, HAYDN & SZYMANOWSKI – Doremi (2 CDs)
She projects the musical equivalent of Gina Bachauer, easily, maybe a Gallic, female Backhaus.
BACH: Motets BWV 225-230 – Siebe Henstra, harpsichord/ Lucia Swarts, cello/ Netherlands Chamber Choir/ Peter Dijkstra, conductor – Channel Classics
Now the best-sounding rendition of these works that we have
Solo + = SOMMERFELDT: Sonata Saxifraga; HVOSLEF: Violin Solo; PLAGGE: Duels; KARLSEN: Fantasia Religiosa; KRUSE: Memento mori; Bjorklund: 3 Contrasts – Stig Nilsson & Anders Kjellberg Nilsson, violins – 2L
A stunning bit of playing in music of attractive worth, in super sonics
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
