Monthly Archive: June 2008
VIVALDI: “Rarita per tastiera” = Concerto in F Major; Con. in F Major; Con. in D; Sinfonia in A Major; Con. in C Minor; Largo e Andante in A Major; Con. in F Major; BACH: Con. in B minor; WALTHER: Con. in E minor – L’Orfeo Ens./Fabrizio Ammetto – Tactus
A thoroughly happy, scholarly and musical supplement to Vivaldi enthusiasts who thought they’d heard it all.
Frank Sinatra, The Golden Years Box Set (2008)
Five earlier features starring Sinatra, proving that he was a good actor as well as a great voice.
Patton, Blu-ray (1970)
It is a great film which won seven Academy Awards in 1970, but Patton himself had plenty of chinks in his Great Man armor.
MORTON FELDMAN: For Philip Guston – Julia Breuer: piccolo, flute, alto flute; Matthias Engler: glockenspiel, vibraphone, tubular bells, marimba; Elmar Schrammel: piano, celesta – Wergo
A protracted essay in ultra-modernism? A bizarre take on minimalism, perhaps even parody? Those things and more.
Audio News for June 3, 2008
Consumer Demand and the Evolution of Audio Technologies
Rafael Kubelik Conducts = DVORAK: Symphonic Variations, Op. 78; MARTINU: Incantation; BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 – Rudolf Firkusny, piano/Philharmonia Orchestra/Rafael Kubelik – Testament
His credentials long established in music of his native land, the Symphonic Variations of Dvorak were standard repertory, allowing Kubelik to bask in the interplay of winds and horns.
MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 – London Symphony Orchestra – LSO
Gergiev seemed a bit lower-key and held back compared to his previous recordings.
John Bayless, piano – Circle of Life – The Music of Elton John in the Style of Bach – Angel
Bayless is a specialist at giving popular themes a Baroque improvisational twist.
Rambo I – III Box Set, Blu-ray (2008)
I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had held up as relatively well as they have.
Signs, Blu-ray (2008)
The impact of music and dynamic transients is quite startling and adds a much-needed measure of dramatic oomph to the requisite scenes.
Art Tatum – Piano Starts Here – Live at the Shrine – Zenph Studios Re-Performance – Multichannel SACD + Binaural, Sony BMG Classics
This is the second re-performance SACD to be released by Zenph Studios.
BRAHMS: Ein Deutsches Requiem (German Requiem), Op. 45 – Lucia Popp. Soprano/Thomas Allen, baritone/London Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus/Klaus Tennstedt – BBC Legends
Many eager acolytes will wish to supplement Tennstedt’s commercial EMI inscription with this monumentally personal realization of an epic moment of spiritual consolation.
ANTONIO VIVALDI: The Four Seasons; Concerto RV 317 in G minor; Concerto RV 257 in E flat major – Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra/Daniel Gaede (violin)/Wojciech Rajski – Tacet
A tube-only recording, with a contemporary chamber orchestra playing like a period-instrument orchestra.
BRAHMS: Serenade No. 1 in D Major; Serenade No. 2 in A Major; Academic Festival Ov.; Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major; 5 Part-Songs; SCHUBERT (arr. Brahms): Jaeger, ruhe von der Jagd – Robert Casadesus/NY Ladies Choir/NY Philharmonic/Toscanini – Guild
Suave, unhurried Brahms from The Maestro, Arturo Toscanini
Rambo, The Fight Continues, Blu-ray (2008)
While definitely not for all tastes, the movie offers an impressive package of home-theater spectacle and generous extras.
Jiri Kylian’s Car Men ballet (2006)
Utilizes four dancers in one of the most exciting collaborations of filmmaker and choreographer in a dance film that I have ever viewed.
BRAHMS: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78; Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100; Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108 – Curtis Macomber, violin/Derek Han, piano – Bridge
All tastefully accomplished by two musically kindred spirits.
Editorial for June 2008
Welcome to Adobe GoLive 6 Harmonia mundi, one of the leading labels in early and Baroque music as well as 20th century music, is going to award three of its massive 30-CD 50th Anniversary packages to three lucky AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers who register here this month for the drawing. See the long list of music and performers included in complete selections in this magnificent collection. All of the music is of the highest quality, the recording standards are the highest, and the performance integrity is never compromised. If you register on the site this month your name could well be one of the lucky three drawn to receive this package in early July. (You might mention your specific interest in the Comments field on your registration.) Register Here for the Current Drawing Here are the lucky winners of the two Resonance Records DualDiscs (DVD+CD) of pianist Mike Garson and guitarist Andreas Oberg – our May drawing: Daniela Hernandez, Irving, TX; Chris Freeman, Charlotte, NC; Wally Babcock, Prattsburgh, NY; Bruce Scheiner, Levittown, NY; Tom Matthews, Omaha, NE; Heather Walker, LaGrange, GA; Jean Schwartz, Livonia, MI; Brian Collier, Charlotte, NC; Matt Greenwood, Bel Air, MD; Renee Grandinetti, Valleyford, WA. […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
