Monthly Archive: October 2008
Licia Albanese, soprano = Arias from Tosca, Gianni Schicchi, Adriana Lecouvreaur, I Pagliacci, Otello, Don Giovanni, Manon & others – with Robert Merrill/RCA Orchestra/Leopold Stokowski Orchestra – Testament
Characterized simultaneously as a coloratura with a flexible dramatic range, her voice earned the epithet linco spinto, for its quick, nervous vibrato and her razor-thin, clear diction.
Cat Stevens, Tea For The Tillerman, Live 1971 (2008)
It shows what an incredible talent he was, and how his songs still resonate with relevance even thirty-plus years later.
ALKAN: Cello Sonata in E Major, Op. 47; CHOPIN: Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 65 – Alban Gerhardt, cello/Steven Osborne, piano – Hyperion
Alkan’s Sonata extends an immediate muscularity and joie de vivre that, under the gifted hands of cellist Alban Gerhardt prove quite compelling.
Experience Hendrix (2007)
The shows include a veritable who’s who of artists who either: played with Jimi, are currently playing music that promotes his style, or were among Jimi’s very favorite guitarists and heavy influences on his style.
The Crusaders, Live At Montreux 2003 (2008)
The Crusaders peaked commercially in the late seventies with the album Street Life, which was a great commercial success both domestically and internationally.
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama (2008)
If you’re a huge fan of the group, this disc is a definite no-brainer.
SPIELEN IN DIE ORGEL: Barocke Meisterwerke für Violine und Orgel (Masterworks of the Baroque Era for Violin and Organ) – Annegret Siedel (Baroque violin)/Pieter van Dijk (organ) – Cantate
It allowed me to savor a rather unknown facet of Baroque music: polyphonic music for two instruments that are hardly compatible in their tonal range.
MAHLER: Symphony No. 5 – Tonhalle Orchestra, Zurich /David Zinman -RCA Victor Red Seal
Those who prefer Mahler not be to overdone and covered with a rich sauce will find plenty to enjoy in Zinman’s clarity of vision.
GERSHWIN: Complete Music for Piano & Orchestra – Rhapsody in Blue; 2nd Rhapsody; I Got Rhythm Variations; Piano Concerto in F – Anne-Marie McDermott/ Dallas Sym./Justin Brown – Bridge GERSHWIN: Original Works and Transcriptions – Ralph Votapec, p. – BGR
A Propitious Pair of All-Gershwin albums.
Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)
The evidence makes it clear that the atrocities were due to the present administration’s decision to embrace torture as a proper weapon in the fight against terrorism.
LUCIEN DUROSOIR: String Quartets No. 1 in F-minor, No. 2 in D-minor, No. 3 in B-minor – Diotima Quartet – Alpha
A fine discovery for those wanting some superbly crafted quartets.
“Vintage Cinema” – Themes from King Kong, Robin Hood, Spellbound, The Red Pony, Sunset Blvd., A Streetcar Named Desire, A Place in the Sun, On the Waterfront, North By Northwest, To Kill a Mockingbird, Taras Bulba, El Cid – Cincinnati Pops/Kunzel – Telarc
Classic film score themes from 1933-1962 in exciting surround.
BACH: Toccata in D; Toccata in D-minor; WTC I selections: Preludes and Fugues in D-minor, B-flat, F-sharp minor, A-flat major, C-sharp minor, C-sharp major, A-minor, C-major, B-minor BACH: Partitas No. 1, 3, 4 – both Andrew Violette, piano
Fine technique, but not competitive with so many outstanding performers of past and present.
Audio News for October 24, 2008
Challenges for Holiday Electronics Sales; LG Electronics Simplifies HT Wiring Hassles
ALEXANDER ALYABIEV: Orchestral & Incidental Music – Symphony No. 3 in E minor for four horns and orch.; Overtures; Variations on The Cossak on the Danube; The Tempest; The Magic Drum – Soloists/Musica Viva Orch./Alexander Rudin – Fuga Libera
He introduced Shakespeare’s plays to new audiences in his operas, and later Russian composers admitted their debit to his work.
Spencer Brewer – Cinematic – (2 CDs) SpencerBrewer.com
Music which creates mini-films in the mind’s eye thru its descriptive, fantasy-like qualities.
GOMIDAS Songs – Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano/ Serouj Kradjian, piano/ Chamber Players of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra/ Eudard Topchjan, conductor – Nonesuch
A mandatory release by Isabel Bayrakdarian of the music of the Father of Armenian Classical Music.
HAYDN, HUMMEL, TORELLI, NERUDA: Trumpet Concertos – Alison Balsom, trumpet/ German Chamber Philharmonic Bremen/ Thomas Klug, leader – EMI
Another fine album from a new face in trumpet playing, tackling the standards.
SCHUBERT: Sonata No. 21 in B-flat Major, D. 960; 3 Klavierstuecke, D. 946 – Lars Vogt, piano – Avi-Music
Vogt’s playing communicates poise and mechanical security in every bar, intelligently passionate.
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 2 in D; Symphony No. 7 in A – Minnesota Orchestra/ Osmo Vanska, conductor – BIS
Finally we come to the conclusion of Minnesota’s sterling efforts.
Young Frankenstein, Blu-ray (1974)
A superbly comedic tale that’s a hoot of a twist on the Frankenstein story, and offers some really great acting and some of Brook’s all-time best writing.
Eastern Promises (2007)
While the squeamish may find some of the visuals a tad too disturbing, it is nonetheless a really well-crafted and superbly-acted tale.