Monthly Archive: November 2008
KARLOWICZ: Symphonic Poems Vol. 1 = Stanislaw and Anna Oswiecimowie; Lithuanian Rhapsody; Episode at a Masquerade/ Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra/ Antoni Wit, conductor – Naxos
A fine start to a new series.
Sukiyaki Western Django, Blu-ray (2007)
Even if you’re not a fan of Westerns, you might find this quirky effort a visual and humorous treat, if you can handle the violence.
Enrico Rava – The Pilgrim and the Stars – ECM
A long overdue reissue from 1975, and a welcome addition to ECM’s Touchstone Series.
HANDEL Opera Box: Rinaldo; Flavio; Julius Ceasar – soloists/orch./Rene Jacobs – Harmonia mundi 9-CD box set
More Handel from Harmonia mundi…
MELCHIOR NEUSIDLER: Lute Music – Paul O’Dette, lute – Harmonia mundi
A once-popular composer of music for the lute is unearthed.
The Joe Gilman Trio – View So Tender: Wonder Revisited, Vol. Two – Capri
The Trio delivers a series of twisting and shifting solos that often head off to diverse paths.
MIECZYSLAW KARLOWICZ: Symphony in E minor Op. 7 “Rebirth” – Sinfonia Varsovia/ Jerzy Maksymiuk – BeArTon
BeArTon’s “The Pearls of Polish Music” series has added the Rebirth Symphony to its steadily increasing catalogue of SACDs.
WAGNER: Prelude to Die Meistersinger; Tannhauser Overture; Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Love-Death; Prelude to Parsifal; Parsifal–rehearsal excerpt – Munich Philharmonic Orchestra/Hans Knappertsbusch – HDTT
Hans Knappertsbusch inscribed his Wagner with the Munich Philharmonic for the Westminster label (on 4-track tape) late in his career–curious, since he had been the Munich Opera music director as far back as 1922.
BACH: Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826; Partita No. 3 in A Minor, BWV 827; Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828 – Murray Perahia, piano – Sony Classical
If any album certifies Perahia’s status as a Bach interpreter on a par with Horszowski and Fischer, this disc provides undeniable testimonies.
RAVEL: Music for Violin, Cello & Piano = Tzigane – Concerto rhapsody; Sonata No. 2; Piece en forme de Habanera; Two Hebrew Melodies; Sonata for violin and cello – Kristian Winther, violin/Anthony Romaniuk, piano/ Michelle Wood, cello – Melba
The preciseness and perfection of Ravel’s composing technique shines forth, even during the most vehement and emotional passages.
“L’Arbre de Vie” (The Tree of Life) – J.S. BACH: Prelude & Fugue in D, Chaconne & other works; TAKAHASHI: Like a Water Buffalo; BUSSEUIL: L’arbre de Vie; GUBAIDULINA: De Profundis – Mika Vayrynen, accordion – Alba Records
Interesting contrasts are provided by sandwiching the contemporary works among the transcriptions of Bach, and by the realistic and involving surround sonics provided by the Finnish label Alba.
Ray Charles – Live at Montreux 1997, Blu-ray (2008)
The close ups show every single bead of the very extensive sweat on Ray’s face, and the lossless DTS surround captures the impact of the music.
ANTON BRUCKNER: Mass in F Minor – Ingela Bohlin, soprano/Ingebord Danz, alto/Hans-Joerg Mammel, tenor/Alfred Reiter, baritone/RIAS Kammerchor/Orchestre des Champs-Elysees/Philipe Herreweghe – Harmonia mundi
The Mass shows his tendency to idiosyncratic repetition and the free intermingling of Wagnerian harmony and Baroque musical procedures.
The Microscopic Septet – Lobster Leaps In – Cuneiform Records
The first new album in 20 years from the septet whose fame was enlarged by use of their music as the theme of the NPR show Fresh Air.
Audio News for November 14, 2008
2009 Consumer Electronic Show; Microsoft and Samsung Collaborations; The VCR is Dead
Hellboy II – The Golden Army, Blu-ray (2008)
Del Toro’s creatures shouldn’t be confused with Victorian, Alice-in-Wonderland creatures – they’re much more twisted.
The Happening, Blu-ray (2008)
Shyamalan could focus less on his Hitchcock-like appearances in his own films and more on securing a good screenplay for them.
D’Amore = KNOX: Malor me bat; MARAIS: Les Folies d’Espagne; MOSER: Manners of Speaking; HUME: A Pavin; ARIOSTI: Prima Lezione; HUBER: …Plainte…; TRADITIONAL: Celtic Dance; I Once Loved a Lass; Jig – Garth Knox, viola d’amore/ Agnes Vesterman, cello – ECM
The viola d’amore as you have never heard it before.
WAGNER: Die Walkure, Blu-ray (2008)
The real drama is conveyed by the singers; the sets and costumes are all incidental to the action, and the singers are nothing short of magnificent!
Tchaikovsky Gala, Blu-ray (2008)
The dancing is uniformly excellent, and conductor David Coleman leads the La Scala orchestra in bravura performances of some of Tchaikovsky’s greatest ballet music.
“Duo Piano et Orgue” – Works of LIPATTI, FRANCK, LEDROIT, DUPRE – Jean-Pierre Ferey, piano; Frederic Ledroit, organ – Skarbo “Duo a la Francaise” – Works of SAINT-SAENS, DUPRE, GUILLOU – Bruno Canino, p.; Claudio Brizi, o. – Camerata
The combination of piano and organ today is not as unusual a duo as it once was.
HANDEL Arias Box = HANDEL: Arias for Cuzzoni; Arias for Durastanti; Arias for Senesino; Arias for Montagmana – Var. soloists/Philharmonia Baroque Orch./Nicholas McGegan – Harmonia mundi (4 CDs)
The HM Handel series continues…
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
