Monthly Archive: November 2008
TCHAIKOVSKY: Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48; GRIEG: Holberg Suite, Op. 40; MOZART: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525 – Moscow Soloists/Yuri Bashmet – Onyx
This gorgeous disc seems dedicated to realizing Romantic music in perfect form.
Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union (2008)
Her subtitle to the show is “One Nation. Impersonated.” And that it is!
Van Cliburn in Moscow (1962)
To see the tall, lanky Texan once more win the hearts and minds of the Russians in 1962 is to appreciate just how much of an advocate for peace pianist Van Cliburn became.
JEAN-FERY REBEL: Ballets Sans Paroles – Caprice; Les élémens simphonie nouvelle; Boutade; Les plaisir champetres; Les caracteres de la danse – fantaisie; Fantaisie (1729) – Pratum Integrum Orchestra/Pavel Serbin – Caro Mitis
The Elements was a precursor of the romantic period in being a major programmatic work, and one of the first depicting the creation of the world.
Audio News for November 11, 2008
Phantoms Found at Paris Opera; Singer Miriam Makeba Dies; Digitizing 16,000 Records in Ten Months; New App Adds “Vinyl Sound”
Rarities of Piano Music – Live recordings from the 2007 Festival at Schloss vor Husum – Works of GRIEG, VOGEL, EISLER, MEDTNER, CHOPIN, RAVEL, SCRIABIN, SIBELIUS, CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO, DOUCET, JURMANN, STANCHINSKY – Danacord
An annual festival in Germany dedicated to rare works of the past for the piano.
The Ultimate Matrix Collection, Blu-ray (2008)
All three Matrix features, plus the nine animés of Animatrix, plus a digital file of the original Matrix, plus 35 hours of bonus features!
Pierre Monteux Conducts = RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Russian Easter Overture; Christmas Night; Capriccio espagnol; BORODIN: Polovtsian Dances from “Prince Igor”; STRAVINSKY: Le Sacre du Printemps – San Francisco Sym./ BSO (Strav.)/Monteux – Guild
An all-Russian program from the most “international” of French conductors, Pierre Monteux, provides a series of charming and often scintillating colors.
LOUIS VIERNE: Organ Symphonies Nos. 3 & 5 – Samuel Kummer, Kern Organ of the Dresden Frauenkirche – Carus
The Fifth shows a distinctly cyclical design, a propos of Cesar Franck having been the teacher of both Widor and Vierne.
YORK BOWEN: The Romantic Piano Concerto Vol. 46 – Piano Concerto No. 3 in G minor (Fantasia) Op. 23; Piano Concerto No. 4 in A minor Op. 88 – Danny Driver, p. / BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Martyn Brabbins – Hyperion
It is such a pleasure to welcome this addition to the catalogue from Hyperion who have done so much in recent years to resurrect interest in this fine British composer.
17 Recent Audiophile Vinyl Releases
Mostly jazz reissues – from Pure Pleasure, Mobile Fidelity, and Concord Records
GRIEG: Lyric Pieces (arr. E. Bertrand and P. Amoyel); Cello Sonata in A Minor, Op. 36; Intermezzo in A Minor; Allegretto in E Major – Emmanuelle Bertrand, cello/ Pascal Amoyel, piano – Harmonia mundi
This elegant recital by Bertrand and Amoyel constitutes the equivalent of a Schubertiad, only from the pen Edvard Grieg.
JOHN ADAMS: Doctor Atomic – complete opera (2008)
Adams and Sellars are successful in exploring the ethical dilemma of the characters but in the end it all seems an exercise in futility.
GLASS: Music in 12 Parts – The Philip Glass Ensemble/ Michael Riesman, director – Orange Mountain Music
A new recording of some old and historically important works.
Bucky Pizzarelli and Strings: So Hard to Forget – Arbors Records
The concept of this album is a set of treasured tunes of the past, and it even includes two classical selections on a classical guitar.
BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109; Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110; Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111 – Glenn Gould, piano – Naxos Great Pianists
All the while Gould intones his own siren’s song, a hymn to divine eccentricity. Brilliant, but caveat emptor.
Thunderball, Blu-ray (1965)
Connery definitely shows his mastery of the James Bond character in this excellent film, proving to all that he is the only true James Bond!
Die Another Day, Blu-ray (2002)
Some of the film’s action sequences are quite entertaining, it’s just that the overall impression of the film is less than memorable.
Enrique Fernandez Arbos Conducts = FALLA: Suite No. 2; ALBENIZ: Iberia Suite–excerpts; Navarra; GRANADOS: Danza Espanol No. 6; Intermezzo; TURINA: La procesion del Rocio; Danzas Fantasticas–excerpts; ARBOS: Noch de Arabia – Madrid Sym. Orch. – Dutton
Exemplary music-making from a major, albeit under-rated, talent.
HOLST: The Planets Op. 32 / London Symphony Orchestra and Women’s Chorus conducted by the composer – Pristine Audio
The transparency Holst achieves in this 1922 recording allows us to hear an almost unbelievable amount of detail.
Audio News for November 7, 2008
Blue Note 70th Anniversary; APT/Creative Technology Agreement; The Cocktail Party Effect
LUIGI CHERUBINI: Complete String Quartets – Quartetto Savino – Stradivarius
Cherubini is more of a creator of musical spectacle, a blacksmith of dramatic effects.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
