Monthly Archive: December 2008
ROY HARRIS: Symphony No. 11 (1967); MORTON GOULD: Cowboy Rhapsody; CECIL EFFINGER: Little Symphony No. 1 Op. 31; DOUGLAS MOORE: Symphony No. 2 in A Major – Sinfonia Varsovia/Ian Hobson – Albany
All the works by American composers are tonal, accessible, and enjoyable.
Audio News for December 26, 2008
Blu-ray Sales Up Nearly 18%; RIAA Abandons Most Downloading Lawsuits; Sony to Close Last TV Plant in U.S.; Sirius XM Radio Merger in Operation Now
Leopold Stokowski = TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64; The Storm–Overture, Op. 76; The Tempest, Op. 18 – NBC Symphony Orchestra/Leopold Stokowski – Guild
“After I die, should I get to Heaven, I must thank Mr. Tchaikovsky for having given us so many wonderful melodies.” – Stokowski
CHOPIN: Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38; 4 Mazurkas, Op. 33; 3 Waltzes, Op. 34; Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 35; Impromptu No. 2 in F-sharp Major, Op. 36 – Maurizio Pollini, piano – DGG
A powerful Chopin recital, to say the least, expertly realized.
The Truman Show, Blu-ray (1998-2008)
Carrey’s acting masterpiece and a unique story from a decade ago.
Sangria – Indo Latin Jazz – Mariah Parker, piano & santur with ensemble – World Jazz
An enjoyable mix of East Indian, Spanish, flamenco, Afro-Cuban, Persian with jazz
Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, Blu-ray (1959/2008)
The most lavish and artistic of the classic Disney animated features, though stuck with a problem fairytale.
ROBERT SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120; Waldszenen, Op. 82 – London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult/Wilhelm Backhaus, piano – HDTT CD-R
Two exemplary Schumann readings, each taken from vintage performances on 4-track tapes.
HANDEL: Acis and Galatea (complete opera, 1718 version) – Susan Hamilton (Galatea)/ Nicholas Mulroy (Acis)/ Thomas Hobbs (Damon)/ Nicholas Hurndall Smith (Coridon)/ Matthew Brook (Polyphemus)/ Dunedin Consort and Players/ John Butt, conductor – Linn
A definitive Acis and Galatea finally hits SACD
Blanche Selva, piano: Une promenade musicale = Music of FRANCK, D’INDY, ROUSSEL, ALBENIZ, FAURE, DUKAS – Assoc. Blanche Selva
78s from the distinguished Spanish pianist and pedagogue
SIBELIUS: Night Ride and Sunrise; Pan and Echo; Belshazzar’s Feast suite; Two Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 45; Kuolema (Death), Op. 44 & 62 – New Zealand Symphony Orchestra/Pietari Inkinen – Naxos
As a Finn, he seems to be the perfect conductor for the music of Sibelius, and in fact has already committed to CD for Naxos all the Sibelius Symphonies.
HAYDN: Quartets in D Minor Op. 9 No. 4 & F Major Op. 77 No. 2 – Fry Street Quartet – IsoMike
The Fry Street Quartet has the measure of these Haydn masterworks.
BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata in F Minor, Op. 2, No. 1; Piano Sonata in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2; Piano Sonata in C Major, Op. 2, No. 3 – Mari Kodama, piano – PentaTone
Ms. Kodama brings a canny, graceful style to these early–though iconoclastic–works of Beethoven, a graded, assiduous sense of rhythm and tempered dynamics.
BRAHMS: Viola Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2; Violin Sonata No. 1 in G; Horn (Viola) Trio in E-flat; Clarinet (Viola) Trio in A-minor – Maxim Rysanov, viola/ Katya Apekisheva, piano/ Boris Brovtsyn, violin/ Jacob Katsnelson, piano/ Kristine Blaumane, cello – Onyx
Brahms for viola played at a very, very high level—one of the best of the year!
JOHN MCCABE: Concerto for Orchestra; The Chagall Windows; MALCOLM ARNOLD: Philharmonic Concerto – London Philharmonic Orchestra/ Georg Solti, Bernard Haitink, conductors – LPO
World and London premiere recordings with two of the great conductors of the day
KENNETH LEIGHTON: Orchestral Works Volume II = Te Deum laudamus; Symphony No. 2, “Sinfonia mistica” – Sarah Fox, soprano/ BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales/ Richard Hickox, conductor – Chandos
Volume Two of Chandos’ energetic and loyal Leighton series
Discover Film Music – 49 Selections of Film Themes on 2 CDs + 170-page booklet by John Riley – Naxos
An exceptional addition to Naxos’ “Discover” series, with an essay which may be of even more value to film buffs than the music.
Peter Garland – Three Strange Angels – Tzadik
Earlier and more mature representations of one of our more interesting New Music/classical composers
Audio News for December 23, 2008
The Next Developments in HDTV; Live Vs. Recorded Demo at Home Entertainment Show; Meridian Audio Purchases Sooloos; Two Important Statistics
LIGETI: Lux aeterna; Three Fantasies on Friedrich Holderlin; Sonata for Solo Viola —Movements 1, 2, 3; HEPPENER: Im Gestein – Susanne van Els, viola/ Cappella Amsterdam/ MusikFabrik/ Daniel Reuss, conductor – Harmonia mundi
An interesting album introducing a new voice from Denmark, and some unusual Ligeti
GUILD LIGHT MUSIC
Three reissue CDs from the Golden Age of Light Music in the UK
Robin Williams – Inside the Actors Studio (2008)
This memorable visit with Robin Williams is a classic interview that will have any viewer engrossed for its entirety.