Monthly Archive: December 2008
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 5 in B flat Major – Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Hans Knappertsbusch – HDTT DVD-R
From a 1960 London quarter-track prerecorded commercial tape, carefully transferred using state-of-the-art gear
Leonard Bernstein, Vol. II = BERNSTEIN: Seven Anniversaries, Nos. 1-5; COPLAND: Sonata for Piano; STRAVINSKY: L’Histoire du Soldat–Suite; RAVEL: Piano Concerto in G Major – Leonard Bernstein, piano/Philharmonia Orchestra (Ravel)/BSO/Bernstein – Symposium
The “triple threat” of Leonard Bernstein is captured on these historic shellacs from 1946-1947
CARTER: 90+; Retrouvailles; Night Fantasies; 2 Diversions; Matribute; Piano Sonata; 2 Thoughts about the Piano – Ursula Oppens, piano – Cedille
The complete piano music of America’s unabashed modernist
Favorite Holiday Classics = Music of KORNGOLD, TCHAIKOVSKY, CORELLI, MENOTTI, RESPIGHI, PROKOFIEV, HANDEL, PACHELBEL, RIMSKY-KORSAKOV, WALDTEUFEL – Buffalo Philharmonic/JoAnn Falletta – bpo direct
Falletta and company put you in a festive Christmas mood
Audio News for December 16, 2008
Monthly Cable/Satellite Bill Painful?; YouTube Classical Participation; Premium Audio System in Europe’s Car-of-the-Year
CPE BACH: Christmas Cantata, “The heavens declare the glory of God”; Magnificat – Monika Mauch, soprano/ Matthias Rexroth, alto/ Hans Jorg Mammel, tenor/ Gotthold Schwarz, bass/ Basel Madrigalists/ L’arpa festana/ Fritz Naf, conductor – Carus Multichannel
It’s always mandatory to pay attention when a new work by CPE Bach appears on the scene.
San Francisco Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” (2008)
An imaginative American vision of the great holiday ballet.
Samsung DVD-VR357 Combined Recorder
A reasonable alternative to expensive DVRs and computer software when you just want to convert your old VHS tapes to DVDs and occasionally time shift a TV program.
Mission Road – Chanticleer – Warner Classics CD + Bonus DVD
Chanticleer returns to its roots after 30 years
The Day The Earth Stood Still, Blu-ray (1951/2008)
Widely regarded as the best sci-fi film ever made, now remastered in hi-def B&W to compare with the big budget remake just opening in theaters.
VILLA-ROJO: Concierto plateresco; Concierto 2; Serenata – Hansjorg Schellenberger, oboe/ Asier Polo, cello/ Orquesta de Camera Reina Sofia/ Nicolas Chumachenco, conductor – Naxos
A new disc by a leading light of Spanish classical music
Great Conductors: Karajan = BRAHMS: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68; BEETHOVEN: Leonore Overture No. 3 in C, Op. 72a; R. STRAUSS: Salome: Dance of the Seven Veils – Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam/Herbert von Karajan – Naxos
Even here, in a foreign venue in 1943, the Karajan penchant for quick, slick, unruffled lines makes itself immediately apparent.
KARL JENKINS: Quirk – The Concertos = Sarikiz; Quirk; La Folia, Over the Stone; Palladio: Allegretto – Soloists on violins, flute, keyboards, marimba, harps/London Symphony Orchestra/Karl Jenkins – EMI Classics
Like most of Jenkin’s music, these works are catchy in the extreme and should find wide acceptance with a variety of listeners – especially newbies to the classical world.
Sonny Rollins – Road Shows, Vol. 1 – Emarcy/ Doxy
This CD, with excellent mastering by Mark Wilder, belongs in the collection of every Rollins fan!
MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 in D Major; Das Lied von der Erde – Grace Hoffmann, alto/Ernst Haefliger, tenor/Berlin Philharmonic (Symphony) /Cologne Radio-Symphony Orchestra (Das Lied)/Hans Rosbaud – Tahra
A delightful surprise in every sense, this recording with the Berlin Philharmonic must represent one of the earliest inscriptions of this youthful, perpetually energetic work with the Berlin players.
The Soprano Summit in 1975 and More – from the Archives of the New Jersey Jazz Society – Arbors Jazz
It’s not all soprano duets – there are clarinet and soprano, double clarinets, and a number of variations.
Night Watch, Blu-ray (2004)
“Night Watch” reminds me of a budget version of the “Underworld” films.
The Bob Lark/ Phil Woods Quintet – Live at the Jazz Showcase – Jazzed Media
Another visit to the venerable Jazz Showcase
Sonny Rollins – Road Shows, Vol. 1 – Emarcy/Doxy
A 27-year road trip with Sonny Rollins….
Audio News for December 12, 2008
Blu-ray Now a Commodity?; New Chip Brings DTV to Fast-Moving Vehicles;Tweeter Electronic Stores Out of Business; YouTube Offers HD Format Videos; Blu-ray Has Been Hacked; Most Expensive Speakers II?
Art Lande, solo piano – While She Sleeps (Piano Lullabies) – Blue Coast Records
The tempi are mostly very slow, often communicating the feeling that the choice of notes to strike comes directly from Lande’s brain.
MOZART: Complete Piano Sonatas for Keyboard and Violin, Vol. 6 – Gary Cooper, fortepiano/ Rachel Podger, violin – Channel Classics
Once again Gary Cooper and Rachel Podger give us thrillingly good performances of a mixture of early and mature sonatas.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
