Monthly Archive: February 2009
Make ‘Em Laugh – The Funny Business of America (2008)
A must-see documentary series if you missed it on PBS
Kate Bush – Hounds of Love: A Classic Album Under Review (2009)
The story of Hounds of Love is told mostly through astute track-by-track analysis via interviews with music historians and writers.
MOZART: Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Major,. K. 211; Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K. 216; Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219 “Turkish” – Vadim Repin, violin/Vienna Chamber Orchester/Yehudi Menuhin – Maestro
Incisive, plastic realizations by Vadim Repin, here accompanied by master violinist-conductor Yehudi Menuhin in 1997.
STRAVINSKY conducts STRAVINSKY = Violin Concerto in D; Le Baiser de la Fee; Four Etudes for Orchestra; Concerto in D for Strings; Petrushka–Orchestral Suite; Agon; Pulcinella–Suite for Small Orchestra – various ensemles/Stravinsky – Music & Arts (2 CDs)
An excellent set of more than historical interest, a perfect complement to those inscriptions from similar German venues.
FRITZ BRUN: Symphony No. 8 in A Major for Large Orchestra; Variations ueber ein eigenes Thema for Piano and String Orchestra – Studio-Orchester Beromuenster/Fritz Brun (Symphony)/Adrian Aesschbacher, piano/Collegium Musicum Zurich/Paul Sacher – Guild
Brun claims the first movement captures “the vibrant bustle of a town.” Whether this makes Brun’s A Major Symphony the modern Swiss counterpart of Vaughan Williams’ “London” Symphony remains a matter of taste.
Audio News for February 21, 2009
New Blu-ray Players On Their Way; Cisco Systems Shows Connected Home Products; AstoundSound Surround Brought to 3D Films at Sundance
Sorrow of the River – Guo Ya-zhi, Su-ona – M•A Recordings M074A Small Town Story – Zhang Ling Ling’s Gu Zheng Musical World – Zhang Ling Ling, Gu Zheng – M•A Recordings
If you have any love for traditional Chinese music, you’d be hard pressed to find a more impressive pair of discs. Very highly recommended!
BEETHOVEN: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 7 – The German Chamber Philharmonic, Bremen – Paavo Jarvi, conductor – RCA Red Seal BEETHOVEN: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 5 – The German Chamber Philharmonic, Bremen /Paavo Jarvi, conductor – RCA Red Seal
Whether listening in multichannel or stereo, the sound is superb, and this cycle is definitely one to get excited about.
BEETHOVEN: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2 – Igor Tchetuev, piano – Caro Mitis
The results are darn near irresistible. Bring on Volume 3! Very highly recommended!
BEETHOVEN: Complete Piano Concertos – Evgeny Kissin, piano – London Symphony Orchestra/ Sir Colin Davis – EMI Classics – 3 CDs
This three-disc set represents Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin’s first complete cycle of Beethoven Piano Concertos.
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade, Op. 35; Tsar Saltan–Suite, Op. 57 – Samuel Magad, violin/Chicago Symphony Orchestra/ Daniel Barenboim – Maestro
A relatively subdued Daniel Barenboim holds a course in the broad, colorful Scheherazade between Fritz Reiner and the CSO’s muscular account and the more lithe, “feminine” affect achieved by Sir Thomas Beecham.
William Kapell in Performance = BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15; PROKOFIEV: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 – William Kapell, piano/New York Philharmonic Orchestra/Dimitri Mitropoulos (Brahms)/Stokowski (Prokofiev) – Music & Arts
Two absolutely Dionysiac spirits, each a profound interpreter at the keyboard, in collaboration.
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl – Listen to the Lion
Morrison chose to revisit his 1968 album for the first time in a live setting, and the result is an ecstatic, myth-in-the-making performance that stands out as a momentous live recording.
ENESCU: String Octet in C Major, Op. 7 (arr. Foster); Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Major, Op. 25 – Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo/Lawrence Foster/ Valeriy Sokolov, violin/Svetlana Kosenko, piano – Virgin Classics
Enescu absorbed a French tradition from the Paris Conservatory which he spliced to his Romanian heritage with an idiomatic, albeit eclectic style that still eludes easy categories.
Changeling, Blu-ray (2009)
By the way – and this is a option to encourage – the special features are all in 1080p HD!
Igor, Blu-ray (2009)
By the list of celebrity voices, you can see that this movie is directed more to the adults in the family than the kids.
VIVALDI: “Bellezza Crudel” – Cantatas RV 679, 660, 664, 678; Concerti RV 484, 441 – Tone Wik, Soprano/ Barokkanerne – 2L
This superlative recording of Vivaldi cantatas will not soon be surpassed.
British Fantasies and Fanfares – Nigel Potts, organ; The Schoenstein Organ of St Paul’s Parish, Washington DC – Herald
The clarity of the instrument is caught together with the building’s fine acoustics, coupled with an exemplary booklet with excellent notes.
David Oistrakh: Previously Unpublished = SCHUMANN: Fantasy in C Major, Op. 131 (arr. KREISLER); FRANCK: Sonata in A Major; SZYMANOWSKI: Myths, Op. 30; RAVEL: Tzigane – David Oistrakh, violin/Vladimir Yampolsky, piano – Testament
This concert by the great Russian violinist David Oistrakh in honor of Georges Enescu was recorded in Bucharest in 1958 and previously unpublished.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Blu-ray (2003)
Not a high-octane action movie. Rather, it places a great deal of emphasis on character study and being a realistic depiction of life at sea.
YORK BOWEN: The complete 78rpm Recordings; York Bowen, piano / Aeolian Orchestra / Stanley Chapple; APR
With the renewed interest in Bowen’s work, this collection is to be welcomed as it gathers together on 2 CDs all of Bowen’s shellac inscriptions.
YORK BOWEN: Music For One and Two Pianos: Sonata No. 2 in E minor for two pianos (1941); Two Pieces for two pianos (1939); Waltz in C for two pianos (1941); First Rhapsody (1902); Theme and Variations for two pianos – Reid & Dussek, pianos – Dutton Epoch
This CD consists completely of world premiere recordings and is enthusiastically welcomed.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
