Monthly Archive: April 2009
Frost/Nixon, Blu-ray (2008)
Ron Howard transferred the successful stage play of Frost/Nixon to the screen with such skill that it was nominated for five Academy Awards.
SCHUBERT: Piano Quintet (Forellenquintett) (The “Trout”) D. 667; Piano Trio D. 802; Variations on Trockne Blumen for flute and piano D. 897 – Martin Helmchen, piano & others – PentaTone
The writing in the quintet is unusual with the piano and cello often playing in their higher registers, the doublebass providing, as expected, the bass foundations.
Georg Kulenkampff plays BRAHMS = Violin Concerto in D Major; Double Concerto in A Minor – Georg Kulenkampff, violin/Enrico Mainardi, cello/Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Hans Schmidt-Issersted/L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Carl Schuricht – Dutton
An inheritor of the Joachim tradition, Kulenkampff played the ex-Nadaud Stradivarius, whose sweet tone contributes to the warmth of the Brahms inscriptions from 1937 & 1947 on this disc.
SCHUBERT: String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, D. 804 “Rosamunde”; Quartet-Movement in C Minor, D. 703; String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, D. 87 – Belcea Quartet – EMI Classics
Several auditions of this fine Schubert chamber music album have written the sublime tones of the A Minor Quartet (1824) on my heart.
Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra – El Viaje – PGM
Argentinean-born and New York City-based bassist and composer Pedro Giraudo has assembled a nine-track program of personal tone poems dedicated to and inspired by his wife and new daughter.
LISZT: Symphonic Poems, Vol. 4 = Hungaria, S. 103; Hamlet, S. 104; Hunnenschlacht, S. 105; Die Ideale, S. 106 – BBC Philharmonic/Gianandrea Noseda – Chandos
Conductor Noseda offers us his four symphonic poems that complement his prior volumes that include the Faust-Symphony.
Audio News for April 17, 2009
Let the Music Play During the Recession; Chesky Introduces 192K/24-bit Gold DVD-Rs; The Sirius/XM Radio Merger; Controversy Over More Efficient TV Displays
Chick Corea & Hiromi – Duet – Concord Records
The program on the two CDs includes three originals by Hiromi and four by Corea.
Rhapsodie; Fantasie; Poeme – Music for Horn & Orchestra – DEMASE: Concerto; Rhapsodie; KOECHLIN: Poeme; DUKAS: Villanelle; SAINT-SAENS: Morceau de Concert; MARSHAL-HALL: Phantasy – Ben Jacks/Queensland Orch./Barry Tuckwell – Melba
Of the six works four are either world premiere recordings or (in the case of the Dukas work) the world premiere of this particular version.
Slumdog Millionaire 2-Disc Set, Blu-ray, (2009. originally released 2008)
From a technical standpoint, the Blu-ray release offers reference quality sound and video, proving that the Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Achievement in Sound are richly deserved.
MASCAGNI: Cavalleria Rusticana & LEONCAVALLO: Pagliacci, Blu-ray (2009)
This magnificent disc from Opus Arte serves as a serious reminder what heady times these are for opera lovers.
Jeff Beck – Live at Ronnie Scott’s 2007, Blu-ray (2009)
Whether you’re a big fan of Jeff Beck, or just a fan of great guitar playing, you’ll love every minute of this disc.
Marley & Me, 3-Disc Bad Dog Edition, Blu-ray, (2009 originally released 2008)
I really felt guilty for making the kids sit through a movie that was in reality geared much more towards adults.
The Wages of Fear, Blu-ray (1953/2009)
I was looking forward to seeing this classic French thriller again after so many years; with terrific acting, a gripping story, in black & white and with no special effects, it is probably one of the most suspenseful films ever made.
Robert Casadesus = MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 23; BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, “Emperor”; RAVEL: Piano Concerto in D – with Cologne Radio-Symphony Orchestra/Georg-Ludwig Jochum/Christoph von Dohnanyi/Hermann Scherchen – Medici Arts
More treasures from the art of Robert Casadesus, who according to Toscanini, “was born to play Mozart.”
Gyorgy Cziffra in Tokyo, 1964 = CHOPIN: Fantasie in F Minor; Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor; Grand Valse brillante; Valse brillante; Impromptu No. 3 in G-flat Major; Ballade No. 4; Polonaise in A-flat Major “Heroic”; 4 LISZT works – Medici Arts
Cziffra endures as a conscientious, charismatic genius who worked demonically and unceasingly to perfect a dazzling technique in the cause of artistic truth.
NIELSEN: Symphony No. 2 “The Four Temperaments”
Stokowski traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark to conduct his first performance of Second Symphony of Carl Nielsen in 1967.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (Ultimate X-Phile Edition), Blu-ray
…was hoping that it would include elements of what made the television series so engaging, but there weren’t any aliens or conspiracies, and the action is limited.
BORODIN: In the Steppes of Central Asia; SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22; FRANCK: Symphonic Variations; SCRIABIN: Le Poeme de l‘extase, Op. 54 – Artur Rubinstein, piano/New York Philharmonic/Dimitri Mitropoulos – Guild
The complete Carnegie Hall concert of 19 April 1953 from the New York Philharmonic features conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos (1896-1960) with pianist Artur Rubinstein (1887-1982) in French, Belgian, and Russian repertory.
Earl Wild in Concert, Volume I = HAYDN: Sonata No. 37 in D Major; MOZART: Variations on a Theme by Gluck, K. 455; Sonata No. 12 in F Major, K. 332; CLEMENTI: Sonata in D, Op. 40, No. 3; BUXTEHUDE: Suite in D Minor, BuxWV 233 – Earl Wild, piano
This disc celebrates the tireless virtuosity of American pianist Earl Wild (b. 1915) in repertory.
DAVID MATTHEWS: The Music of Dawn, Op. 50; Concerto in Azzurro, Op. 87; A Vision and a journey, Op. 60 – Guy Johnston, cello/ BBC Philharmonic/ Rumon Gamba, conductor – Chandos
Some interesting sounds from a composer of great tonal fluency
The Bill Cunliffe Trio – Live at Bernie’s – Groove Note
This was the first album to be recorded at Bernie Grundman’s Mastering Studio in LA – where all sorts of audiophile and other recordings have been mastered.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
