Monthly Archive: May 2009
Kenny Burrell – Prime-Live at the Downtown Room – High Note
Going back 33 years with Kenny Burrell.
JOSEPH C. PHILLIPS, JR.: Vipassana = 1. Of Climbing Heaven and Gazing On the Earth; 2. Stillness Flows Ever Changing; 3. Into all the Valleys Evening Journeys; 4. The Nothingness that is the Source of Everything – Numinous/Joseph C. Phillips Jr. – Innova
Meditational music of great beauty.
Kevin Hays Trio – You’ve Got a Friend – Jazz Eyes
Pop covers and jazz standards ably done.
Nanci Griffith – The Loving Kind – Rounder
The Texan’s little-girl soprano voice has suggested naivete or innocence, yet she has a literate and sophisticated expertise, with lyrics that can be pointedly on-target.
VIVALDI: Concerto in D; Concerto in E Minor, RV 273; Sonata in D Minor Op.1 No.12; Concerto in E Flat Major; Aria “Sovvente il sole“; Concerto in D Minor – Daniel Hope, violin/ other soloists/Ch. Orch. of Europe – DGG
Daniel Hope’s latest album for the yellow label presents Vivaldi’s close affinity on the violin with an unusual combination of subtlety and variety.
Diana Krall Live in Rio, Blu-ray (2009)
A near-perfect video concert experience with lovely visuals.
Yellowjackets – The Paris Concert at New Morning (2008)
A recent live concert in Paris by the noted fusion quartet
BRAHMS: Violin Concerto in D, Op.77; Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Minor, Op.102 – Vadim Repin, violin/Truls Mørk, cello/ Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/ Riccardo Chailly – Deutsche Grammophon
Brahms’ music is musical nourishment for Repin, much as Beethoven was for Kreisler. Vadim Repin and Riccardo Chailly revisit the Brahms Concerto in this welcoming release from DGG.
HAYDN: String Quartets Nos. 1-6, op. 17 – Auryn Quartet – Tacet (2 CDs)
The excellence continues with volume 4 of 14
Wilhelm Furtwaengler: The Early Recordings, Vol. 3 = Works of WEBER, MENDELSSOHN, BERLIOZ
Performances of mettle and verve, meticulously restored.
BACH (arr. Schumann): The Six Violin Sonatas and Partitas – Haroutune Bedelian, violin/ Lorna Griffitt, piano – Centaur
Accompaniment to a masterpiece? You decide.
Children of Men, Blu-ray (2009)
A suspenseful journey
Audio News for May 29, 2009
More Americans Ask for Home Theaters When Home Buying; How Electronics Makers Can Flourish in the Down Economy; Samsung Bets on LDC Displays; Wal-Mart Seeks a Blu-ray Boom
VIVALDI: Gloria in D, RV 589; Motet in C minor, “In furore lustissimae irae”; Concerto in D minor; Motet in D, “Ostro picta”; Magnificat in G minor – Soloists/Ensemble Caprice/ Matthias Maute – Anakleta
A fine concept album of unusual provenance and given in great style.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Historic Telecasts – Nathan Milstein, violin (1962-63)
Milstein: a Russian firecracker who illumined all the music he surveyed.
HANDEL: 12 Solo Sonatas Op.1; Pavlo Beznosiuk (violin)/ Rachel Brown (flute & recorder)/ Frank de Brione (oboe)/ Richard Egarr (harpsichord & direction)/ Academy of Ancient Music – Harmonia mundi
All the work on authenticity by Egarr is coupled to performances brimful of life.
* MAHLER: Symphony No. 4 – Miah Persson, soprano /Budapest Festival Orchestra /Iván Fischer – Channel Classics
******** MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH *********
This performance has given much pleasure and will surely be one of the recordings to make its mark with me in 2009.
Oppo BDP-83 Universal Blu-ray Disc Player
A unique and truly universal disc player at a reasonable price.
Carl Allen & Rodney Whitaker – Work To Do – Mack Avenue
Allen and Whitaker easily balance the shifts between funky and post-bop, so that no one style overfills the final mix.
Cinderella Man, Blu-ray (2005/2009)
Despite being an imperfect film, I found Cinderella Man to be quite an enjoyable watch.
Seabiscuit, Blu-ray (2003/2009)
The image presented here is nothing short of reference quality, and may be the best-looking Universal catalog title I’ve seen so far.
GEORGES DELERUE: Works for piano and various instruments = Chant 1; Farewell Concerto; Aria et Final for cello and piano; Movements for percussion instruments and piano; Stances; Sonata for violin and piano – DCM Classique
Delerue is known for his many film scores, but he never stopped writing for the classical concert hall.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
