Monthly Archive: August 2009
* BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat, “Romantic” – KlangVerwaltung Orchestra/ Enoch zu Guttenberg – Farao
********* MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH ********
New spiritual things to hear in Bruckner’s glorious “nature” symphony.
Apolkalypse Now – Polkastra – Ancalagon
Lara St. John and company take you where you fear to tread—but you’ll be a far happier person when you return.
Stargate Atlantis, Fans’ Choice, Blu-ray (2009)
The spin-off series’ pilot plus its closing episode.
BRAHMS: Violin Concerto in D Major; MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 – Ida Haendel, violin/Stuttgart Radio-Symphony Orchestra/Hans Mueller-Kray – Hanssler Classic
The Mendelssohn performance from 1953 occurred at that fateful time when Haendel’s meeting with conductor Sergiu Celibidache changed her musical outlook.
GRAZYNA BACEWICZ: Violin Concertos 1, 3, and 7 – Joanna Kurkowicz, violin/Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Lukasz Borowicz – Chandos
Prickly modernistic explorations into atonality and brashly experimental.
Audio News for August 7, 2009
New Chinese Threat to Blu-ray; Criterion Polls Site Visitors To Choose Blu-ray Releases; Harman Performance Group Revamps Marketing; Nothin’ Like a Good Ol’ Recession for Consumer Electronics
Laurence Hobgood with Charlie Haden and Kurt Elling – When the Heart Dances – NAIM
This eleven-track outing mixes jazz and pop standards alongside like-minded originals by Hobgood and his musical partner Charlie Haden, and as an added incentive Elling is heard on three tunes.
RAVEL: L’Enfant et les Sortileges (complete short opera) – Soloists/ Chicago Symphony Chorus/ Nashville Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/ Alastair Willis – Naxos
The sonics make for an effective combination as we are constantly reminded of the nature of the music.
MOZART: Piano Concertos Nos. 12, 7 and 23 – Leon Fleisher, p. & conductor/ Stuttgart Chamber Orch. – Sony Classical
Fleisher has overcome the injury to his right hand and has now given us this splendid disc of three Mozart Piano Concertos.
JOAQUIN TURINA: Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 53; Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 82 “Sonata espanola”; Euterpe, Op. 93, No. 2; El poema de una sanluquena–Fantasia for Violin and Piano; Variationes clasicas, Op. 72 – Eva Leon, violin/Jordi Maso, piano – Naxos
Important, Spanish chamber music unjustly neglected, lovely and often haunting.
LUIGI BOCCHERINI: Trio, Quartet, Quintet, Sextet for Strings – Europa Galante/ Fabio Biondi – Virgin Classics
There is a wonderful rightness to these performances that makes this a disc that won’t gather dust on your shelf.
The Best of Jazz in Burghausen Vol. 3 (2009)
A wild variety of performing groups in mostly one tune each, with hi-res images and audio.
Stokowski conducts PROKOFIEV = Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, Op. 100; Symphony No. 6 in E-flat Minor, Op. 111 – USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra /New York Philharmonic Orchestra/Leopold Stokowski – Pristine Audio
On tour in Moscow in 1958, Stokowski obviously decided to submit a symphonic thaw into the Cold War.
PURCELL: Ten Sonatas In Four Parts – Retrospect Trio – Linn Records
Good news for King’s Consort lovers.
“Romantic Russia” – Works of GLINKA, MUSSORGSKY & BOROIN – London Sym. Orch. & Chorus/George Solti – F.I.M.
A sparkling collection of five quintessential short Russian orchestral pieces in sparkling sound.
GLAZUNOV: Symphony No. 3 in D Major, Op. 33; Symphony No. 9 in D Major “Unfinished”; Symphony No. 2 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 16; Symphony No. 1 in E Major, Op. 5 “Slavyanskaya” – Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Jose Serebrier – Warner Classics (2 CDs)
The elan vital of these realizations–vibrant, enthusiastic, committed–provides exactly the stuff of what composers’ revivals are made.
GIOVANNI SAMMARTINI: The Complete Early Symphonies for String Orchestra (World Premiere) – I Giovani di Nuova Cameristica/ Daniele Ferrari, cond./ Riccardo Villani, harpsichord – Nuova Era (3 CDs)
I Giovani di Nuova Cameristica present the many historical currents flowing through this music with taste and consummate skill.
Audio News for August 4, 2009
Add D-A Processing to Your Audio Wi-Fi; G.hn Standardization Efforts; Sears Fills Installation Void With Blue Crew; Goldmund Back to Vinyl?; Sony’s New 400-Disc Blu-ray/DVD/CD MegaChangers
HENRY PURCELL: The Fairy Queen; The Prophetess – Orchestral Suites – Le Concert des Nations/Jordi Savall – AliaVox Heritage
A SACD remastering of recordings made for the Astrée label earlier.
The Budapest Quartet = TCHAIKOVSKY: String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, Op. 22; HINDEMITH: String Quartet in E-flat; DITTERSDORF: Menuet from Quartet No. 6 – Budapest String Quartet – Historic-Recordings
The Budapest Quartet–old guard and relatively new–find rare and fascinating representation on this fine addition from Britain’s Historic Recordings label.
American Choral Premieres = HOVHANESS: Four Motets; EGON COHEN: Stabat Mater; PAUL NICHOLSON: Velum templi; PAUL FRENCH: Who am I?; EASLEY BLACKWOOD: A King James Magnificat; ROBERT KREUTZ: Scapulis Suis; WILLIAM FERRIS: Lyrica Sacra …more – Cedille
Another great production from Cedille, fast becoming one of the best labels around.
American Spectrum = MICHAEL DAUGHERTY: Sunset Strip; JOHN WILLIAMS: Escapades; NED ROREM: Lions (A Dream); CHRISTOPHER ROUSE: Friandises – Branford Marsalis, saxophone/ Branford Marsalis Quartet/ North Carolina Symphony/ Grant Llewellyn, conductor – BIS
Finally the North Carolina Symphony gets its considerable due.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
