Monthly Archive: September 2009
Paul van Kempen, Vol. 1 = TCHAIKOVSKY: Marche slav; Nutcracker Suite; MOZART: Le Nozze di Figaro Ov.; BIZET: Carmen: Entr’actes; VERDI: I Vespri siciliani Ov.; WEBER: Euryanthe Ov.; BEETHOVEN: Coriolan Ov. – Dresden Phil. Orch./van Kempen – Historic
Excellent rarities from the recorded legacy of Paul van Kempen, Dutch conductor with strong Germanic leanings.
Gerhard Huesch = SCHUBERT: Winterreise, D. 911 (rec. 1933); Gute Nacht (rec. 1952) – Gerhard Huesch, baritone/Hanns Udo Mueller, piano/ Manfred Gurlitt, piano (1952) – Opus Kura
Gerhard Huesch set the benchmark for the two great Schubert cycle.
HANDEL: Alexander’s Feast; Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day – Simone Kermes, soprano/ Virgil Hartinger, tenor/ Konstantin Wolff, bass/ Cologne Chamber Choir/ Collegium Cartusianum/ Peter Neumann, conductor – Carus (2 SACDs)
More great Handel greatly rendered in great sound.
Leopold Stokowski (1954-55 recordings) = Works of BLACHER, MILHAUD, PROKOFIEV, EGK, WAGNER, MUSSORGSKY & TCHAIKOVSKY – Hanssler (2 CDs)
For this concert in Baden-Baden he programmed several works he was destined never to commit to commercial inscriptions.
MOZART and BRAHMS: Clarinet Quintets – Karl-Heinz Steffens, clarinet/ Scharoun Ensemble Berlin – Tudor
Karl-Heinz Steffens and The Scharoun Ensemble Berlin succeed in conveying the many beauties of both clarinet quintets.
Audio News for September 18, 2009
Blu-ray Sales Back in Double Digits; Atlantic Has First 7-Channel HT Sound Bar; Summit Wireless Surround Technology Gains More Manufacturer Support; AES Paper to Show apt-X® Lossless Outperforms FLAC
Jackie Ryan, vocals – Doozy – OpenArt Productions (2 CDs)
The entire program is a real tour de force; no danger of boredom listening to both discs in succession!
ARNOLD SCHOENBERG: Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night), Op. 4; Chamber Symphony No. 1, Op. 9 – The Smithsonian Chamber Players/Kenneth Slowik – Dorian Sono Luminus DVD + CD
This is the perfect dual disc combination of a CD and DVD: a standard stereo CD of both Schoenberg works plus their complete performances on video, combined with several extras on the DVD.
James Moody – 4A – IPO
The master at work.
Bob Mintzer Big Band – Swing Out – MCG Jazz
Swinging with Bob Mintzer.
E.J. MOERAN: Symphony in G minor – The Hallé Orchestra / Leslie Heward – Pristine Audio
Recorded in 1942, partially in the presence of the composer, this recording was made as a bit of wartime propaganda to bolster up the country’s morale during those difficult times.
* MENDELSSOHN: Magnificat in D; Jesu meine Freude; Tue es Petrus; Wir glauben all an einem Gott; Gloria – Andrea Brown, soprano/ Monica Groop, alto/ Werner Gura, tenor/ Michael Volle, bass/ Stuttgart Ch. Choir/ German Ch. Phil. of Bremen/F. Bernius – Caru
******** MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH *******
One of the most satisfying yet of this marvelous series.
The Legend of Drunken Master – Jackie Chan, Blu-ray (1978/2009)
This was the breakthru film for Jackie Chan, and it endeared him to his fans all over the world.
Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele – Live HRCD
I am awed by the commanding and dynamic sounds that pour out of this humble four-stringed box.
Albert Coates = WAGNER: Eine Faust, Die Feen Overtures; LISZT: Les Preludes; BORODIN: Prince Igor Ov.; March; Aria; Polovtsian Dances; RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Capriccio espagnole; MUSSORGSKY: Dance of Persian Slaves – London Sym. Orch. – Historic Recordings
Too often unsung, Coates here receives a taste of the documentation his massive musical range demands.
Silent Light (2007/2009)
An amazingly slow-moving and an amazingly beautiful and moving film.
“Manhattan Music” = BRAMWELL TOVEY: Manhattan Music; BERNSTEIN: Suite from Mass; RAYBURN WRIGHT: Shaker Suite; JEFF TYZIK: New York Cityscape – Canadian Brass/ Eastman Wind Ensemble/ Mark Davis Scatterday, conductor – Opening Day
A long overdue pairing of some old acquaintances.
Audio News for September 15, 2009
Berlin Fair Shows Flat-Panel TVs Doing Well; Growing Demand for Large LCD TVs; Slow Adoption of Blu-ray Drives in PCs; Sony Losing Customers Despite New Products; Google is Discussing a Streaming Movie Service with Hollywood
Vincent Dubois Plays the Cavaillé-Coll Organ of Saint-Sulpice, Paris – MOZART: Fantasie in F Minor; LISZT: Evocation a la Chapelle Sixtine; RACHMANINOFF-VIERNE: Prelude in C-sharp Minor; MAURICE DURUFLE: Suite; VINCENT DUBOIS: Free improvisation – JAV
Another excellent pipe organ recital from the label of former Wall Street stockbroker Joe Vitacco.
HANDEL: Chaconne with 21 Variations in G Major; Suite No. 2 in F Major; Suite No. 8 in F Minor; HAYDN: Variations in F Minor; Piano Sonata No. 52 in E-flat Major – Angela Hewitt, piano – Hyperion
To paraphrase G. B. Shaw, happy is the pianist whose Haydn is his profession.
Babatunde Lea – Umbo Weti: A Tribute to Leon Thomas – Motéma
A tribute to an undervalued musician who was an unconventional and influential singer, multi-instrumentalist, stylist, composer, arranger, and ethnomusicologist who passed away ten years ago.
RAUTAVAARA: 12 Concertos – Tapiola Sinfonietta/ Helsinki PO, Ostrobothnian Ch. Orch./ Leipzig Radio Sym. Orch./ Bavarian Radio Sym.. Cond.: Leif Segerstam, Max Pommer, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Juha Kangas, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Vladimir Ashkenazy – Ondine
This is the only collection of his concertos and it is splendidly performed.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
