Monthly Archive: September 2009
BEETHOVEN: Symphonies Nos. 7 and 8 – Polish Chamber Philharmonic/ Wojciech Rajski, conductor – Tacet DVD-A
Thrilling Beethoven in beautiful high resolution surround sound.
BRAHMS: Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98 – Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/William Steinberg – HDTT
A labor of love in every measure, this performance.
Sleep Dealer, Blu-ray (2009)
A highly original sci-fi film with a strong social conscience.
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Scott of the Antarctic, Coastal Command, The People’s Land, 49th Parallel, The Dim Little Island, The England of Elizabeth, Story of a Flemish Farm, The Loves of Joanna Godden, Bitter Spring – BBC Phil./Rumon Gamba – Chandos
A marvelous collection of music by one of the greatest composers to have written extensively for motion pictures.
LISZT: 9 Soirees de Vienne (after SCHUBERT) – Gabriela Imreh, piano – Arabesque
Imreh plays on a Yamaha instrument with a sweet ringing tone the nine waltzes or valses-caprices that have their basis in the long strings of German Dances and laendler by Schubert.
MALCOLM ARNOLD: The Three Musketeers (ballet by David Nixon; music arr. & orchestrated by John Longstaff) – Northern Ballet Theatre Orchestra/John Pryce-Jones – Quartz
Imaginatively arranged from various existing works of Arnold.
Audio News for September 8, 2009
Internet Radio Features Pandora Service; Pioneer’s New Post-Plasma Direction; Sony Bravia TV Problems; Beefs About Cinema Sound in Theaters
Poems and Fairy Tales = MEDTNER: Fairy Tale in B-flat Minor; Sonata-Reminiscenza; SCRIABIN: Etude in C-sharp Minor; Eight Preludes; Prelude in A Major; Etude in D-sharp Minor – Irina Feoktistova, p. – MSR Classics
The Russian pianist obviously favors the late romantics from her own motherland.
Quartet San Francisco – QSF Plays Brubeck – ViolinJazz Recordings
A sparkling first-time collection of Brubeck tunes for string quartet on violinist Cohen’s own label.
Sviatoslav Richter: 1948-1956 Recordings = SCHUBERT: Moments musicaux No. 1 in C Major; Impromptu in E-flat Major; Impromptu in A-flat Major, No. 2; CHOPIN: Etude in E Minor; SCHUMANN: Fantasiestuecke; Humoreske in B-flat Major – Naxos Historical
Sviatoslav Richter: 1948-1956 Recordings = SCHUBERT: Moments musicaux, D. 780: No. 1 in C Major; Impromptu in E-flat Major, D. 899, No. 2; Impromptu in A-flat Major, D. 935, No. 2; CHOPIN: Etude in E Minor, Op. 25, No. 5; SCHUMANN: Fantasiestuecke, Op. 12: 5 sections; Humoreske in B-flat Major, Op. 20 – Sviatoslav Richter, piano Naxos 8.111352, 66:09 [Not Distr. in the USA] ****: Reissue producer and audio restoration engineer Ward Marston hereby resurrects the Moscow 78 rpm and early LP legacy of Russian virtuoso Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997), several offered for the first time in a medium other than their original format. Even as a young recording artist, Richter assumed the persona of a non-integralist, one not interested in any composer’s “complete editions.” In 1948 he recorded (on 78 prm) five excerpts from Schumann’s Op. 12, adding Traumes-Wirren later, in 1956. The opening C Major Moment musical (1952) typifies Richter’s hard-edged, steely approach, long on articulation and cool in demeanor, though his legato proves silken despite the hollow reverberation of the recording venue. The E-flat Impromptu (1950) under Richter resembles any Chopin etude in the same key, fleet, unsentimental, pianistic granite. The more lyrical A-flat Impromptu (1952, from […]
Rod McGaha – A Gentle Man – Nick-E-Nick
The twelve tracks share an easygoing elegance and intimacy that evokes antecedents such as Clifford Brown with Strings and Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain.
Great Pianists, Volume 1 = BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major; WEBER: Konzertstueck in F Minor; RACHMANINOV: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini – Wilhelm Backhaus/New York Philharmonic/ Guido Cantelli (Beethoven)/Lili Kraus/Artur Rubinstein – Guild
Three great pianists, three great colorists, captured in repertory each made uniquely his own.
HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS: Complete Choros and Bachianas Brasileiras – Soloists/Sao Paulo Sym. Orch./John Neschling & Robert Minczuk – BIS (7 CDs)
This magnificent and generous five-star collection of 7 CDs from BIS goes for the cost of 3 CDs.
John Beasley – Positootly! Resonance Records
This one leans even more on Beasley’s role as composer, with mostly originals aside from three selections.
The Simpsons – Complete Twelfth Season (2000-2001)
The latest season from the best series on TV shows no diminution of satirical creativity.
Fugitive Visions = DEBUSSY: Four Preludes; HAYDN: Sonata in F Major; LISZT: Variations on a Theme of Bach, “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen,” S. 179 – Ivan Ilic, piano – Marie De Paris
Ilic’s performance marks a major studious talent with intelligent instincts at every turn.
GEORGE GERSHWIN: “The Original Manuscripts” – Blue Monday; Rhapsody in Blue; Preludes; Miniatures (Songs Without Words) – Alicia Zizzo, piano – MSR Classics
Every fan of one of America’s greatest composers will want to have this CD.
“Transmigration” = JOHN ADAMS: On the Transmigration of Souls; BARBER: Adagio for String; Agnus Dei; JOHN CORIGLIANO: Elegy; JENNIFER HIGDON: Dooryard Bloom – Gwinnett Young Singers/Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Choruses/Robert Spano – Telarc
A heartfelt and very beautiful collection of modern composers remembering our heroes, both personal and universal.
STILL: Symphony No. 3 (1960); Symphony No. 4 (1964); SEARLE: Symphony No. 2, Op. 33 (1958) – London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Eugene Goossens/Royal Philharmonic/ Myer Fredman (Still 4th Symphony)/London Philharmonic Orchestra/Josef Krips (Searle) – Lyrita
Two British modernists in stylistic inscriptions by inspired interpreters.
ISAAC ALBENIZ: Iberia, Books 1 & 2 – Evocation; El Puerto; Fete-Dieu a Seville, Rondena, Almeria, Triana – Yoram Ish-Hurwitz, piano – Turtle
The rich and wide range piano sonics Turtle’s engineers give Dutch-based Israeli pianist Ish-Hurwitz make his virtuoso interpretations my current favorites.
JOHN ADAMS: Doctor Atomic Symphony; Guide to Strange Places – Saint Louis Symphony/ David Robertson – Nonesuch
You won’t forget this piece too soon.
HINDEMITH: Klaviermusik mit Orchester, Op. 29 for Piano (Left Hand) and Orchestra; DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor Op. 95 ‘From the New World’ – Ondine
With this new Hindemith premiere for piano left-hand plus Dvořák’s ‘New World Symphony,’ Ondine introduces listeners into a new chapter on the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, under the fine collaborations with Leon Fleisher and Christoph Eschenbach.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
