Monthly Archive: December 2009
SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, “Spring”; Overture to Braut von Messina; Overture to Genoveva; Zwickau Symphony in G Minor: fragment; Overture, Scherzo and Finale in E Major – Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Oerebro/Thomas Dausgaard – BIS
The Swedish Chamber Orchestra brings a refreshing clarity to the romantic sensibilities of Robert Schumann.
Great Western Themes: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra /Carl Davis – Membran
Mike Townend is responsible for these excellent arrangements for the RPO to evoke the sweat, dust and heat of the somewhat out of fashion Western movie.
ROBERT HERMANN: Symphony No. 1 in C major (1895) & Symphony No. 2 in A minor (1905) – Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen /Christopher Fifield – Sterling
Largely unknown today, the music of this Swiss composer is well worth investigation, especially by those who love Romantic works.
High Altitude Drums = Blue Knights Drum Corps of Denver & Troopers Drum Corps of Casper, WY – IsoMike.com
The deep bass end generally suffers in outdoor recordings – but not on this one, believe me!
Nadia Reisenberg Carnegie Hall Recital, 1947 = HANDEL: Suite No. 9; MOZART: Sonata in A Minor; WEBER: Rondo Brilliante; CHOPIN: Sonata No. 3; BARBER: Four Excursions; Works of SCRIABIN, STRAVINSKY, PROKOFIEV, KHACHATURIAN, TCHAIKOVSKY – Bridge (2)
I could devote myself to the fascinating, entirely catholic taste of this extraordinary pianist, who always sought out new scores and novel modes of expression.
Michael Zadora: The Complete Recordings, 1922-1938 = Works of BACH, CHOPIN, BEETHOVEN, BRAHMS, BUSONI, DEBUSSY, FIELD, HUMMEL, LISZT, PERGOLESI, PROKOFIEV, SCARLATTI & others – APR (2)
An otherwise obscure Busoni acolyte impresses us with a natural salon sensibility in the recording studio which eluded him in the concert hall.
Audio News for December 25, 2009
Amarra – Ultra-Fidelity Digital Source; Police Decide Music at Festival Is Not Jazz; Kleer Claims Wireless Function for Both Portable and Home Audio; Most Popular HT Products of 2009
YORK BOWEN: Piano Sonata No. 1 in B minor Op.6; Piano Sonata No. 2 in C sharp minor; Piano Sonata No 3 in D minor; Short Sonata in C sharp minor; Piano Sonata No. 5 in F minor; Piano Sonata No. 6 in B flat minor – Dan Driver, p. – Hyperion (2)
The six sonatas were written over a long period of time, the first of these published privately when Bowen was all of 18 years old.
South American Music = GOMES: Overture to Il Guarany; MONCAYO: Huapango; VILLA-LOBOS: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 2; GINASTERA: Variaciones Concertantes Op. 23 – The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Enrique Arturo Diemecke – Membran Music
The Huapango of Moncayo is a quintessential Mexican orchestral work which will sound familiar to most listeners – one of the most interesting folk music-orchestral works ever written.
Denis Matsuev, p.: The Carnegie Hall Concert = SCHUMANN: Kinderszenen; LISZT: Piano Sonata in B Minor; PROKOFIEV: Piano Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major; LIADOV: The Musical Snuff Box; SCRIABIN: Etude in D-sharp Minor; GRIEG: Hall of the Mt. King – RCA
Another young virtuoso–and winner of the Gold Medal at the 1998 Tchaikovsky Competition–aspiring to “the mantle of Vladimir Horowitz.”
Paper Heart, Blu-ray (2009)
Features Charlyne Yi in a documentary fashion, wandering about the country discussing the topic of love.
MEDTNER: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor; RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor (Orig. 1926 version); Floods of Spring (from 12 Songs Op. 14; piano solo) – Yevgeny Sudbin, piano/ North Carolina Symphony/ Grant Llewellyn – BIS
Medtner dedicated his Second Concerto to Rachmaninoff, and Rachmaninoff dedicated his Fourth Concerto to Medtner.
MENDELSSOHN: Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25; Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 40; Symphony No. 5 in D Major, Op. 107 “Reformation” – Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec/Louis Lortie, piano and conductor – Atma
Pianist-conductor Lorie offers fleet and ravishing colors in Mendelssohn’s virtuoso works.
Yes – Keys to Ascension (1996/2009)
The DVD of the 1996 concert proves a fine example of staging and video tricks, making a most enjoyable viewing and listening overall.
Carlos Santana Presents Blues at Montreux 2004, Blu-ray
This is the Blu-ray version of the same video we covered in 2007.
Audio News for December 22, 2009
New Surround Speaker Line Uses Summit Wireless Technology; First Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV Set-Top Box in Europe; Enhancements in New Yamaha Soundbar; Best Buy Delivers Solid Quarter; Walmart Drives Electronics Business Home
LISZT: Six Transcriptions of Polish Songs by Chopin; CHOPIN: Twelve Etudes, Op. 10; Twelve Etudes, Op. 25 – Luiza Borac, piano – Avie
Her rendition of excerpts from Chopin’s Op. 74 songs as transcribed by Liszt prove eminently vocal as well as virtuosic.
JOHN ADAMS: Dr. Atomic Symphony; Guide to Strange Places – St. Louis Symphony Orchestra/David Robertson – Nonesuch
A distillation of instrumental music from the all-too-timely opera of the same name.
GIUSEPPE TORELLI: The Original Brandenburg Concertos – Charivari Agréable/ director, Kah-Ming Ng – Signum Classics
If, like me, the flood of same-old-same-old recordings of music by J.S. Bach sometimes overwhelms you, here’s a guaranteed-to-be-unique take on your favorite Bach.
District 9, Blu-ray (2009)
This is a highly original sci-fi feature which shares with the recent Mexican film Sleep Dealer a strong theme of social justice.
KERRY TURNER: Karankawa; Introduction and Main Event (Solo Horn Quartet & Orch.); Concerto for Tube and Orch.; Concerto for Low Horn and Ch. Orch. – American Horn Quartet/Kyle Turner, tuba/ Charles Putnam, Fr. horn/Sinfonia Inventus/Wisniewski – Albany
These four works are strongly melodious and highly individual, with some surprising and often haunting passages in them.
BRAHMS: Ich schwing mein Horn ins Jammertal; Es toent ein voller Harfenklang; Nachtwache I; Einforrmig ist der Liebe Gram; Gesang der Parzen; Symphony No. 3; Naenie – Orch. Rev. et Romantique/ Monteverdi Choir/John Eliot Gardiner – Soli Dep Gloria
A fascinating, if somber, color portrait of Brahms, embracing both his choral work and his Third Symphony as visions of dark Fate.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
