Monthly Archive: December 2009
EYVIND ALNÆS: Symphony No.1 in C minor Op. 7; Symphony No. 2 in D major Op. 45 – Latvian National Symphony Orchestra / Terje Mikkelsen – Sterling
Certainly by the mid-1920s the Second Symphony was from an earlier time though 21st century listeners may be more forgiving than some of those in 1947.
London Mozart Players: The Complete HMV Stereo Recordings = Works of MOZART, ARRIAGA & HAYDN – Vronsky & Babin/London Mozart Players/Harry Blech – First Hand Records (3 CDs)
A reissue that celebrates the 60th anniversary of the London Mozart Players and the centennial of the birth of Harry Blech.
Timuçin Sahin Quartet – Bafa – Between the Lines
Sahin melds the compositional acumen of likeminded artists such as Dave Douglas or Vijay Iyer with the shock and awe of Sonny Sharrock or Bill Frisell.
Christmas Discs Survey
Time for the annual listing of Christmas discs
Arturo Toscanini Anthology 2 = BIZET: Carmen Suite No. 1; BERLIOZ: Roman Carnival Overture; Queen Mab Scherzo from Romeo et Juliette; SAINT-SAENS: Danse Macabre; HUMPERDINCK: Hansel und Gretel Prelude; SMETANA: The Moldau; SIBELIUS: Finlandia – Opus Kura
Here’s Arturo Toscanini in restored popular favorites, true; but the performances remind us why the music remains popular.
Brasilien (Brazil) = GALLET: Turuna; VILLA-LOBOS: Quintet in Form of a Choros; GUARNIERI: 3 Lieder; MIGNONE: 4 Lieder; SANTORO: Mini Concerto Grosso; MIRANDA: Serious Variations; RIPPER: Matinas – German Opera House soloists – NCA
Guarnieri wrote a manifesto against 12-tone music in 1950. (Why didn’t we have him in North America?)
Ebony Band = WEILL: Kleine Dreigroschenmusik; TOCH: Egon und Emilie; SCHULHOFF: H.M.S. Royal Oak – Soloists/Speaker/Cappella Amsterdam/ Ebony Band/ Werner Herbers = Channel Classics
The Ebony Band is typical of the exciting and path-breaking music scene in Amsterdam.
AULIS SALLINEN: Symphony No. 6 “From a New Zealand Diary;” Cello Concerto – Jan-Erik Gustafsson, cello/ Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra/Ari Rasilainen. CPO
Aulis Sallinen, now 74 years old, is one of the brilliant galaxy of Finnish composers that include Rautavaara, Aho, Lindberg, Saariaho and Salonen.
PAGANINI: Sonata concertata in A Major; Cantabile in D Major; Sonata in A Minor; Sonata in D Major; Sonata in A Major; Sonata in E Minor; Tarantella in A Minor, Op. 33 – Pekka Kuusisto, violin/Ismo Eskelinen, guitar – Ondine
The guitar is accompaniment to the violin in these salon pieces reputed to have been composed for Paganini’s secret beloved, “Signora Dida.”
Audio News for December 11, 2009
Blu-ray Copying – Will It Work?; Boxee Internet-Video-On-TV Service Beta Debuts; AMD Promises Demo of Forthcoming Blu-ray 3D Standard at CES; Pioneer Corporation Alliance With Chinese Retailer
Dana Hall – Into The Light – Origin
Showing off is not always a bad thing, as evidenced by Dana Hall’s latest release.
David Murray – David Murray And the Gwo Ka Masters featuring Taj Mahal: The Devil Tried To Kill Me – Justin Time Records
A sad album with a joyous and alive sound, making for a very poignant experience.
MAHLER: Symphony No. 3 – Claudio Abbado, Blu-ray (2007/2009)
Abbado has a special connection with the Mahler symphonies and has been acclaimed for his performances of them.
The Ed Palermo Big Band – Eddy Loves Frank – Cuneiform Rune
Palermo has led a progressive big band for three decades and has performed Zappa’s work for half that time, bringing Zappa’s notoriously difficult material to enthusiastic crowds.
SZYMANOWSKI: Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 15; Concert Overture, Op. 12; Symphony No. 4 “Symphonie Concertante,” Op. 60; Study in B-flat Minor, Op. 4, No. 3 (orch. Fitelberg) – Jan Krzyztof Broja, piano/Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra/Antoni Wit – Naxos
Wit traces the composer’s radical evolution from a Wagner disciple to an idiosyncratic purveyor of the Polish national style.
Martha Argerich & Nelson Freire at the 2009 Salzburg Festival = BRAHMS: Variations on a Theme by Haydn Op. 56b; RACHMANINOV: Symphonic Dances Op. 45; SCHUBERT: Rondo in A Major “Grand Rondeau” for piano 4 hands; RAVEL: La Valse – DGG
Two of the finest pianists in the world join together in this fresh new live performance program from this year’s Salzburg Festival.
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 5 – Keeping Score series, Blu-ray (2009)
A fine documentary on the composer plus a complete concert performance of the symphony.
Frida Kahlo (1983/2009)
This somewhat dated documentary focuses on the artist and cult figure in the women’s movement, using her many self-portrait paintings as the main visual subject matter.
MOZART: Chamber Music for Winds and Strings – Clarinet Quintet K581; Horn Quintet K407; Oboe Quartet K370; Flute Quartet K298 – Boston Symphony Chamber Players – BSO Classics
The hi-res multichannel sound leans toward an almost literal surrounding of the listener by the instruments, which I don’t find a bit disturbing but most involving.
Music for Piano and Organ = THIERRY ESCAICH: Choral’s Dream; PAAVO HEININEN & JOUKO LINJAMA: Quincunx duplex; PAAVO HEININEN: Täällä; MARCEL DUPRE: Variations on Two Themes – Annikka Konttori-Gustafsson, piano/ Jan Lehtola, pipe organ – Alba
The collaboration on Quincunx – slightly longer than the other three works – was stimulated by the two artists, one a pianist and the other an organist, having climbed up the tower of Gaudi’s unfinished La sagrada familia cathedral in Barcelona.
ARNOLD SCHOENBERG: Early and Unknown String Works [TrackList below] – Rangzen Quartet & Strings/ Christina Fong – OgreOgress Productions, Limited Edition – Stereo DVD-Audio
If you are a Schoenberg fan, this is the disc to get.
Audio News for December 8, 2009
10 Cents Each Music Streaming on iPhones; Experts Urge Checking Return Policies on Christmas Gifts; CDs Still Sell Well; Avoiding Traffic Jams on Home Wireless Networks
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
