Monthly Archive: February 2010
Friedrich Gulda – Piano Recital (1968) / Live at Birdland (1956) – HAYDN: Andante con Variazioni; MOZART: Sonata in la minore; SCHUBERT: Impromptus Nos. 1, 2, 3 & 4; BEETHOVEN: “Waldstein” Sonata; Live at Birdland – Fabula Classica/Ermitage
Friedrich Gulda was a concert pianist who straddled the genres into jazz just as successfully as Andre Previn, and even surpassing him in the area of classical piano standards.
FLORENT SCHMITT: Psalm 47 “Gloire du Seigneur,” Op. 38; La Tragedie de Salome – Andrea Guiot, soprano/Gaston Litaize, organ/French National Radio Orchestra and Chorus/Jean Martinon – HDTT
Grandeur and musical ostentation combine in the music of Florent Schmitt, gorgeously realized by Jean Martinon.
R. STRAUSS: Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 8; KORNGOLD: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 – Pavel Šporcl, violin/ Prague Symphony Orchestra/ Jíŕí Kout – Supraphon
Šproul had the ability to use his instrument to deliver just the right intonation and shaping of musical lines to bring forth the imagery of a dreamy reverie.
Clifford Brown – The Complete Emarcy Master Takes – Verve/ Emarcy/ Hip-O-Select B00121918-02 (4-CD box set)
From prodigy to master in four short years.
CHOPIN: Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 65; Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 8; Grand Duo concertante in E Major – Andreas Brantelid, cello/Vilde Frang, violin/Marianna Shirinyan, piano – EMI Classics
Spontaneous, spirited collaborations by three gifted young artists in Chopin’s limited but ingratiating catalogue of chamber works.
OLE OLSEN: Asgaardsreien Op.10; Symphony in G Op. 5; Suite for string orchestra, Op. 60 – Latvian National Symphony / Terje Mikkelsen – Sterling
Very pleasant byways of Norwegian Romanticism.
LULLY: Atys (complete opera) – Soloists/ Les Arts Florissants/ William Christie, conductor – Harmonia mundi deluxe edition (3 CDs)
A landmark recording of Lully’s Atys beautifully presented in a handsomely bound deluxe edition CD-book.
BERNARD HERRMANN: Hangover Square; Citizen Kane – Orla Boylan, soprano / Martin Roscoe, piano / BBC Philharmonic Orchestra / Rumon Gamba – Chandos Movies
Two fine scores from Bernard Herrmann, excellently presented by Rumon Gamba and the BBC PO.
BACH: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988; Sarabanda con Partite, BWV 990; Aria Variata, BWV 989 – Matthew Halls, harpsichord – Linn (2 CDs)
A good reading in really terrific sound—the harpsichord has never sounded better.
JOHAN SVENDSEN: Norwegian Rhapsodies Nos. 1-4; Romeo og Juliet, Op. 18, Zorahayda, Op. 11 – South Jutland Symphony Orchestra/Bjarte Engeset – Naxos
Inspired by Lizst’s Hungarian Rhapsodies, they’re appealing works, with good melodies (many Norwegian folk melodies taken from a collection by Ludvig Lindeman) and effective orchestration.
Daniel Smith – Blue Bassoon – Summit
Daniel Smith brings bassoon firmly into the jazz world with memorable results.
“Piazzolla & Passion” – Eckart Runge, cello/Jacques Ammon, piano – Ars Musici; The Piazzolla Project – Concerto for Piano Quintet; Seasons in Buenos Aires; Fuga y Misterio; Suite del Angel for String Quartet – Artemis Quartet/ Ammon, p. – Virgin Classi
Only half of the ten selections on the cello/piano disc are by Piazzolla but all four works on the second album are by the creator of the New Tango.
SCHUBERT: Duo in A for Cello and Piano D. 574; Sonata in A minor for Cello and Piano D. 821 “Arpeggione”; Fantasy in C for Cello and Piano D. 934 – Pieter Wispelwey, cello/Paolo Giacometti, fortepiano – Onyx
The combination of cello and fortepiano underscore the Biedermeier charm of these works.
DVORAK: Sonatina Op. 100 for Violin and Piano; POULENC: Sonata for Flute and Piano; GRIEG: Sonata Op. 8 in F Major for Violin – Marie-Josée Simard, vibraphone/Marie Fabi, piano – XXI-21 Productions
I’ve heard enough vibraphone to last me a while, thanks.
HANS SITT: Drei Fantasiestücke, Op. 58; ERNST NAUMANN: Drei Fantasiestücke, Op. 5; REINECKE: Drei Fantasiestücke, Op. 43; GADE: Fantasiestücke, Op. 43; SCHUMANN: Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 – Ilya Hoffman, viola,/Sergey Koudriakov, piano – Caro Mitis
This recording centers on one of the most durable and characteristic traditions of 19th-century German Romanticism, the Fantasiestück or fantasy piece.
Audio News for February 26, 2010
Chandos Site Offers 96K/24-bit Downloads; Battery Classification Could Increase Shipping Costs of Consumer Electronics; FCC Proposes Faster Broadband Speeds; Bose Goes from Ears to Derrieres; CEA 2010 Mark of Excellence Awards Finalists
ROBERT SCHUMANN: Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 47; Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 – Peter Orth, piano/Auryn Quartet – Tacet
The Real Surround Sound DVD-Audio disc version of the standard CD we reviewed earlier.
RACHMANINOV: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45; The Isle of the Dead, Op. 29; The Rock, Op. 7 – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Vasily Petrenko – Avie
Petrenko obviously relishes his Russians, and this entire Rachmaninov album is very well done.
SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D. 417 “Tragic,” and Symphony No. 5 in B flat, D. 485 – Netherlands Chamber Orchestra/ Gordan Nikolić – PentaTone Classics
Lovely playing but a rather soft-grained romantic approach to Schubert’s echt-classical early symphonies.
RACHMANINOFF: Six Etudes Tableaux; MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition, A Night on the Bald Mountain (arr. Rimsky-Korsakov) – Sa Chen, piano – Pentatone Classics
Chen Sa offers unpretentious coloring to Russian gems.
CHICK COREA: Children’s Songs Nos. 1 – 20 (Arr. by Thomas Schindl) – Blue Chamber Quartet – Stockfisch
The arrangements are subtle and tasteful in expanding the simple but lovely melodies of each of the songs into quartet or quintet form.
IGOR STRAVINSKY: Apollon musagète; Pulcinella Suite – Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Alexander Janiczek – Linn
For string orchestra, it uses almost entirely diatonic harmony, with none of the odd chromaticism of much Stravinsky.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
