Monthly Archive: August 2010
Audio News for August 31, 2010
Met Live in HD Opera Series Expands to 1500 Theaters & 46 Countries; Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen Sues Nine Firms on Patent Infringement; Elektra’s Jac Holzman Says the Web is Not the Enemy
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466; Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major, K. 595 – Evgeny Kissin, piano/Kremerata Baltica – EMI Classics
Mozart with a slight difference from Kissin at the keyboard, his first such effort, and in glorious color.
Mingus Big Band- Live At Jazz Standard – JSM
A Who’s Who of contemporary players pay tribute To Mingus.
Chris Colangelo – Elaine’s Song – C Note
On his newest album, Elaine’s Song, bassist Chris Colangelo demonstrates his significant compositional and leadership abilities.
Chris Massey’s Nue Jazz Project – Vibrainium – Chris Massey Music
On his debut release, drummer Chris Massey evokes the 1960s while retaining a connection to the present.
Ernest Ansermet Collection = BRITTEN: Les Illuminations; War Requiem; BERG: Sieben fruehe lieder – Soloists/Choir of Suisse Romande & ProArte Choir/Orch. Suisse Romande/Ernest Answerment – Cascavelle (2)
Although Ansermet expressed little patience with twelve-tone developments in music, but we have a rare excursion (5 May 1959) into young Alban Berg.
BERG: Lulu (complete opera), Blu-ray
Magnificent singing, skimpy production that overuses the idea of reductionism.
Mike Mainieri – Crescent – NYC
Two Greats Remembered.
Igudesman & Joo – A Little Nightmare Music (2008)
The leading classical music comedy act of the day.
The Simpsons – The Thirteenth Season, Blu-ray
Season Thirteen is a welcome addition to The Simpsons home video collection.
Doug Webb – Midnight – Posi-Tone
A saxophonist you should get to know….
Goldberg Variations – Acoustica, 3D Blu-ray
This is the very first music 3D Blu-ray release and the first to use Dolby TrueHD lossless codec on the soundtrack.
DualDisc Reviews (7)
May 2005 – We have both classical and rock titles this time, plus one of our reviewers who actually likes the new DualDisc format! MAHLER: Symphony No. 5 – The Utah Symphony Orchestra/Maurice Abravanel – Vanguard/Silverline Classics DualDisc with DVD-Audio – 284215-2, 61:44: Another in the series of recordings of the Mahler Symphonies made in […]
Audio News for August 27, 2010
Cheap Earbuds Scam; Home 3D a Tough Sell; Best Buy Spends $290,000 Lobbying in One Quarter; Treasury of Rare Jazz Recordings from the Late 30s to National Jazz Museum
HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS: Forest of the Amazon (Floresta dl Amazonas) – Anna Korondi, soprano/ Male Voices of the Sauo Paulo Sym. Orch./Sao Paulo Sym. Orch./ John Neschling – BIS
MGM commissioned him to write the score for Green Mansions, starring Audrey Hepburn and Anthony Perkins.
Vijay Iyer, solo piano – Solo – ACT
On his first solo piano album, Vijay Iyer flows from past to present to future to create an intense artistic journey.
HECTOR PARRA: Hypermusic Prologue – Charlotte Ellett, soprano/ James Bobby, baritone/ Ensemble Intercontemporain/ Clement Power, cond.– Kairos
It helps if you’re a scientist to understand this opera!
BEETHOVEN: Missa Solemnis – Susanne Bernhard, soprano/ Anke Vondung, alto/ Pavol Breslik, tenor/ Yorck Felix Speer, bass/ Orchestra and Choir KlangVerwaltung/ Enoch zu Guttenberg, conductor – Farao
Another Pure Audio Blu-ray + CD, from a new source.
CRISTOBAL HALFFTER: 3 Pieces; 3. Quartet; 6. Quartet – Arditti Quartet – Anemos
The Ardittti Quartet makes the best possible case for these works.
Beecham in Seattle, Vol. 2 = DVORAK: Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104; MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 “Scottish” – Mischel Cherniavsky, cello/Seattle Symphony Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine Audio
Two more significant–albeit they are cut-additions to the Beecham legacy, each new to his discography and led with feral passion, with a twinkle in the eye.
WOLF-FERRARI: Intermezzo from “L’amore medico”; Ov. to “Secret of Susanna”; Prelude; Ritornello; Suite Veneziana; Trittico; Div. – Oviedo Filarmonica / Freidrich Haider – PhiArtis CACIOPPO: “Italia” = Impressioni Venexiane – Network for New Music – Navon
Two very different composers of two different eras reflect on the city of Venice, among other places.
CRISTOBAL HALFFTER: 3 Pieces; 3. Quartet; 6. Quartet – Arditti Quartet – Anemos
This is down-home, driven Darmstadt doodling in my book.