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 four-channel quadraphonic sound in the early 70s by Vanguard. Only the Third was released as a four-track open reel at the time, and for those with four-track 1/4-inch tape decks it was the best realization of the maligned quad effort. The sonics of all these Utah Symphony Mahler recordings are distinguished by the lengthy reverberation time of Salt Lake City’s huge Mormon Tabernacle. The Utah Symphony was not quite up to the level of the BSO or Chicago, but under Abravanel’s dedicated directorship it achieved an amazingly high and consistent level of playing. Silverline put a dedicated effort into the restoration of these historic recordings, using specially modified analog open reel decks to play the original tape masters. In the process they gilded the lily by mixing the four-channel tapes to 5.1 digital surround at 96K. This DVD-A mix is on the DVD side of […]
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.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
