Monthly Archive: October 2010
JOHN CAGE: Two3, Inlets, Two4 – Christina Fong, violin/ Glenn Freeman, conch shells. -OgreOgress productions
Inlets sounds like an electronic piece imitating water gurgling from a ten-gallon jug.
Jared Gold – Out Of Line – Posi-Tone Records
B-3 virtuoso leads the charge for modern jazz.
SCHUMANN: Spanisches Liederspiel, Op. 74; Minnespiel, Op. 101; Spanische Liebeslieder – Marlis Petersen, soprano/ Anke Vondung, mezzo-soprano/ Werner Gura, tenor/ Konrad Jarnot, bass-baritone/ Christoph Berner, Camillo Radicke, piano – Harmonia mundi
This is a much-needed compilation in fantastic sound that grabbed me right from the start and afforded 70 minutes of absolute pleasure.
* Borgia Dynasty – Church and Power in the Renaissance – Soloists/La Capella Reial de Catalunya/Hesperion XXI/Jordi Savall – Alix Vox (3 discs & book)
********* MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH *********
Who would guess that a musical chronicle of the Borgia family could be so rewarding?
“Playing the Edge: Music for Violin & Percussion” = Works of MICHAEL DAUGHERTY, LOU HARRISON, CRAIG WALSH, KEVIN PUTS – Soloists & Arizona Percussion Ens. – Troy “Venus Notorious” = ZACK BROWNING works for percussion – Innova Recordings
Two CDs featuring percussion, lots of percussion: one offers real listening pleasure, one not so much.
Beauty and the Beast, Diamond Edition, Blu-ray (1991/2010)
May be the best image and sound restoration of an animated feature on Blu-ray.
Kurt Rosenwinkel and Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos (OJM) – Our Secret World – Word of Mouth Music
On Our Secret World, guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel’s compositions are given a fresh perspective with the use of a jazz big band.
David Garrett – Rock Symphonies – Decca Records
Classical prodigy tests boundaries with stylized crossover project.
CYRIL SCOTT: Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 59; No. 3; Sonata Melodica – Clare Howick, violin/ Sophia Rahman, piano – Naxos
Not stereotypically “British,” Scott’s life and music is closer to Scriabin.
David Pritchard – Vertical Eden – Molecular Music
Acoustic music has never sounded better.
Ted Piltzecker & Company – Steppe Forward – Corner Mushroom Music
Piltzecker is capable of cultivating a wide range of sounds on his instrument.
SCHUMANN: 200th Anniversary Tribute = Manfred Overture, Op. 115; Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61; Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120 – NBC Symphony Orchestra/Arturo Toscanini/Bruno Walter (Symphony No. 4) – Guild
Two legendary maestros lead the NBC Symphony in historic renditions of Schumann, here presented as celebrations of the composer’s bi-centennial.
Audio News for October 6, 2010
Linn Named Record Label of the Year; Inexpensive Smartphone-Controlled Streaming Music Player; Bose VideoWave Launched; Image Entertainment Purchases Madacy Home Video; Are You Ready to Rent Music?
The 2010 Jazz at Newport (Oregon) Festival
The seventh Jazz at Newport event took place on the Oregon coast October 1 to 3
WAGNER: Parsifal (complete opera) – Gary Lehman (Parsifal)/ Violeta Urmana (Kundry)/ Rene Pape (Gurnemanz)/ Evgeny Nikitin (Amfortas)/ Alexei Tanovitski (Titurel)/ Mariinsky Soloists, Orchestra, and Chorus/ Valery Gergiev – Mariinsky (4 discs)
Presto, chango, Gergiev comes up with a really dynamic performance of a fiendishly difficult work.
Fritz Busch conducts = MENDELSSOHN, SCHUBERT, BEETHOVEN, WAGNER, ALVEN – Guild
More from the relatively sparse legacy of Fritz Busch whose sojourns to Switzerland, Scandinavia and Los Angeles bring us rich rewards.
Yehudi Menuhin and George Enescu = MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64; DVORAK: Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 53; WIENIAWSKI: Legende in G Minor, Op. 17; BACH: Double Violin Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1043 – Dutton Vocalion
Classic Menuhin recordings in collaboration with kindred spirits whose like we shall rarely, if ever, hear again.
“Via Crucis: Rappresentazione della gloriosa Passione di Cristo” = Nuria Rial, soprano / Phillippe Jaroussky, countertenor / Fulvio Bettini, baritone / Vincenzo Capezzuto, Neapolitan tenor / Barbara Furtuna / L’Arpeggiata / Christina Pluhar – Virgin
A steady diet of Pluhar/L’Arpeggiata is not in my future, but occasional grazing is definitely indicated.
BRITTEN: Winter Words, Op. 52; KENNETH LEIGHTON: earth, sweet earth… [laudes terrae], Op. 94 – James Gilchrist, tenor/ Anna Tilbrook, piano – Linn
Two powerful song cycle about man and nature, one well-known while the other one should be.
“The Young MENDELSSOHN” = MENDELSSOHN: Piano Quartet in C Minor; Piano Quartet in F Minor; Piano Quartet No. 3 in B Minor; Piano Sextet in D Major; Sonatas for Violin, for Viola and for Clarinet – Jaap Schroeder & other soloists – Musica Omnia (3 CDs)
On balance, this is a fine album to turn to for original-instrument performances of early Mendelssohn.
JOHN BULL: Complete Works for Harpsichord, Volume 1 – Peter Watchorn/ Mahan Esfahani, harpsichords – Musica Omnia – 2 CDs
The first volume of what promises to be the first-ever complete recordings of John Bull’s keyboard music in terrific performances.
The Black Butterflies – 1 de mayo – self released
On The Black Butterflies debut, 1 de mayo, twinned saxophones provide a soulful and spiritual perspective partially inspired by John Coltrane.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
