Monthly Archive: November 2010
Audio News for November 26, 2010
Power Line Communication Developments; New AV Label to Distribute 32 Historic BSO DVDs; The Latest From Dolby Laboratories; New Ford Focus to Feature Sony Audio System
AMERICAN MUSIC FOR CLARINET AND PIANO = BERNSTEIN: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano; GERSHWIN: Three Preludes; I Got Rhythm; NOVACEK: Four Rags for Two Jons; D’RIVERA: The Cape Cod Files – Jon Manasse, clarinet/ Jon Nakamatsu, piano – Harmonia mundi
A mix of familiar and unfamiliar jazzy American classical music for clarinet and piano performed with panache and verve.
The London Harp Sound – 16 harpists conducted by Geoffrey Simon – Cala Records
A wonderful sound; its crossover appeal of selections should be pleasing to a broad variety of listeners.
Rudolf Serkin plays BEETHOVEN, Vol. I = Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major; Piano Concerto No. 4 – Rudolf Serkin, piano/Orch. “Alessandro Scarlatti” di Napoli della RAI/Franco Caracciolo/Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma della RAI/Ferruccio Scaglia – IDI
Two concertos from Rudolf Serkin’s Italian cycle of Beethoven, 1958.
NED ROREM = “The Art of Sound – Jose Serebrier Conducts the Music of Ned Rorem”: Symphonies Nos. 1 – 3; Piano Concerto No. 2; Cello Concerto; Pilgrims; Flute Concerto; Violin Concerto; “Selected Songs”– Soloists/3 diff. orchestras – Naxos (5 CDs)
Wonderful, comprehensive collection of works by an American original!
Dymaxion Quartet – Sympathetic Vibrations – self-released
Asca S.R. Aull’s abstract urban photography with musical concepts based on visionary engineer, architect and futurist R. Buckminster Fuller.
Raga (1971/2010)
This documentary, narrated by Ravi Shankar and with his own music, is most informative and also very moving.
Ryuichi Sakamoto – Playing the Piano / Out of Noise – Decca
The pianist-composer-actor-performer-environmental activist calls the dozen tracks of the first CD “self-covers.”
“Romantic Serenade: Duos by SOR and MERTZ” = Johann Kaspar Mertz: Am Grabe der Geliebten; Mazurka; Unrühe; Vespergesang; Trauermarsch; Ich Denke Dein; Barcarole; Fernando Sor: Fantaisie; L’Encouragement (Fantaisie) – Burley and Feeley, guitars – Con Brio
Duets by two masters: one the Beethoven of the guitar, the other more in the spirit of Mendelssohn or Schumann.
LISZT arr. LEÓ WEINER: Sonata in B Minor; WEINER: Preludio, Notturno e Scherzo diabolico; Passacaglia; Toy Soldiers – North Hungarian Symphony Orchestra, Miskolc / László Kovács – Hungaroton Classic
If you want to hear what Leó Weiner the composer has to offer, this is a good place to turn, but. . . .
MOZART: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543; Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550; DEBUSSY: Danses sacree et profane – Nicanor Zabaleta, harp/Vienna Symphony Orch./ RIAS Symphony Orch., Berlin (Debussy) /Ferenc Fricsay – Archipel
Despite their being a second-best source for Fricsay’s Mozart, these performances convey a tragic intensity, and the Zabaleta collaboration scintillates.
“Sacred Music in the Renaissance, Vol. 1: The Tallis Scholars Finest Recordings, 1980–1989” – The Tallis Scholars /Peter Phillips – Gimell (4 CDs)
A great bargain and just about the best way I know to sample the rich legacy of Renaissance sacred music.
Spark – Downtown Illusions – ARS Produktion
This is probably the most entertaining album featuring recorders that I’ve ever heard.
Audio News for November 23, 2010
Zenph Studios Working on New Re-Performances; XPAND Announces Call Center for All 3D Questions; Australian Retailers Coming Under Attack from U.S. Online Companies; Android Tablet Market Wobbling; Holiday Consumer Electronics Sales
“Jazz ‘N’ Spirit” – Continuum – AudioMax (MD&G)
The trio recorded in a historic abbey near Detmold, Germany, and the spacious acoustics became part of their sound.
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5 in e, Op. 64; Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32 – Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Mariss Jansons, conductor – BR Klassik
An excellent, mainstream reading that suffers only from the genius of rival Yutaka Sado and his superior SACD sound.
HAYDN: Missa in honorem BVM, “Great Organ Mass”; Missa Sancti Bernardi von Offida, “Heiligmesse” – Soloists/ Trinity Choir/ Rebel Baroque Orchestra/ J. Owen Burdick – Naxos
Sprightly and infectious readings that may not be the last word in these seminal works, but are darned exciting.
SCHUBERT: The Last Sonatas = Sonata in A Major, D. 959; Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960 – Ralph Votapek, piano – Blue Griffin
Ralph Votapek has endured as a potent American virtuoso here, in the music of the late Schubert–paying intelligent and forceful dividends.
The Sacred Triangle: Bowie Iggy & Lou 1971-1973 (2010)
The Warhol multi-media experience raised all three of them to international fame.
The Microscopic Septet – Friday the Thirteenth – The Micros Play Monk – Cuneiform Records
This is certainly not a dry re-creation of Monk.
MAHLER: Symphony No. 1; PROKOFIEV: Piano Concerto No. 3, Blu-ray (2009/2010)
Miss Wang – a long-time personal favorite of mine, does not disappoint – I thought her playing was just marvelous throughout.
“La Muerte Del Angel” – TURINA: Quartet in A minor; TANSMAN: Suite-Divertissement; SURINACH: Quartet; PIAZZOLLA: La Muerte del Angel – Ames Piano Quartet – Albany
An enticing disc of diverse and unknown piano quartets that merge cultural heritage with 20th century musical techniques.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
