Monthly Archive: February 2011
WAGNER: The Ring; Parsifal; Tristan and Isolde – Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/ Edo de Waart – Challenge Classics (3 CDs)
Bleeding chunks? Yes, and very large ones at that, and you will love every minute of them.
GLASS: The Concerto Project Vol. III = Concerto Grosso; Concerto for Saxophone Quartet – Beethoven Orch. Bonn/Dennis Russell Davies; Rascher Sax Q. – Orange Mt.GLASS: Symphony No. 7 “Toltec” – Bruckner Orch. Linz/Davies – Orange Mt.
Two Philip Glass gems from Orange Mountain.
Frank Macchia – Son of Folk Songs for Jazzers – Cacophony, Inc.
This album is truly a gem and deserves a Grammy nomination.
Kind – Ensemble 96/ Kjetil Almenning, cond./ Nidaros String Quartet – 2L "Pure Audio" Blu-ray + SACD
Outstanding choral work of great music caught perfectly in some of the best sound I have ever heard.
Walt Disney’s Bambi, Blu-ray 2-Disc Diamond Edition (1942/2011)
The national consciousness during the dark days of 1942 undoubtedly affected the thinking of Disney’s filmmakers in including the traumatic death of Bambi’s mother.
Vladimir Horowitz plays SCRIABIN, 1953-1956 – Vladimir Horowitz, p. – IDIS
Master pianist Vladimir Horowitz explores the sensuous, mystical, and often tormented world of Scriabin’s fascinating piano music in classic renditions.
BACH: Partita in a, BWV 997; Toccata in e, BWV 914; Sinfonia in e, BWV 795; Lute Suite in E, BWV 1006a – Azusa Shimizu, guitar – MSR
Very direct and honest readings of some excellent Bach works.
Inside Job, Blu-ray (2010)
This is the first documentary to clearly expose the shocking truth behind the 2008 economic crisis.
CHOPIN: Piano Sonata No. 2 & other works – Maurizio Pollini, p. – Archipel
The 1960 Chopin Competition winner demonstrates the aggressive technique and style that defined the neo-Classic approach of the period.
HAYDN: String Quartets Op. 9, Nos. 1-6 – Auryn Quartet – Tacet
More fantastic Haydn from a proven source.
“Flights of Fantasy: Early Italian Chamber Music” = Works of CASTELLO, CAVALLI, FARINA, BIBER, BERTALI, FRESCOBALDI – Irish Baroque Orch./ Monica Huggett – AvieREINCKEN: Hortus Musicus Vol. 1 – Stylus Fantasticus – Accent
These discs will give you invaluable insights into the development of Baroque musical forms—and some pretty enjoyable listening too.
DVORAK: Symphonies No. 6 & No. 9 “From the New World” – Baltimore Sym. Orch./ Marin Alsop – Naxos Audio-only Blu-ray
Alsop has raised the Baltimore Symphony to a very high standard, and the lossless Blu-ray ray audio captures it with much better fidelity than the lossy codecs of standard DVDs.
Mats/Morgan Band – The Music or the Money? [2-CDs] – Cuneiform Rune
From Zappa-esque flights of fancy to jazz rock, who else but The Mats/Morgan Band?
Marcus Miller – A Night in Monte-Carlo – Dreyfuss Jazz/Concord Jazz
This exciting live recording documents a special concert he was commissioned to produce in 2008 in Monte-Carlo.
Audio News for February 25, 2011
TV Maker Warns Against Internet TVs; Car Rear Windows Become Subwoofers; Do You Get the Best Sound With CD-quality Audio Files?; iTunes to Offer 24-bit Audio Files for a Price
GERHARD STABLER “Zeichen” = GERHARD STABLER: Zeichen (Gefahrliche Rander, Grauzonen, Auf Messers Schneide) – Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra/ Vit Micka – Navona Records
Kind of spooky stuff that is still somewhat interesting.
MILHAUD Conducts MILHAUD = Les Quatre Saisons; Saudades do Brasil – Ensemble de Solistes des Concerts Lamoureux/Concert Arts Orch. /Darius Milhaud – Pristine
A fine restoration of the Capitol and Philips recordings of Milhaud’s inventive suites of exotic and national color led by Milhaud himself.
Soul of the Movement (Meditations on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) – Marcus Shelby Orchestra feat. Fay Carol & Kenny Washington – Portofranco Records
A concept album centering on the Civil Right Movement as an expression of courageous citzenship and an affirmation of human dignity.
Toots Thielemans Live, with the European Quartet – Challenge
Toots may be a senior now, but his music is still full of the exuberance of youth.
Unstoppable, Blu-ray + Digital Copy (2011)
Who would imagine that such a gripping, suspenseful movie could be made about a runaway train?
“FRANZ MITTLER: Viennese Wunderkind” = MITTLER: Sonata in G Major; Sonata in D Major – Diana Mittler, p. /André Emelianoff, cello / Alexander Meshibovsky, violin – Con Brio
Worth exploring if you enjoy the music of turn-of-the-century Vienna.
Composers Conduct = RAVEL, ROUSSEL, ELGAR, SCHMITT – var. orchestras – Urania
Four distinguished composers lead by their respective scores in well-recorded inscriptions, 1928-1932.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
