Monthly Archive: April 2011
Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis, featuring Norah Jones – Here We Go Again, Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles – Blue Note
Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis get some help from the delightful Norah Jones on this collaborative Blue Note release.
CHOPIN: 14 Waltzes; 4 Impromptus – Artur Rubinstein, piano – Naxos Historical
The joy and natural fervor of Rubinstein’s “middle period” Chopin waltzes and impromptus should bring refreshment to newcomers to his classic style
SIBELIUS: String Quartet “Intimate Voices”; SCHOENBERG: String Quartet, Op. 7 – Tetzlaff Quartet – Avi-Service for Music
Two string quartets by transitional composers of the 20th Century – Sibelius and Schoenberg – reveal surprising beauty in passionate performances.
Audio News for April 29, 2011
T.H.E. Show in Southern California in June; Universal Music Launches Groovetown for Hi-Res Music; Death of Sony Chairman Who Developed CDs;
Composer Peter Lieberson Dies at 64
SCHUMANN: Fantasia in C Major, Op. 17; Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 11 – Jin Ju, piano – MD&G
Curious: the lesser work gets a fine performance from Jin Ju, while Schumann’s greatest piano piece is a letdown.
Brian Eno 1971-77, The Man Who Fell to Earth (2011)
Though made without Eno’s OK, this autobiographical documentary of the unique rock star/musician/composer/producer/music theorist/singer/visual artist is one of the best.
Lou Volpe – Hear and Now – Jazz Guitar Records
Energized elegance from an underappreciated jazz guitarist.
LISZT: Annees de Pelerinage: Trios Annees; Venezia e Napoli, S. 162 – Louis Lortie, piano – Chandos (2 CDs)
Louis Lortie negotiates the cycle of Liszt’s Years of Pilgrimage with finesse and grand style, a monumental aggregate of the Lisztian–and Romantic–rhetoric of the keyboard.
BACH Fantasy – Ch. Rousset, harpsi. – Aparte
It’s always nice to have Christophe Rousset back in the recording studio.
RICHARD STRAUSS: Suite from Der Rosenkavalier; Symphonic Fantasy; Symphonic Fragment – Buffalo Philharmonic/ JoAnn Falletta – Naxos
An excellent concept album featuring three operatic orchestral reductions.
MOZART: Divertimento No. 11; Concerto for Two Pianos; Symphony No. 40 – IITTI Festival Orch./Laura Mikkola, piano/ Philippe Entremont, piano and cond. – Cascavelle
From the 2009 Festival in Finland, Philippe Entremont and Laura Mikkola grace us with spirited and stylistic Mozart.
Classical Meets Jazz (2009/2011)
A video of a two-piano premiere of a jazz interpretation of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition in Boston’s famed Jordan Hall.
CARSON COOMAN “A Trip to the Sky” – MSR
A trip to some very celestial sounds from an interesting composer!
RACHMANINOV: Symphony No. 2; LYADOV: The Enchanted Lake – Orch. dell’Acccademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia/Antonio Pappano – EMI
Antonio Pappano energetically realizes two colorful, Russian Romantic scores, the Rachmaninov symphony virtually uncut to allow it “to build from within.”
Sinfonias & Concerti of GIUSEPPE ANTONIO BRESCIANELLO – Glossa Late Keyboard Sonatas of GIOVANNI BENEDETTO PLATTI – Accent
Two eighteenth-century Italian composers who sought employment in Germany, one a master of prevailing styles, one a fascinating transitional figure.
Audio News for April 26, 2011
Cassettes Make a Comeback!; Sony’s Walkman Called Most Important Musical Innovation of the Last 50 Years
Art Hirahara – Noble Path – Posi-Tone
On Art Hirahara’s new album, Noble Path, the tune is the truth and the truth is tuneful.
CLASSICAL RECORDING INDUSTRY HALL of FAME for 2005
The following 18 recordings have been selected by the CLASSICAL RECORDING INDUSTRY HALL of FAME for the 2005 Awards. They are recordings 46 thru 63 to be honored. Both numbers are listed. They are listed in random order. 1 (46). Chopin-“14 Waltzes”. Dinu Lipatti, piano. Recorded by EMI (Geneva, 6/50). CD# EMI 66904. 2 (47). Lalo-“Symphonie Espagnole”. Henryk Szeryng (violin), Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Walter Hendl. Recorded by RCA (Chicago, 2/59). Original LP catalog number-LSC 2456 (US), SB 2120 (UK). Not available on compact disc. 3 (48). Delius-“Over the Hills and Far Away”. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham. Recorded by Columbia (London 2/7/50). CD# Sony SMK89430. 4 (49). Mozart-“Don Giovanni”. Wachter, Sutherland, Schwarzkopf, Sciutti, Alva, Frick. Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus/Carlo Maria Giulini. Recorded by EMI (London, 1959). CD# EMI 67869. 5 (50). Stravinsky-“The Firebird”. London Symphony Orchestra/Antal Dorati. Recorded by Mercury (London 6/7/59). SACD# 470 643 2. 6 (51). Elgar-“Violin Concerto”. Albert Sammons (violin), New Queen’s Hall Orchestra/Henry Wood. Recorded by EMI (London, March and April 1929). CD# Naxos 8.110951. 7 (52). “Romantic compositions for violin”. Christian Ferras (violin), Jean-Claude Ambrosini (piano). Recorded by DG (Paris 12/68). CD# DG 413 249 2. 8 (53). Mozart-“The 2 Piano Quartets”. Paul Lewis (piano), The […]
Works of PROKOFIEV; MUSSORGSKY; RESPIGHI; DVORAK – Rosalind Elias, mezzo-soprano/ Chicago Sym. Orch./Fritz Reiner – Urania
Refurbished historical inscriptions of 1956-1959 from the legacy of Hungarian maestro Fritz Reiner reveal the clarity and forceful energy that master could impart.
An Evening with Dave Grusin, Blu-ray (2011)
It’s obvious a great deal of work went into setting up the orchestra and other performers for the best possible appearance in the video.
The Rossano Sportiello Trio: Lucky To Be Me – Arbors Piano Series, Vol. 22 – Arbors
A solid and impressive piano trio session.
Brian Lynch – Unsung Heroes – Holistic Music Works
Lynch honors unsung trumpet masters.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
