Monthly Archive: July 2011
Shadows in Paradise – Hitler’s Exiles in Hollywood (2008)
Many of these expatriate composers, musicians, writers, architects, artists ended up in the Los Angeles area, turning it briefly into a center of world culture.
Audio News for July 29, 2011
Amazon CE Sales Soar 67%; Android App for Remote Control; Any-Brand Active 3D Glasses; Yamaha Aventage 3D Blu-ray Player; Survey Reports Decline in 3D Awareness and Purchase
BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 8 “Pathetique”; Piano Sonata No. 17 "Tempest”; Piano Sonata No. 23 “Appassionata” – Ingrid Fliter, p. – EMI
Argentine virtuoso Ingrid Fliter manages to infuse her own personality into three standard Beethoven sonatas.
Les Doigts de l’Homme – 1910 – Alma Records Claude Tissendier – Django’s Dream – Le Chant du Monde
Gypsy jazz extraordinaire!
MICHAEL EVANS: “Eidola” = Karolina Rojahn, piano/Moravian Philharmonic/Vit Micka – Navona
Relaxing and beautiful sounds in a “light classical” vein would also make great film music.
The Soul Rests Eternal = Works of MIKE SHEPPARD – Soloists/English Ch. Orch./Steve Sidwell – Signum
Ecstatic musing from a composer who has good reason to be reflective.
Long Island Songs = TOM CIPULLO; GEORGE BRUNNER; ANNE DINSMORE PHILLIPS; CHRISTIAN MCLEER – Monica Harte, sop. – MSR
The sequel to Harte’s Songs from Another Place.
Source Code, Blu-ray (2011)
It mixes time travel, out-of and in-body experiences, teleportation, and other Philip K. Dick-type pursuits with a strongly emotional feeling to create a most involving experience.
Songs and Duets from Slovenija! – Bernarda Fink, soprano/ Marcos Fink, baritone/ Anthony Spiri, piano – Harmonia mundi
Fink and Fink give us a tremendous disc of esoteric music that deserves much better recognition.
Hanson conducts American Music, Vol. 2 = PISTON; COWELL; LOEFFLER – Eastman-Rochester Sym. Orch./Howard Hanson – Pristine
Music championed by Howard Hanson and the Eastman School of Music; this fine record serves as a homecoming, idiomatic and reverent at once.
MENDELSSOHN: Die Erste Walpurgisnacht; BRAHMS & SCHUMANN works – Soloists/ Choral Academy/ Bavarian State Orch./ Kent Nagano – Farao
There is always room for a new Walpurgisnacht as good as this—and the rest of the album soars as well.
Desiree Defauw cond. Chicago Sym. Vol. 1 = Works of FRANCK; RESPIGHI; PROKOFIEV – Chicago Sym./Desiree Defauw – Historical-Recordings
Excellent transfers from the Defauw CSO legacy that belie the notion that Chicago Symphony morale suffered during his leadership.
MAX REGER Works – Consortium/ Andrew-John Smith – Hyperion
Wait! Don’t run! This might be the backdoor you have been looking for to secretly discover the much-maligned composer’s music.
‘Eclecticism’ = Works of BEETHOVEN, LANE, RAVEL, MOORHEAD, RUDIN & Others – Carolyn Hove, English horn/Vicki Ray, piano /Rebecca Henderson, oboe – Crystal Records
A wonderful and “eclectic” solo recital, played beautifully!
Dominick Farinacci – Dawn of Goodbye – Entertainment One
A master story teller shares tales of love and loss.
Zorba’s Dance: Greek Music for Piano – Dino Mastroyiannis, piano – MSR Classics
Classical piano music—from Greece? You might be surprised at this disc.
Prester John: Desire for a Straight Line – Shawn Persinger, acoustic guitar/ David Miller, mandolin – Innova
Boredom will not happen.
Audio News for July 26, 2011
iPad to Dominate Automation and E-Commerce; CEA Semiannual Industry Forecast; CDs in Cars Are the New 8-Track; Retrevo HDTV Model Decoder Site; The HDSLR Revolution
NATHAN DAVIS: “The Bright and Hollow Sky” = Int. Contemporary Ens./soloists/Douglas Perkins – New Focus
Some eerie blending of acoustical and electronic sounds makes for interesting listening.
Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra cond. by Bobby Sanabria —Tito Puente Masterworks Live!!!— Jazzheads
“Ladies and Gentlemen, in his true genius—Maestro Tito Puente!”
Mike Prigodich – A Stitch in Time – Mexican Mocha
What do Chick Corea and Spinal Tap have in common? That would be Portland keyboardist Mike Prigodich.
Life During Wartime, Blu-ray (2010/2011)
Unlike any other film dealing with family life you have ever seen (except the director’s previous one).
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
