Monthly Archive: July 2011
RICKY IAN GORDON: Piano Music = 5 Dances; Desire Rag; The Caste System; They Dance; Ring-A-Ding-Ding for Piano Four Hands – John Nauman, piano/Sergei Kvitko, piano – Blue Griffin
Ricky Ian Gordon (b. 1956).
NYJazz Initiative – Mad About Thad – Jazzheads
Sometimes it’s good to get mad, mad about Thad that is.
MAHLER: Symphony No. 2– Kate Royal, soloists/ Berlin Radio Chorus/ Berlin Philharmonic/ Simon Rattle – EMI
The second time around brings few corrections but is closer in spirit.
Woman Spirit = Songs by LIBBY LARSEN – Ann Tedards, sop./ Marva Duerksen, p. – MSR
A welcome collection, but not without some problems.
MOZART: Piano Sonatas (complete) – Daniel-Ben Pienaar, piano – Avie (5 CDs)
Mozart with major masculinity—it’s a change, but is it always for the good?
BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto, Op. 61; DVORAK: Romance in f, Op. 11 – Michael Ludwig, violin/ Virginia Symphony/ JoAnn Falletta, conductor – Hampton Roads
Another Beethoven Violin Concerto? Not really needed, but this kind of quality can never be easily dismissed.
Paul Galbraith Performs = works of MOZART: Sonata, K. 280; BRITTEN; BACH; ALBENIZ; RAVEL – Paul Galbraith, guitar – Mashulka Prod.
Galbraith returns with his own production, and a wonder it is.
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major – Berlin Philharmonic/ Wilhelm Furtwaengler – Testament
The historic performance of the Bruckner 5th from Furtwaengler’s 1942 series receives its finest–and definitive–incarnation from Testament.
“Of Another Time” – Works of JENKINS, PAPONAUD, SAINT-SAENS, GRAINGER, LISZT, BONNET, WEITZ, KETELBEY, DEBUSSY, & GUILMANT – Yun Kyong Kim, organ – MSR Classics CESAR FRANCK Pieces pour Orgue = Lionel Avot, organ – Editions Hortus
A pair of worthwhile pipe organ CDs.
Animal House, Blu-Ray (1978/2011)
Belushi is up to his usual disgusting tricks, but the lowbrow humor seems to work OK in this crude parody of college life in the 1960s.
Audio News for July 22, 2011
Internet-to-TV Adapter Kits for Reliable Wired Home Networking; CEDIA Installer Revenues & Margins Up in 2010; Roku 2 Set-Top Players Introduced; Circuit City’s Old DIVX Patents Sold for $750,000; Universal Electronics Sues Logitech Over Remote Control Patents; Spotify = Streamined Music Service
Remembering JFK = Works of BERNSTEIN, GERSHWIN, LIEBERSON, THOMPSON, MONTAINE – Nat. Sym. Orch./Christoph Eschenbach/ Howard Mitchell – Ondine
The past and the present converge on JFK’s Inaugural Day, but the musicianship of the original concert may well win the laurels.
JACK GALLAGHER Works – London Sym. Orch./ Jo Ann Falletta – Naxos
Jack Gallagher is a name to remember, and this disc is definitely one to own.
SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 959; Sixteen German Dances, D. 783/D. 366 – David Rubinstein, piano – Musicus
His Schubert Sonata conveys breadth and thoughtful, persuasive intensity.
JOHN CORIGLIANO: Winging It: Piano Music of John Corigliano – Ursula Oppens & Jerome Lowenthal, pianos – Cedille
This composer always comes up with striking concepts.
JOHN CAGE: Sculptures Musicales – Glenn Freeman, dir. – OgreOgress (2 DVD-As)
Two additions to a comprehensive collection appeals to a niche market.
HANS ZIMMER-LISA GERRARD: Music from the Motion Picture “Gladiator” – Soloists/Lyndhurst Orchestra/Gavin Greenaway – Universal Music/ORG
Quite a movie score demo, to put it mildly. And at 45 rpm 12-inch, 2 discs.
PAUL GRAENER works – Andreas Knoop & Cornelia Grohmann (flute) /Philharmonisches Orch. Altenburg-Gera /Eric Solen – Sterling
This interesting disc has certainly moved me to look for other works of this now-neglected composer.
BENJAMIN DALE: Piano Sonata; Prunella; Night Fancies; YORK BOWEN: Miniature Suite – Danny Driver, p. – Hyperion
Benjamin Dale (1885-1943) and York Bowen (1884-1961) are back firmly in the repertoire and on disc.
MAHLER: The Symphonies (Complete) + DVD Bonus – Soloists/4 choirs/ Tonhalle Orch. Zurich/ David Zinman – RCA Red Seal (15 discs + 1DVD)
Zinman’s midprice SACD Mahler now available in a superbly-priced set. Is it competitive? You bet!
WAGNER Excerpts – Roberta Knie, sop./Zagreb Philharmonic/Lovro von Matacic – VAI
Wagner acolytes will gallop to this concert from 1977, in which conductor Matacic and his stellar soprano intone the glories of this composer in ravishing sound.
JEREMY BECK works – IonSound Project/Rob Frankenberry – Innova
Some wonderful new sounds from the Steel City well worth hearing!
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
