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Monthly Archive: December 2011

Editorial for January 2012

by | Dec 31, 2011 | Editorial

To be one of the 12 AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers who will receive the 4-CD “Sacred Music in the Renaissance” Vol. 3 boxed set from Gimell Records, you will only need to register this month using our simple non-intrusive email-secure form. These recordings from the famed Tallis Scholars won universal critical acclaim when they were first released. Both masterworks of the period and works of less familiar composers, recorded with just the right ambiance. Our reviewer said this set was the best way to sample the rich legacy of Renaissance sacred music.  The dozen winners will be announced in our February issue. Here are the seven lucky winners of the two Analogue Productions hybrid SACDs we awarded in our December drawing; albums by Ben Webster & Dexter Gordon: Michael Dixon, Portland OR; Howard Bell, Pasco WA; Laurence Deniston, Walnut Creek CA; Bob Wise, Plymouth IN; Rob Bertrando, Reno NV; Steven Parker, Bethesda MD; Allan Jensen, Ann Arbor MI. Congrats to all! [audaud-hr] EDITORIAL AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began in 1985 as a weekly national radio series hosted by John Sunier, which aired for 13 1/2 years on up to 200 public radio and commercial stations coast to coast. In September 1998 its site for programming information was […]

Audio News for December 30, 2011

by | Dec 30, 2011 | Audio News

Scientists Resurrect Damaged Analog Audio Discs Via Photography; Inexpensive Adapter Brings DTS Surround to Computer Headphones; Optimism at Annual CEDIA Meeting; High Ultrasonic Noise on SACDs a Myth

Portlandia TV Series, Blu-ray (2011)

Portlandia TV Series, Blu-ray (2011)

by | Dec 27, 2011 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

Portlandia, Blu-ray (2011) Season 1 – 6 episodes – of the new IFC cable comedy Cast: Carrie Brownstein, Fred Armisen, Kyle Maclachlan, Steve Buscemi, Aimee Mann, Selma Blair Studio: IFC/VSC BR01838-0 [12/6/11] Video:  16:9 1080i HD Audio: English PCM stereo Extras: Blooper reel, Extended scenes, Deleted scenes, Armisen speaks to OES high school grads, 2 ThunderAnt videos, Preview of Season 2, Commentary tracks on all six episodes by Fred, Carrie & Director Jonathan Krisel Length: 132 minutes total Rating: **** A number of TV series are now being shot here in Portland, Oregon, but this one is only one focusing on a satirical, absurdist view of Portland itself and its denizens. It has been such a hit that it is now starting a new season on the Independent Film Channel. Armisen describes Portland in the first episode as the place where “young people go to retire.”  I had thought the series would only appeal to us Portlanders—with all the local points of interest and local types—but it seems to have fascinated viewers across the country. The main roles are taken by the team of Brownstein and Armisen, in various costumes and makeup to fit the characters in the sketches. They may […]

Best of the Year Discs for 2011

by | Dec 27, 2011 | Best of the Year

CLASSICAL, Incl. HI-RES, CLASSICAL REISSUE & VINYL LEE ACTOR: Concerto for Alto Sax and Orch. – Debra Richtmeyer, alto sax/Slovak Nat. Sym. Orch./Kirk Trevor; Dance Rhapsody; Celebration Ov. – Slovak Nat. Sym. Orch./Trevor (Con. for Horn & Orch.) – Navona NV5848 JOHN ADAMS: Son of Chamber Symphony, String Quartet – St. Lawrence String Q. – Nonesuch 523014 ALBÉNIZ-FRÜBECK DE BURGOS: Suite Española – New Philharmonia/ de Burgos – Decca/Original Recordings Group (2-45 rpm vinyl discs) ORG 100 ARNE: Artaxerxes (complete opera) – Soloists/Classical Opera Company/Ian Page – Linn multichannel SACD CKD 358 (2 discs) ARNELL: Ballet Music: Harlequin, Punch—Concerto Capriccioso – Dutton 7227 BACEWICZ: Piano Quintet No. 1; Sonata No. 2; Piano Quintet No. 2 – Zimerman –  DGG 477 8332 BACH: Easter Oratorio; Ascension Oratorio – Soloists/ Retrospect Ensemble/ Matthew Halls – Linn multichannel SACD 373 BACH: St. Matthew Passion – Soloists/ Netherlands Bach Society/ Kampen Boys Choir/ Jos van Veldhoven – Channel Classics multichannel SACD CCSSA32511 (3 discs) Beecham conducts French Music – EMI 9 09932 2 BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major – Vienna Philharmonic Orch./  Wilhelm Furtwängler – Tahra mono SACD FURT 2008 BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5; Piano Concerto No. 4 – Emanuel Ax, piano/ […]