Monthly Archive: March 2012
Ahmad Jamal – Blue Moon – The New York Sessions – Jazz Village
A true original in every sense of the word.
FRANZ SCHREKER: Der ferne Klang (Complete Opera) – Soloists/ Augsburg Philharmonic & Choir/Dirk Kaftan – ARS (2 discs)
This is definitely an opera that should be seen as well as heard, but this SACD presentation offers a potent musical adventure all the same.
Audio News for March 20, 2012
Are Compact Discs on Way Out?; U.S. Classical Market Dwindling; Headphone Aficionados Heaven; Lotsa Bach for a Buck
Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 56 = KALKBRENNER: Piano Con. No. 2; Piano Con. No. 3; Adagio ed Allegro di bravura – Howard Shelley, p. & cond./ Tasmanian Sym. Orch. – Hyperion
Howard Shelley extends his mastery over the Romantic keyboard concerto with these silky renditions of Kalkbrenner, bravura music of facility and easy popular consumption.
Oscar Peterson’s Easter Suite – (1984/2012)
The only recording of this rare original suite by Oscar Peterson.
Tim Berne – Snakeoil – ECM 2234
Tim Berne’s album Snakeoil is an outré adventure which fuses spontaneity and pre-composed music.
Hugo, Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy (2012)
A wonderful family film, great characterizations, a fascinating look into the beginnings of cinema, and a plea for film preservation.
VERDI: Complete Ballet Music from the Operas – Bournemouth Sym. Orch./ José Serebrier – Naxos audio-only Blu-ray
The first time all of Verdi’s operatic ballet music has been available on one lengthy recording, and in hi-res surround too.
The Romantic Piano Concerto – Vol. 54 = COWEN: Concertstück; SOMERVELL: Normandy; Piano Con. in A Minor, “Highland” – Martin Roscoe, p./ BBC Scottish Sym. Orch./ Martyn Brabbins – Hyperion
One of the more enjoyable entries in Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concerto series.
ELGAR: The Kingdom – Solists/ Halle Orchestra & Choir/ Mark Elder – Halle
A well-rounded and much-needed recording of Elgar’s last oratorio.
ANNE LEBARON: 1, 2, 4, 3 – Ensemble/ Anne LeBaron, harp etc. – Innova (2 CDs)
There’s a distinct possibility that LeBaron’s improvisations are so abstract, so spontaneous and so solipsistic that they are not music in any traditional sense.
CLAUDE DEBUSSY: “Complete Orchestral Works” – Orchestre National de Lyon/soloists/Jun Markl – Naxos (9 CDs)
Everything from Debussy’s orchestral output you’ve ever wanted – and then some!
RICHARD DANIELPOUR: The Enchanted Garden (Preludes Books I and II) – Xiayin Wang, piano – Naxos
Seventeen years in the making, these preludes were worth the wait.
BEETHOVEN: String Trios – Erick Freidman, v./ Emanuel Vardi, viola/ Jascha Silberstein, cello – Cembal d’amour
Lovely, even astonishing, ensemble from three string masters realize the early Beethoven trios to perfection in these 1977 recordings.
BACH: 6 Cello Suites – Ovidiu Marinescu, cello – Navona (2 CDs)
An interpretation that’s dying to get out, but the recording prevents it.
Sony 64.5 inch XBR HX929 LCD TV
The Cadillac of TVs today is worth its over $5000 cost.
Fabian Almazan Trio – Personalities – Biophilia
A trio outing which relies on jazz tradition but also goes into unexpected places.
FEDERICO MOMPOU: Musica Callada; “Secreto” – Jenny Lin, piano – Steinway & Sons
Innovative, and almost protestant in its bucking the early seventies grain.
MOZART: Piano Concertos Vol. 8 = Concertos Nos. 24 and 25 – Christian Zacharias, piano & cond. Lausanne Ch. Orch. – MDG
Recorded 12 years apart, Zacharias’s performances of these two seminal Mozart works reveal a change in the pianist/conductor’s perspective and tone.
Cannonball Adderley Quintet – Legends Live – Jazz Haus
The transcendent art of the quintet at an interesting transition period.
VERDI: Requiem – Soloists/ Chicago Sym. Orch. & Chorus/ Daniel Barenboim – Warner/Apex
A classic resurfaces…but do we have to make allowances for the sound?
Audio News for March 16, 2012
Recharging From a Distance; Don’t Forget Home Electronics When Spring Cleaning; Former iPad Is Just as Good for AV Control; New Music Streaming Service from Creators of Skype
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
