Monthly Archive: May 2012
Audio News for May 29, 2012
HDTT Releases Rare Recordings by Paul Klipsch in Hi-Res; Chesky Records Introduces Binaural Series; New Amazon “‘Never Before” DVD Store; Growing Demand for Home Tech Installation
Ormandy conducts American Music = VINCENT: Symphonic Poem after Descartes; Symphony in D; DELLO JOIO: Variations, Chaconne, and Finale – Philadelphia Orch./ Eugene Ormandy – Pristine Audio
Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra shine in three immaculately rendered scores by contemporary American composers, each a color masterwork.
Miracle in a Box – A Piano Reborn (2009)
Documentary on the restoration of a classic Steinway.
WILLIAM MATHIAS: Piano Concertos 1 and 2; VAUGHN WILLIAMS: Fantasia for Piano and Orch. – Mark Bebbington, piano/ Ulster Orch./Vass – SOMM
Two early piano concertos by English composer William Mathias are a pleasant addition to the mid-twentieth century piano repertory.
John Pizzarelli – Double Exposure – Telarc
These songs have expertly been reworked and arranged by John Pizzarelli into a very nice listenable album.
TURINA: Chamber Music – The Nash Ensemble – Hyperion
The gifted Nash Ensemble shows off its capacity for Spanish colors and multifaceted textures in this assemblage of Joaquin Turina’s exotic chamber music.
MOZART: The Last Six Symphonies (Nos. 35, 36, 38, 39, 40 & 41; Ov. to The Abduction from the Seraglio – Philharmonia Orch. & New Philharmonia Orch./ Otto Klemperer – EMI Classics stereo-only (3 discs)
Another revelatory SACD reissue in the EMI Signature Collection.
Carl Cleves – The House Is Empty – Vitamin Records
Carl Cleves is a real troubadour.
David Benoit – Conversation – Heads Up
Newest release from contemporary artist is much more than smooth jazz.
Audio News for May 25, 2012
Opera News Stops Met Opera Reviews, Then Recants; Inventor of TV Remote Control Dies at 96; TiVo Expands Their Set-Top Box
“Voices of Dissent” = Works for sax/clarinet/piano by PETIT, GORDON, DECRUCK, LILLOIS, SHRUDE, BEERMAN, SWERTS & PIAZZOLLA – Joren Cain – MSR Classics
Some dissent, some dissonance, some great sax playing!
LOUIS SPOHR: Symphony No. 9, “The Seasons”; Symphony No. 7, “The Earthly and Divine in Human Life”; Introduzione; Festmarsch – Orch. della Svizzera Italiana / Howard Shelley – Hyperion
The Ninth is hardly my favorite Spohr symphony, though Howard Shelley and his orchestra give it their all. On the other hand, the Seventh is one of Spohr’s most interesting inspirations.
DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 7; Othello Ov.; The Wood Dove, Op. 110 – Malaysian Philharmonic Orch./ Claus Peter Flor – BIS
Powerful readings, and a great sound recording, of some of Dvořák’s darkest music.
BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 7 in D Major; Piano Sonata No. 12, “Funeral March”; Piano Sonata No. 23, “Appassionata” – Sviatoslav Richter, p. – Supraphon Archiv
Richter in 1959 plays three Beethoven sonatas with heroic abandon, especially the “Appassionata,” which quite takes the audience and us by storm.
BEETHOVEN: Triple Concerto; BRAHMS: Violin Concerto; Double Concerto – David Oistrakh, violin/ Mstislav Rostropovich, cello/ Sviatoslav Richter, piano/Berlin Philharmonic/ Herbert von Karajan (BEETHOVEN)/Cleveland Orch./ George Szell (BRAHMS) – EMI Classics (2 discs)
The first of our reviews of the initial batch of EMI Classics Signature SACD Collection.
Joan Miró – The Ladder of Escape (2012)
A concise documentary on the leading Catalan modern painter Miro, with closeups of many of his most famous paintings and archival footage of his career.
BACH: Goldberg Variations (arr. Richard Boothby) – Fretwork – Harmonia mundi (2 CDs)
Should the Goldberg Variations be off-limits to arrangements? Fretwork makes it difficult to argue the case.
ERIC MOE: Superhero; Eight Point Turn; Kick & Ride – Robert Schulz, drum set / Boston Modern Orch. Project / Gil Rose – BMOP/sound
Composer Eric Moe has something to say, and he says it in a voice that’s like no other I’ve heard.
Crazy Jane = PAUL LANSKY: Songs of Parting; DAVID LEISNER: Three James Tate Songs; RONALD ROXBURY: Crazy Jane; AKEMI NAITO: The Idea of Order at Key West; JOHN MUSTO: The Brief Light; GEORGE CRUMB: The Ghosts of Alhambra (Spanish Songbook I) – var. perf. – Bridge
Settings of poems that compellingly explore the beauty and fear of the world.
Being John Malkovich, Blu-ray (1999/2012)
A wild and totally unique film on the idea of some people wanting to be someone else than they are.
VIVALDI: Concerto Madrigalesco; Laudate Pueri; Il Gran Mogul; Motet Nulla in mundo; Double Concerto in B-flat – Elin M. Thomas, sop./ Ashley Solomon, flute/ Bojan Cicic, violin/ Jennifer Morsches, cello/ Florilegium – Channel Classics
Florilegium again proves itself one of the foremost Baroque ensembles recording today.
TCHAIKOVSKY: String Quartets Nos. 1, 2 & 3; String Sextet “Souvenir de Florence” – The IPO Richter String Q./ Vladislav Krasnov, viola/ Kirill Mihanovsky, cello – Helicon (2 CDs)
A banner recording of the complete Tchaikovsky string quartets and thrilling sextet, brilliantly recorded in Tel Aviv, 12-15 September 2010.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
