Monthly Archive: July 2012
Albert Lee – Tearing It Up, Blu-Ray (2012)
Blu-ray technology ignites release by British country and western star.
JOHN DOWLAND: Lute Songs – Alfred Deller, countertenor / Robert Spencer, lute / The Consort of Six – Harmonia mundi (2 CDs)
The greatest art song composer of the early baroque, sung by the most expressive countertenor of our time.
SOPHIA SERGHI, “Night of Light” = Soloists/Moravian Philharmonic,Vit Micka – Navona
Some lovely music born of spiritual reflection and poetic expression.
BARTOK: The Miraculous Mandarin (Complete Ballet), Op. 19; Concerto for Orchestra – Seattle Sym./ Seattle Sym. Chorale/ Gerard Schwartz – Naxos
Naxos reissues two fine Delos Bartok inscriptions by Schwartz and the Seattle Symphony, testaments to the sonic discipline of conductor and ensemble.
![Dave Douglas – Magic Triangle & Leap of Faith [2-CD set] – Greenleaf](https://www.audaud.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/DouglasDaveMagic.jpg)
Dave Douglas – Magic Triangle & Leap of Faith [2-CD set] – Greenleaf
Douglas shows his post-bop inclinations with a 2-CD reissue which shifts from serious to fun.
Chris Cortez – Aunt Nasty – Blue Bamboo Music
Cortez is a versatile and eclectic performer who turns in very listenable albums.
Asrtrud Gilberto – The Shadow Of Your Smile – Verve Records V-8829/Original Recordings Group (2-45 rpm 12" vinyls)
Every facet of Gilberto’s unique voice is captured with warm resonance and texture.
DEBUSSY: Clair de Lune – Natalie Dessay, sop./ Philippe Cassard, p./ Karine Deshayes, mezzo-sop./ le juene chœur de paris/ Catherine Michel, harp – Virgin Classics
Dessay and Debussy? In recital? Nothing more need to be said…
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 2 in c, “Little Russian”; Symphony No. 2, original first movt. – Russian Nat. Orch./ Mikhail Pletnev – PentaTone
Great reading, poor coupling, short timing—what’s a buyer to do?
Sviatoslav Richter plays the Piano Concertos of GRIEG & DVORAK – Kondrashin & Smetacek – Praga Digitals
Russian piano titan Richter (1915-1997) performs two concerto staples from his repertory in glorious reconstituted sound from Praga.
Lockout, Blu-ray, Unrated Edition (2012)
A grubby noir sci-fi film with lots of violent action and a good Bruce Willis emulation.
“Main gauche” = Works for Left Hand Alone by SAINT-SAENS, SCRIABIN, DUBE, PONCE, SIBELIUS, SCHUBERT, DEBUSSY, FOOTE, BORTKIEWICZ, Others – Jean Dubé, p. – BNL
Dube is not one-armed and has released many recordings with both hands.
MOZART: Piano Concertos Nos. 13 in C, K415; 6 in B-flat, K238; 16 in D, K451; Christian Zacharias, piano/ Lausanne Ch. Orch. – MDG
This outstanding series goes from strength to strength.
Audio News for July 10, 2012
LG Begins 3D Ad Campaign; A New Audiofest in Washington D.C. Area; Anthem Announces 3D Versions of Their AV Processors; Classical News
CRISTIAN CARRARA: Liber Mundi – Francesco D’Orazio, violin/ Angela Nisi, sop./ Arturo Toscanini Philharmonic/ Matthieu Mantanus – Arts
Sincere but not-quite-ready-for-prime-time.
Mapleshade Vivilink HDMI Cable with Plus Upgrade
Mapleshade Vivilink HDMI Cable with Plus Upgrade SRP: $165, 2 meter length Mapleshade 871 North Howard St. Baltimore, MD 21201 410-685-4618 www.mapleshadestore.com [audaud-hr] Well, I have to retract my previous advice on this site that with HDMI cables there is one of the few cable areas where you are getting fleeced if you pay high prices for premium high-end HDMI cables instead of getting the $10 ones online, which I said are just fine. I haven’t A/B’ed the $10 ones with the premium cables from the cable biggies—perhaps there’s little difference. But the difference with Mapleshade’s new high-end HDMI cable was easily seen. I’ve had some very bad luck with HDMI cables recently. Two of them went out simultaneously, and I was thinking it was my equipment rather than the cables. One was even what seemed to be the excellent short HDMI cable Oppo furnishes with their players. At the same time I have a video display of greater resolution and detail than my previous RPTV, and I’m following the advice of Pierre Sprey at Mapleshade to run the Oppo BPS-95 directly into my Panasonic plasma display rather than thru my Integra 80.3 multichannel preamp. (By the way, I hope […]
![THOMAS D.A. TELLEFSON = Complete Piano Works [Tracklist follows] – Jørgen Larsen, piano – 2L (audio-only Blu-ray)](https://www.audaud.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Thomas-D.A.TELLEFSEN-BLU-2L.jpg)
THOMAS D.A. TELLEFSON = Complete Piano Works [Tracklist follows] – Jørgen Larsen, piano – 2L (audio-only Blu-ray)
An immense amount of excellent piano music on a single disc.
San Francisco Symphony at 100, Blu-ray (2011)
Best Sound and Image of any music Blu-ray I’ve seen yet this year.
“Chameleon” – Øystein Baadsvik, tuba/Fanfare Band of Royal Netherlands Army/ Tijmen Botma – BIS
A most unusual disc, with superb sound and performances.
“Being Beauteous” = BRITTEN: Les Illuminations; HENZE: Being Beauteous; SCHOENBERG: Foliage of the Heart; NICCOLO CASTIGLIONI: Terzina; SZYMANOWSKI: The Cherry Trees – Anu Komsi, sop./ Ostrobothian Ch. Orch./ Juha Kangas/ Uusinta Ch. Ens./ Sakari Oramo – Alba
A creative and bold selection of music that unearths some rarely heard jewels.
WILLIAM LAWES: Consorts to the Organ – Phantasm/ Daniel Hyde, organ – Linn
Hot on the heels of their Byrd album, Phantasm comes in with another winner.
SAINT-SAENS Organ Works Vol. 3: Trois Rhapsodies; Dies Irae; O salutaris hostia; Sarabande; Elevation ou Communion; Fantasie pour orgue-Aeolian – Andrew-John Smith, organ/ Adrian Bending, tubular bells (Fantasie) – Hyperion
For the collector of Saint-Saens’ oeuvre, this organ recital proves indispensable, especially for the first reconstruction and debut of his wonderful Fantasie of 1906.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
