Monthly Archive: December 2012
Duke Ellington – Big Bands Live: Duke Ellington – Jazzhaus/ SWR Music
Good music always prevails.
Bessie Smith – The Complete Columbia Recordings – Columbia/ Legacy – 10-CD box set
A very complete collection of Bessie Smith recordings with many notes and photos, though some have been reissued with more enhanced sonics.
CHOPIN: “Grand Chopin” = Krakowiak – Grand rondeau de concert; Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brilliante; Grande fantaisie sur des airs Polonaise; Variations sur “La ci darem la mano” de Don Giovanni de Mozart – Janne Mertanen, p./ Turku Philharmonic Orch./ Jani Telaranta – Alba
Janne Mertanen brings the instinct of the poet to these works of the young Chopin.
SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Concerto No. 1; Piano Concerto No. 2; Violin Concerto No. 1 – Mstislav Rostropovich, c./The Philadelphia Orch./Eugene Ormandy/Leonard Bernstein, piano and cond./New York Philharmonic/David Oistrakh, v./Leningrad Philharmonic Orch./Evgeni Mravinsky – Praga Digitals
Historic recordings of these sometimes troublesome masterworks.
EIVIND BUENE: ‘Possible Cities/Essential Landscapes’ = Possible Cities; Grid; Landscape with Ruins; Ultrabucolic Studies; Molto Fluido; Nature Morte – Cikada (ens.)/ Christian Eggen, cond. – 2L audio-only Blu-ray + SACD
Intriguing stereo test of some spatial music for modernists.
The Flying House Project – Revitalized by Bill Plympton (2012)
A fun “revitalization” of Winsor McCay’s 1921 short about a flying house, along with the original, complete with speech balloons (comic-strip style) and silent film intertitles.
FRANCESCO MANCINI: 12 Recorder Concertos – Corina Marti, recorder/ Capella Tiberina/ Paolo Perrone, concertmaster/ Alexandra Nigito, maestro al cembalo – Brilliant Classics
Vital, historically informed music-making set down in a lively church acoustic.
The Raven Nevermore = MORITZ EGGERT: Music of Infinite Variety – Soloists/Stuttgart Ch. Orch./ Michael Hofstetter – Audite
New to Moritz? Here’s a good place to start.
RUBINSTEIN: Caprice Russe; Piano Concerto No. 5; Overture to Der Thurm zu Babel – Grigorios Zamparas, piano/ Bohuslav Mintinu Philharmonic Orch./ Jon Ceander Mitchell – Centaur
A program of large, even meandering, concerted works by Anton Rubinstein, which serve to demonstrate the fleet and versatile talents of its virtuoso soloist.
SAINT-SAËNS: Piano Trio No. 1 in F Major; Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor – Vienna Piano Trio – MD&G
I’d say this recording is the best way to experience two very attractive works by the French master.
The Beatles – Sgt. Peppers’ Lonely Hearts Club Band – Parlaphone/EMI – vinyl
The Beatles rewrite pop history.
Finding Nemo – Ultimate Collector’s Edition: Blu-ray 3d+Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy (2003/2012)
Another animation masterpiece from Pixar, who just keep topping themselves in the creation of family-oriented features.
PROKOFIEV: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Sonata for Solo Violin – Arabella Steinbacher, v./ Russian Nat. Orch./ Vasily Petrenko – PentaTone
Fireworks galore in this recording of Prokofiev’s popular violin concerti.
Audio News for December 14, 2012
Gustavo Dudamel 2013 Musician of the Year; Bicentennials of both Verdi and Wagner Causing Problems in Italy; Rochester Philharmonic Conductor Fired; Mahlermania in Berlin; 2013 Grawemeyer Award to Multimedia Composer; Atlanta Symphony Swindled Out of $1.4 Million
“Super Triango” – [PlayList Follows) – Peter Breiner, piano & his Triango Trio – First Impression UHD
OK, it may be standard 44.1/16bit, but I feel it qualifies to be in our hi-res section.
BRAHMS: Clarinet Quintet in B Minor; Piano Quintet – Jon Nakamatsu, p./ Jon Manasse, clar./ Tokyo String Q. – Harmonia mundi
Superb performances and maybe the best hi-res recording the Tokyo has received.
BACH: Violin Concertos in a & E; Double Violin Concerto in d; Oboe and Violin Concerto – Vesko Eschkenazy, v./ Tjeerd Top, violin/ Alexei Ogrintchouk, oboe/ Concertgebouw Ch. Orch. – Pentatone
Fine recordings like this are always welcome, this one a nice medium between older and newer stylistic practices.
LISZT: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Totentanz; Fantasy on Hungarian Folk Tunes – Nareh Arghamanyan, p./ Radio Sym. Orch. Berlin/ Alain Altinoglu – Pentatone
A young prodigy with all the right stuff displays hers in this album of warhorses.
CURT CACIOPPO: ‘Laws of the Pipe’ = Wolf; Kinaaldá; Scenes from Indian Country – Janice Fiore, sop./David Gelber, cello/Curt Cacioppo, piano/Borromeo String Q./The Ch. Orch. of Bryn Mawr/Heidi Jacob – Navona Records
Not just another album on “Indian themes.”
Larry Goldings – In My Room – BFM Jazz
As solo piano recordings go this is one of the better ones.
“Musique de Venerie” Hunting Horns – Les Trompes de Chambord – Ad Vitam
Definitely an unusual sound and not like the French horns in an orchestra.
Peter Gabriel – So – Blu-ray (2012)
This disc is a must for fans of the album and essential for budding music producers.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
