Monthly Archive: February 2013
Audio News for February 22, 2013
DTS Headphone:X Delivery of 11.1 Virtual Surround on Any Headphones; New Danish Corner Speaker; Retail-level Soundbar Sales Rise 82% in 2012; Samsung Readies Movie & TV Search Service for Tablets & TVs
BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-flat; No. 12 in A-flat; No. 13, “Sonata quasi una fantasia”; No. 22 in F; No. 27; No. 15, “Pastorale” – Mari Kodama, p. – PentaTone (2 discs)
This next-to-last series release maintains the high standards set throughout.
* “This England” = ELGAR: Cockaigne; VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Symphony No. 5; BRITTEN: Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter Grimes – Oregon Sym./ Carlos Kalmar – PentaTone
************ MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH **************
What a barnstorming winner this one is. Welcome back, Oregon Symphony, and keep them coming!
Nettle & Markham in France – 28 Contrasting Pieces for Two Pianos – Netmark: Bougainvilleas of the Soul – Two-piano Music by ELENA MARTIN – Elena Martin & José Melitón, pianists – Centaur
A pair of delightful two-piano albums.
Richard Tauber: Lehar & Co = Music of J. STRAUSS, LEHAR, KALMAN, O. STRAUSS, HEUBERGER & ZELLER – Preiser
The celebrated Austrian lyric tenor Richard Tauber enjoys a broad representation of his inimitable Viennese style in this generous selection of his art, 1924-1946.
Johanna Martzy = MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto in E Minor; : Violin Concerto No. 3; BEETHOVEN: Romances in G Major & F Major – Johanna Martzy, violin/ Philharmonia Orch./ Wolfgang Sawallisch/ Paul Kletzki (Romances) – Testament
Previously unissued recordings by the legendary Romanian virtuoso Johanna Martzy extend a limited discography for the edification of those who relish her superb instrumentalism.
BRAHMS: Symphony No. 4 in E Minor; MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 4, “Italian” – BBC Symphony Orch./ Royal Philharmonic Orch. (Mendelssohn)/ Sir Adrian Boult – ICA Classics
The veteran conductor Sir Adrian Boult delivers two high-powered readings of familiar classics that well attest to the security of his artistic discipline.
Recent Soundtrack CDs
Nine recent soundtrack CDs of interest.
JONATHAN GOLDSTEIN: “Cyclorama” – works for ens. (TrackList follows) – The Balanescu Quartet and Ens./James Pearson, p./Grace Davidson, sop./ Jonathan Goldstein – Brilliant Classics
You’ll enjoy this series of quirky miniatures.
Miles Davis Quintet – Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2 – Columbia/Legacy (3 CDs & 1 DVD)
A “lost” quintet lost no more.
Sergei Kvitko – Ad Libitum = BACH: Prelude in C Major; MOZART: Fantasy in D Minor; HAYDN: Variations in F Minor; GRANADOS: Escenas Romanticas; MUSSORGSKY: Trepak from Songs and Dances of Death; YSAYE: Sonata No. 3 – Sergei Kvitko, piano – Blue Griffin
Russian virtuoso Segei Kvitko offers up a program of dynamic transcriptions and arrangements of music dear to his heart, especially an Ysaye sonata whose tradition reaches back to Bach.
MENDELSSOHN: Lieder ohne Worte Books 1-4, and Five Individual Lieder ohne Worte – Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano – BIS
This wonderful music should really be heard on an instrument of the period; I doubt that you’ll find a better interpretation on pianoforte than Ronald Brautigam’s.
Audio News for February 19, 2013
12th Annual Brubeck Festival in Stockton, CA; Philadelphia Orchestra First Recording Project with DGG; Tenor David Lloyd Dies; Flingo’s “LaunchPad” Added to TiVo Premiere; LED LCD TVs Took Jump in Q4
Oppo BDP-105 Universal 3D Blu-Ray Player
Terrific audio and video disc playback, but somewhat problematic in network streaming.
Adolf Busch, violin = BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto in D Major; Romances in G Major & F Major – Adolf Busch, v./ Danish State Radio Orch./ Launy Groendahl (Concerto)/ WOR Radio Orch./ Alfred Wallenstein – Guild
Violin virtuoso Adolf Busch plays his beloved Beethoven Concerto in a radio broadcast from Copenhagen 1949 that should revitalize this artist’s repute in the work he championed.
SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 4; DEBUSSY: Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien – Suite; La Mer – Philharmonia Orch./ Guido Cantelli – ICA Classics
A splendid reissue of the meteoric conducting of Cantelli, including his signature La Mer.
LISZT: Fantasy and Fugue on B-A-C-H; Les Cloches de Geneve; Grosses Konzertsolo; Gianes de Woronince – Ballade Ukraine; Apres un lecture du Dante; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9 “Le Carnaval de Pesth”; La Lugubre Gondoloa No. 1 – Misha Dacic, p. – Piano Classics
A pianist in the Gyorgy Cziffra tradition of virtuoso, volcanic Liszt, pianist Misha Dacic celebrates the Liszt bi-centennial in the grand style.
MOZART: Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat Major; R. STRAUSS: Also sprach Zarathustra – Berlin Philharmonic/ Herbert von Karajan – Testament
Absolute musical repose and interpretive serenity dominate this live concert form Salzburg, with Herbert von Karajan at the helm of a thoroughly responsive BPO.
FRANZ SCHUBERT: Piano Sonatas 21 in B flat major and 13 in A; Impromptu – Sviatoslav Richter, p. – Praga Digitals
FRANZ SCHUBERT: Piano Sonatas 21 in B flat major, D. 960 and 13 in A, D. 664; Impromptu, Op. 90, No. 4 – Sviatoslav Richter, p. – Praga Digitals Reminiscences stereo-only SACD PRD/DSD 360 063, 79:19 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Russian Sviatoslav Richter (1915 – 1997) was one of the 20th century’s towering giants of the concert grand. His repertory was vast and comprehensive, from the Baroque through modern music. As Richter was a poet of the piano, he had considerable insight into Franz Schubert’s ethos, producing hypnotic readings of great beauty and profundity. On this stereo SACD Richter plays Schubert live in Prague on three dates: September 24, 1972 (Sonata No. 21), June 10-11, 1962 (Sonata No. 13) and June 10, 1956 (Impromptu No. 4). The source are analog broadcast master tapes from the Czech Radio. Checking the Richter discography by Paul Geffen on the Internet, this recording appears to be the first release of these performances. This Praga Digitals release is excellent for radio tapes. For Richter fans it is fortunate that most of his concerts were taped, as well as the ‘studio’ recordings which allowed for corrections of the odd and infrequent finger slip. Available on […]
Dick Hyman – Century of Jazz Piano, Transcribed! (2009/2012) – Arbors Records (5 CDs + 1 DVD)
Thoroughly fascinating for anyone who has even attempted to play some jazz piano.
The Origins of Oz (2010/2013)
An interesting little documentary on L. Frank Baum and the story behind The Wizard of Oz.
Looper, Blu-ray + Digital Copy (2012)
A highly-recommended and unique sci-fi treatment of time travel.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
