Monthly Archive: April 2013
SMETANA: From My Homeland; DVORAK: Romance in F Minor; SUK: Four Pieces; JANACEK: Violin Sonata – Silvie Hessova, violin/ Daniel Wiesner, p. – Cube Bohemia
Two young Czech artists celebrate their national heritage in 2004 performances of lyrical beauty and strong conviction.
CHOPIN: Rondo a la Mazur; Brillante in E-flat Major; Etude in F Major; Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante; 3 Mazurkas; Sonata No. 3 – Danil Trifonov, piano – Decca
Danil Trifonov’s 2010 Chopin recitals confirm his status as a rising star among the practitioners of his keyboard art.
Living by Lanterns – New Myth/Old Science – Cuneiform
Sun Ra’s legacy becomes the basis for new, original compositions.
Eliane Elias – I Thought About You (A Tribute To Chet Baker) – Concord Music
An inspired sampling of some of Chet Baker’s work.
Mark Weinstein – Todo Corazon, The Tango Album – JazzheadsJulio Botti – Tango Nostalgias – Zoho
A pair of nuevo tango jazz-influenced tango collections.
A Dark Truth (2013)
A moving first feature on the subject of the coming international water wars.
Aaron Diehl – The Bespoke Man’s Narrative – Mack Avenue Records
In a debut release, Aaron Diehl is the real deal.
Neil Cowley Trio at Montreux 2012, Blu-ray (2013)
A popular new jazz pianist with strong rock and pop influences, appearing with a string quartet.
ZELENSKI: Piano Concerto in E-flat Major; ZARZYCKI: Piano Concerto in A-flat Major; Grande Polonaise – Jonathan Plowright, p./ BBC Scottish Sym./ Lukasz Borowicz – Hyperion
Volume 59 of this series, “The Romantic Piano Concerto,” explores the Polish contribution to the bravura tradition.
MOZART: Keyboard Music, Vol. 4 = Fantasia in D Minor and Sonata in D Major; Prelude & Fugue in C Major; 12 Variations on “Je suis Lindor” in E-flat Major; Sonata in G Major; Fantasia in D Minor – Kristian Bezuidenhout, fortepiano – Harmonia mundi
A varied, well-chosen program is enhanced by a lovely instrument from the maker of Mozart’s pianoforte. The playing of Kristian Bezuidenhout is pretty special too.
Hemingway & Gellhorn, Blu-ray (2013)
A wild and wooly miniseries that is worth viewing.
Audio News for April 12, 2013
38 Different Recordings of The Rite of Spring; Turn Your TV Into a Very Smart TV; Shapiro Says Hollywood and Consumer Electronics ‘Need Each Other”; Does Your Home Have an “Electronic Elephant?”
SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Concerto; Sonata for Cello and Piano; Moderato for Cello and Piano – Emmanuelle Bertrand, cello/ Pascal Amoyel, p. /BBC National Orch. of Wales/ Pascal Rophé – Harmonia mundi
A fine performance of two Shostakovich works for cello from two different periods in the composer’s life.
DOHNANYI plays DOHNANYI = Sonata in C-sharp Minor for Violin and Piano; Four Rhapsodies; Piano Concerto No. 2 – Albert Spalding, violin/ Erno von Dohnanyi, p./ Royal Philharmonic Orch./ Sir Adrian Boult – Pristine Audio
The long-defunct Remington label delivered some rare Erno von Dohnanyi inscriptions, along with the vintage EMI recording of the Piano Concerto No. 2 , faithfully restored by Pristine Audio.
Pro Pacem: Texts, Art & Music for Peace – Montserrat Figueras, sop./ La Capella Reial de Catalunya/ Le Concert Des Nations/Hesperion XX/ Hesperion XXI/ Various Artists/ Jordi Savall, viole de gamba & direction – Alia Vox
An odd concoction on a worthy topic, but despite the excellence of the music the parts don’t add up to the whole.
RICHARD CORNELL: “Tracer – Recent Chamber Works” = New Fantasias; Tracer; Images; Acqua Alta – A Far Cry ens./Boston Musica Viva/Richard Pittman, dir./Peter Zazofsky, violin – Ravello Records
This composer has an interesting and eclectic voice.
Gregg Allman – I’m No Angel – Live (2012)
The video is nothing special but the audio side will appeal to all Gregg Allman fans.
RACHMANINOFF: Sonata No. 2 in B Flat Minor (First Version); 5 Morceaux de Fantasie; Variations on a Theme of Corelli – Alessando Mazzamuto, piano – Arts
A fiery performance of 3 Rachmaninoff piano works in hi-res surround.
Rosemary Clooney & Perez Prado – A Touch of Tabasco – RCA Victor /ORG (2-45 rpm 12″ vinyls)
If you can afford it, buy it. Highly recommended!
Cassandra Wilson – Belly Of The Sun – Blue Note /Pure Pleasure (2 audiophile LPs)
Listening to vinyl from Pure Pleasure is pure pleasure.
Asura – Non Projects (2 vinyls)
The music is much more than trance or typical electronica.
Afro Cuban Latin Jazz Project – El Vuelo – AIX (2006)
A 2006 DualDisc with some great Latin sounds, plus images.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
