Monthly Archive: May 2013
Audio News for May 31, 2013
Sony Considering Splitting Into Two Companies; Japanese Majors Investing in India; Pioneer Reviewing CE Business; Dolby Atmos for Home Theaters?; New Features of 2013 Panasonic TVs
Editorial for June 2013
Evelyne Crochet’s 2006 recordings for Music & Arts of Books I & II of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier will go to ten AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers who register this month on our simple form. Educated in her native France, Ms. Crochet studied with Nadia Boulanger and Edwin Fischer and was brought by Rudolf Serkin to the U.S., where she has taught at Brandeis, Rutgers, Boston and Georgia State Universities, and the New England Conservatory of Music. She has a vast repertory and has soloed with major orchestras in recital worldwide. The ten lucky winners of this 4-CD set will be announced here early next month. Here are the five lucky winners of the Complete Beethoven Symphonies/Piano Concertos/Overtures Naxos 12-CD set, our May drawing/giveaway: Scott Hobson, Pal Alto CA; Kermit Crissey, Buffalo NY; Rita Porter, Kaneohe HI; Alec Burchfield, Greenwood IN; Charles Volstad, Eden Prairie MN. Congrats to all! [audaud-hr] EDITORIAL AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began in 1985 as a weekly national radio series hosted by John Sunier, which aired for 13½ years on up to 200 public radio and commercial stations coast to coast. In September 1998 its web site for programming information was expanded to the present free Internet publication. June 2013 is our […]
Byron Janis, piano – The Complete RCA Album Collection = Works of BEETHOVEN, SCHUBERT, CHOPIN, GERSHWIN, BRAHMS, SCHUMANN, RACHMANINOV, MUSSORGSKY, J. STRAUSS, LISZT & GROFE – with Chicago, Boston, Hugo Winterhalter orchestras – RCA (11 CDs + 1 DVD)
A comprehensive, if incomplete, survey of the Byron Janis legacy for RCA, 1947-1959, which exemplifies the often brilliant and intelligent prowess he commanded at the keyboard.
HERMANN SUTER: Symphony in D Minor; WERNER WEHRLI: ‘Chilbizite’ for Orchestra – Aargauer Sym. Orch./ Douglas Bostock – Musiques Suisses
A pair of Swiss Late Romantic composers; music that deserves to be heard.
![Renaissance Radio – The Tallis Scholars/ Peter Phillips [TrackList follows] – Gimell (2 CDs)](https://www.audaud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/RenaissanceRadioGimell.jpg)
Renaissance Radio – The Tallis Scholars/ Peter Phillips [TrackList follows] – Gimell (2 CDs)
A grand compilation celebration of 40 years of the highest quality.
MENDELSSOHN: Piano Trio in D Minor; Piano Trio in C Minor – Trio Alba – Audiomax
Fine-honed performances from the Alba Trio, plus lovely surround sound from the MD&G engineers.
DEBUSSY plays DEBUSSY; RAVEL plays RAVEL = DEBUSSY: Children’s Corner; Wind on the Plain; Minstrels; La soiree dans Grenade; Le Plus que Lente; D’un cahier d’esquisses; RAVEL: Sonatine; Noble and Sentimental Waltzes – Claude Debussy, p./ Maurice Ravel, p. – Melodiya
Connoisseurs of “authenticity” cannot be without this restoration of piano rolls by Debussy and Ravel, each performing his own music with diligence, taste, and artful pianism.
The Moody Blues – Threshold of a Dream – Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (2013) The Moody Blues – Live at Montreux 1991
The Moody Blues, both old and recent, on CD and DVD.
GABRIEL JACKSON: The Voice of the Bard; Now I have known, O Lord; Missa Triueriensis; O Doctor optime; Thomas, Jewel of Canterbury; Sanctum est verum lumen; Angeli, archangeli; A ship with unfurled sails; Aeterna caeli Gloria; Ave regina caelorum – Kaspars Zemitis, electric guitar (Ave regina caelorum)/ The State Choir Latvija/ Maris Sirmais – Hyperion
An absolutely magnificent disc of music that will shake you to your shoes!
Benjamin Britten: Choral and Organ Music – Luke Bond, organist/ Truro Cathedral Choir/ Christopher Gray – Regent
An intensely rich and well sung recording of Britten’s major sacred works—with a couple of surprises as well.
BRAHMS: String Quartet in A Minor; Clarinet Quintet in B Minor – Sharon Kam, clarinet/ Jerusalem Q. – Harmonia mundi
An excellent Second Quartet and a Clarinet Quintet that, despite a few quibbles, is beautifully played.
“PROKOFIEV: The War Sonatas 6, 7 and 8” = Piano Sonata No. 6 in A, Op. 82; Piano Sonata No. 7 in B-flat, Op. 83; Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat, Op. 84 – Denis Kozhukhin, piano – Onyx
Mostly fine performances of these sonatas. But the slow tempi don’t always work in the music’s favor.
“Cross Connection” = HENRY WOLKING: Gone Playin’; The Old Gypsy; JAMES SCOTT BALENTINE: Dùn Èideann Blogh – Moravian Philharmonic Orch./Robert Walzel, clarinet/Eric Stomberg, bassoon/Moravian Phil. String Q.– Navona Records
Some wonderful discoveries and “cross cultural connections.”
Michael Feinstein – Change Of Heart – The Songs Of André Previn – Telarc
An album offered with elegance and sophistication.
BEETHOVEN: A Single Breath = Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major; Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major; Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor – Beth Levin, p. – Navona Records
Pianist Beth Levin ascends either Everest or K-2 in this traversal of the last Beethoven sonatas: compelling and digitally adept, all rendered with fervent intelligence.
LERA AUERBACH: Celloquy = 24 Preludes for violoncello and piano; Sonata; Postlude – Ani Aznavoorian, cello/Lera Auerbach, p. – Cedille
Passionate music for cello and piano by Lera Auerbach combines her Russian roots with 21st century musical techniques, with stimulating results.
Gilad Hekselman – This Just In – Jazz Village
Guitarist Gilad Hekselman borrows from news broadcasts for his latest as a leader.
Simone Dinnerstein and Tift Merritt – Night – Sony Classical
The many facets of night are fathomed on a fascinating folk/classical collaboration.
BYRD: The Great Service; Praise our Lord, all ye Gentiles; Unto the hills mine eyes I lift; Make ye joy to God all the earth; Turn our captivity, O Lord; This day Christ was born – The Cardinall’s Musick/ Andrew Carwood – Hyperion
The Cardinall’s Musik returns with another superb Byrd album.
Audio News for May 28, 2013
Classical News; Major Grant to Hearing Loss Association; Cambridge Audio Launches New Wireless Speakers
BRITTEN: The Sacred Choral Music = Hymn to St. Cecelia; A Wedding Anthem; Whoso dwelleth; Te Deum in C; Jubilate Deo in E-flat; Hymn to St. Peter; A Ceremony of Carols; Rejoice in the Lamb; Festival Te Deum; Venite exultemus; Jubilate Deo in C; A Hymn to the Virgin; Missa Brevis in D; A Hymn of St. Columba; Prayer I; Prayer II; Antiphon – Choir of New College Oxford/ Edward Higginbottom – Novum
Britten’s sacred music for liturgy all in one place…or is it?
Grant Geissman Quintet – There and Back Again (2004)
A somewhat bland offering from AIX.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
