Monthly Archive: June 2013
“American Pop – The Music of Michael Daugherty” = MICHAEL DAUGHERTY: Philadelphia Stories; UFO – Route 66; Ghost Ranch; Sunset Strip; Time Machine – Metropolis Symphony; Deus ex Machina – Marin Alsop & other pert. – Naxos (3 discs)DAUGHERTY, “Mount Rushmore” = Mount Rushmore; Radio City: Symphonic Fantasy; The Gospel According to Sister Aimee – Paul Jacobs, org./Pacific Sym./ Carl St. Clair – Naxos
Two new Naxos releases offer a comprehensive survey of the vision and talent of this American original.
“JEHAN ALAIN: Jardin Suspendu” = Deuxième Fantaisie; Trois Mouvements; Suite; Deux Danses a Agni Yavishta; Première Fantaisie; Variations sur un thème de Clément Jannequin; Le Jardin suspendu; Litanies – Yoann Tardivel, organ/ Marion Ralincourt, flute – Hortus
A good introduction to the music of an important twentieth-century master who died all too young.
GORDON GETTY: Usher House – Christian Elsner, Tenor/Etienne Dupuis, bari./Phillip Ens, Bass/Lisa Delan, sop./Orquesta Gulbenkian/Lawrence Foster – Pentatone
Interesting treatment maintains the feel of Poe’s original.
“Spring Sounds, Spring Seas” = JAMES NYORAKU SCHLEFER: Haru No Umi Redux; Shakuhachi Concerto; DARON HAGEN: Koto Concerto: Genji – James N. Schlefer, shakuhachi/ Yumi Kurosawa, 20-string koto/ Orch. of the Swan/ Kenneth Woods & David Curtis – MSR Classics
Some of the most attractive East-meets-West musical exercises that I’ve heard on disc.
MOZART: In-Between = Sym. No. 23; Jeunehomme Piano Concerto No. 9, 3 other works; SCHULER: Inbetween for String Q. & Orch. – Zazzo/Ch. Orch. of Geneva/ David Greilsammer – Sony Classical
Mozart’s music provides pianist-conductor Greilsammer a palette for new experiments in sound and musical spaces, including a commissioned, new work that emphasizes ambiguity as an end in itself.
Pierre Swärd Organ Jazz ‘N Soul Group – Slow But Fast – Prophone
A Swedish jazz organist with some schnapps.
The Soviet Experience = Vol. III – SHOSTAKOVICH: String Quartets 9, 10, 11, 12; WEINBERG: String Quartet No. 6 – Pacifica Q. – Cedille
The Pacifica Quartet’s cycle of Soviet quartets continues with four from Shostakovich and one from Weinberg, passionately performed and brilliantly recorded.
Audio News for June 18, 2013
Awards for Under $1000 Turntables & Disc Players; Pricing of Hi-Res Online Downloads; Home Theater Is a Hobby; DTS Promises Wide Compatibility of HT Components with DTS-HD; New Apps Bring Live Concerts to Mobile Devices
Bill Frisell – Big Sur – Okeh
Guitarist Bill Frisell takes a trip to the coast and brings back some sonic snapshots.
Broadway Musicals – A Jewish Legacy (2012)
One of the best of recent PBS documentaries.
STRAVINSKY: The Firebird; The Rite of Spring; DEBUSSY: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, cond. by Paavo Järvi, Blu-ray (2012)
A first class recording and performance of these familiar works.
LEOS JANACEK: Glagolitic Mass (Missa Solemnis) (Orig. Version); Taras Bulba – Rhapsody for Orchestra – Radio Sym. Orch./ Mark Janowski; Soloists/Radio Choir Berlin (in Mass) – PentaTone
A rousing hi-res surround reading of two important Janacek works.
STRAVINSKY: His First Recordings = The Rite of Spring; The Firebird—Suite – Walther Straram Concerts Orch./ Igor Stravinsky – Pristine Audio
The master Stravinsky himself leads a French ensemble in his first recording of the true “enfant terrible” of orchestral scores, and the restoration proves as potent as ever.
SCHMITT: Complete Original Works for Piano Duet, Vol. 3 = Marche du 163 R.I.; Feuillets de voyage, Books I – II; Musiques foraines – The Ivencia Duo – Grand Piano
The Ivencia Duo extends its survey of Florent Schmitt’s four-hand music with charming fare conceived for musical explorers of all ages, including two world premier recordings.
Harris Eisenstadt and September Trio – The Destructive Element – Clean Feed
Modern improvisation and composition influenced by the three C’s: cinema, classical and Conrad.
My Neighbor Totoro, Blu-ray (1988/2013)Howl’s Moving Castle, Blu-ray (2004/2013)
Two of the very best Miyazaki animated features, with English soundtracks by leading actors and on Blu-ray.
RACHMANINOFF: “The Welte Mignon Mystery Vol. XX” = Morceaux de fantasie; Piano Sonata in B-flat minor; Preludes 1 – 6 Op. 23 & Preludes 5 & 12 Op. 32 – Interpretations on the Welte by Hofmann, Horowitz, Borovsky, Igumnov, Maurina, Pintel, Pouishnoff, Roessel and Strecker – Tacet
Nine different pianists of the past at the sophisticated Welte recording device, with their collected interpretations of works by Rachmaninoff.
A Good Day To Die Hard, Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy (2013)
An entertaining continuation of the Die Hard series.
Conductor Evgeny Svetlanov = BEETHOVEN: Leonore Overture No. 3; HAYDN: Symphony in G Major “Military”; TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony in B Minor, “Manfred” – Berlin Philharmonic Orch./ Svetlanov – Testament
A document testifying to the unbridled enthusiasm Russian conductor Svetlanov brought to his one appearance with the Berlin Philharmonic, despite some major cuts in the Tchaikovsky score.
Erasmus of Rotterdam: Praise of Folly – La Capella Reial de Catalunya/ Hesperion XXI/ Jordi Savall, viola da gamba & dir. – Alia Vox (6 discs)
An unbelievably rich and valuable musical assembly focusing on the life of the great Christian humanist, with superlative production values.
Curtis Hasselbring – Number Stations – Cuneiform RUNE
Espionage-themed music which sounds like nothing spy-related you’ve ever heard.
HAYDN: Piano Concertos No. 3 in F, No. 4 in G, No. 11 in D – Marc-André Hamelin, p./ Les Violons du Roy/ Bernard Labadie – Hyperion
Hamelin’s innate musicality and sense of style make these special performances indeed.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
