Monthly Archive: September 2013
Peter Leitch Quartet – California Concert – Jazz House
Impromptu chemistry of the highest order.
Audio News for September 13, 2013
LA Philharmonic To Perform Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels; Is Sound Quality Genre-Related?; Webcasting 101
BRUCKNER: Symphonies No. 4, “Romantic”; No. 7 in E; No. 8 – Bavarian State Orch./ Kent Nagano – Farao Classics (4 CDs)
Stunning readings from a conductor that doesn’t often stun—or do I need to rethink this?
La Cage Aux Folles, Blu-ray (1978/2013)
The original and best gay comedy, in a superb Criterion remastering.
KORNGOLD: Die stumme Serenade (complete operetta) – Sarah Wegener (Silvia Lombardi)/ Birger Radde (Andrea Cocle)/ Young Opera Co./ Holst-Sinfonietta/ Klaus Simon – cpo (2 CDs)
The recorded canon is now complete. But is this a necessary acquisition?
JAN SIBELIUS: “Rarities and First Recordings” (TrackList follows) – BIS
Capstone recording to the vital Sibelius Edition well worth having.
Star Trek into Darkness, Blu-ray 3D+2D Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy+UltraViolet (2013)
Epic in scale, and a visual and aural treat.
“The Romantic Piano Concerto – Vol. 59” = WŁADYSŁAW ŻELEŃSKI: Piano Concerto in E-flat Major; ALEKSANDER ZARZYCKI: Piano Concerto in A-flat Major; Grande Polonaise – Jonathan Plowright, p./ BBC Scottish Sym. Orch./ Łukasz Borowicz – Hyperion
The Zarzycki works are pleasant enough, but the Żeleński Concerto is the reason to acquire this disc, if you’re in the market for music by Polish classical composers.
“FREDERICK DELIUS: French Masterworks” – Henrietta Bonde-Hansen, sop./ Aarhus Sym. Orch./ Bo Holten – Danacord
French? Masterworks? You decide. There’s some very attractive music here nonetheless.
Shura Cherkassky = Recital with works of MOZART, LISZT, GRIEG, PABST, SCRIABIN, STRAVINSKY – First Hand Records
A newly discovered tape of a Shura Cherkassky recital from 1971 reveals the fiery master of piano colors in top form, riveting in works familiar and unfamiliar to his legacy.
GORDON BINKERD: Essays for Piano IV, V, VI; CHARLES IVES: Second Piano Sonata “Concord Mass., 1840–1860” – Matthew Perry, p. – Bridge
Two American composers of piano music with a number of similarities.
“Winter Morning Walks” = MARIA SCHNEIDER: Winter Morning Walks; Carlos Drummond de Andrade Stories – Dawn Upshaw, sop./ Australian Ch. Orch./ St. Paul Ch. Orch. – ArtistShare
This is a phenomenal recording. Enough said.
FERNANDO LOPES-GRAÇA: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 – Eldar Nebolsin, p. /Orquestra Sinfónico do Porto – Casa da Música/ Matthias Bamert – Naxos
I’ll take the more fun-loving First Concerto over the Second, but none of this music is of the first order.
Kon-Tiki, Blu-ray (2012-13)
A top-notch adventure with exemplary video and audio.
VERDI: Rigoletto, Blu-ray (2013)
A superb video presentation of an excellent live performance.
“Duo W: Entendre” = Works of KODALY, HALVORSEN, SERVAIS & LEONARD, RAVEL, SOUSA – Sono Luminus CD+audio-only Blu-ray
There’s something here for every taste, plus some very fine playing and recorded sound.
CHARPENTIER: Litanies de la Vierge; Miserere; Antienne; Annunciate superi – Ensemble Correspondances/ Sebastien Dauce – Harmonia mundi
Charpentier at his absolute best, with performances to match.
BRAHMS: String Quartet No. 1 in c; DEBUSSY: String Quartet in g – Ceruti Quartet – MSR Classics
This strange coupling is not without interest. Which composer does it favor?
DEBUSSY: Prélude a l’après-midi d’un faune; Fètes (trans. Ravel); La Mer; RAVEL: Ma Mère L’Oye; Rapsodie espagnole; SAINT-SAENS: Scherzo – Pascal Rogé and Ami Rogé, pianos – Onyx
Wonderful; indispensable for lovers of French Impressionism and of four-hand music generally.
Drye & Drye – Open Letter – NCM East
A father and son collaboration which uses the family tree to explore jazz roots.
Audio News for September 10, 2013
New Specialist Direct-Disc Label; Facebook is Gearing Up for Showing Video Ads to Users; U.S. Trade Deficit Widens; Rentrak Corp. Top DVD & Blu-ray Sales; The Expansion of Sacred Harp Singing; New Broadway Musical on Duke Ellington at the Cotton Club
The Great Gatsby, Blu-ray 3D+2D Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy (2013)
Fantastic updating of the Gatsby story with great 3D effects, but more style than substance.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
