Monthly Archive: January 2014
Sunrise (F.W. Murnau), Blu-ray (1927/2014)
A successful restoration of an acclaimed 1927 silent film by Murnau.
Motor City Scene – Bethlehem Records
A fondly-remembered look at the past.
WAGNER: Götterdammerung (Complete Opera) – Lance Ryan (Siegfried)/ Petra Lang (Brünnhilde)/ Matti Salminen (Hagen)/ Berlin Radio Sym. Choir and Orch./ Marek Janowski– Pentatone Classics
I was anticipating greatness. I got very good, but in the end it’s not even close to a near miss.
RAVEL: “Orchestral Works 2” = Valses nobles et sentimentales; Gaspard de la nuit; The Tomb of Couperin; La Valse – Orch. Nat. de Lyon/ Leonard Slatkin – Naxos audio-only Blu-ray
The second volume on audio-only Blu-ray of Ravel’s orchestral works is a winner.
BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 31; SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat; CHOPIN: Nocturne in c# – Menahem Pressler, p. – BIS
Pressler’s perfect pianism makes this a requirement for anyone who cares one iota about this music.
Miriodor – Cobra Fakir – Cuneiform
Miriodor: creators of music not confined by compartmentalization.
SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata No. 18; MOZART: Rondo in A Minor; BEETHOVEN: Bagatelles – Menahem Pressler, p. – La Dolce Volta
Distinguished Professor of Piano at Indiana University Menahem Pressler brings poetry and dance to us in the music of three Vienna masters.
* HAYDN: String Quartets, Op. 77, Nos. 1-2, Op. 103, Op. 42 – Vol. 14 of 14 – Auryn Quartet – Tacet Pure Audio Blu-ray; HAYDN: String Quartets, Op. 55, Nos. 1-3 – Vol. 9 of 14 – Auryn Quartet – Tacet Pure Audio Blu-ray
************ MULTICHANNEL DISCS OF THE MONTH ************
Incredible sound and definitive performances make for releases that just can’t be overlooked.
Roy Orbison – In Dreams Greatest Hits – LegacyRoy Orbison In Dreams – Legacy Recordings – DVD (2013)
Rock pioneer sounds terrific in this digital audio upgrade and video remembrances!
Roy Orbison – In Dreams Greatest Hits – Legacy Roy Orbison In Dreams – Legacy Recordings – DVD (2013)
Rock pioneer sounds terrific in this digital audio upgrade and video remembrances!
“KIRK O’RIORDAN: Strange Flowers” = O’RIORDAN: Sonata rapsodica; Water Lilies; Pressing Forward, Pushing Back; Dying Light; A Strange Flower for Birds and Butterflies; Lacrimosa – Soloists – Ravello
Very attractive music with a wide appeal.
“KIRK O’RIORDAN: Strange Flowers” = O’RIORDAN: Sonata rapsodica; Water Lilies; Pressing Forward, Pushing Back; Dying Light; A Strange Flower for Birds and Butterflies; Lacrimosa – Soloists – Ravello
Very attractive music with a wide appeal.
DOWLAND: “Songs From The Labyrinth” – Sting – DGG/Clear Audio.de audiophile vinyl
Vinyl audiophile reissue of Sting’s exploration of John Dowland is compelling.
HANDEL: Belshazzar – Allan Clayton, tenor (Belshazzar)/ Rosemary Joshua, sop. (Nitocris)/ Caitlin Hulcup, mezzo-sop. (Cyrus)/ Iestyn Davies, countertenor (Daniel)/ Les Arts Florissants/ William Christie – Les Arts Florissants – William Christie Editions (3 CDs)
With this recording of Belshazzar, Les Arts Florissants inaugurates its own label; an auspicious debut.
Perry Smith Quartet – Street Sense – Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records
A little goes a long way.
“Rautavaara Choral Works” = Finnish Radio Sym. Orch./ Finnish Radio Ch. Choir/ Timo Nuoranne, cond./ Eric-Olof Soderstrom, cond./ Helsinki Philharmonic Orch./ Finnish Philharmonic Choir/ Leif Segerstam – Ondine ODE (4 CDs)
All the Rautavaara choral music you might ever need, and there is a lot of it.
“The Italian Collection” = HANDEL, A. SCARLATTI, G. GABRIELI, CALDARA, CAVALLI, LASSUS, PALESTRINA, ANERIO, ALLEGRI, LOTTI and STEFFANI – The Sixteen/ Harry Christophers – Coro (5 CDs box)
At half the normal price, this is really hard to resist.
Rachael Podger, unaccompanied violin – “Guardian Angel” – BACH: Partita for flute; NICOLA MATTEIS: From “Other Ayres”; TARTINI: Sonata in a & b; PISENDEL: Sonata for violin solo; BIBER: Passacaglia in g “The Guardian Angel” – Channel Classics
A fine hi-res surround disc of works for unaccompanied violin.
![Athens Guitar Duo – “Magellan’s Playlist” – On Tour in China Vol. 1 [TrackList follows] – Claudio DVD-A (2 discs)](https://www.audaud.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/AthensGuitarDuo2-SA.jpg)
Athens Guitar Duo – “Magellan’s Playlist” – On Tour in China Vol. 1 [TrackList follows] – Claudio DVD-A (2 discs)
An ultra-fidelity recording of a fine guitar duo, damaged by a serious programming fault.
ALBINONI: The Collected Concertos for Oboe and Strings – Anthony Robson, oboe/ Catherine Latham, oboe/ Collegium Musicum 90/ Simon Standage – Chandos (3 CDs)
It’s about time Chandos released these in a mid-price compilation: three discs that represent one of the glories of their entire catalog.
“20th Century Brass” – The New York Brass Quintet in works of REITI, MILLER, SCHULLER, BENNETT, PILSS, PRESSER, NAGEL, SCHULLER, BENNETT & WEINER – Crystal
Vol. 3 of a brass series remastered from LP releases by Crystal Records.
LEON KIRCHNER: “Revelations” – Little Suite; Dawn; Three Songs; Words from Wordsworth; A Moment for Roger; The Twilight Stood, The Forbidden – Soloists /Leon Kirchner & Joel Fan, piano – Verdant World
The works on this disk provide samples of the American composer and Kirchner’s compositional life from graduate school into his eighties.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
