Monthly Archive: July 2014
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 & 6 – Valery Gergiev, Mariinksy Orch. – multichannel SACD Mariinsky (2 discs)
Committed performances and fine recording of these three symphonies from a chaotic period for the composer.
DAVID LANG: Love Fail – Anonymous 4 – Cantaloupe
Beautiful, mysterious, a bit disturbing and wonderful!
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E Major – Budapest Festival Orch./ Ivan Fischer – Channel Classics
A well-played Bruckner Seventh with a reference level recording.
The Voice of Emotion II = Montserrat Figueras, soprano/ Hesperion XX-XXI/ Jordi Savall – AliaVox SACD+2 DVDs
Part II of a worthy and very fine tribute to a unique and highly-gifted artist.
PIOTR MOSS: Chagall for Strings = String Quartet No. 4, “Chagall”; Le lien entre les jours; Dedication – Jadwiga Rappe, mezzo/ Opium String Q. – Accord
An outstanding release of some challenging but very rewarding music.
Audio News for July 15, 2014
Charlie Haden Dies; Snobs About Film Scores? Five Top Vampire Appliances in Your Home; The Internet of Things
Appleseed Alpha, anime, Blu-ray (2014)
Absolutely amazingly realistic animation!
Milt Jackson – Sunflower – CTI/ PurePleasure vinyl
Sunflower – great line-up but a little heavy on strings…
Weiss-Kaplan-Newman Trio, “An American Tour” = Works of SCHOENFELD, NEWMAN, YI & AUERBACH – Bridge
Pretty interesting stuff from this talented new ensemble.
Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart – Ramshackle Serenade – Pirouet Records
The brilliant sum of its parts…
Roland Kirk – Third Dimension – Bethlehem/ Pure Pleasure vinyl
Early Roland Kirk highlights R & B influences…
Spirits of Music – Bobby McFerrin & Nigel Kennedy (2002/2014)
Anything involving Bobby McFerrin has got to be great. And both halves of this long musical evening have now been combined.
PROKOFIEV: Concertos for Piano and Orchestra, Nos. 1 – 5 – Vladimir Krainev, piano/ Moscow Philharmonic Orch./ Dmitri Kitaenko – Melodiya (2 CDs)
A grand surprise for Prokofiev concertos enthusiasts; Krainev blazes his way through the cycle with demonic expertise.
Jellies – Jellyfish images, Blu-ray (2013)
Two examples of some of the 300+ ambient art videos which Artcast has available to see on DVD, Blu-ray or to stream.
Jellies – Jellyfish images, Blu-ray (2013)
Two examples of some of the 300+ ambient art videos which Artcast has available to see on DVD, Blu-ray or to stream.
BACH: Concertos for Two Harpsichords = Con. in c BWV 1062; Con. in C BWV 1061; Orch. Suite No. 1, arr. for 2 solo harpsichords; Con. in c BWV 1060 – Masaaki & Masato Suzuki, harpsichords/ Bach Collegium Japan – BIS
A superb multichannel performance of four two-harpsichord concertos.
WAGNER: Rienzi (complete opera) – Soloists/ Frankfurt Opera Chorus and Orch./ Sebastian Weigle – Oehms Classics OC (3 CDs)
Any “Rienzi” these days must be welcomed—but…
* ROBERT KYR: The Singer’s Ode; The Cloud of Unknowing; Songs of the Soul – Conspirare/ Soloists/ Victoria Bach Festival Orch./ Craig Hella Johnson – Harmonia mundi
************ MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH *************
Two of the finest choral works I have heard in nearly 10 years, with stunning sound and fantastic performances.
MAHLER: Ruckert Lieder; Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen; ALMA MAHLER: Five Lieder – Karen Cargill, mezzo-sop./ Simon Lepper, p. – Linn
Mahler contra Mahler makes for a great listening experience.
Lichte und Liebe = Marlis Petersen (sop.)/ Anke Vondung (mezzo-sop.)/ Werner Güra (tenor)/ Konrad Jarnot (bass)/ Christoph Berner, fortepiano – Harmonia mundi
Parlor songs? Believe me, there is much more than that in these little wonders.
BRAHMS: Clarinet Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 120, No. 1; Clarinet Sonata No. 2 in E-flat Major; ROZSA: Sonatina for Solo Clarinet; Sonata for Solo Clarinet – Jean Johnson, clar./ Steven Osborne, p. – Avie
Clarinetist Jean Johnson and Steven Osborne perform some fine Brahms before Johnson offers solo Rosza as a rare encore.
GRIEG: Six Ibsen Songs; 12 Vinje Songs; Haugtussa – Marianne Beate Kielland, mezzo-sop./ Nils Anders Mortensen, p. – Lawo Classics (stereo)
An absolutely mandatory release of three of the greatest song cycles ever written—performed to perfection.