Monthly Archive: October 2015
Audio News for October 20, 2015
Buying & Selling of Musical Instruments; OLED TV Is On the Rise; New UHD Projectors from JVC; New Delivery Services for Oversized Items; Sphero Wants to Put a Robot in Every Home
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 5 – Simone Young / Hamburg Philharmonic – Oehms ClassicsBRUCKNER: Symphony No. 9 – Simone Young / Hamburg Philharmonic – Oehms Classics
Refreshing new performances of two Bruckner symphonies.
Z For Zachariah, Blu-ray (2015)
A provocative post-apocalyptic tale of the world’s perhaps last three survivors.
WILLIAM MAYER: A Death in the Family (opera) – Soloists/Manhattan School of Music Opera Orch./ David Gilbert – Albany (2 CDs)
Mayer’s opera deserves many more recordings, but it is a classic – provocative and path breaking.
SAINT-SAENS: Chamber Music = Akane Makita, p./ Soloists of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia Rome – Brilliant Classics
Saint-Saens’ chamber works provide the Accademia soloists and Akane Makita with alluring, charming vehicles for their talents.
LEWIS SPRATLAN: Hesperus is Phosphorus – The Crossing and The Network for New Music – Innova
A fascinating new composition for mixed chorus and chamber ensemble.
![Mike Sopko, Bill Laswell and Thomas Pridgen – Sopko Laswell Pridgen [TrackList follows] – self](https://www.audaud.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/SopkoLaswellPridgen.jpg)
Mike Sopko, Bill Laswell and Thomas Pridgen – Sopko Laswell Pridgen [TrackList follows] – self
Ferocious improvised music which weaves heavy rock with hardened jazz.
![Matt Mitchell – Vista Accumulation [TrackList follows] – Pi Recordings (2 CDs)](https://www.audaud.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/MitchellMatt.jpg)
Matt Mitchell – Vista Accumulation [TrackList follows] – Pi Recordings (2 CDs)
Challenging, modern jazz with a wide musical/narrative structure.
DVORAK: Cello Concerto in B Minor; FAURÉ: Elegie /Janos Starker, cello/ Philharmonia Orch./Walter Susskind – Hi-Q Records xrcd24
A valuable remastering of a classic Starker performance.
Mikhail Pletnev in Person = Sel. of BEETHOVEN, BACH, CHOPIN, TCHAIKOVSKY & SCHUBERT – Onyx
We hear some past Mikhail Pletnev “between official takes” in this amalgam of a recital, performed often in dazzling style.
Masterworks of American Avant-Garde Experimental Film 1920-1970, Blu-ray (2015)
An amazing collection of some of the most important avant-garde films since 1920.
NIELSEN: Symphonies (complete); Violin Concerto; Flute Con.; Clarinet Con./ var. soloists/ New York Phil./ Alan Gilbert – Dacapo (4 SACDs)
Gilbert finally comes alive in this impressive set.
MORTON FELDMAN: For Bunita Marcus – Ivan Ilić, piano – Paraty
A very sensitive and dedicated performance worth your patience.
“Tundra Songs” = Works of DEREK CHARKE – Kronos Quartet & others – Centrediscs
Another refreshing view into a culture and a musical style that may be unfamiliar.
Audio News for October 16, 2015
Chromecast Audio is 1/10th the Price of Sonos; An Immersive Audio Listening Experience; Pioneer Has First MQA-Ready Mobile Digital Audio Player
![“Perfect Polyphony” [TrackList follows] – Tallis Scholars/ Peter Phillips – Gimell (2 CDs)](https://www.audaud.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/TALLISperfectpolyphony.jpg)
“Perfect Polyphony” [TrackList follows] – Tallis Scholars/ Peter Phillips – Gimell (2 CDs)
An exceptional introduction for those who are not familiar with this superlative ensemble.
SCRIABIN: Piano Sonata No. 3 in f-sharp minor; Etude in c-sharp minor; Prelude for the Left Hand; MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition; A Night on Bare Mountain – Alessio Bax, p. – Signum Classics
Alessio Bax offer us Scriabin and Mussorgsky in lyrical, if not stentorian, colors.
![Masterpieces for the Left Hand, Vol. I = Works of RAVEL, SCRIABIN, PROKOFIEV, BARTOK & BRITTEN [TrackList follows] – var. pianists – Praga Digitals](https://www.audaud.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/LeftHandPiano.jpg)
Masterpieces for the Left Hand, Vol. I = Works of RAVEL, SCRIABIN, PROKOFIEV, BARTOK & BRITTEN [TrackList follows] – var. pianists – Praga Digitals
Praga assembles five works conceived for the left-hand, each commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein.
Scott Hamilton & Jeff Hamilton Trio – Live In Bern – Capri
A fulfilling and abundantly creative session.
“Scrapyard Exotica” = MASON BATES: Bagatelles for String Quartet and Electronica; KEN UENO: Peradam; MOHAMMED FAIROUZ: The Named Angels – Del Sol String Q. – Sono Luminus (audio-only Blu-ray + CD)
Excellent playing and mostly intriguing new music from this inventive quartet.
BACH: Goldberg Variations – Lars Vogt, piano – Ondine
Having delayed his recording for nearly 20 years, Lars Vogt offers a compelling reading of Bach’s Goldberg Variations.
Audio News for October 13, 2015
Streaming Threat to Classical Music; Sony Continues to Focus on Next-Generation Consumer Electronic Products; Smart Plug Turns Electronics On or Off; New Level for Security Cameras
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
