Monthly Archive: February 2016
Cikada, “Live at HCMF” = Works of LIM & NESS – LAWO
Cikada, “Live at HCMF” = LIZA LIM: Winding Bodies: Three Knots; The Heart’s Ear; JON ǾIVIND NESS: Gimilen – Cicada ens. – LAWO Classics LWC1086, 47:24 [Distr. by Naxos] (2/05/16) **1/2: Great performances it seems of these pretty tough works. I have heard the very talented and dedicated Cikada ensemble many times before and never been disappointed in their skill and artistry. That remains true and, frankly, most of what they do is pretty complicated and cerebral stuff that places many demands on the players as well as the audience. This live concert is no exception. Recorded live at the 2014 Huddersfield (England) Contemporary Music Festival, we get three pretty thorny and abstract works by Australian Liza Lim and Norwegian Jon Ǿivind Ness. I was unfamiliar with either until now. The first of the works by Lim is Winding Bodies: Three Knots, a three movement work that depicts or pays homage to an odd Nordic legend of sailors trying to buy favorable winds from some sorcerers. Each “knot” is intended to portray a type of wind condition that old time sailors would contend with. The work features some neat flute lines but also a ‘hardanger fiddle’ – an instrument indigenous […]
Sonar – Black Light – Cuneiform
A Swiss rock instrumental quartet governed by the “less is more” philosophy. Sonar – Black Light [TrackList follows] – Cuneiform, Rune 414, 41:23 [10/16/15] ****1/2: (Stephan Thelen – electric tritone guitar; Bernhard Wagner – electric tritone guitar; Christian Kuntner – electric tritone bass; Manuel Pasquinelli – drums) The Swiss instrumental quartet SONAR (short for SONic ARchitecture) is a group with a mission. This is a guitar ensemble which doesn’t do things representative of guitar-centric collectives. For one, they restrain from six-string spectacles (lengthy solos are not common). For another, they fashion material which has set, nearly mathematical, configurations based on tritones (musical intervals comprised of three adjacent whole tones). Despite compositions which have precise structures, SONAR creates music which has body, soul and spirit: this is music which is detailed for specialized performance, but the musicians (Stephan Thelen and Bernhard Wagner on electric tritone guitars; electric tritone bassist Christian Kuntner; and drummer Manuel Pasquinelli) are open to different ideas and sounds, and they keep events from becoming static. Genres can be confining, but if someone needs to do genre simplification, put SONAR in the post-progressive, post-rock, post-minimal musical vein, alongside musicians such as Swiss keyboardist Nik Bärtsch, Belgian cooperative Present, […]
SCRIABIN: Preludes, Impromptus, Poeme and Etude – Klara Min, p. – Steinway & Sons
Klara Min reveals a natural affinity for the erotic early music of Alexander Scriabin. SCRIABIN: Prelude in B Major; Impromptus, Op. 14; 3 Pieces, Op. 45; 24 Preludes, Op. 11; Poeme in F-sharp Major, Op. 32, No. 1; Etude in c-sharp minor, Op. 2, No. 1 – Klara Min, piano – Steinway & Sons 30045, 62:38 (1/8/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: South Korean pianist Klara Min studied with James Tocco in Lubeck, and she had a strong New York presence, having founded New York Concert Artists & Associates in 2008. A Schumann acolyte, Min advocates a kind of Davids-League, an artistic union to combat cultural arrogance and ignorance. The music of mystic Alexander Scriabin (rec. 13-14 July 2015) obviously appeals to her decidedly Romantic sensibility, here concentrated on the relatively early works of the Russian composer. The Op. 45, No. 1 Scriabin designates as an Album Leaf, and its subtle colors seem to appeal to the composer’s legendary pianissimo effects. Its emotion remains rather elusive. The “Poeme fantastique” No. 2 proffers a nervous scherzando which enjoys the occasional crisp mezzo-forte. The mercurial “Prelude” projects a sad, moody meditation, close to a Russian blues. Min’s pedal effects make the Op. 45 […]
Trumbo, Blu-ray (2016)
A fine film about Dalton Trumbo and the Hollywood Ten screenwriters who were blacklisted by the anti-communists. Trumbo, Blu-ray (2016) Cast: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, John Goodman, Helen Mirren Director: Jay Roach Studio: Universal 57174826 (2/16/16) Video: 1.85:1 for 16:9 screens, 1080p HD color Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Subtitles: Spanish, English for the hearing impaired All regions Extras: “Who is Trumbo?,” “Bryan Cranston Becomes Trumbo” Length: 125 min. Rating: ***** The actor who got a lot of attention for his primary role in the TV series Breaking Bad, Cranston really captures the personality of the Hollywood top screenwriter who was jailed and blacklisted for his political beliefs. The slow progression of the UnAmerican Committee and its awful effect on the screenwriters is clearly shown. Trumbo fights for his civil rights and is very good at stating his views with plenty of wit, such as non-cooperation with the committee and their injustice in attacking the writers in the first place. Hedda Hopper (played by Helen Mirren) was a leader of the UnAmerican group, and even called the head of MGM a kike while blackmailing him into firing all of the scriptwriters. John Wayne was another strong Hollywood supporter of the […]
Grandma, Blu-ray (2016)
Excellent role for Lily Tomlin but otherwise rather a downer. Grandma, Blu-ray (2016) Cast: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden, Judy Greer Studio: Sony Pictures Classics (2/9/16) Video: 1.85:1 for 16:9 1080p HD color Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, Spanish Dubbed: French, Portuguese, Thai Director: Paul Weitz No region code Extras: Commentary track with Tomlin, Sam Elliott, Julia Garner & Paul Weitz; Q & A with Tom, Elliott & Weitz Length: 79 min. Rating: **** Lesbian Elle (Lily) has just broken up with her much younger, beautiful girlfriend when her grandaughter unexpectedly shows up needing $600 for an abortion appointment because her boyfriend wouldn’t pay for it. They are both broke and therefore they set out on a mostly useless trip trying to visit old friends and flames (both male and female) of Elle and digging up various secrets and bad feelings on the way. Eventually they do get enough money together for the granddaughter’s appointment and procedure. The problems between the three generations of women are dealt with in candid fashion and the ending finds them a bit closer together, and the mother in the middle admitting some of […]
Stokowski Conducts 20th Century Americana = Works of SHILKRET, GOULD & CRESTON – Guild
Conductor Stokowski’s dedication to American colorful scores finds an energetic testament on this release. Stokowski Conducts 20th Century Americana = SHILKRET: Trombone Concerto; GOULD: Latin-American Symphonette; CRESTON: Saxophone Concerto, Op. 26 – Tommy Dorsey, trombone/ New York City Sym. Orch./ James Abato, sax/ Hollywood Bowl Sym. Orch./ Radio Italiana Orch. of Turin (Gould)/ Leopold Stokowski – Guild GHCD 2424, 64:57 (1/15/16) [Distr. by Albany] ****: The bobby-soxers came out in noisy droves for the world premier of the Trombone Concerto by composer Nathaniel Shilkrtet (1889-1982), with popular band leader and instrumentalist Tommy Dorsey doing the solo part. The concert (15 February 1945) captures the creative personality of Shilkret, who had conducted the premier of Gershwin’s An American in Paris, and aspects of the same composer’s Concerto in F infiltrate the second movement of the Trombone Concerto. Stokowski has to chide twice the vociferous teenaged crowd to quiet down for the music to proceed. Shilkret quotes several popular tunes in his jazzy, flighty, pop style, like “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You.” The trombone work proves slick and glossy, virtuosic in a glittery sense, like an Elvis Presley pelvis shake. Here, the musical allusions beckon to the Hollywood of Errol Flynn and […]
Grigory Sokolov, piano – SCHUBERT/ BEETHOVEN – DGG (2 discs) DGG
DGG combines two live Sokolov recitals to produce a towering program, intellectual and exciting at once. Sokolov – SCHUBERT/ BEETHOVEN – SCHUBERT: Four Impromptus, D. 899; Drei Klavierstuecke, D. 946; BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier”; RAMEAU: Les Tendres Plaintes; Les Tourbillons; Les Cyclopes; La Follette; Les Sauvages; BRAHMS: Intermezzo in b-flat minor, Op. 117, No. 2 – Grigory Sokolov, piano – DGG 479 5426 (2 CDs) 65:06, 73:20 (1/29/16) [Distr. by Universal] ****: Russian piano virtuoso Grigory Sokolov (b. 1950) provides ample evidence of his musical prowess and acuity in excerpts from two live concert appearances, from Warsaw (12 May 2013) and from the Salzburg Festival (23 August 2013). Given the proximity to Schubert’s birthday of January 31 (1797), the dedicated intensity Sokolov demonstrates in the Four Impromptus of 1827 warrants our audition of the Sokolov’s Warsaw performance. The program annotator for the DGG set, Oswald Beaujean, ascribes various metaphysical implications to Sokolov’s playing, while we might detect romantic indulgence in the long-breathed phrasing and poignant alternations of dynamics. The opening c minor Impromptu, a staid march with tragic and lyrical episodes, receives a broad canvas whose bass sonorities prove as compelling as the […]
The Last Witch Hunter, Blu-ray (2016)
A new world of witches and black magic, and a more versatile Vin Diesel than in his previous movies. The Last Witch Hunter, Blu-ray (2016) Cast: Vin Diesel, Michael Cain, Elijah Wood, Rose Leslie, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Julie Engelbrecht Director: Breck Eisner Studio: Lionsgate/Summit (2/2/16) (2 discs: DVD & Blu-ray) Video: 2.40:2 for 16:9 screens, 1080p HD color Audio: English DTS:X, English DTS Digital Surround, SpanishDTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, English descriptive audio, English DTS Headphone: X (Dolby Digital English 5.1 and 2.0 on DVD, also Spanish DD 5.1 & English descriptive audio) Extras: Commentary track, “Crafting the Magic” featurette, Two animations, “The Last Witch Hunter sizzle reel, Deleted scenes Length: 112 min. Rating: **** It might be best to view the extras first. The two short animated films explain about the race of bad and good witches who were here before humans came. They supposedly unleashed the Plague on the world, and the more vicious of the supernatural creatures still live amongst us. Special witch hunters have battled their enemies around the world for centuries. Kaulder (Diesel) managed to supposedly slay the witch queen and decimate her followers centuries ago, and he is now 800 years old. A whole new […]
“The First Beauty” Music by KLEIN, KYANDAL, YUN and AM – Oslo Kammerakademi/ David Friedemann Strunck – LAWO Classics
“The First Beauty” Music by KLEIN, KYANDAL, YUN and AM – Oslo Kammerakademi/ David Friedemann Strunck – LAWO Classics multichannel SACD LWC 1093, 1:15:01 (3/4/16) 1:15:01 [Distr. by Naxos] ***1/2: Seldom heard contemporary wind music nicely played and recorded. This new SACD from LAWO Classics is a collection of contemporary wind music played by the Oslo Kammerakademi, a new ensemble with some of Scandinavia’s leading wind soloists. The Oslo Philharmonic’s solo oboist David Friedemann Strunck is the initiator and artistic director of the ensemble. The ensemble is unique in Scandinavia because it plays chamber music for wind instruments with the classical harmony music instrumentation as a basis, where the ensemble uses historical brass instruments of the baroque, classical and romantic repertoire to give the sound both authenticity and transparency. The ensemble had its debut in Oslo in December 2009. The disc contains four 20th-century works, including music by Gideon Klein (1919-1945), Johan Vandal (1919-1999), Isang Yun (1917-1995), and Magnar Äm (b 1952) While all the compositions on the disc are interesting, and all are well played, I thought the highlight work was the most recently composed – the first beauty for Wind Octet and Double Bass by Magnar Äm. Written […]
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade – The Philadelphia Orch./ Eugene Ormandy – RCA (1972)/ HDTT
An excellent four-channel surround version of this standard. RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade – The Philadelphia Orch./ Eugene Ormandy – RCA (1972)/transferred from an RCA quadraphonic open reel tape by HDTT – Pure Audio Blu-ray with choice of either 4.0 or 2.0 DTS-HD MA 24/192K *****: There is little more to be said about this music, and plenty of versions of it out there, include several in 5.0 hi-res surround on SACD, by Gergiev, Ponti, Macal and Barry Wordsworth. If you don’t have an SACD deck but do have a Blu-ray player, this would be an excellent choice. It is a better orchestra than most of the others, and the four-channel sonics do have a bit more impact and clarity than the three-front-channel version that is my personal favorite – that on an RCA SACD by Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony. It is definitely the most spectacular of all the versions and the three channels across the front are nothing to sneeze at. I only wish I had three exactly matched frontal speakers rather than a lesser one at the center (though it is the same Von Schweikert brand). HDTT squeeses the utmost hi-res fidelity out of the prerecorded open reel tapes […]
Blues Masters Vol. 2 – Various Artists – AudioQuest/ MasterMusic – xrcd24
Blues Masters Vol. 2 – Various Artists – AudioQuest/ MasterMusic xrcd24 NT016, 63:39 ****1/2: Audioquest blues collection gets an xrcd update. (Featuring Mighty Sam McClain; Robert Lucas; Terry Evans; Joe Beard; Lloyd Jones; Sherman Robertson; Doug Macleod and Ronnie Earl) Blues Masters Vol. 2 – Various Artists is exactly as advertised, a collection of 90’s blues music. MasterMusic has assembled a group of AudioQuest performances and released them in on 24-bit xrcd. Representing the soul wing is Mighty Sam McClain who (like others) is featured on more than one cut. “A Soul That’s Been Abused” is a slow-burning testament to love gone bad. With four-man trumpet/saxophone framework and B.B. King-like guitar (Kevin Barry) licks, McClain offers gritty vocals and sells it big time. Bruce Katz’ keyboards (especially organ) support the instrumental premise. Many of these players appear on the finale, “Got To Have Your Love”. This one has a late-night, low-down vibe. McClain’s urgency in his vocals can be felt, as the singer pleads his case. Tenor saxophonist Bennie Wallace is potent. With more upbeat hooks and gospel reverence, McClain delivers Southern blues in Stax-inspired eloquence. He has all of the intensity of Otis Redding or Wilson Pickett. This collection […]
Editorial for February 2016
Our free drawing for February 2016 is for a pair of 2 CDS each to five AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers who register for the drawing on our simple form below. Both feature The Alexander String Quartet. The first, In Friendship, has quintets of Brahms and Cesar Cano. The second, Patagon, has three works by Cindy Cox: Elegy; Colmba Aspexit, and Patagon. They were recorded in the San Francisco area by Foghorn Classics. EDITORIAL AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began as a local program in San Francisco and then in 1985 as a weekly national radio series hosted by John Sunier, and aired for 13½ years on up to 200 public radio and commercial stations. In September 1998 its web site for program listings was expanded to this free Internet publication. February 2016 is our 203rd issue! All disc reviews are added thru the month as written and received, often daily, amounting to nearly 100 a month. The Home Page lists the latest published reviews. Vinyls, Pure Audio Blu-rays and other hi-res formats are included in the SACD/Hi-Res Section, as well as exceptional xrcds. The site has been redesigned and improved. Please let us know if you find any errors. You probably have some friends who would enjoy knowing about […]
Best of the Year Discs for 2015
* = The 12 Multichannel Discs of the Month CLASSICAL (incl. HI-RES), CLASSICAL REISSUES, CLASSICAL VINYL & PURE AUDIO BLU-RAY JOHN LUTHER ADAMS: Become Ocean – CD+DVD – Seattle Sym./ Ludovic Morlot – Cantaloupe CA21101 (DVD video: PCM 2.0 and DD 5.1) * KALVEVI AHO: 19 Preludes, etc. – Sonja Frakl, p. – BIS-2106 *American Chamber Music (HERRMANN/GERSHWIN/WAXMAN/COPLAND) – Nash Ens. – Hyperion CDA68094 BACH: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Preludes & Fugues, 1-12 – Mordecai Shehori, p. – Cembal d’amour CD 176 “The Bach Project: Volume 1” – Various works – Todd Finkley, organ – MSR Classics MS 1561 “From Bach” = Music by many composers & performers – Music@Menlo Live 2013 (8 CDs) BARTOK: Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta; The Miraculous Mandarin – London Sym. Orch. /Sir Georg Solti – Decca twofer CD 000710902 or HDTT hi-res download * BEETHOVEN: Sym. No. 5 & Sym. No. 7 – Pittsburg Sym./Honeck – Fresh/Reference Recordings FR-718 James Brawn in Recital, Volume 2 – “The Time Traveller and His Muse”- MSR Classics MS 1502 (2 CDs) * BRUCKNER: Sym. No. 4 “Romantic” – Pittsburgh Sym. /Honeck – Reference Recordings FR-713 DEREK CHARKE: Tundra Songs – […]
“Les Elements: Tempests, Storms, and Marine Festivals” = Music of LOCKE, MARAIS, RAMEAU, REBEL, TELEMANN & others – Jordi Savall – Alia Vox (2 discs)
A highly effective and illuminating concept album of thrilling dimensions. “Les Elements: Tempests, Storms, and Marine Festivals” = LOCKE: Music from The Tempest; MARAIS: Suite No. 4 “Airs pour les Matelots & les Tritons”; RAMEAU: Air pour les Zephirs (from Les Indes Galantes); Orage et air pour Boree (from Les Indes galantes); Tonnerre (from Hippolyte Et Aricie); Zoroastre: Contredanse; Zoroastre: Contredanse très vive; REBEL: Les Élémens; TELEMANN: Overture (Suite) TWV 55:C3 in C major for wind, strings & continuo ‘Hamburger Ebb und Fluth’ (‘Wassermusik’); VIVALDI: Flute Concerto, Op. 10 No. 1 in F major, RV 433 ‘La tempesta di mare’ – Le Concert des Nations/ Jordi Savall – Alia Vox multichannel SACD AVSA 9914 (2 discs), 49:45, 48:59 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Jean-Fery Rebel’s The Elements is one of the major representations of the expression of fiery and descriptive portrayals in music ever, not just the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as emphasized on this release. In fact, it is the representation of chaos, one of the first important forays into the world of tone painting. Lully and Marais were heavily invested in this genre, seeing it as a rousing and enticing signification to the audience, ever alert to the […]
ACH: Schubler and Leipzig Chorales; Canonic Variations – Kare Nordstoga, organ – LAWO Classics
Beautifully crafted performances of some introspective works. BACH: Schubler and Leipzig Chorales; Canonic Variations – Kare Nordstoga, organ – LAWO Classics multichannel SACD LWC1056 (2 discs), TT: 210:53 [Distr. by Naxos] ****: The Canonic Variations on “From heaven above to earth I come” is not a long work, nor is it the most torrential the composer ever created. But at a time later in life when the cantatas were behind him, this curious “entrance exam” to the Society of the Musical Sciences, only three years before his death, strikes a chord of infused emotionality that breathes the composer’s piety in a way that few of his works do. The quiet contrapuntal mastery radiates from every bar in this fearless work, making it one of the seminal organ pieces ever created. We must travel back in time to the earlier Weimar chorales that Bach revisited when in Leipzig in the creation of his Eighteen Chorale Preludes of Various Kinds. The music is a more sophisticated reworking of pieces that might actually have been composed as early as 1708. The Schubler Chorales, Six Chorale Preludes of Various Kinds, are so-called because Johann Georg Schubler was the man who published them, making them […]
Raoul Bjorkenheim/eCsTaSy – Out of the Blue – Cuneiform
Finnish jazz and improvisation which is unpredictable and eclectic. Raoul Bjorkenheim/eCsTaSy – Out of the Blue [TrackList follows] – Cuneiform, Rune 413, 41:23 [10/16/15] ****: (Raoul Bjorkenheim – electric guitar, producer; Pauli Lyytinen – tenor, bass and soprano saxophones, mey; Jori Huhtala – doublebass; Marrku Ounaskari – drums) There is a side to modern jazz where allogamy, or cross-fertilization, is the norm rather than the opposite. It’s where lines get blurred: jazz fusion, prog rock, postmodern material, raucous noise, and more commingle. Guitarists such as Nels Cline, Bill Frisell and Sonny Sharrock have fused those lines. Finland’s Raoul Bjorkenheim is another guitarist who tackles disparate, but somehow connected, improvisational ground. His quartet, eCsTaSy, put out a debut in 2014. In late 2015 Raoul Bjorkenheim/eCsTaSy issued a sophomore release, the eight-track, 40-minute outing, Out of the Blue. Like its predecessor, Out of the Blue is a mix of harder-edged tunes and longer pieces which have elliptical shapes. Moods can suddenly shift, textures can be intimate one moment and strident the next. The overriding process is music which is very aware of its own individuality. Several tracks showcase Bjorkenheim’s electric guitar, and are paced with tinges of rock and toughened jazz. Opener […]
RÓŻYCKI: Ballade; Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 – Jonathan Plowright (piano)/ BBC Scottish Sym. Orch./ Łukasz Borowicz – Hyperion
A thoroughly recommendable release of late Romantic piano concertos. LUDOMIR RÓŻYCKI: Ballade; Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 43; Piano Concerto No. 2 – Jonathan Plowright (piano)/ BBC Scottish Sym. Orch./ Łukasz Borowicz – Hyperion CDA 68066, 63:09 or 96K/24-bit download [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] (2/5/16) ****: Ludomir Różycki (1883-1953) is the subject of Hyperion’s 67th volume in the ongoing series of Romantic Piano Concertos. A somewhat unsung composer today, apart from in his native Poland, he is of the same generation as Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937), Mieczysław Karłowicz (1879-1909) and Grzegorz Fitelberg (1879-1953). All four were taught by Zygmunt Noskowski (1846-1909) who had eschewed inspiration from Liszt, Brahms and Wagner instead concentrating on a Polish nationalist style, and his pupils belonged to the group known as “Young Poland”, artists in general who, among other aims, espoused the continuation of Romanticism. Today, these musicians’ output, apart from Szymanowski’s, may seem to some rather too old-fashioned compared with others of the generation such as Berg, Schoenberg and Stravinsky. Others will relish the colour and energy of the works of these composers, more comparable to Rachmaninov and Vaughan Williams than to the Second Viennese School. Różycki, like many of the Polish […]
“Dawn and Twilight: The First and Last Violin Sonatas of Cyril Scott” = CYRIL SCOTT: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 & 4 – Andrew Kirkman, p./ Clipper Erickson, v – Affetto
“Dawn and Twilight: The First and Last Violin Sonatas of Cyril Scott” = CYRIL SCOTT: Violin Sonata No. 1 (original version); Violin Sonata No. 4 – Andrew Kirkman, p./ Clipper Erickson, v – Affetto AF1504 56:20 (11/13/15) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Music by a little-known British composer worthy of an extended listen. Cyril Scott is not a name that jumps out at most people when they think of composers, but he was a creative smaller voice until he died in 1970. He was very interested in alternative medicine, ethics, religion and the occult. He wrote poetry, and published more than 40 books. For the first quarter of the last century he was in the forefront of modern British composers, hailed by Eugene Goossens as ‘the father of modern British music’ and admired by men as diverse as Elgar, Debussy, Richard Strauss and Stravinsky. By the time he died in 1970, however, he was remembered by the general public for little more than Lotus Land (1905) and small piano pieces such as Water Wagtail (1910). He had his ups and downs, with one critic and fellow composer referring to his tone poem Disaster at Sea – “It would be easy enough […]
Lener Quartet – in quartets of HAYDN, MOZART, MENDELSSOHN & DVORAK – Opus Kura
Opus Kura revives the heralded Lener Quartet recordings of Mozart, Haydn, and Dvorak. Lener Quartet – HAYDN: String Quartet No. 17 in F Major, Op. 3, No. 5; MENDELSSOHN: Canzonetta from String Quartet, Op. 12; MOZART: Oboe Quartet in F Major, K. 370; DVORAK: Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81 – Leon Goossens, oboe/ Olga Loeser-Lebert, piano/ Lener String Quartet – Opus Kura 2114, 67:16 [Distr. by Albany] ****: The Lener Quartet (estab. 1918) rose out of the ranks of the Budapest Opera Orchestra after the throes of WW I. Pupils of Jeno Hubay constituted most of the ensemble, along with one cello student of David Popper: Jeno Lener and Jozef Smilovits, violins; Sandor Roth, viola; and Imre Hartmann, cello. The Lener were the first to record the entire cycle of Beethoven quartets. Their heavy reliance on vibrato and portamento produced a symphonic sound and emotional tenor some found distracting when applied to already sentimental music, such as that by Borodin and Tchaikovsky. Columbia Records signed the ensemble, which maintained a strong recording career 1922-1939. Many of the finer British instrumentalists performed with the Lener Quartet: to wit, the 1933 version of Mozart’s Oboe Quartet, in which famed Leon […]
El Sistemo 40: A Celebration – The Simon Bolivar Sym. Orch. of Venezuela/ Gustavo Dudamel – DGG
Gustavo Dudamel and his Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela celebrate 40 years of El Sistema. El Sistemo 40: A Celebration – The Simon Bolivar Sym. Orch. of Venezuela/ Gustavo Dudamel – DGG 479 4447, 63:52 *****: On a summer day in 1975, in a garage basement in Caracas, Venezuela, a man distributed musical instruments to 11 adolescents. He told them “You are making history”. The man was José Antonio Abreu – organist, economist, educator, politician – and the kids were the first participants in El Sistema, a truly phenomenal movement that has propagated around the world for four decades. It was Abreu’s political and economic skills that convinced the Venezuelan Health Department to fully fund what he referred to as a “social program”. In exchange for use of the instrument and lessons, each child promised to devote 20+ hours per week to practice – and to perform, as part of an orchestra, for family and community when ready. A version of El Sistema (officially “The National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela”) exists in most major countries around the world, and one of Venezuela’s major exports is orchestral players. Among the hundreds of thousands trained, one […]
Circles Around The Sun – Interludes For The Dead – Rhino
Circles Around The Sun – Interludes For The Dead – Rhino Records R2 552376 (2-CD), TT: 135:08 ****: Between Dead set of filler music is also a long strange trip. (Neal Casal – guitar; Adam MacDougall – keyboards; Dan Horne – bass; Marl Levy – drums) The Grateful Dead were unique for their live performances. Due to the advanced sound equipment and phenomenal communal sentiment, no rock band approached the length or “spaciness” of these shows. Founded in Palo Alto in the mid-1960’s The Grateful Dead achieved prominence as the house band for Ken Kesey’s Acid Test. They were the embodiment of counterculture, and grew to icons under the leadership of guitarist Jerry Garcia. His death in 1995 effectively terminated the band, although there have been various regroupings of former members. The “live” history of the band is beyond legend. The Dead actually let their fans make “bootleg” tapes of their concerts. Incredibly this Hippie, space-jam outfit became a bona fide industry with merchandise. New products, reunion tours and weirdness have kept them in the limelight. One of the “side” projects is a 2-CD collection of intermission music. Justin Kreutzman (son of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzman) had created the […]
MICHAEL TORKE: Concerto for Orchestra; Oracle; Bliss; Iphigenia – Ecstatic
MICHAEL TORKE: Concerto for Orchestra – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orch./Vasily Petrenko; Oracle – Quad City Sym. Orch./Mark Russell Smith; Bliss – U. of Kansas Wind Ens./Paul W. Popiel; Iphigenia – Camerata NY/Richard Owen – Ecstatic ER092261, 63:42 [Distr. by Naxos] (11/13/15) ***: Four fairly large-scale and energetic works from this American original. I have always enjoyed Michael Torke’s music going back to his series of ‘color’ pieces (such as the best known, Ecstatic Orange) from the mid-1980s or so. For the uninitiated, I highly recommend a recording of the whole dance-intended series of these works with David Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony. His music is regularly very direct, uncomplicated and upbeat, with a style that draws upon minimalism and jazz but is wholly his own. A lot of composers seem to want to write a Concerto for Orchestra for the implicit chance to showcase each section of the orchestra and in a form with which many are familiar. So, among the many versions of this form out there, Torke’s is a very worthwhile addition. The whole piece revolves around a four-note motive first proclaimed in the opening trumpet fanfare and bounced all over the orchestra in various guises throughout the […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
