Monthly Archive: March 2016
Beecham conducts The ABC Blue Network Concerts, Vol. 1 – Pristine Audio
A previously unissued live broadcast from NYC by Sir Thomas Beecham enjoys the lively brio we expect. Beecham conducts The ABC Blue Network Concerts, Vol. 1 = NICOLAI: Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor; ELGAR: Serenade for String in e minor, Op. 20; HANDEL (arr. Beecham): The Great Elopement; DELIUS: The Walk to the Paradise Garden; J. STRAUSS II: Voices of Spring Waltz, Op. 410 – Blue Network Sym. Orch./ Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine Audio PASC 461, 54:43 [avail. in var. formats from www.pristineclassical.com] ****: In his explanatory notes, producer and editor Andrew Rose traces the history of the Red and Blue Networks, subsidiaries of the original NBC ownership, forced by FCC regulations to break up a possible monopoly of radio networks. In June 1945 the Blue Network became the ABC Network; prior, in April, Sir Thomas Beecham had accepted a contract for four concerts: “Sir Thomas Beecham conducting a Symphonic Orchestra.” Likely, these responsive players derived from assorted members of both the New York Philharmonic and NBC Symphony. This concert of 7 April 1945 had been preserved on acetate 33 rpm records. The broadcasts originated at the Ritz (now Walter Kerr) Theater, 219 W. 48th Street, in […]
Snarky Puppy Vo. 1 – Sylva – Music of MICHAEL LEAGUE – Orch. cond. by Jules Buckley – Impulse /Universal CD + video DVD
Probably the top big band performing today. Snarky Puppy & The Metropole Orkest – Sylva – (nearly 40 musicians plus sym. orch.) Compositions of Michael League/ Orch. cond. by Jules Buckley (Vol. 1) – Impulse!/Universal Classics/Ropeadope B0023119-00 CD + 16:9 PCM stereo DVD *****: I had never heard of this group before but it turns out they have released eight CDs before this one, and have another new one (Family Dinner Vol. 2) this year (which we will shortly review too). Snarky Puppy is a Brooklyn-based instrumental fusion band led by electric bassist, composer and producer Michael League. Formed in Denton, Texas in 2004, it is a collective of nearly 40 musicians performing on a variety of instruments. Many of them were former students at the University of North Texas. Michael League really wanted to do an album with an orchestra, and after meeting two of the Metropole Orkest managers they were already planning to make a record together. The setting is in a suburb of Amsterdam (I was surprised everyone was speaking English) and there was a setting with original sculptures of various animals and fake trees and greenery to give a general feeling of a forest. That is […]
HOWARD HANSON: An American Romantic – Ch. works perf. by var. artists – HDTT Blu-ray
A fine cross-section of some of the little-known works of one of the great American Romantic composers. HOWARD HANSON: An American Romantic = Concerto for organ, harp & strings; Nymphs and Satyr Ballet Suite; Concerto da Camera for piano and string quartet; Two Yuletide Pieces for Piano; Prayer for the Middle Ages; Psalms 8, 121, 150; String Quartet – David Craighead, organ/ Eileen Malone, harp/Meliora Quartet /Rochester Ch. Orch./ David Fetler/ Brian Preston, p./ Roberts Wesleyan College Chorale/Richard Shewan/ Theodore Sipes, bar./ Barbara Harbach, organ/ Lyric Art Quartet Houston – HDTT 192-14 DTS-HD MA audio-only stereo-only Blu-ray ****: These are recordings originally made by John Proffitt, and have been remastered from the original analog tapes by HDTT. An earlier DVD-Audio version of the same program is also available, except that it does not include the final String Quartet movement, and has a different cover. The liner notes are printed even smaller on the Blu-ray than they were with the DVD-Audio, making them nearly unreadable. I have both discs and they sound about the same. The resolution on both is 192/24. The original master tapes used DBX encoding at 15 ips. Hanson was part of the distinguished composers all born in […]
SAINT-SAENS: Symphony No. 3 “Organ”; Intro and Rondo capriccioso in a; La muse et le poete for violin, cello & orch. – Jan Kraybill, pipe organ/Kansas City Sym./ Michael Stern – Reference Recordings (45 rpm vinyl)
A fine performance and a first on 45 rpm vinyl. SAINT-SAENS: Symphony No. 3 “Organ”; Intro and Rondo capriccioso in a; La muse et le poete for violin, cello & orch. – Jan Kraybill, pipe organ/Kansas City Sym./ Michael Stern – Reference Recordings stereo 45 rpm vinyl RM-1514, 35:27 (3/15/16) ****: The Kansas City Symphony is the only full-time professional symphony in the region, and has made other acclaimed recordings for Reference Recordings. This session, which gets a full and rich romantic sound out of the musicians, was recorded using the HDCD encoding invented by Keith O. Johnson, the recording engineer, and mastered onto this 180 gram half-speed-mastered 45 rpm vinyl, with its wider grooves and faster speed enhancing the sonics almost as much as direct disk recording, which almost nobody is doing anymore. The first two movements are on Side A and the third and fourth movements on Side B. The acoustically superior Helzberg Hall of 2011 is a factor in the success of this recording. Conductor Stern is in his second decade with the orchestra and has been hailed for his remarkable artistic ascent, inventive programming, organizational development and stability, and extraordinary growth of its varied symphony audiences. […]
VIVALDI: The Seasons & works by TARTINI & LECLAIR – James Ehnes, v./ Sydney Sym. Orch./ Andrew Armstrong, p. – Onyx
A new bottle of old wine – the Vivaldi Seasons – depends on your taste and the Ehnes charisma. VIVALDI: The Seasons, Op. 8; TARTINI: Violin Sonata in g “The Devil’s Trill”(arr. Kreisler); LECLAIR: Violin Sonata in D Major, Op. 9, No. 3 – James Ehnes, v./ Sydney Sym. Orch./ Andrew Armstrong, p. – Onyx 4134, 71:13 (10/9/15) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: The world may little note nor long remember yet another recording of Vivaldi’s The Seasons (rec. 18-19 May 2014) by Canadian virtuoso James Ehnes (b. 1976), but we now add this tastefully conservative reading to a rather imposing list of alternatives. Playing his 1715 “Marsick” Stradivarius, Ehnes leads the Sydney Symphony over this well traversed, natural landscape. Of more note, however, the two Baroque sonatas that accompany the suite of concertos deserve our plaudits. Ehnes begins with Fritz Kreisler’s arrangement of Tartini’s Devil’s Trill Sonata in g minor (c. 1740), wherein Kreisler added much of the figured bass line and the exemplary cadenza passage in the last movement. Ehnes and his pianist Armstrong make a plastic and persuasive rendition for us, warm and seamlessly fluent. The sheer succession of double-stopped passages and florid trills alone warrants our […]
The Hateful Eight, Blu-ray (2016)
A typical bloody Tarantino film, but a good story, fine acting and lovely widescreen 65mm cinematography make it a great experience. The Hateful Eight, Blu-ray (2016) Director: Quentin Tarantino Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Bruce Dern, Jennifer Jason Leigh Studio: The Weinstein Company/Anchor Bay 8063848, 2 discs (3/29/16) Video: Shot on 65mm film at 2.76:1 for 16:9 display, 1080p HD color Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1 Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish Extras: “Beyond the Eight” – Behind the Scenes, “Sam Jackson’s Guide to Glorious 70mm” Length: 187 min. Rating: ****1/2 If you didn’t already get it, this is the eighth feature film by Tarantino. For the story’s winter Wyoming landscape, the film was shot using 65mm lenses and cameras which hadn’t been used since the 1970s, around Telluride, CO. And it was presented in 70mm as a Road Show Attraction at the few special theaters equipped for it, such as the Hollywood here in Portland. It has five chapters and is set around a decade after the Civil War. The film got three Academy Award Nominations but was aced out by The Revenant. The film opens with bounty hunter John Ruth (Russell) trying to get his handcuffed-to-him […]
Learning to Drive (2014)
Learning to Drive (2014) Cast: Patricia Clarkson, Ben Kingsley Director: Isabel Coixnet Studio: Broad Green Pictures 94174625 (1/19/16) Video: for 16:9 1080i HD color Audio: English DD stereo Subtitles: English, Spanish Length: 89 min. Rating: **** A ‘feel good’ film but the message is a little heavy handed. I have seen many positive reviews of this little art house film starring two of our greatest actors; both very adept at portraying a ‘type.’ I cannot argue with much of the general positivity vibe and, yet, I was just a bit disappointed. The plot and premise here is very simple and direct. Patricia Clarkson is Wendy, a literary critic and author in the Big Apple whose marriage is completely on the rocks due, as presented, to the philandering of her husband Ted (Jake Weber.) Her teenage daughter seems both distant and vaguely disapproving of mom but we never really get to see much of that dynamic. To add to Wendy’s predicament and sort of constant frazzled state is the fact that the long time New Yorker has never learned to drive. A chance encounter with a calm and kind-hearted cab driver from India played by Sir Ben leads to the main […]
Audio News for March 18, 2016
UK Audio Company Pure has Three All-In-One Music Systems; WBIR.com Has Feature on a $200 Home Theater; Stewart Filmscreen Introduces Acoustically Transparent Material; Wireless and Hi-Res Audio Grabs Market Share; Nielsen Company’s Year-End Report on Music
SVENDSEN: String Octet in A Major; BRUCH: String Octet – Tharice Virtuosi – Claves
Two octets of impressive scale receive intimately ardent renditions in these 2011 performances. SVENDSEN: String Octet in A Major, Op. 3; BRUCH: String Octet in B-flat Major, Op. posth. – Tharice Virtuosi – Claves 50-1207, 67:38 (6/8/12) [Distr. by Albany] ****: Given the current amount of attention allotted to violinist and pedagogue Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999), this disc of energetic octets from the ensemble Tharice Virtuosi – founded in 2007 – seems appropriate, since these musicians assembled through the Menuhin Music Academy Gstaad. The performances (rec. 21-23 August 2011) come to us via the Swiss label in luminously pungent sound, courtesy of Recording Producer and Editor Andreas Werner. Johan Svendsen (1840-1911) stands as Norway’s second greatest composer, after Edvard Grieg. Svendsen’s imposing 1866 String Octet takes several of its compositional cues from the archetypal example of Mendelssohn’s Op. 20. The opening Allegro risoluto ben marcato alternates youthful exuberance with intimate lyricism, the secondary theme’s favoring the tenor and bass instruments. Studies at the Leipzig Conservatory guarantee Svendsen’s comfort with sonata-form. Some of the melodic tissue broadens out in a manner reminiscent of Dvorak. The chordal unison as we approach the coda proves effective, as does the writing for the higher register […]
SIBELIUS: Scaramouche – Soloists/ Turku Philharmonic Orch./Leif Segerstam – Naxos
Sibelius’ colorful theatrical score resplendently revealed. JEAN SIBELIUS: Scaramouche – Bendik Goldstein, viola – Roi Ruottinin, cello/ Turku Philharmonic Orch./Leif Segerstam – Naxos 8.573511, 71:01, *****: Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) wrote a large amount of music for the theatrical stage that deserves to be heard, and recordings are virtually the only way to hear them, unless you are fortunate enough to live in Finland. Most of these scores fall into the category of incidental music for plays and historical pageants—in the form of complete scores or suites that the composer arranged for concert performances. In his day, theatrical presenters employed orchestras to accompany their performances, some larger than symphony orchestras. These scores are the equivalent of movie music of today. Sibelius was adept at matching music with the atmosphere and emotion of a specific scene. His colorful orchestration and instrumental timbre made him one of the few major composers who excelled at writing incidental music. In 1912 Sibelius was commissioned by the Danish publisher Wilhelm Hansen to compose music for Poul Knudsen’s tragic dance pantomime Scaramouche. A few months later the composer received a revised libretto that included spoken dialogue and music for the complete pantomime rather than just a few […]
RAIN WORTHINGTON: “Dream Vapors” = var. works – Navona
RAIN WORTHINGTON: “Dream Vapors” = Shredding Glass; Reversing Mirrors in the Quiet; Tracing a Dream; Fast Through Dark Winds; Within a Dance; Yet Still Night; Of Time Remembered – Czech Philharmonic Orch./Robert Ian Winstin/Moravian Philharmonic Orch./Petr Vronsky/Russian Philharmonic Orch./Ovidiu Marinescu – Navona NV6025 [Distr. by Parma], 52:58, (2/12/16) ***1/2: Very pleasant works from this emerging composer. Rain Worthington is a very talented and forthright composer who comes from a very unusual background as she doesn’t have any real formal training in composition and, therefore, does not hold any university position or the like. Her passion for music, especially that for orchestra, has allowed her to use what seems like a great deal of natural talent to produce some very fine work; including these pieces here. Rain’s music has been performed in venues from private lofts to concert halls in the United States and across Spain, India, Iceland, and Brazil. Worthington lives in upper New York state and serves as the Artistic Administrator/Composer Advocate for New York Women Composers, Inc., which advocates for the new music of woman composers. She previously was active in the Manhattan new music scene for more than 25 years promoting her music, while her own background […]
Truth, Blu-ray (2016)
A well-done journalistic thriller centered on Dan Rather. Truth, Blu-ray (2016) Cast: Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford, Elisabeth Moss, Dennis Quaid Director: James Vanderbilt Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 46952 (2/2/16) Video: 2.40:1 for 16:9 screens, 1080p HD color Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, DD 5.1 audio descriptive track Subtitles: English, English SDH Extras: Commentary track by Vanderbilt & producers Brad Fischer & Wm. Sherak, The Team, Q&A with Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth Moss & Vanderbilt, Deleted scenes, Featurette: The Reason for Being with Dan Rather Length: 125 min. Rating: **** Truth is based on the true story of the CBS News staff being involved in one of network news’ biggest scandals ever. Blanchett plays Mary Mapes, who works closely with Dan Rather and believes she has broken a big story on 60 Minutes in the 2004 election – the revelations of President George Bush not having taken part in his military service that he got preferential treatment for, but has taken credit for it. After the story is presented on the air it comes out that some of the documents used in good faith were in fact false, and allegations come pouring in, resulting in a legal battle, several dramatic casualties, […]
*********** MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH ********** MAHLER: Sym. No. 1 / Blumine – Finnish Radio Sym. Orch. / Hannu Lintu – Ondine
* MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 / Blumine – Finnish Radio Sym. Orch. / Hannu Lintu – Ondine ODE 1264-5 multichannel 5.0 SACD, 62:33 [Distr. by Naxos] (10/30/15) *****: A first class performance and recording of this symphony. Do we need yet another Mahler Symphony No. 1? We do need this one, which is an exceptionally fine performance and recording (in surround) from Ondine with the Finnish Radio Symphony, Hannu Lintu conducting. The Finnish group has done an acclaimed Sibelius recording, and I wondered if Mahler was right for this group of fine musicians. I can state categorically that they are. Mahler originally planned the First Symphony to be a 5 movement tone poem, with the extra movement, called the Blumine, incorporated into the composition. I’ve heard the symphony with the Blumine movement inside as the second movement, and also separately, which is the way it is done here. I think playing the Blumine after the four movement symphony as a separate work seems to be the most sensible presentation, but some will differ. Lintu has come up with a fine performance here, very thoughtful and dynamic. His first movement is a bit slower than many of the recordings I’ve heard, […]
Romeo & Juliet = TCHAIKOVSKY, BERLIOZ, PROKOFIEV – Kondrashin/Monteux /Mravinsky – Praga
Despite an askew assemblage, the Romantic ethos of these scores has exemplary conductors at their respective helms. Romeo & Juliet = TCHAIKOVSKY: Romeo and Juliet – Overture Fantasy in b minor; BERLIOZ: Romeo et Juliette Symphonie, Op. 17: four excerpts; PROKOFIEV: Romeo and Juliet Ballet – Suite 2, Op. 64b – Moscow Philharmonic Orch./ Kyrill Kondrashin (Tchaikovsky)/ Choir and London Sym. Orch./ Pierre Monteux (Berlioz)/ Leningrad Philharmonic Orch./ Yevgeny Mravinsky (Prokofiev) – Praga Digitals multichannel SACD PRD/DSD 350 116, 79:20 (2/5/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Praga assembles various musical responses to the 1595 Shakespeare play of the two star-crossed lovers of Verona, utilizing first Kyrill Kondrashin’s 7 January 1967 live performance from Moscow of the 1869 Fantasy-Overture by Tchaikovsky. Kondrashin (1914-1981) assumed major international renown through his collaboration on the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto on RCA with Van Cliburn in 1958. His reading of the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy enjoys a broad canvas, rife with drama and sumptuous, erotic longing. The Moscow Philharmonic strings, winds, and brass achieve lofty heights without losing the manic drive that often marks a Kondrashin realization. The reading offers a fine balance between the too-often rushed approaches of some conductors who want virtuosity to […]
“Ensemble Pieces” = GAVIN BRYARS & CHRISTOPHER HOBBS – Soloists – Obscure
“Ensemble Pieces” = GAVIN BRYARS: 1,2,1-2-3-4; The Squirrel and the Ricketty Racketty Bridge; CHRISTOPHER HOBBS: Aran; McCrimmon Will Never Return – Gavin Bryars, Christopher Hobbs, Brian Eno, var. instruments/ensemble – Obscure BCGBCD23, 36:38 [Distr. by Allegro] (11/13/15) ***: Important reissue from the early British new wave. Obscure Records had a short but interesting tenure as an LP label specializing in the music of new and – at the time – lesser-known composers from England and elsewhere. Operated by the iconic Brian Eno, the repertoire typically consisted of music by musicians who were seen as the latest permutation of experimental and cutting edge music. This disc, for example, was originally released on vinyl in 1975 and held the present four works plus a very early and pretty ‘obscure’ work by John Adams, American Standard (if readers know how to get a copy of that LP, please contact me). The most important, to me, reason to have this disc is to have an example of some of Gavin Bryars’ earliest work. We can hear in these two works, 1,2,1-2-3-4 and the entertainingly titled The Squirrel and the Ricketty Racketty Bridge, the seeds of Bryars’ later and more well-known style. We know Bryars […]
Larry Young – In Paris: The ORTF Recordings – Resonance (2 CDs; also on vinyl)
A major jazz “find”… Larry Young – In Paris: The ORTF Recordings – Resonance/ INA HCD-2022 (2 CDs) 52:54, 53:06 (1964-1965) ****1/2: (Larry Young – organ and piano; Woody Shaw – trumpet; Nathan Davis – tenor sax; Billy Brooks drums; Jean-Claude Fohrenbach – tenor sax; Sonny Grey – trumpet; Jack Dieval – piano; Jacques B. Hess – bass; Franco Manzecchi – drums; Jacky Bamboo – conga) It’s about time that consideration is given to Zev Feldman at Resonance Records, for the honorary award of “jazz archaeologist.” In the last few years Feldman has released several “unearthed” previously-unissued recordings from Wes Montgomery, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, and Charles Lloyd. Add to that the just-released initial recordings of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. The latest treasure from Resonance is the French National Radio recordings of organist Larry Young with a band that includes trumpeter Woody Shaw. The pairing of these two incendiary figures is a match made in heaven, comparable to a 1960s classic Blue Note session. Both Young and Shaw pushed “the envelope” going outside traditional hard bop/ soul jazz influences. Larry achieved this with Miles Davis, and John McLaughlin with Tony Williams, while Woody’s edgy firebrand persona embraced John […]
L’Inhumaine, silent, Blu-ray (1924/2016)
A path-breaking 1924 French film which brought together many leaders in modern art and design. L’Inhumaine, Blu-ray (1924/2016) Cast: Georgette Leblanc, Jaque Catelain Director: Marcel L’Herbier Titles & some sets: Ferdinand Leger Studio: Hermes/CNC/ Lobster/Blackhawk Films/ Flicker Alley FA0045 (3/1/16) Video: 4:3 black & white, silent New musical scores by: Aidje Tafial, The Alloy Orchestra Audio: PCM stereo Choice of: French or English intertitles/subtitles Extras: Behind the scenes of L’Inhumanine – 15 min. featurette, About the recording of Aidje Tafial’s Music, Ill. printed booklet with behind-the-scenes photos and information about the film Length: 122 min. Rating: **** This was a very important early French film which featured the artistic collaboration of some of the top names in Paris at the time, such as the painter Leger, architect Robert Mallet-Stevens and directors Albert Cavalcanti and Claude Autant-Lara. Among the attendees playing an unruly audience at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees (but not visible in the film) were Picasso, Man Ray, Erik Satie, James Joyce and Ezra Pound. They are supposed to be booing the opera singer because she was thought to be the reason for a young devotee’s suicide. It is a visual display of the most modern-looking design of the moment, […]
Audio News for March 15, 2016
Keith Emerson of EL&P Dead at 71; Mighty Picks Up Where the iPod Shuffle Left Off; Aivvy Launches Cloud-based Music Platform and Smart Headphones; Spotify Has Playlist For Classical Music Beginners; Five National Anthems
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat (Nowak Edition) – London Sym. Orch./ Lance Friedel – MSR Classics
Could we be witnessing the birth of a born Brucknerian? Yes, if this recording has anything to say about it. BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat (Nowak Edition) – London Sym. Orch./ Lance Friedel – MSR Classics multichannel SACD MS 1600, 73:19 [Distr. by Albany] *****: Not since 2010, as far as I can tell, has MSR ventured into Super Audio territory. I made a comment back then on their piano disc, the first they offered, that if subsequent issues were like this, then we were in very good hands. Well, listening to Lance Friedel’s Bruckner offering only confirms that assessment. Friedel, known to me only once previously from a marvelous Nielsen album, has got the measure of this sometimes elusive, yet rather editorially stable Fifth Symphony. Bruckner’s second longest work has been accused of being difficult to hold together, yet if the truth is told it is one of the most successful works of his found on record. Perhaps there are just fewer interpretative decisions to make due to the numerous detailed instructions that the conductor left in the score, maybe partially inspired by a visit to Bayreuth to hear Wagner’s orchestral inklings up close and personal. He seems […]
CHINARY UNG Works – Susan Ung/BMOP/ Gil Rose – BMOP
More than just world music, Ung’s muse contemplates a life experience. CHINARY UNG: Singing Inside Aura; Water Rings Overture; Anicca; Antiphonal Spirals; Grand Spiral: Desert Flowers Bloom – Susan Ung, viola and voice/ Boston Modern Orchestra Project/ Gil Rose – BMOP/sound multichannel SACD 1044, 54:10 [Distr. by Albany] ****: The Boston Modern Orchestra Project is now in its twentieth year of operation, and one is hard pressed to think of a more substantive and important enterprise for the furtherance of modern music. On top of that, the fact that they are able to establish and continue a fine audiophile label capturing the historical value of their efforts is only icing on the cake. Of course, I won’t claim to be a fan of every composer they have recorded, but that’s hardly the point; posterity might prove me wrong, and everyone deserves to hear what’s happening out there. Chinary Ung was only a distant recollection in my memory, but since there are so many composers out there with decent resumes it is hard for all but the most devoted contemporary music fan to keep up. Hence my delight at hearing this mixed-orchestral release that gives a fine overview of what Mr. […]
MASON BATES: Works for Orch. – SF Sym./ Michael Tilson Thomas /Mason Bates, electronica – SFS Media
MASON BATES: Works for Orchestra [TrackList below] – San Francisco Sym./ Michael Tilson Thomas /Mason Bates, electronica – SFS Media multichannel (5.1) SACD SFS0065 TT: 1:11:14 (3/11/16) ****: Contemporary music with a first-rate multichannel recording. This is a very fine collection of music by the prolific and talented Mason Bates, a contemporary composer who has written contemporary symphonies and works that include electronic instruments. Earlier this year, he was named composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (their first ever composer-in-residence appointment), starting this fall and through the 2017-18 season. Notable works include Alternative Energy, a symphony premiered by Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Liquid Interface, a water symphony commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra; and The B-Sides, a symphony commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony. Those are the three works that reside on this multichannel SACD. The B-Sides is a lyrical work, but Bates pushes the symphonic boundaries with unique sounds, and even some sound clips from NASA. Sometimes it has the sound of film music, at other times it is dreamy or even playful. Liquid Interface is a treatise on liquids, with section titles like Glaciers Calving and On the Wannsee. Bates considers the […]
TIMOTHY BAXTER: Vol. 1- Various short compositions – Soloists – Claudio Records (Blu-ray & DVD-A)
TIMOTHY BAXTER: Vol. 1- Various short compositions (TrackList follows) – Soloists: Ulrich Stærk, Anne Mette Stæhr, Galya Kolarova, Demetrios Karamintzas, Signe Asmussen, Anthony Ovenell, Paul Gregory – Claudio Records CC6025-2 Blu-ray (audio only) & DVD Audio (stereo) single disc TT: 65:48 (6/9/15) [Distr. by Naxos] ***1/2: A fine survey of Timothy Baxter’s instrumental music on an oddly-formatted disc. Timothy Baxter (b.1935) had his debut as a composer at 15 with a short motet O most merciful, which is still being sung. This early work showed all the hallmarks of his later compositional style and also the religious feelings so evident in his later choir music. He won first prize for a string quintet movement as a first-year student at the Royal Academy of Music, London, while studying with Priaulx Rainier. This success was followed by a number of other prizes and performances. He has written much church music: liturgical arrangements, pieces for choir, organ works and cantatas. Although born in the U.K, Baxter now lives in Denmark. This disc contains only instrumental music, but it is a nice representation of Baxter’s work. It has a British ‘feel’ to it, and while it is contemporary music, it could be many decades […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
