Monthly Archive: March 2016
The Walk (A True Story), Blu-ray 3D (2016)
Am amazing acted, feature version of the previous Man On Wire documentary. The 3D version is not for acrophobics. The Walk (A True Story), Blu-ray 3D (2016) Director: Robert Zemeckis Cast: Benedict Samuel, Ben Kingsley, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Schwartz & others Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 46397 (1/5/16) [2 discs] Video: 2.40:1 for 16:9, 1080p HD color Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1. DD PCM stereo Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Thai, Indonesian, Spanish All Regions Extras: Deleted scenes, The Amazing Walk, Learning to Walk the Wire, Pillars of Support, Previews Length: 123 min. Rating: ***** Only one man – the obsessive French wire-walker Philippe Petit – ever walked on a wire between the 140 ft. twin towers of the former World Trade Center in NYC. Guided by his real-left mentor, Papa Rudy (played by Kingsley here) and aided by band of international recruits, Petit and his group overcome terrible odds, betrayals, dissensions and close calls to execute their really mad plan – which must be done while the contruction workers are still building the towers and before the workmen arrive early in the morning. On top of everthing, the whole process was illegal, and Philippe is arrested […]
KURTAG: Kafka Fragmente – Caroline Melzer, sop./Nurit Stark, v. – BIS
KURTAG: Kafka Fragmente – Caroline Melzer, sop./Nurit Stark, v. – BIS-2175, 58:08 multichannel SACD (Dist. by Naxos) *****: Challenging these pieces may be, but if you buy this SACD, it will give you gooseflesh if you listen closely. Those famous works by Franz Kafka that you read in school? Not his best. The Trial, that novel about the nameless bureaucratic murder of an ordinary citizen has its moments, but overall I find the writing thuddingly prosaic. “Metamorphosis,” the short story about an ordinary citizen symbolically turned into a giant cockroach, shows better craft but belabors its central point. (It’s better as an animated cartoon.) And don’t get me started on The Castle and America, works so leaden and desultory I couldn’t get through them. No, the best of Kafka’s work is short. Very short. It’s found only in his fragments. The joining of modernist composer György Kurtág’s music to Franz Kafka’s letters and diary excerpts (the closest he came to poetry) is a fortuitous one for the late twentieth century. Here’s how it was done: “There is a destination, but no path to it; what we call a path is hesitation.” In Kurtág’s music, soprano Caroline Melzer holds one long […]
FELIX WEINGARTNER: Complete Symphonies. Symphonies 1 – 7 & Symphonic Works – CPO (7 discs)
FELIX WEINGARTNER: Complete Symphonies. Symphonies 1 – 7 and Symphonic Works [Details follow] – Maya Boog, sop./ Franziska Gottwald, alto/ Rolf Romei, tenor /Christopher Bolduc, bar./ Babette Mondry, organ/ Czech Philharmonic Choir Brünn/ Symphonieorchester Basel/ Marko Letonja – CPO multichannel SACD, 777 938-2, TT: 38 hr. 18 min. (7 SACDs) [Distrib. by Naxos] ****: This set traces the symphonic careers of one of the twentieth-century’s great conductors, from the Romantic to the not-very-late Romantic era. Some listeners swear that the finest conductor-symphonist of the twentieth century is Bruno Walter. I confess I haven’t heard his Symphony No. 1, also brought to us by the enterprising folks at CPO. Others favor the view that Wilhelm Furtwängler’s three massive Brucknerian works are tops. I admit that No. 2 is impressive, though it tends to go to lengths that even Bruckner might have blushed at. But certainly none of these masters could match, at least in terms of production, Felix Weingartner, who managed to turn out seven symphonies and a large clutch of other symphonic works while engaged in an international conducting career. In fact, it seems he, like Mahler, considered himself a composer who also conducted. I had started to follow this […]
Yehudi Menuhin – The First Concerto Recordings 1931/32 = BRUCH & ELGAR – Pristine Audio
Mark Obert-Thorn revives the first two concerto performances by the youthful master Yehudi Menuhin – still astonishing. Yehudi Menuhin – The First Concerto Recordings 1931/32 = BRUCH: Violin Concerto No. 1 in g minor, Op. 26; ELGAR: Violin Concerto in e minor, Op. 61 – Yehudi Menuhin, violin/ London Sym. Orch./ Sir Landon Ronald & Sir Edward Elgar – Pristine Audio PASC 459. 72:36 [avail. in various formats from www.pristineclassical.com] *****: In an extended note to this historic reissue, Mark Obert-Thorn provides a personal anecdote of his February 1982 meeting with Yehudi Menuhin and their discussions of various musical topics. I, too, must share a recollection that this latest incarnation of the 1909 Elgar Violin Concerto (rec. 14-15 July 1932) evokes, since it was in Atlanta that I heard Menuhin perform this same concerto with conductor Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra prior to my fateful first meeting with him at the Fairmont Hotel. Obert-Thorn remarks on Menuhin’s capacity for articulate communication, much in accord with his written persona in his book Unfinished Journey. I had seen Dick Cavett interview Yehudi Menuhin on Cavett’s TV show, and I had concluded after a few minutes that Cavett simply didn’t know […]
The Good Dinosaur, Blu-ray (2016)
Another fine family animated film from Pixar. The Good Dinosaur, Blu-ray (2016) Director: Pater Sohn Voice-overs: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Sam Elliott etc. Studio: Pixar/ Walt Disney Studios 132197 (2/23/16) [Also avail. in 3D!] Video: 2.30:1 for 16:9, 1080p HD color Audio: English DTS-HD HA 5.1, French DD 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1 Dubbed: French and Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Spanish Extras: Short:”Sanjay’s Super Team,” ”The Filmmakers’ Journey,” Promotional animated clip, True Lies About Dinosaurs, “Recyclosaurus” – the crew creates the best dinosaur from discarded items, Every Part of the Dinosaur, Following the T-Rex Trail, Deleted scenes with intros, Previous versions of the movie, more… Length: 94 min. Rating: **** Pixar has another winner in this delightful animated feature about a good dinosaur. The theme is concerned with confronting your fears and discovering who you were meant to be. The little dino (an aptosaurus) is the runt of the bunch, who operate a farm, and when his father is killed he is at very loose ends. The feature considers that the asteriod that supposedly killed all the dinosaurs and changed the planet completely simply flew by and never landed on earth, so the dinosaurs never went extinct. What makes the film […]
Secret in Their Eyes, Blu-ray (2016)
A great thriller with Julia Roberts in a very different role. Secret in Their Eyes, Blu-ray (2016) Cast: Chiwetel Eijofor, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts Director & writer: Billy Ray Studio: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment 64176457 (2/23/16) 2 discs Video: 2.40:1 for 16:9, 1080p HD color Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, DD 5.1 Subtitles: French, Spanish, English SDH All Regions Extras: Commentary track by Billy Ray & Producer Mark Johnson, Digital copy, “Adapting the Story for Today’s World,” Julia Roberts discusses her most challenging role Length: 1 hr. 52 min. Rating: ***** This haunting thriller explores the indistinct boundaries between justice and revenge. A tight team of rising investigators (Eijofor left the agency some years ago and has been a private detective) is turn apart when the lovely teenage daughter of one of them (the Roberts’ role) is brutally raped and murdered. The Ray character has worked for 13 years in his spare time searching for the killer and thinks he has finally found him and that will resolve the case. At first he has to try to convince the Kidman character, who is sort of the boss of the three, but eventually she supports and aids him. But nobody is […]
Editorial Page for March 2016
Our lavish March drawing is for “Opera baroque” – a 39-DVD plus 4-CDs boxed set from Harmonia mundi consisting of over 47 hours of wonderful music, with top soloists and such directors as René Jacobs & William Christie. 17 complete operas are included in the set. This is a set you will treasure for a lifetime. The five lucky winners of the set of two CDs by The Alexander Quartet on Foghorn Classics – our February drawing – are: Charles Volstad, Eden Prairie MN; Will Leben, Emeryville CA; Seth Shapiro, Snohomish WA; Gary Walker, Sanford NC; and Gregory Weis, Aiken OH. 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. March 2016 is our 204th 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, […]
Harry “Sweets” Edison – Sweetenings – Roulette (1958) /Pure Pleasure – vinyl
Harry “Sweets” Edison – Sweetenings – Roulette SR 52023 (1958)/Pure Pleasure PPAN R52023 (2015), 32:46 mono vinyl ****: (Harry “Sweets” Edison – trumpet; Jimmy Forrest – tenor saxophone; Jimmy Jones – piano; Kenny Drew – piano; Joe Benjamin – doublebass; Charlie Persip – drums) Harry “Sweets” Edison enjoyed three careers. He came to initial prominence with Count Basie. There (thanks to Lester Young and others), he picked up his nickname and became a longtime (twelve years) member of one of the greatest big bands in any era. The second installment was as a highly in-demand Hollywood session musician. He was featured on several movie scores, including Oklahoma and The Man With The Golden Arm. In a surprise move, Edison turned his back on the lucrative movie business, and moved to New York. There he realized his musical vision as a jazz artist, signing with Roulette Records. ”Sweets” Edison recorded for more than forty years, played with jazz giants and joined their legendary ranks. Pure Pleasure Records has released Sweetenings (1958), re-mastered to 180-gram vinyl. Part of the Birdland Sessions, there are twelve concise tracks that focus primarily on the trumpeter. Utilizing standard and jazz originals, Edison glides through the material […]
BRAHMS: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1, 2 & 3; Four Hungarian Dances – Leonid Kogan, v./ Andrei Mytnik, p. – Archipel
Impassioned, fiery Brahms from Leonid Kogan in live performance warrants our unqualified admiration. BRAHMS: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78; Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100; Violin Sonata No. 3 in d minor, Op. 108; Four Hungarian Dances – Leonid Kogan, v./ Andrei Mytnik, p. – Archipel ARPCD 0355, 79:38 (1/8/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: The most patrician of Russian violinists, Leonid Kogan (1924-19882) inscribed the live Brahms performances heard here 1951-1956. The two Moscow recordings of Brahms Sonatas in G and d minor (1955) come to us in good, solid monaural sound. The A Major Sonata (1956) derives from a London recital. May speculate about the nature of Kogan’s hard, incisive, driven sound which he produced on two Guarnerius del Gesu instruments, intimating that Kogan relied heavily on steel strings. Kogan sought through his basically “Soviet” musical training to project the same polish and majestic finish as Jascha Heifetz, his admitted idol. Whatever the truth, Kogan can produce – given the often thin, piercing nature of his (French) tone, with minimal vibrato – as lovely and soft a cantilena as any, especially if we audition the opening to the last movement of the […]
Groundhogs – Scratching The Surface – Liberty /Parlophone /Pure Pleasure – vinyl
Groundhogs – Scratching The Surface – Liberty /Parlophone LBS 83199/Pure Pleasure PPAN LBS 83199 stereo vinyl, 44:03 ****: Obscure British band’s debut is released on audiophile vinyl. (Tony McPhee – guitar, vocals; Steve Rye – harmonica vocals; Pete Cruikshank – bass; Ken Pustelnik – drums) British Blues developed into a marketable brand in the 1960s. The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Long John Baldry and Savoy Brown led a vanguard that respected the American musical genre. These bands played with veteran blues acts in England and eventually re-introduced (and in some cases, introduced) blues music to younger audiences in the U.S. Many of these British bands modified their sound to assimilate into the mod, psychedelic scene. Like their American mentors, they learned that it is difficult to get rich playing the blues. One of the lesser-known British blues standard-bearers was Groundhogs. Formed in 1963, the group built a fan base, touring extensively for over five years. Finally signed by Liberty records, they recorded their first album, Scratching The Surface in 1968. Groundhogs continued to perform and record, but never garnered the commercial success of their UK counterparts. Albums like Thank Christ For The Bomb (1970) and […]
BACH: Goldberg Variations – Alexandre Tharaud, p. – Erato/Warner Classics + video DVD
BACH: Goldberg Variations – Alexandre Tharaud, piano – Erato/Warner Classics 0825646051779, 75:13 + video DVD (16:9), PCM stereo (12/4/15) *****: After a slow, elegant, spaced-out Aria theme, relentlessly hip Alexandre Tharaud proceeds to give a freewheeling 21st century piano virtuoso’s bird’s eye view of the Goldberg Variations. Whatever the attitudes he adopts as he proceeds with the 31 variations – energetic, jaunty, bold, bright and always, forthright – the brilliant recorded sound is like the playing, almost in your face at times; the sound is so integral to the performance that you can buy it on a vinyl and, most important, at whatever volume you play it is uniquely satisfying – although medium-loud enables you to hear more clearly just how much poetry Tharaud lavishes on what at first blush can be misconstrued as frontal attack. It is an eventful journey. Tharaud may soften with a hint of impressionists’ haze on track seven but soon returns to his semi-clattering, wandering, always fascinating ways. He also uses ornaments like earrings, to adorn the music at deliciously vulnerable places; in track 14, he goes to extraordinary lengths in the repeats with his ornaments and embellishments, as if Bach were a dandy at […]
BERNARD HERRMANN : The Fantasy Film World of Bernard Herrmann – Nat. Philharmonia Orch. – HDTT
Bernard Herrmann film scores in startling surround sound! BERNARD HERRMANN : The Fantasy Film World of Bernard Herrmann – Journey to the Center of the Earth; The 7th Voyage of Sinbad; The Day The Earth Stood Still; Fahrenheit 451 – National Philharmonic Orch./ Bernard Herrmann – HDTT [various formats including hi-res 4.0 Surround Blu-ray audio and PCM stereo PCM & DSD from www.highdeftapetransfers.com] 46:09 ****: Using the same orchestra which played under Charles Gerhardt in RCA Victor’s Classic Film Scores series, Bernard Herrmann is at the helm for this release, one of seven featuring film music which he put together for Decca in the early 1970s. Besides writing a good deal of music for the concert hall and for the movies, Herrmann had a long and successful career as a conductor in the US and UK. At one stage during the mid-1950s, he had so impressed the London Symphony Orchestra during a series of concerts which included Charles Ives’ Second, that he was in line for the job of chief conductor. Herrmann remains most well-known these days for his film scores. Over the years he collaborated with Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, François Truffaut, and finally worked with Martin Scorcese. Harry […]
Elvis Costello – Detour – Live At Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Blu-ray (2016)
Elvis Costello – Detour – Live At Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Blu-ray (2016) New wave auteur goes solo with forty years of worthwhile material. Cast: Elvis Costello with Larkin Poe (Rebecca and Megan Lovell) Studio: Eagle Vision EVB335309 Director: Joss Crowley Audio: DTS-HD MA 5.1; PCM 2.0 Stereo Video: 1.78:1 for 16:9, 1080i HD Color Length: 121 minutes TrackList: Red Shoes; Watch Your Step; Accidents Will Happen; Church Underground; As; Shipbuilding; I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down; Walkin’ My Baby Back Home; Ghost Train; When I Was Cruel No. 2; Watching The Detectives; If I Had A Hammer; Pads, Paws And Claws; That’s Not Part Of Him You’re Leaving; Down On The Bottom; Blame It On Cain; Alison; A Good Year For The Roses; Side By Side; Jimmie Standing In The Rain; Peace Love And Understanding; Golden Tom/Silver Judas Bonus Tracks: Love Field; Either Side Of The Same Town; Brilliant Mistake; Ascension Day Ratings: Audio: **** Video: **** Elvis Costello got his start in the pub musical scene in England. He rose to some prominence as part of the New Wave vanguard in the […]
JEAN MARTINON Conducts Music by IBERT, SAINT-SAENS & BERLIOZ – Paris Conservatoire Orch. – HDTT
Celebrating Jean Martinon’s Decca legacy in fine transfers from commercial reel tapes. Jean Martinon Conducts Music by IBERT, SAINT-SAENS & BERLIOZ – Paris Conservatoire Orch. – HDTT [various formats including hi-res PCM & DSD from www.highdeftapetransfers.com] (This one is DSD 64) 53:34 *****: This splendid compilation of Decca recordings made with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra under Jean Martinon has been an audiophile delight since first released 55 years or more ago. The Berlioz works were recorded 3-4 November1958 and first released on Decca SXL 2134, together with the Overture to Benvenuto Cellini, not included in this selection. The Paris orchestra is on excellent from, with silky strings and an unmistakeably French flavour to the wind and horns. Martinon produces a softer side to Berlioz, somewhat different from the vehement, bared-teeth readings of many conductors. The result is a little more depth to the listening experience at the expense of a little superficial excitement. Berlioz in three dimensions. The Ibert and Saint-Saens works were recorded 16-17 June 1960 and appeared on Decca SXL 2252 to much acclaim. Ibert’s wonderfully varied and entertaining Divertissement, written in 1930 and derived from his incidental music written the previous year for the farce The Italian Straw […]
Ferit Odman – Dameronia With Strings – Equinox Music – vinyl
Ferit Odman – Dameronia With Strings – Equinox Music EMLP0002, 42:12 stereo vinyl ****1/2: Drummer puts together a masterful tribute to a great jazz composer. (Ferit Odman – drums; Terell Stafford – trumpet; Danny Grissett – piano; Peter Washington – bass; Antoine Silverman – violin, concertmaster; Diane Montoe – violin, concertmaster; Tamara DeMent – violin; Chris Cardona – viola; Emily Brausa – cello; Clarice Jensen – cello; David O’Rourke – strings arrangement, cond.) Turkish drummer Ferit Odman chose a special concept for his third album. He has elected to pay homage to a great (if not renowned) jazz composer and arranger, Tadd Dameron. Dameronia With Strings revisits various arrangements by Dameron, for Sarah Vaughan (1946), Blue Mitchell’s “Smooth As The Wind” (1961) and the 1956 John Coltrane quartet (“On a Misty Night”, Soultrane”) The legendary Philly Joe Jones chose Dameron’s arrangement of “Look Stop & Listen” to be an integral part of the Magic Touch session. Dameron also arranged a version of this for Benny Goodman. Somewhat unknown to the general public, Tadd Dameron was celebrated in the jazz community for his innovative approach to jazz. The earliest tribute band, Dameronia, was formed by Philly Joe Jones in 1982. This […]
Audio News for March 1, 2016
Home Theater Built Out of Snow; Mighty Audio on Kickstarter Brings Offline Spotify Playback; B&O Meets ESS for Highest Audio Quality on LG Smartphones; New Smartphone Warns You If Electronics Are Overheating; A Great Year for Downloading Audiophiles
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
