Monthly Archive: June 2016
Audio News for June 21, 2016
Bowie Classical Tribute Scheduled – Glastonbury in the UK will have a tribute concert for the late David Bowie tomorrow. Philip Glass will conduct his 1966 orchestral work Heroes Symphony which was a tribute to the 1977 Bowie album Heroes. The music will be backed by an immersive light and laserworks show by Chris Levine. Surface Hub Videos Focus on Music Notation, Product Planning, and More – Microsoft’s Surface Hub has been on sale to customers for a few month. They have decided to highlight some documented real world application and hardware use cases in a series of YouTube videos. They focus on third party software on the Surface Hub doing music notation with StaffPad, collaborative creation with Drawboard, and Video looping with TechSmith Loop. LeEco Bringing Its Phones and Video Streaming to U.S. – This fall LeEco, which has launched hi-end affordable Android phones outside of the U.S., will be bring them into the U.S. Their phones are light and will be sold unlocked. The company is currently securing the rights to live and recorded U.S. video content, and their handsets will support other streaming services as well. The phones have solid specs and affordable price tags. Is MQA […]
MENDELSSOHN: Ov. & Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream; SCHUBERT: Sym. No. 8 – Soloists/Vienna Sym./ Clemens Krauss – Opus Kura
Viennese conductor Clemens Krauss finds seamless restorations in these rare moments in his impressive repertory. MENDELSSOHN: A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Overture, Op. 21; Incidental Music, Op. 61; SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 8 in b minor, D. 759 “Unfinished” – Dagmar Herman, mezzo-sop,/ Ilona Steingruber, sop./ Vienna Sym. Orch./ Chorus of the Vienna State Orch./ Bamberg Sym. Orch. (Schubert)/ Clemens Krauss – Opus Kura OPK 7076, 66:09 [Distr. by Albany] ****: Opus Kura restores music the Viennese conductor Clemens Krauss (1893-1954) led for two relatively minor labels, Vox and Amadeo, including his only recorded documentation (from Vox, 1950) in Mendelssohn. Noted for his natural and elastic style in the music of Strauss – and that includes the waltz-king family and Richard Strauss – Krauss had an impressively large Austro-Hungarian repertory that embraced Haydn, Mozart, Brahms, Beethoven, Weinberger, Stravinsky, and Wagner, including a 1953 Ring cycle at Bayreuth. The Mendelssohn Overture and Incidental Music to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream enjoys the requisite lightness of hand. Both annotator Tully Potter and I appreciate hearing the natural F horn from Vienna in the famous glowing Nocturne. In this linear, stylistic performance, as in the Schubert symphony, Krauss allows much of the music to “play […]
“British, Now!” (Works of BRITTEN, BERKELEY, BRYARS & NYMAN) – Dogma Ch. Orch./Mikhail Gurewitsch – Audio Max
A nice chamber orchestra disc in surround of British music from four composers. “British, Now!” BRITTEN: Simple Sym.; BERKELEY: Antiphone for Strings; BRYARS: In Nomine; NYMAN: When Ingrid Met Capa – Dogma Ch. Orch./ Mikhail Gurewitsch – Audio Max (D&G) 912 1944-6, 48:52 multichannel SACD [4/29/16] (2+2+2) ****: This enjoyable program was inspired by the diversity of recent British music. It brings together minimalism, Romanticism and modernism with a portion of underlying humor. The four movements of the early Benjamin Britten work – the best known here – are adaptations of Baroque dances and show the composer’s childish sincerity. Berkeley and Britten were good friends and after Berkeley’s conversion to Catholicism the composer wrote more and more works on religious themes, including this one. The Antiphony was a music genre in the early Christian church. The genre also forms the basis of the Gavin Bryars’ piece on the SACD. The work is based on the music of both Taverner and Purcell and is subtitled “After Purcell.” Michael Nyman began composing in a Hindemith/Shostakovich style, and came to public attention with his score for the film The Piano. His ten-minute work, written especially for the Dogma Chamber Orchestra, uses themes from […]
Two complete French Suites of BACH – HM (harpsichord) & Resonus (clavichord)
Bach: Two complete French Suites – one on harpsichord, one on clavichord. BACH: The Six French Suites – Richard Egarr, harpsichord – Harmonia mundi HMU 907583.84, 1 hr. 45:33 (2 CDs) [5/27/16] *****:</br> BACH: The Six French Suites – Julian Perkins, clavichord – Resonus Classics RS10163, 2 hrs. 5:37 (2 CDs) [3/4/16] ****: Although it was Bach’s keyboard instrument of choice, these two double-CD sets make it quite clear why the harpsichord was the more popular keyboard instrument. Two different clavichords patterned after late 18th century German originals and made by Peter Bavington are used on the clavichord traversal. The instrument is known for its expressive and lyrical qualities, but about the only person who can properly hear it, due to the extremely low volume level, is the keyboardist himself. The reasons for the much longer running time of the clavichord set is the inclusion of two further suites: the opener being an early partita by Johann Jakob Froberger, and a Suite in A Major by Telemann, long thought to be by Bach himself. Don’t set the playback volume too high for these stylish performances on the hard-to-hear instrument. The Egar harpsichord set also boasts some additional tracks: A short […]
The Michael Blum Quartet – Chasin’ Oscar – A Tribute To Oscar Peterson – Michael Blum Music
The Michael Blum Quartet – Chasin’ Oscar – A Tribute To Oscar Peterson – Michael Blum Music, 46:32 ***: A well-meaning divertimento. (Michael Blum – guitar and vocals; Jim Stinnett – bass; Brad Smith – piano; Dom Moio – drums) There is an old proverb which states: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery“. That being said, it would be impossible to exaggerate Michael Blum’s dedication to these words, as he has taken a number of Oscar’s pieces, and learned his piano solos note for note by ear, to be played on the guitar. Anyone who has listened to Oscar understands what a daunting challenge that would be, as there was not a note that Oscar did not like. The result is the album Chasin’ Oscar A Tribute To Oscar Peterson which is a diverting exposition and musical exploration. While this is a clever musical feat, the question should be asked to what end? And if a listener wanted to hear such playing, why not go to the original Oscar Peterson material and listen to the master himself? However the more reasonable explanation is that Blum loved the music and was fascinated by the unbridled technique of the originator. Beginning […]
PERSICHETTI: Legacy of Songs – Unpublished Songs on Poetical Texts – Soloists/MSR Classics
PERSICHETTI: Legacy of Songs – Unpublished Songs on Poetical Texts – Joshua Pierce, piano/ Lee Velta, baritone/ Sherry Overholt, soprano – Poetry by Hilaire Belloc, e e cummings, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, James Joyce, Carl Sandburg, Sara Teasdale, and others (TracklLst below) MSR Classics CD MS1558 TT: 55:30 (12/9/15) [Distr. by Albany] ****: A first recording of Persichetti songs is a must have for Persichetti completists. The music of Vincent Persichetti has always had a strong appeal to me. My first exposure to his compositional skills was playing his Psalm for Band in both High School and College. I never got tired of playing it or hearing it. Persichetti was much more than a wind band composer. He wrote nine symphonies, more than a dozen works for concert band, instrumental “Parables” and “Serenades”, 12 piano sonatas as well as many other keyboard works. He was also a master of church music. This disc is a world premier recording of an assortment of poems set to music. The disc contains a generous 41 tracks. There are a few English poets in the mix: James Joyce, Hilaire Belloc, three 17th century English poets, as well as translations from the Chinese and Japanese. […]
DVORAK: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8 – Andrés Orozco – Estrada/ Houston Sym. – Pentatone
DVORAK: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8 – Andrés Orozco – Estrada / Houston Sym. – Pentatone multichannel SACD PTC 5186578 (01/03/16) TT: 76:34 [Distr. by Naxos] ***1/2: Highly listenable performances of late symphonies by the Czech master. Pentatone gives us two lovely Dvorak symphonies on one disc in this new release, which will be part of a series of discs with the Houston Symphony. As most of our readers know, Dvorak wrote nine symphonies, the last five of which are called his “Mature Symphonies”. Included in this SACD album are Dvorak’s Symphonies nos. 7 and 8, each of which, though different in character, represent the composer at his peak of creativity and energy. Symphony No. 7 gives us a feeling of restlessness. The treatment Dvorak’s homeland had received at the hands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire which ruled it, irritated the composer. The lightness of Symphony No. 8, written in his farmhouse in the Czech countryside, is quite a contrast to the 7th. Dvorak’s rural surroundings may have influenced the music’s mood, just as his works written in Iowa, like his New World Symphony, were greatly affected by his external environment. The Houston Symphony led by its Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada, […]
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 9, Blu-ray (2016)
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 9, Blu-ray (2016) Performers: Christian Thielemann cond. the Dresden Staatskapelle Studio: Unitel Cllassica/C Major 733404 [Distr. by Naxos] (2/26/16) Video: 1080i color for 16 x 9 screens Audio: DTS-HD MA 5.1, PCM Stereo TT: 66 minutes All Regions Video: *** Audio: **** Bruckner’s crowning achievement, well-played and recorded. Untitel Classica has given us a fine Blu-ray disc with a stirring performance of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9. Christian Thielemann and the Dresden Staatskapelle are in fine form here, with a recording to match. I always have mined emotions about these video performances, as sometimes the visuals are distracting in a way that doesn’t happen to me in a real performance. The close-ups can be jarring and take me out of the music, and sometimes I focus on camera technique rather than the orchestra. In this Blu-ray, the camera work is not jarring, and the high resolution video is paired with high resolution 5.1 audio that is very natural-sounding. The Ninth Symphony was Bruckner’s last, he only finished three movements before his death, and he labored on this work longer than of his other symphonies. It’s thrilling, spiritual, and becomes a summation of all Bruckner’s music written before this. […]
TALLIS & PARSONS: Var. works – The Cardinall’s Musick/ Andrew Carwood – Hyperion
The excellence continues, serving a composer of tremendous value. TALLIS: Honor, Virtus et Potestas; Candidi Facti Sunt; Homo quidam fecit cenam magnam; Ave Dei patris filia; Christ Rising Again; Litany; The Lord be with you; Benedictus (Blessed be the Lord God of Israel); Te Deum; Expend, O Lord; E’en like the hunted hind; Venite; O Lord, open thou our lips; PARSONS: Out from the deep – The Cardinall’s Musick/ Andrew Carwood – Hyperion CDA68095, 71:58 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: This is the fifth of six (so far) recordings by Carwood’s Cardinall’s Musick of the music of Thomas Tallis, a pivotal figure in English music who straddled the religious divide according to who was in office at the time. As such, his music was performed for Henry VIII, Edward VI (1547–1553), Queen Mary (1553–1558), and Queen Elizabeth I. He remained all his life, as did William Byrd, an “unreformed Catholic”, but had a wonderful adaptability in style and intent that served his masters—or mistresses—very well indeed. Tallis also had a varied and elongated sense of stylistic appropriateness that enabled him to bend and sway whichever direction the wind was blowing, and he did so with complete commitment and artistic integrity. […]
“Mit vierzig Jahren” = BRAHMS: Songs – Havard Stensvold, bass-bar./ Tor Espen Aspaas, p. – LAWO Classics
A rather stingy but worthwhile selection of nicely-rendered songs. “Mit vierzig Jahren” = BRAHMS: Songs – Havard Stensvold, bass-bar./ Tor Espen Aspaas, p. – LAWO Classics LWC1079, 46:13 [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Stensvold has a lyrical, rather light bass-baritone voice that to my mind is perfectly suited to this music. Brahms, by nature, is thick and heavy—he can’t help it, that’s the way he harmonizes things, and that’s also one of the reasons we love him—he is different. But I have heard too many singers, especially males, who attack this music with all the gravitas and heaviness they can muster, and the results are usually terrible. This man is able to float his voice naturally above the harmonies, and submerge it when needed with ease and alacrity. Interpretatively he is generous with his inflections but smart enough to let the natural lilt of the melodies do most of the text projection. Stensvold assembled four books of Brahms’ songs in 2010 and spent the next four years combing through them to make his favorite selections for this recording. Some you will know, some are a little more esoteric, but all are worthwhile, and all given committed performances. Pianist Aspaas is an […]
REINHARD KEISER: St. Mark Passion – Soloists/ Ens. Jacques Moderne/ Gli Incogniti/ Joel Suhubiette – Mirare
The St. Mark Passion we wish Bach had written. REINHARD KEISER: St. Mark Passion (Bergmann Ed.) –Jan Kobow (Evangelist)/ Thomas E. Bauer (Jesus)/ Ens. Jacques Moderne/ Gli Incogniti/ Joel Suhubiette – Mirare MIR 254, 77 min. [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: It was the castle chapel at Weimar at Good Friday in 1712 or 1713 that saw the first performance of Keiser’s St. Mark Passion, most likely under the direction of JS Bach. Bach performed it again in 1726 at the church of St. Nicholas, making some minor changes, and in fact it is difficult, as so many liturgical works of the era by any composer, to establish a “definitive” version. Keiser was one of the most brilliant minds and masterly musicians of his age, universally recognized by composers like Bach, Telemann, Mattheson, Scheibe, and Hasse, the last who said that Keiser was “one of the greatest musicians the world saw.” His career began with opera however, composing well over 70 (of which 2/3 are lost) and taking advantage of a form that was escalating in popularity. After training at the Thomasschule in Leipzig, writing his first operas for the court theater there, he advanced to Hamburg where he was […]
CAVALIERI: Rappresentazione di Anima e di Corpo – complete opera – Soloists/Staatsoperchor/Akademi fur Alte Musik Berlin/Jacobs – HM
Jacobs gives us a definitive account of a very important opera. CAVALIERI: Rappresentazione di Anima e di Corpo – Marie-Claude Chappuis (Anima)/ Johannes Weisser (Corpo)/ Gyula Orendt (Tempo, Consiglio)/ Mark Milhofer (Inteletto, Piacere)/ Marcos Fink (Mondo, Secondo Compagno di Piacere, Anima dannata)/ Staatsopernchor/ Concerto vocale/ Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin/ René Jacobs – Harmonia mundi HMC902200/01, 1:32:52 ****: It strikes me as a little amusing to hear of this work, supposedly pre-opera and oratorio, as a “music drama”. For most people, it was Wagner who invented the term! Yet if we can still refer to his later works as operas—and we do—it is with much assurance that we can call this piece an opera as well, even though it predates when we commonly use the term. Musicology, after all, is not a precise science, and just because the attribution has been given to Peri and Caccini doesn’t necessarily make it so. However, musicological pickings aside, this work, premiered in February 1600, is a dialogue between Soul and Body, with other allegorical characters and angels and souls in heaven and hell that uses chorus, singers, and a large and colorful orchestra. There are almost-arias, ariosos, instrumental interludes, and generally exciting choral […]
Beecham – The ABC Blue Network Concerts, Volume 2: A Tribute Concert in Memory of President Roosevelt = Works of WAGNER, SIBELIUS, SCHUBERT, BERLIOZ, TCAIKOVSKY, MOZART – Blue Network Sym./Beecham – Pristine
The April 14, 1945 concert by Sir Thomas Beecham pays fine tribute to the nation’s loss. Beecham – The ABC Blue Network Concerts, Volume 2: A Tribute Concert in Memory of President Roosevelt = WAGNER: Siegfried’s Funeral March; SIBELIUS: Pelleas et Melisande, Op. 46: The Death of Melisande; MOZART: Divertimento in D, K. 131: Adagio; SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 8 in b minor, D. 759 “Unfinished:; TCHAIKOVSKY: Serenade in C for Strings, Op. 48: Elegie; BERLIOZ: Les Troyens: Marche Troyenne – Blue Network Sym. Orch./ Sir Thomas Beecham – Pristine Audio PASC 470, 57:50 [avail. in various formats from www.pristineclasical.com] ****: A national moment of silence precedes the broadcast concert of the Blue Network Orchestra led by Sir Thomas Beecham – the 14 April 1945 concert coincides with the funeral service for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt – and the program Beecham leads reflects the spirit of valediction. The famous Siegfried Funeral March from The Twilight of the Gods receives a potent, albeit direct, realization from Beecham’s responsive players, a linear approach we might ascribe to Toscanini. Even more pathos-ridden, the English horn solo and strings that constitute the first section of The Death of Melisande (1905) makes a lachrymose impression that […]
Audio News for June 17, 2016
70% of Music Bought in Sweden is Streamed – Sweden is also the home of Spotify, considered the world leader in the wireless streaming field. Streamed music in Sweden has risen from 57% in 2012 to 70% today. Sales of music overall grew by 12% in the first half of 2016 and have been rising steadily since 2008. Double Digit Growth Expected for Healthcare Video Conferencing – The U.S. market for Healthcare Video Conferencing is expected to reach revenues over $1.1 billion by 2022. Video conferencing has enabled efficient and convenient access to healthcare services across the U.S. and an increased demand for prompt healthcare services and rising costs have led to the growing demand for video conferencing in the healthcare industry. Cloud-based solutions are emerging as an alternative to deliver cost efficient and scalable video conferencing solutions to the healthcare industry. Major hospital systems in the U.S. are adopting video conferencing solutions to deliver reliable and effective healthcare services. You Must Use HDMI Connection to View 1080p Video and Lossless HD Audio – Thank to the Sunset Rule, all recent Blu-ray decks only transmit HD video via the HDMI connection. If you don’t have your Blu-ray and/or universal player […]
“Flight of Angels” = FRANCISCO GUERRERO & ALONSO LOBO Works – The Sixteen/ Harry Christophers – Coro
A great introduction to a magnificent period of music. “Flight of Angels” = FRANCISCO GUERRERO: Duo Seraphim; Missa Surge propera: Gloria; Laudate Dominum; Maria Magdalene; Missa de la batalla escoutez: Credo; Vexilla Regis; Missa Congratulamini mihi: Agnus Dei I; Missa Congratulamini mihi: Agnus Dei II; ALONSO LOBO: Missa Maria Magdalene: Kyrie; Libera me; Ave Regina caelorum; Ave Maria; Versa est in luctum – The Sixteen/ Harry Christophers – Coro COR16128, 63:52 ****: The city of Seville in the sixteenth century saw two great adorning musical lights—Lobo and Guerrero—whose music was destined to shine in Spain, Portugal, and ultimately, the new world. Both were singers in their youth, and both reputed to have genteel temperaments and rabidly dedicated to their art. Guerrero was for 30 years the head of music at the Seville Cathedral, while Lobo apprenticed as his assistant when Guerrero was attaining advanced age. The latter would end up being the more prolific, but perhaps the former was more conscientious. Both are among the finest composers of the age, lyrical to a fault, and issuing radiant sonorous pieces of obvious devotion. This can only be called a survey overview (as Christophers admits), but it’s a real gem with some […]
HAVERGAL BRIAN: The Tigers – Teresa Cahill (Mrs. Freebody)/ Marilyn Hill-Smith (Toy seller)/ Alan Opie (Young man)/ Kenneth Woollam (Man on Elephant)/ BBC Sym. Orch., Lionel Friend – Testament (3 CDs)
A milestone in recordings, available on CD for the first time. HAVERGAL BRIAN: The Tigers – Teresa Cahill (Mrs. Freebody)/ Marilyn Hill-Smith (Toy seller)/ Alan Opie (Young man)/ Kenneth Woollam (Man on Elephant)/ BBC Sym. Orch., Lionel Friend – Testament SBT3 1496, (3 CDs), 161:45 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] *****: Havergal Brian composed a lot of music—if you can imagine any composer today completing 32 symphonies, of which 14 were done in his eighties and seven in his nineties, then you get a good idea of what this composer was all about. Stylistically he is also difficult to peg; while the pastoralism common to the British composers of the last century are to be found here, albeit sometimes in a camouflaged way, Bach and the late romantics beginning with Wagner rule the day. [He has been compared to Mahler in some of his symphonies…Ed.] Though it is not correct to say that Brian was a stream-of-consciousness composer, for there is structure to his work, it is interrupted constantly with what can only be described as willful intrusions, compositional asides that often lead down unexpected paths. The Tigers was his first opera (of five), composed 1917-29, a crazed quilt of comic […]
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 25 – Andre Tchaikowsky
HDTT restores Polish pianist Andre Tchaikowsky’s most famous concerto recording, but even in fine sound, it’s all alone. MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503 – Andre Tchaikowsky, p./ Chicago Sym./ Fritz Reiner – HDTT, 33:00 [avail. in various formats from www.highdeftapetranfers.com] ***: Polish piano virtuoso Andre Tchaikowsky (nee Krauthammer), 1935-1982, made his reputation as a gifted pupil of Lazare-Levy, Stefan Ashkenase, and Annie Fischer. His friendships with Radu Lupu and Stephen Kovacevich earned him their respect, which they lavished both on his keyboard gifts and his talent as a composer. On 11 February 1958, Tchaikowsky replaced an indisposed Clara Haskil, who had been scheduled to perform with Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony works by Bach (f minor Concerto) and Mozart (C Major, K. 503). Tchaikowsky, unfamiliar with both scores, bought copies of the music at local music store before appearing for Reiner at the first rehearsal. When Tchaikowsky admitted to Reiner that he had been sight-reading the music, Reiner became incensed. By the time of the performance, Tchaikowsky had memorized the scores, and he improvised his own cadenza for the Mozart’s first movement. The recording session occurred on 15 February, but Tchaikowsky would not authorize […]
Mark Murphy, Live In Athens, Greece – Harbinger
Mark Murphy, Live In Athens, Greece – Harbinger HCD 3202 A singer of no-nonsense acumen. (Mark Murphy – vocals; Spiros Exaras – electric guitar; Thomas Rueckert – piano; Alex Drakos – drums; George Georgiadis – acoustic bass) When Mark Murphy died on October 22, 2015, at age 83, jazz lost one of the most interesting and innovative interpreters of vocal jazz. Unafraid to take chances, Murphy put his dynamic baritone voice to good effect as he ranged over an eclectic array of material that covered the spectrum from ballads to bebop. In this new release taken from a live performance in Greece in April 2008, the Murphy effect is in full flower as he dives and swoops over some well-known numbers that nevertheless still sound fresh. Beginning with “My Funny Valentine” Murphy stakes out his turf as he shows his vocal command by driving the tune through an interpretation that eschews that traditional with an up-tempo rendition that he scats in part with undiminished glee. That Murphy was an unabashed admirer of Miles Davis was well-known and the program presented at this live session was replete was Davis compositions or associated tunes starting with “All Blues”. With words by Oscar […]
Cory Healey’s Beautiful Sunshine Band – Beautiful Sunshine – Shifting Paradigm
Forecast calls for modern jazz which traverses many influences. Cory Healey’s Beautiful Sunshine Band – Beautiful Sunshine [TrackList follows] Shifting Paradigm SP-117, 58:06 [4/17/16] ****: (Cory Healey – drums, electronics, AM radio; Erik Fratzke – electric bass; Zacc Harris – guitar; Jake Baldwin – trumpet; Brandon Wozniak – tenor saxophone) With a band and an album title called Beautiful Sunshine, listeners might expect covers of Stevie Wonder’s “You Are My Sunshine” or the standard “Smile.” But drummer/composer Cory Healey is just having some fun. This isn’t overtly bright material, but rather modern, comprehensive instrumental jazz which melds bebop, free jazz, ambient moments, rock, indie pop and more. This is music which swerves like a car on an icy road, sometimes in a straight line and sometimes veering wildly. Healey explains, “The name Beautiful Sunshine is tongue in cheek, considering how dark some of the pieces get. The overall theme is that the music is approached with a sense of humor and playfulness.” The story goes that on a cold, April 2014 evening Healey and his new band were performing at a Minneapolis venue, and he decided his group should have a name like “Unique Beautiful Snowflake.” An audience member asked […]
Audio News for June 14, 2016
Pandora Adds Classical Music – Pandora has added classical music to the Music Genome Project, which places it ahead in this respect over other online music services. Pandora is known for its ability to figure out what listeners like based on a musical genetic code for each tune. Nowhere is a song’s musical genetic code more relevant to figuring out what you like than in the complexities of classically-composed music. Pandora Classical includes a collection of over 10,000 recordings by more than 500 composers spanning all classical music genres. In additions to their own stations based on one artist, listeners can listen to one movement in a piece and build a station recommending other similar music pieces by other artists. The founder of Pandora said “…we hope to make classical music more accessible and relevant to everyone.” Over a Million Monthly VR Users Now – The VR market, which didn’t exist less than six months ago, has been taken by Oculus, Samsung and others to a growing ecosystem of games and content. Seven of the top ten apps for Gear VR are video content, and nearly 80% of users watch video content with the device. The Oculus Home Gear VR […]
BOULEZ: Complete Music for Solo Piano – Marc Ponthus, p. – Bridge (2 discs)
Often neglected music by a controversial and sometimes inconsistent composer…but not here! BOULEZ: Complete Music for Solo Piano – Marc Ponthus, piano – Bridge 9456 A/B (2 CDs), TT: 80:35 ****: So let’s list them: Three Sonatas, 12 Notations, Incises, Une page d’ephemeride—that’s it. One would think that someone like Boulez would have completed many more piano works during the course of his long and semi-productive life, but his penchant for ongoing, incomplete, and constantly revised pieces would seem to work against it. Add to that the Leonard Bernstein problem—the attraction, demands, and difficulties of balancing a conducting career with the composing instinct–and I guess it’s not too hard to see why the output is somewhat limited. However, small though it is, it is also very important. Most of the music is very early, the enfant terrible at work coming to terms with the Second Viennese School, and then advancing their initial efforts into something bordering on the radical. The first effort, 12 Notations, constitute the first real encounters with Berg-Webern-Schoenberg triumph, and the results are an elegant and naïve attempt to internalize the essence of these composers. Boulez dismissed them for years, then returned later to orchestrate several of […]
“Sephardic Journey” = Works of ASSAD, LEISNER, RIVERA & Others – Cedille
By all means give this gorgeous album a chance. “Sephardic Journey” = ASSAD: Sephardic Suite; LEISNER: Love Dreams of the Exile; RIVERA: Plegaria y Canto (al Bodre de la Mar); ALAN THOMAS: Trio Sefardi; JOSEPH WILLIAMS: Isabel – Cavatina Duo/ Avalon String Q./ Desiree Ruhstrat, v./ David Cunliffe, cello – Cedille CDR 90000 163, 75:44 [Distr. by Naxos] ****: What are the chances that two separate albums, each titled Sephardic Journey, would appear on two different labels one month apart? Pretty miniscule I would assume, but this is exactly what has happened. I can’t comment on the Avie release featuring Apollo’s Fire since it is not under consideration, but this new release with the Cavatina Duo (Eugenia Moliner, flute, and Denis Azabagic, guitar) and guests is simply lovely in all respects. What is a “Sephardic Journey”? In this case, the married duo discovered that they had roots in the Sephardic Jewish world that was established on the Iberian Peninsula around the year 1000 AD. It spread throughout Spain and Portugal, finally coming to a rather disparate ending when Spain’s Catholic monarchs opened a period of horrendous persecution in the late 1400s. The culture, by all accounts, was lively and deep, […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
