Monthly Archive: June 2016
“Pollini & Abbado: The Complete Deutsche Grammophon Recordings” – 8 CDs
An important bag, if a mixed one, but the pros outweigh the cons. “Pollini & Abbado: The Complete Deutsche Grammophon Recordings” = BEETHOVEN: Complete Piano Concertos; Fantasy for Piano, Chorus, and Orchestra, Op. 80; BRAHMS: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (1995); Piano Concerto No. 2 (1976); SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto, Op. 54; SCHOENBERG: Piano Concerto, Op. 42; BARTOK: Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2; LUIGI NONO: Como una ola de fuerza y lux – DGG 0289 482 1358 0 (8 CDs), 6+ hours [Distr. by Universal] ***1/2: This set, offered around $30, will be a mandatory acquisition for many. Pollini has always been one of my favorite pianists, despite the “hard as nails” criticism often leveled at him. But this is surely not true—his poetic inclinations just happen to be happily wed to a technique second to none in the piano world, and his astounding recordings have easily held up. Well, almost. Hearing this set has offered a second take on many recordings I thought I knew well, and some first sampled on LP are a little different on silver disc. Let’s illumine a couple of things—the Berlin Philharmonic under Abbado, while often reflecting the conductor at somewhat of a […]
BACH Selections – Organist Barbara Harbach – MSR
Harbach’s Bach breathes the breath of openness and refined imagery. BACH: Prelude and St. Anne Fugue in E-flat major, BWV 552; Toccata and Fugue in F major, BWV 540; An Wasserflussen Babylon, BWV 653; Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 546; Choral Prelude: O Mensch Bewein Dein Sunde Gross, BWV 622; Fantasy and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542; Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548 “Wedge” – Barbara Harbach, organ – MSR Classics MS 1444, 74:40 [Distr. by Albany] ****: The Fisk organ of the Downtown Presbyterian Church in Rochester NY, and the Schlicker organ of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lyons NY are the settings for this third Bach disc of Barbara Harbach for MSR Classics. Harbach is quite the wunderkind; Curators’ Professor of Music at the University of Missouri St. Louis, she is a prolific performer, researcher, composer, educator, and historical music specialist. I get tired just looking at all of her accomplishments, and maybe this is why I find her Bach so relaxed, genial, and devotional. If that sounds like code for “boring” to you, the truth is anything but. In fact, after all the Bach organ recordings that seem to have been […]
“Hand Eye” = “Sleeping Giant” – Cedille
Up for a little adventure? Eighth Blackbird provides the roller coaster. B01C5PTUSK “Hand Eye” = SLEEPING GIANT: Checkered Shade; Mine, Mime, Meme; I. Touch; II. Pulse; III. Send; South Catalina; By-by Huey; (Crossfade); Cast – Eighth Blackbird – Cedille CDR 90000 162, 72:21 [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Eighth Blackbird is a marvelously innovative ensemble that has brought much pleasure over the last—gasp!—20 years, and with six Cedille recordings to its credit the journey is well documented. The sometimes conflicting mix of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, and piano is never less than enthralling from this group of former Oberlin-bred musicians. But this is an odd disc. The premise? A group of composers, not named on the album cover (so I won’t here) but operating under the moniker “Sleeping Giant”, each chose to musically respond to a specific art work found in the Maxine and Stuart Frankel collection. Hand Eye is a continuous journey though these responses to contemporary art. The question in cases like this always arises: does it matter? Of course not! While looking at any individual art work may prove interesting in terms of the composer’s own reactions, ultimately, based on the very nature of music itself, which […]
Dave Miller – Old Door Phantoms – ears & eyes
Multi-genre instrumental album of the year. Dave Miller – Old Door Phantoms [TrackList follows] ears & eyes ee:16-046, 44:59 [4/1/16] ****: (Dave Miller – guitar, Mellotron; Ben Boye – pianet, Wurlitzer electric piano, Mellotron; Matt Ulery – Fender bass; Quin Kirchner – drums, percussion) You can’t peg guitarist Dave Miller. He’s juxtaposes jazz, rock and pop influences on his first solo outing, the 45-minute Old Door Phantoms. Miller is experienced at genre-jumping, having performed with John Hollenbeck, Theo Bleckmann, Dan Tepfer, Colin Stranahan, Jeff Parker and many more from the improvisation/jazz scene. Miller taped his new album at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio studio located in Chicago, which is renowned for the many rock acts that have spent time there. Listening to these eight tracks is like being in a single room with Miller and his band: it has the impression and purity of a live recording, where the sound is analog-warm and the instruments seem to blend rather than be isolated. Miller’s quartet was well chosen. Keyboardist Ben Boye has worked alongside roots singer Bonnie “Prince” Billy and outsider jazz group Darts & Arrows. Bassist Matt Ulery has released several records replete with beauty, depth and imagination. And drummer Quin […]
Dave Anderson’s Blue Innuendo – Blue Innuendo – Label 1
Letting the swing and groove go and go and go. Dave Anderson’s Blue Innuendo – Blue Innuendo [TrackList follows] Label 1, L1-2003-2, 57:42 [4/1/16] ****: (Dave Anderson – tenor and soprano saxophone; Tom Guarna – guitar; Pat Bianchi – Hammond organ; Matt Wilson – drums) Saxophonist Dave Anderson loves to swing and groove. That’s one reason he formed a new jazz quartet, Dave Anderson’s Blue Innuendo. On the foursome’s nearly hour-long effort, Blue Innuendo, the former Seattleite takes a classic soul-jazz lineup and puts the group through its paces. Anderson is joined by guitarist Tom Guarna (who leads his own band and has supported Wallace Roney, Stanley Clarke, Mark Turner and Branford Marsalis); Hammond organist Pat Bianchi (who has a couple of his own CDs out; and has worked with Chuck Loeb and JC Stylles); and drummer Matt Wilson (his résumé includes Lee Konitz and Denny Zeitlin). Anderson moved to New York City a few years ago, and this marks his first endeavor since heading east. The ten tracks (all but one are Anderson originals) have a meaningful amount of soulful propulsion. There’s a city-centric focus to some pieces. The eight-minute opener, “Urban Dilemma,” (the longest cut) was penned expressly […]
Phronesis – Parallax – Edition EDN
Jazz which covers food to fish, astronomy to harmonization. Phronesis – Parallax [TrackList follows] Edition EDN 1070 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] 56:47 [4/8/16] ****: (Jasper Høiby – doublebass; Ivo Neame – piano; Anton Eger – drums) Pan-European trio Phronesis escalates an atmosphere of adventure, veered jazz and interplayed imagination on sixth album overall—and fourth for the Edition label. Danish bassist Jasper Høiby, British pianist Ivo Neame and Swedish drummer Anton Eger create undulating, modern jazz which is independent from traditional norms but remains approachable. The nine original tracks (three apiece penned by each member) were taped during a single day at London’s Abbey Road studio. The result is music of the moment. There is absorbing spontaneity, regardless if time might have gone into rehearsal or pre-planning. The hour-long presentation commences with two memorable cuts. Eger’s aptly driving “67000 MPH” has unpredictable thematic variations and expressive tempo changes. The fast-paced rhythmic alterations mirror the title, which refers to the speed the earth orbits the sun. The metrical back-and-forth between piano and drums offers a lesson in cadenced communication. Neame’s punningly-titled “OK Chorale” has a name inspired by the famous American Western shoot-out, but the music is far from cattle country. Chorales […]
BRUCH: String Quartet in c; Swedish Dances for Violin and Piano; Piano Quintet in g – Piers Lane, p./ Goldner String Q. – Hyperion
Piers Lane and the Goldner Quartet add another pearl to their string of gems, Bruch’s Piano Quintet. BRUCH: String Quartet in c, Op. 9; Swedish Dances for Violin and Piano; Piano Quintet in g – Piers Lane, p./ Goldner String Quartet – Hyperion CDA68120, 77:40 (4/1/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Recorded 18-20 February 2015, this album provides a sturdy cross-section of chamber music by Max Bruch (1838-1920), whose reputation, even after virtually one hundred years, rests upon a small number of concerted works for violin and orchestra. Chamber music, for Bruch, came at the extremes of his long life; and a few of us recall some clarinet-trio pieces that comprise his Op. 83. The c minor Quartet featured here by the Goldner String Quartet – Dene Olding and Dimitry Hall, violins; Irina Morozova, viola; and Julian Smiles, cello – offers us a student work – supervised by Carl Reinecke and Ferdinand Breuning – from 1856, and its expansive first movement contains an energy that may well fall under a sturm und drang rubric, possibly taken from the Op. 44 Mendelssohn quartets. The Goldner Quartet, however, takes a lyrical approach to this music, which begins Andante, then follows a concertante […]
W.H. Squire (cello) in Chamber Music of BRAHMS, DVORAK, TCHAIKOVSKY, HARTY, DUNKLER – Pristine Audio
Cello virtuoso W.H. Squire has potent representation in chamber works from the acoustic and early electric sound era. W.H. Squire in Chamber Music = BRAHMS: Clarinet Trio in a minor, Op. 114 (acoustic recording); TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Trio in a minor, Op. 50; DVORAK (arr. Gruenfeld): Songs my mother taught me; HARTY: Scherzo, Op. 8; HURE: Air; DUNKLER: La fileuse – W.H. Squire, cello/ H.P. Draper, clarinet; Hamilton Harty, piano/ Arthur Catterall, violin/ William Murdoch, piano/ George Thomas Pattman, organ – Pristine Audio PACM 101, 77:24 [avail. in various formats from www.prisitneclassical.com] ****: Audio restoration engineer and producer Mark Obert-Thorn adds to the active legacy of British cellist W.H. Squire (1871-1963), with a series of chamber works the artist consigned to disc, 1924-1928. Squire recorded few large-scale chamber pieces; and beyond the two offered here, only the Beethoven Archduke Trio remains (on Pristine PACM 073), this collaboration also with violin Catterall and pianist Murdoch. I always confess to my general dislike of acoustic recordings, given their hollow resonance in many instruments. Quite unusual, then, is it to find a Columbia Records production (24 October 1924) of the most rare of the Brahms chamber works, his Clarinet Trio, one of four compositions […]
Sonoma Master Series/ One – PS Audio – stereo only
Sonoma Master Series/ One – PS Audio – stereo only- SACD + DSD & PCM Data DVD, 39:04 ****1/2: Multiple artist audiophile showcase hits all the right notes! (Bonnie Paine – washboard, djembe, musical saw, stompbox, vocals; Bridget Law – fiddle, octave fiddle; Charlie Rose – banjo, pedal steel, guitar, horns, cello, double bass; Dango Rose – double bass, mandolin, banjo; Daniel Rodriguez – guitar, banjo, double bass; Janet Feder – baritone guitar; Todd Bilsborough – percussion; Mike Yach – electric guitar; Davis Elias – acoustic guitar, vocals; Matt Flinner – Irish Bouzouki; Sally Van Meter – Weissenborn guitar; Eric Thorn – upright bass; Marc Dalio – drums; Ron Miles – trumpet, coronet; Bill Frisell – guitar; David Darling – cello; Jacqueline Tschabold Bhuyan – piano; Lara Riggles – piano, vocals; Amy Shelley – drums; Sarah Louise Pieplow – harmonica, vocals; Lesley Kernochan – musical saw; Otis Taylor – guitar; Todd Edmunds – bass; Adam Agee – fiddle; Jon Sousa – guitar; Fionas Joy – piano; Reed Foehl – acoustic guitar, vocals; Steven Vidaic – piano; Neal Casal – electric guitar; Jonathan Meadows – bass ) PS Audio has been an innovative producer of home audio products since 1973. Additionally, […]
The Frank Sinatra Collection (2016)
The Frank Sinatra Collection – DVD (2016) This is a nostalgic look at an iconic performer! Cast: Frank Sinatra; Nelson Riddle And His Orchestra; Ella Fitzgerald; Antonio Carlos Jobim; Diahann Carroll; The Fifth Dimension; Don Costa & His Orchestra Studio: Eagle Vision EV307649 (5/27/16) Video: 4:3, Color Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 TrackList: (A Man And His Music + Ella + Jobim): Day In Day Out; Get Me To The Chuch On Time; What Now My Love; ‘Ol Man River; All In Need Is The Girl; Body And Soul; It’s Alright With Me; How High The Moon; Up Up And Away; Look Out For Jimmy Valentine; Theme To Tony Rome; Ode To Billy Joe; Goin’ Out Of My Head; Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars; Change Partners; I Concentrate On You; The Girl From Ipanema; The Song Is You’ They Can’t Take That Away From Me; Stompin’ At The Savoy; At Long Last Love; Don’t Be That Way; The Lady Is A Tramp; Put Your Dreams Away (Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing): Hello Young Lovers; Baubles, Bangles And Beads; Cycles; The Music That Makes Me Dance; Deep Deep River; Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child; Lonesome Road; Nobody Knows The […]
Zootopia, Blu-ray (2016)
Another wonderful Disney family animation feature from Pixar. Zootopia, Blu-ray (2016) Directors: Bryon Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush Voice-overs: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba Studio: Walt Disney Studios (6/7/16) Video: 2.40:1 for 16:9 widescreen, 1080p HD color Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DD 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1 Subtitles: English, French, Spanish Dubbed: French, Spanish Extras: “Zoology: The Roundtables,” “The Origin of an Animal Tale,” “Research: A True-Life Adventure,” “Z.P.D. Forensic Files,” Deleted characters, Deleted scenes, More… Length: 108 min. Rating: ***** The Pixar crew had a challenging job with this one. Not only is the big city of Zootopia populated entirely by animals, but the animals are clothed and walking on two feet on top of it. The animators began with a research trip on a photo safari to Africa to see the real animals in action. The predators are kept in check in Zootopia by a special collar they all wear which imparts pain if they try to attack and eat other animals, which fits into part of the plot of the film. The main character is a cute little bunny, Judy Hopps, who wants above all to be a policewoman. She ends up partnering with a […]
WYNTON MARSALIS: Blood On The Fields, Blu-ray (1996/2016)
A fine documentary on the making of the 1996 Marsalis album. WYNTON MARSALIS: Blood On The Fields, Blu-ray (1996/2016) Cast: Wynton Marsalis Director: Susan Shaw Studio: Monarda/ Arthaus Musik 109215 [3/25/16] Video: For 16:9 screens, 1080i color & b&w Audio: English PCM Stereo Subtitles: English, German, French All regions Length: 54 min. Rating: **** This film, obviously with its under-an-hour length, was made by director Susan Shaw in honor of the Marsalis composition Blood On The Fields. He is more than well-known as a trumpet player and composer in jazz as well as the classical genre. Much of the film consists of black and white footage of Marsalis sitting in the back seat of his car being driven around NYC while he expounds on the meanings of jazz and so on. In the film he journeys not only to his Lincoln Center headquarters, but also to his home town of New Orleans and to the NYC studio where the album Blood On The Fields was recorded. His assembled band from Lincoln Center is seen putting together the album, while he talks about his music and his special way of working. While it would be a shame to have this video […]
Lullaby of Birdland – The Shearing Touch, Blu-ray (1994/2016)
A fine documentary rather than just a concert performance by the artist. Lullaby of Birdland – The Shearing Touch, Blu-ray (1994/2016) Cast: George Shearing, piano & vocals Director: Jill Marshall Studio: Monarda/ ArtHaus Musik [3/25/16] (Distr. by Naxos) Video: 4:3 color, 1080i HD color & b&w Audio: English PCM stereo Subtitles: English, German, French No region Length: 50 min. Rating: **** Shearing was a phenomenal jazz pianist and composer some of whose music took the world by storm. Like Marion McPartland he was also British, but in addition had been blind from birth. The nice thing about this documentary is that it is not just a concert performance, but a fascinating mix of commentary by Shearing himself plus excerpts drawn from from the six decades of his long career in music. It’s a pleasure to hear him telling about how he encouraged his mother to throw empty glass bottles out the window so he could hear the various frequencies as they hit the brick walkways. He sat next to me at a composition class in music school and mentioned how he always wanted to write a fugue in the style of Bach, but he often used familiar classical tunes as […]
“Belle Epoque” French music for harp and orchestra – Emmanuel Ceysson, harp/ Orch. Régional Avignon Provence – Naïve
Soothing music for harp and orchestra from French composers, performed by Emmanuel Ceysson. “Belle Epoque” French music for harp and orchestra – Emmanuel Ceysson, harp/ Orchestre Régional Avignon Provence – Naïve V5419, 65:54 [7/31/15] (Distr. by Naxos) *****: The turn of the last century truly was a “beautiful era” for music in France. So this disc of harp music composed around that time is appropriately named. The Paris Conservatoire was the focal point for much of the musical pedagogy and creativity. It was there that the harp prodigy Henriette Renié (1875 – 1956) enrolled at ten years of age, and began lessons with the man, Alphonse Hasselmans, of whom she had said after hearing him play a concert of harp music, “That man is going to be my harp teacher.” She was five years old at the time! She became a legendary performer, composer and teacher on her instrument. Her Concerto in C minor (1901) opens this disc. The first movement Allegro risoluto shows the harp in full partnership with the orchestra. The second movement is a hymn-like Adagio, and the third, a Scherzo, is a delightful frolic with a pastoral interlude. The last movement Final continues Renié’s penchant for […]
Audio News for June 10, 2016
Over Eight Billion Connected Devices Globally Now – According to a new Business Wire article, number of connected AV devices worldwide is now 8.1 billion. This includes smartphones, tablets, PCs, TVs, TV-attached devices and audio hardware. On average this equates to an amazing four devices per household. Smartphones outnumber tablets by five to one and are expected to rise eventually to nearly 10:1. The Apple TV, starting at $149, has been unable to out-ship the Google Chromecast at $35. Netflix has a presence across 32% of connected devices in the U.S. Pay TV media apps are now virtually guaranteed to set alongside the Netflix app on consumer’s end devices. Sony Promotes Hi-Res Audio with Their Magic Bus – Their RSX-GS9 in-dash hi-res head unit has been installed with a 4620-watt sound system in a Mercedes Benz cargo van, which is touring trade shows and consumer events. The head end unit has a 32-bit D/A converter from ESS Technology. The player achieves a dynamic range of up to 135dB with low noise and distortion. All primary components have been optimized to minimize electro-magnetic noise and time-based errors (jitter). Classical Music Gets Casual in Kitchens ad Warehouses – The writer reports that […]
Jeff Lederer & Brooklyn Blowhards – Brooklyn Blowhards – little music
Wailing saxes and whaling songs wend together in this year’s most unique jazz offering. Jeff Lederer & Brooklyn Blowhards – Brooklyn Blowhards [TrackList follows] little music 616892358640 52:20 [4/8/16] ****: (Jeff Lederer – tenor and soprano saxophone; Petr Cancura – tenor saxophone; Kirk Knuffke – clarinet, slide trumpet; Brian Drye – trombone; Art Bailey – accordion; Stephen LaRosa, Matt Wilson, Allison Miller – concert percussion, ship’s bell, chum bucket, chain; Mary LaRose – vocals (tracks 5, 7, 10, 12, 14); Gary Lucas – guitar (tracks 5, 10, 12)) The notion of linking Albert Ayler, traditional sea chanties and Herman Melville’s novel, Moby Dick, may appear like something from a late-night dream. But it’s a reality. Saxophonist Jeff Lederer has created what is surely the most unique jazz album of the year. His group (and the band’s self-titled release) is Brooklyn Blowhards. The record is available as digital download, CD or vinyl. This review refers to the CD. The project’s gestation occurred when Lederer’s friend and musical collaborator, drummer/percussionist Matt Wilson, told Lederer how Ayler’s 1967 recording, Love Cry, “sounded very folk-like… almost like sea chanties.” Years later, cornetist Kirk Knuffke (also part of the Brooklyn Blowhards) introduced Lederer to the […]
Johnny Winter With Dr. John – Live In Sweden 1987 (CD + DVD)
Johnny Winter With Dr. John – Live In Sweden 1987 (CD + DVD) Two musical legends meet at the crossroads in Sweden no less! Cast: Johnny Winter – guitar, vocals; Dr. John – piano, vocals; Jon Paris – bass, harmonica, vocals; Tom Compton – drums Studio: MVD Entertainment MVD 81270 Video: 1.33:1 for 4:3 display, color Audio: PCM Stereo 2.0 TrackList (DVD + CD): Sound The Bell; Don’t Take Advantage Of Me; Mojo Boogie; You Lie Too Much; Sugar Sweet; Love Life & Money; Jumpin’ Jack Flash; Prodigal Son (DVD only) Length: 58 minutes Rating: Video: ***1/2 Audio: **** Overall: **** All rock and rollers owe a huge debt to American Blues. That includes Elvis, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Rolling Stones or Bob Dylan. Some rock stars believe that maintaining the blues narrative is a sacred mandate. Among this group is Texas native Johnny Winter. Throughout his lengthy career (Winter passed away in 2014), Winter unabashedly lived and played blues music. This dedication to purity may have impacted his commercial success, but he still became a legend. MVD Visual has unearthed a thirty-year old performance by Winter. Johnny Winter With Dr. John – Live In […]
TANEYEV: Chamber Music with Piano = Piano Quartet in E Major, Op. 20; Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 22; Violin Sonata in a; Piano Quintet in g – Solisti dell’Officina Musicale – Aevea (2 CDs)
A survey of Taneyev’s chamber music with piano unearths several mighty treasures of earnest power and learned style. TANEYEV: Chamber Music with Piano = Piano Quartet in E Major, Op. 20; Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 22; Violin Sonata in a; Piano Quintet in g, Op. 30 – Solisti dell’Officina Musicale – Aevea AE15004005 (2 CDs), 85:30, 72:03 (10/9/15) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Recorded 21-25 November 2013, these chamber works display the significant talent of Sergei Taneyev (1856-1915), whom some consider to be Tchaikovsky’s natural successor, both as composer and pedagogue. The Piano Quartet (1907) provides a good example of Taneyev’s Romantic style, having been conceived before Taneyev’s departure from the Moscow Conservatory in 1905. The four soloists – Alessandro Deljavan, piano; Daniela Cammarano, violin; Paolo Castellitto, viola; and Andrea Agostinelli, cello – inject a direct energy into the music, the first movement’s offering a robustly expansive Allegro brillante that seems less Russian than lyrically ornamental and militant in the manner of Mendelssohn. Clear period breaks mark the various aspects of Taneyev’s conception of sonata-form. The main interest lies in the keyboard part, which displays liquid runs and a purring accompaniment to the soaring expressiveness – nostalgic, akin to […]
BRAHMS: Clarinet Quintet in b; Hindemith: Clarinet Quintet – Raphael Severe, clar./ Quatour Prazak – Mirare
Two German clarinet quintets from opposed aesthetics find brilliant realization in these performances from Prague. BRAHMS: Clarinet Quintet in b, Op. 115; Hindemith: Clarinet Quintet, Op. 30 – Raphael Severe, clarinet/ Quatour Prazak – Mirare MIR 282, 58:00 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Recorded February and May 2015, these two German clarinet quintets in diametrically opposing styles feature the young French clarinet virtuoso Raphael Severe, who has already gained prestige for his mellifluous talent. The 1891 Brahms Clarinet Quintet remains his most glorious autumnal work, the expression of a man who had already “dismissed” his creative energy, only to have found renewal in his meeting with Richard Muehfeld of the Meiningen Orchestra. Romantic in content and classical in its form, the Brahms Quintet takes its cue from the works of Mozart and Weber in the same format. The emotional constituent remains primarily nostalgia, tinted by hints of gypsy influence and Mozart’s penchant for variations. After two idyllic movements, the third reveals – as in the Symphony No. 1 – the composer’s taste for five-bar phrases and a more spacious sonority. The fourth movement, a series of variants, allows each member of the string quartet, besides the solo clarinet, to participate […]
HAYDN: Symphonies Nos. 78, 79, 80 & 81 – Accademia Bizantina/ Ottavio Dantone – Decca (2 CDs)
Beautifully recorded and rendered, these original instrument realizations of rare Haydn symphonies do everyone honor. HAYDN: Symphony No. 78 in c; Symphony No. 79 in F Major; Symphony No. 80 in d; Symphony No. 81 in G Major – Accademia Bizantina/ Ottavio Dantone – Decca 478 8837 (2 CDs), 54:20, 55:10 (2/12/16) [Distr. by Universal] *****: Recorded June-September 2015, this little-known quartet of Haydn symphonies 78-81 dates from the years 1782-1784, when Haydn still served as kapellmeister to the Esterhazy family in their spectacular summer and winter palaces in Esterháza (present day Hungary) and Eisenstadt (Austria), where the music was first performed. Collectors will know these works through the Antal Dorati editions he led with Philharmonia Hungarica, or individually: for instance, the one symphony familiar to me, the sturm und drang No. 80 in d minor, I first heard in a live broadcast of the New York Philharmonic under Dimitri Mitropoulos. Decca plans a 36-CD edition of the complete Haydn Symphonies as performed on period instruments. We might begin with Dantone’s reading of the said No. 80 in d minor: though not “officially” part of the composer’s sturm und drang compositions, it opens with a fierce gesture in tremolo – […]
“Opus 250” – Works by BERG, ULVO, SÖDERLING and PAUS – Bergen Philharmonic Orch. – LAWO
“Opus 250” – Works by BERG, ULVO, SÖDERLING and PAUS – Bergen Philharmonic Orch. /Andrew Litton /James Macmillan/ Edward Gardner – LAWO Classics LC1089, 72:54 (11/27/15) [Dist. by Naxos] ****: Contemporary music from Norway nicely recorded and expertly played. In celebration of its 250th anniversary (!), the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra has undertaken an interesting project of commissioning and premiering more than 20 new compositions. Contemporary music has always been central to the orchestra’s tradition which, nearer the time of the orchestra’s founding, premiered works by Haydn and Beethoven. Opus 250 is the name of this project dedicated not only to the modern composers represented, but also to the musicians of the orchestra and particularly its own soloists. The four works included on this CD are the result of efforts by the soloists themselves to inspire and collaborate with Norwegian composers with whom they particularly identify. Our readers aren’t likely to have heard any of the works on this disc, but that doesn’t render them uninteresting. In fact, the program is quite a fine survey of contemporary music. The first work is Olav Berg’s Concerto for Viola and Orchestra. He says he based the piece on a dream, and the piece […]
Audio News for June 7, 2016
On Panasonic Giving Up On Plasma TVs – The TV set made Panasonic a household name from Singapore to San Francisco. Their TV engineers pointed out that though plasma flat-panel technology gave a better picture, consumers preferred the lighter, durable rival: liquid LCD TVs. When the new president Kazuhiro Tsuga took over in 2012, he announced that he would downsize the TV business as a whole and shutter the plasma plants. He re-organized Panasonic’s myriad businesses, ditched other beloved but moneylosing operations, and refocused investment on more promising businesses. The company no longer sells TVs in the U.S. and has a minimal presence in China. It has conquered extreme losses and is doing much better than competitors Sony and Sharp. Monolith Seven-Channel 200-watt Amp – At $1499 the new 7×200 multichannel home theater power amp from Monolith provides a serious shot of adrenaline for your audio surround systems at a low price. It is a massive Class AB amp with dual torodial power supplies with weights 92 lbs. Unlike most multichannel amps, the Monolith is measured for its 200-watt rating with all seven channels driven across the full power bandwidth – not just two. It has a three-year replacement warranty […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
