Monthly Archive: October 2016
“Traceur – American Music for Clarinet and Piano” = Works of ROBERT BEASER, JOSEPH SCHWANTNER, LUKAS FOSS, MARTI EPSTEIN, DEREK BERMEL & DAVID GOMPPER – Michael Norsworthy, clar. – New Focus
An outstanding set of modern works played and recorded flawlessly. “Traceur – American Music for Clarinet and Piano” = ROBERT BEASER: Souvenirs; JOSEPH SCHWANTNER: Black Anemones; LUKAS FOSS: Three American Pieces; MARTI EPSTEIN: Nebraska Impromptu; DEREK BERMEL: SchiZm; DAVID GOMPPER: Traceur – Michael Norsworthy, clarinet/David Gompper, p. – New Focus Recordings FCR172, 68:47 [Distr. by Naxos] (8/12/16) *****: Michael Norsworthy is one of the country’s great clarinetists with a real feel for modern music and jazz-inflected works and with a tone quality and style that reminds me a bit of that of one of his main teachers, Richard Stoltzman. Norsworthy is also a professor of clarinet at Berklee College in Boston and has done a lot of work pioneering new works for clarinet. His accompanist in this very fine set is David Gompper, who is also a composer and pianist who has also done a lot with modern music. The opening work is also my favorite on this recording. Robert Beaser’s Souvenirs was originally written for piccolo and piano and are here presented in the composer’s transcription for clarinet and piano. They are a charming and very effective set of works that reflect destinations and people the composer has experienced and have a very nice, accessible somewhat […]
Indignation, Blu-ray (2016)
A fine filmic version of a Philip Roth novel. Indignation, Blu-ray (2016) Cast: Sarah Gadon, Logan Lerman, Ben Rosenfield, Noah Robbins, Tracy Letts Studio: Lionsgate (11/8/16) Director: James Schamus Video: 1.85:1 for 16:9 screens, HD color 1080p Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish Extras: “Timeless: Connecting the Past to the Present,” “Perceptions: Bringing Philip Roth to the Screen,” Previews Length: 111 min. Rating: **** A clash of cultures based on the 2008 novel by Philip Roth. A young intense Jewish boy from New Jersey, Marcus, goes to a conservative Christian college in Ohio and becomes infatuated with a beautiful classmate, Olivia. She gives him a blow job on their first date and he isn’t quite able to handle it. She has attempted suicide earlier but he only learns of this later. Their attraction sparks encounters with consequences that were never imagined. His and his family’s plans are thrown for a loop by his relationship. There is a very long scene of Marcus being sort of grilled by the head of the college, especially about religious freedom, which continues much longer than most such scenes. He is very staunch in defending his personal life and privacy. (His […]
PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19; Violin Concerto No. 2 in g, Op. 35; Solo Sonata in D Major, Op. 115 – Vadim Gluzman, v./ Estonian Nat. Sym. Orch./ Neeme Jarvi – BIS
Strong collaborations and incisive sound editing give us fine interpretations of Prokofiev’s major violin works. PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19; Violin Concerto No. 2 in g, Op. 35; Solo Sonata in D Major, Op. 115 – Vadim Gluzman, v./ Estonian Nat. Sym. Orch./ Neeme Jarvi – BIS multichannel SACD-2142, 60:21 (8/12/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Ukrainian-Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman (b. 1973) recorded the present Prokofiev works between May 2014 and July 2015, playing upon an extraordinary instrument, the 1690 Stradivarius once owned by pedagogue Leopold Auer. The quality of instrumental tone has an ardent complement in Gluzman’s natural sympathy for the works he performs here with the support of Neeme Jarvi and his veteran Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. The D Major Prokofiev Concerto (1917) still vibrates with a sense of the enfant terrible who wishes to astonish the conservative status quo. Although Nathan Milstein – who premiered the work in Moscow in 1923 – called the music “one of the best modern violin concertos,” many of the elite virtuosos declined to perform it, and it was left to the enterprising Joseph Szigeti to make the first recording with Sir Thomas Beecham. The dreamy first movement […]
Don Friedman Piano Trio – Strength and Sanity – Newvelle vinyl
Don Friedman – honoring Booker Little… Don Friedman – Strength and Sanity – Newvelle NV004LP – audiophile vinyl (Available only through newvelle-records.com) ****: (Don Friedman – piano/ Phil Palombi – bass/ Shinnosuke Takahashi – drums) For jazz vinyl and CD collectors with extensive collections, it is often a chore to keep track of our most valuable recordings, those that we want to pull out and revisit when the inspiration hits and we need to be moved again. This is especially pertinent at this time when our world is rather chaotic. For me, I keep these treasures handy by not pushing the CD jewel cases and LPs back against the walls or storage shelves. Thus they remain within vision in my everyday world. Whether it is your favorite Blue Note Hank Mobley, or whatever Bill Evans Trio that still tugs at your heart, they are within reach when the need for sanity returns. Speaking of “sanity,” one CD that has always been completely free to breathe in my listening room is the xdcd version of Circle Waltz by Don Friedman from 1962. Backed by Chuck Israels and Pete LaRoca, this session matches up well with the iconic Bill Evans Trio of […]
OLA GJEILO: Ubi caritas & other works = Str. quartet & guitar – Decca
My second exposure to this composer, and it is a very satisfying experience.
B01BIEK8JO OLA GJEILO: Ubi caritas; The Spheres; The Ground; Sanctus: London; The Crossing; Northern Lights; The Lake Isle; Serenity; Tundra; Reflections; Sacred Heart – Ola Gjeilo, p./ Voces 8/ Tenebrae/ Chamber Orch. of London/ Thomas Gould, Ben Hancox, Hannah Dawson & Ciaran McCabe, violins/ Jon Thorne & Simone van der Giessen, violas/ Matthew Sharp, cello/ Kristian Kvalvaag, guitar – Decca B0024646, 47:34 [Distr. by Universal] ****:
Northern Lights is a spectacular SACD on Chandos released a few years ago. It has a couple of the selections here. The forces on this stereo CD (not an SACD) are equally adept at Gjeilo’s idiom, and the sound on this disc is very special indeed, but it cannot compare to the sonic splendor of the Chandos. In that 2012 review I said that “It is in effect a religious album though you would not know it by Chandos’s clever masking of that fact”, and that the composer creates “basically diatonic and melody-driven compositions, making for a quaint and sometimes ingenious combination of Slavic feeling set in the mode of someone like Daniel Pinkham.”
Listening to this disc, I hear little to change my mind.
Gjeilo is no Eric Whitacre—his harmonies refuse the tense, ecstatic, almost overbearing dissonances that fall as easily as consonances on the ear. He is more melody-centered (though not in a traditional sense) and his harmony is calmer and far more pointed. The pieces on this disc use a wide variety of instrumental accompaniment, which differs from the Chandos disc, though I must admit that I don’t hear in the instruments anything that is particularly idiomatic to those instruments. In other words, you could swap out one for another and still come away with the same effect, albeit a slightly different coloring, even though we do have some instrument-only pieces in this collection.
Whichever way you look at it, the music is exceptionally engaging and non-threatening while at the same time alluring and enticing in a very subtle manner. If your blood pressure is high, this might be the ticket. The performers are top-notch, and only the short playing time irritates me, especially as Chandos saw fit to give us an hour, and on as SACD. Nicely done, and well worth considering.
—Steven Ritter
Nils Okland Band – Kjolvatn – ECM
Nils Okland Band – Kjolvatn – ECM 2382, 49:25 6/26/15 ***: (Nils Okland; viola d’amore, fiddle/ Rolf-Erik Nystrom; saxophones/ Sigbjorn Apeland; harmonium/ Mats Eilertson; double-bass/ Hakon Morch Stene; percussion, vibraphone) A November open-boat journey with ECM. Here we have an ECM production in the by now well-established Nordic folk-jazz genre. The cover features the inevitable crepuscular seascape with clouds receding. There is not a bird in sight, nor any artifact of the human or animal world. It is the watery element raised to a metaphysical principle. Eicher and his staff spend much time choosing the ECM covers. The group features an intriguing line-up of instruments. The leader, Nils Okland, plays the Hardanger fiddle, with its extra deep resonance from the sympathetic strings on the back, as well as viola d’amore. Rolf-Erik Nystrom is on alto saxophone. Mats Eilertsen is on double-bass. There is a wide assortment of percussion in addition to vibraphone from Hakon Stene and harmonium by Sigbjorn Apelsand. All predictions by experienced ECM fans will prove correct as to the general drift and mood of this recording. It was recorded in a stone church; deeply resonant and dark hued, giving excellent presence to the strings and percussion. Perhaps, […]
Erik Then-Bergh – The Complete Electrola and Deutsche Grammophone Recordings, 1938-1958 = Works of HANDEL, BEETHOVEN, BACH, SCHUMANN, CHOPIN & REGER – APR (2-CDs)
Mark Obert-Thorn and Appian Records restore Erik Then-Bergh to prominence. Erik Then-Bergh – The Complete Electrola and Deutsche Grammophone Recordings, 1938-1958 = HANDEL: Suite No. 4 in e minor; BACH (arr. BUSONI): Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in d, BWV 1004; BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101; Bagatelles, Op. 33: Nos. 1 and 4; SCHUMANN: Piano Sonata No. 2 in g, Op. 22; CHOPIN: Nocturne in B Major, Op. 62, No. 1; REGER: Silhouettes, Op. 53: Nos. 2 and 6; Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Telemann, Op. 134; Piano Concerto in f, Op. 114 – Erik Then-Bergh, p./ Southwest Radio Orch., Baden-Baden/ Hans Rosbaud – APR 6021 (2-CDs) 77:39, 76:52 (10/28/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Erik Then-Bergh (1916-1982) for years has remained a “singular success,” his reputation having embraced one recorded work, the Piano Concerto of Max Reger – born, co-incidentally, the same 1916. Then-Bergh, however, deserves a wider acknowledgment of his singular powers – as several YouTube videos attest – as both performer and pedagogue, a long-awaited homage that Mark Obert-Thorn has managed to achieve. Erik Then-Bergh received his first piano lessons at the age of five from his father and a further […]
Miroslav Vitous – Infinite Search – Embryo/Warner Music/ PurePleasure – vinyl
Jazz-rock fusion of distinction… Miroslav Vitous – Infinite Search – Embryo/Warner Music/ PurePleasure PPAN SD 524 – stereo vinyl (1969-2016) ***1/2: (Miroslav Vitous – bass; Joe Henderson – tenor sax; John McLaughlin – electric guitar; Herbie Hancock – piano; Jack DeJohnette – drums; (Joe Chambers replaces DeJohnette on “Epilogue”)) Bassist Miroslav Vitous was only 22 years old when he recorded his debut album for Herbie Mann’s label, Embryo. Vitous was a part of Mann’s band at the time, and Herbie handled the production duties. Miroslav was a major young talent on the bass and was awarded a scholarship to the Berklee School of Music after being raised in what is now the Czech Republic. He immediately made a scene in New York working with major names including Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry and Art Farmer. Infinite Search made such a strong impression on the burgeoning jazz rock fusion community that Vitous was asked to be an original member of Weather Report. Quite the accomplishment for such a young player. Infinite Search was an easy choice for an audiophile upgrade from PurePleasure on 180 gm vinyl. As an early jazz fusion issue from 1969, it featured a dream line-up of Joe Henderson, […]
Dinah Washington – Back to the Blues – Parlophone/ PurePleasure vinyl
Dinah Washington – Returning to her roots… Dinah Washington – Back to the Blues – Parlophone/ PurePleasure PPAN SR 25189 – stereo vinyl (1963/2016) ****: (Dinah Washington – vocals, Fred Norman – arranger and conductor; backed by largely unknown artists with exception of Eddie Chamblee and Illinois Jacquet on tenor sax, and Billy Butler on guitar. Trumpeter is possibly Joe Newman) Towards the end of her career, songstress Dinah Washington was panned by some critics for recording weak pop music with overly commercial string backing. Washington’s inimitable voice overcame these limitations but her reputation still suffered. Recorded a little over a year before her tragic death at age 39, Dinah returned to her blues roots, backed by a sympathetic big band led by Fred Norman, on Back to the Blues. She was clearly back in her element and the strings and background voices do not distract from her presentation. The choice of material is largely traditional. The boutique audiophile label PurePleasure, out of England, has recently re-released this album on 180 gm vinyl remastered by their ace engineer, Ray Staff. The acoustics are more than adequate for the time period, and the stereo separation brings no complaints. This LP provides […]
Marian Anderson – Let Freedom Ring = Works of DONIZETTI, SCHUBERT, BRAHMS, SCHUBERT SIBELIUS & Others –
Musical and social history are well served by this historic restoration devoted to the art of Marian Anderson. Marian Anderson – Let Freedom Ring = TRAD: “America”; DONIZETTI: “Fia dunque vero…O mio Fernando” from La Favorita; SCHUBERT: Ave Maria; “Gospel Train”; “Trampin’”; BRAHMS: “Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer,” Op. 105, No. 2; “Von ewiger Liebe,” Op. 43, No. 1; SCHUBERT: “Die Forelle”; “Der Erlkoenig”; “Ave Maria”; SAINT-SAENS: “Mon couer s’ouvre a ta voix” from Samson et Dalila; “Comin’ Through the Rye”; KILPINEN: “Von zwei Rosen”; “Det var I varens ljusa tid”; SIBELIUS: Solitude from Belshazzar’s Feast; Black Roses; TRAD: Laeksin mina kesaeyoena kaeymaan; 8 Spirituals – Marian Anderson = JSP Records JSP683, 79:03 (11/4/16) *****: Years ago, at an Atlanta concert that featured bass-baritone William Warfield, I asked him if Paul Robeson were a model or icon whom he followed. Obviously uncomfortable with my question, Warfield commented, “Why, no; if anyone were my ‘idol,’ it would have be Marian Anderson.” Philadelphia native Marian Anderson (1897-1993) remains a vital part of the Civil Rights Movement albeit less “volatile” a figure than Robeson – given the scandalous behavior of Constitution Hall manager Fred Hand and the Daughters of the American Revolution in […]
BELA BARTOK: String Quartets Nos. 2, 4, & 6 – Jerusalem Quartet – Harmonia mundi
BELA BARTOK: String Quartets Nos. 2, 4, & 6 – Jerusalem Quartet – Harmonia mundi 902235, 78:51 [11/4/16] *****: (Jerusalem Quartet; Alexander Pavlovsky & Sergei Bresler – violins; Ori Kam – viola; Kyril Zlotnikov – violoncello) Bartok without flinching. In March of 2013, the Jerusalem Quartet came to Portland, Oregon and performed the entire cycle of Shostakovich String Quartets over 5 days. They communicated with power and passion the many voices of this most personal of composers. It remains my most indelible musical experience of recent years. The recordings released on Harmonia mundi of the group from about the same time, allow for a repeated investigation of method and message of this ensemble, which surely ranks with the Takacs Quartet at the summit of the business. Of course, one can start with their precision; their ensemble respires and inhales as one fiery beast. But what makes me grab the sleeve of the passer-by with urgency of the Ancient Mariner is the quartet’s sound; It is balanced where it needs to be, but not lacking in the pronounced individuality of each instrument. I am tempted to highlight the sonority of the viola, for which Shostakovich must have some special regard, but […]
Cory Weeds Quintet featuring David Hazeltine – It’s Easy To Remember – CellarLive
Cory Weeds Quintet featuring David Hazeltine – It’s Easy To Remember – CellarLive CL031716, 52:58 ****: An enthusiastic session from understanding and open-minded partners. (Cory Weeds – tenor saxophone; David Hazeltine – piano; Joe Magnarelli – trumpet; Paul Gill – acoustic bass; Jason Tiemann – drums) Here comes Cory Weeds. In what surely must be some kind of record for the issuance of albums by a Canadian tenor saxophonist, It’s Easy To Remember is the latest addition to Weeds’ substantial discography. Recorded live at Small’s Jazz Club in New York City on March 17, 2016, Weeds has surrounded himself with some top-notch New York-based musicians including the savvy, thoughtfully tasteful pianist David Hazeltine. In a session songbook of the known, nearly known, and unknown compositions, the band has an eclectic mix of numbers with which to display their inventiveness and curiosity. Starting out with a Kenny Drew piece, “With Prestige,” which has an entertaining bebop frame, the band demonstrates their exploratory spirit. Each member takes a piece of the action with Weeds showing his meaningful command of the saxophone, as Hazeltine delivers some long structural lines on the piano. Bassist Gill also dives in with a brief arco solo. “Smoke […]
Papa Hemingway in Cuba (2016)
A fine film biopic of Hemingway in Havana. Papa Hemingway in Cuba (2016) Cast: Giovanni Ribisi, Joely Richardson, Minka Kelly, Adrian Sparks Studio: 20th Century Fox (10/25/16) Video: 2.40:1 or 16:9 screens, color Audio: English & Spanish DD 5.1 Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish Extras: Theatrical trailer, Previews of other films Length: 110 min. Rating: **** This is an excellent biopic in the life of literary legend Ernest Hemingway. It’s based on a true story. Young Miami journalist and aspiring writer Denne Bart Petitclerc (who is Ed Myers in the film) has his girlfriend send a letter to Hemingway about his idolization of him, a letter which he had not brought himself to send. He gets a phone call from Hemingway who invites him to his home in Havana, and a fascinating and unexpected friendship develops. Hemingway introduces the young reporter to deep-sea fishing, drinking, and finding his literary voice. He sees Batista soldiers hunting down rebels in the streets. The Cuban Revolution is beginning, and one scene has Hemingway and his young friend hurriedly throwing arms for the rebels overboard as a coast guard cutter with Batista people approaches them to board the boat and search for arms. The pointing […]
Audio News for October 28, 2016
Sony to Expand Hi-Res to More Products; Reasons for Hi-Res
Audio News for October 28, 2016
LA Philharmonic’s Gustavo Dudamel Connecting with Kids and Classical Music – Just like Leonard Bernstein before him, the conductor with the wild curly hair and passionate conducting style has launched a music education program to provide instruments and training for about 800 kids from underserved communities in LA. He founded the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLSA). It is inspired by El Sistema, the program he has in his home country of Venezuela. The Youth Orchestra is now doing their first tour, after a decade. They have two venues in LA: Disney Hall and The Hollywood Bowl. At the latter they can have 18,ooo people every night. He said: “I don’t like to talk. I prefer to work and build things. I’m not a politician… I’m a musician, I’m an artist…What I can do is spread the message of music and art as a very important element of humanity.” What Lang Lang Loves About New York – Chinese classical pianist Lang Lang has more than 300 dates a year on his schedule, but when he does stay put, he likes to be in New York City. In fact, his new CD is titled New York Rhapsody. He is the city’s first […]
WAGNER: Das Rheingold (opera) – Soloists/ Hong Kong Philharmonic Orch./ Jaap van Zweden – Naxos
A fine effort from an esoteric source, perhaps a presage of things to come. WAGNER: Das Rheingold (complete opera) – Matthias Goerne (Wotan)/ Kim Begley (Loge)/ Michelle DeYoung (Fricka)/ Deborah Humble (Erda)/ Peter Sidhom (Alberich)/ Anna Samuil (Freia)/ Kwangchul Youn (Fasolt)/ Stephen Milling (Fafner)/ David Cangelosi (Mime)/ Charles Reid (Froh)/ Oleksandr Pushniak (Donner)/ Eri Nakamura (Woglinde)/ Hong Kong Philharmonic Orch./ Jaap van Zweden – Naxos Hi-Ref Blu-ray NBD0049 (PCM 2.0 + DTS-HD 5.1), TT: 2:33:22 [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Though Das Rheingold was the first opera to be written in Wagner’s Ring cycle, it was the last to be completed libretto-wise. Wagner realized the need for a prequel to the Ring, and so it comes as no surprise that the work often serves as a standalone performance in many instances, seeing as how it is the shortest of the cycle and in many ways the simplest in terms of musical references and overall presentation. However, Wagner was not one to waste time on superfluous activity, so the personality development and initial debut of characters is paramount for what was to follow, even if the opera can stand alone. For this reason I can recommend this new surround sound release (especially […]
TAVENER: Missa Wellensis; The Lord’s Prayer; Love bade me welcome & others – Wells Cathedral Choir/ Matthew Owens – Signum Classics
A must-have for Tavener fans. TAVENER: Missa Wellensis; The Lord’s Prayer; Love bade me welcome; Preces and Responses (Part One); I will lift up mine eyes (Psalm 121); Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis (Collegium Regale); Preces and Responses (Part Two); Song for Athene; Prayer for the healing of the sick; They are all gone into the world of light – Wells Cathedral Choir/ Matthew Owens – Signum Classics SIGCD442, 73:43 [Distr. by Naxos] *****: After John Tavener suffered a heart attack in 2007 that brought him near death; his next three years were a torturous trek of pain, depression, and loss of spiritual acumen. But in 2010, despite still being taunted by pain, he experienced a revitalization of sorts, producing over the next three years until his demise, works that were tauter, concentrated, and heavily invested in spiritual austerity. Conductor Matthew Owens suggested to the composer a Latin setting of the mass, and he obliged with great enthusiasm. This double-choir setting, in tribute to Tomas Luis de Victoria, is a staunch reaffirmation of Tavener’a basic religiosity, which had morphed into a confused universalism in his final years. It is a spectacular work of great propensity anchored in blocks of choral sound, […]
FRANK MARTIN: Ein Totentanz zu Basel im Jahre 1943 – ARMAB Orch. – Breda Sacrament Choir/ Hineni String Orch./ Bastiaan Blomhert – CPO
A unique play reveals music of substance from Swiss composer Frank Martin. FRANK MARTIN: Ein Totentanz zu Basel im Jahre 1943 – ARMAB Orch. – Breda Sacrament Choir/ Hineni String Orch./ Basel Side Drums/ Bastiaan Blomhert – CPO 777 997-2, 66:08, ****: B01HOU7GMI This CD is an example of how many amazing works of well-known composers come to light as a result of the collaboration between dedicated musicians and the relatives of deceased composers. In 2006 Maria Martin, wife of Frank Martin (1890-1974), suggested the publication of the suite of the music from her husband’s 1943 music to the theatrical performance of Ein Totentanz zu Basel im Jahr 1943. Enter conductor Bastiaan Blomhert, who deemed the complete work a masterpiece, and organized the resources to make this recording. In the middle of the horrors of World War II, Swiss mime artist Mariette von Meyenburg, asked her uncle Frank Martin to compose music for a theatrical performance that would portray death in a new way. The work’s purpose, was to see death “as a positive happenstance and …. to express in music that kind of peace with death,” as stated in the program notes for the performance. Martin liked this characterization, […]
TAVERNER: Mater Christi Sanctissima; Missa Mater Christi sanctissima; Mass ‘The Western Wynde’ – Westminster Abbey Choir/ James O’Donnell – Hyperion
Wonderful readings of two standards. TAVERNER: Mater Christi Sanctissima; Missa Mater Christi sanctissima; Mass ‘The Western Wynde’ – Westminster Abbey Choir/ James O’Donnell – Hyperion CDA68147, 58:36 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] *****: John Taverner was one of those transitional composers who straddled the fence from Catholicism to Protestantism, but unlike his confrere William Byrd, his tendencies leaned naturally to the latter. Therefore, when he was accused of Lutheran leanings when he composed his Western Wynde Mass to the tune of the same name, eyeballs were raised from the then Catholic ruling powers. However, since not much credence was given to what artists said or thought, no penalties were allocated. “Western Wynde” was of course a very secular song, and at this point of time the idea of incorporating the vagaries of the world into such a sacred text was something questionable from many sources. However, Taverner, far from being wrong in this, was to set a trend that would carry over with many other composers, when secular songs became fair game for religious inspiration. The standards are more in place with the Christi Sanctissima Mass, based not on a song but on a polyphonic motet. Both it and the Western […]
50 Years of Star Trek (2016)
A wonderful documentary celebrating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek. 50 Years of Star Trek (2016) Cast: Interviews with Leonard Nimoy, Michelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, Whoopi Goldberg, D.C. Fontana, Ronald D. Moore & others Studio: A & E History Channel/ Lionsgate (11/1/16) Director: Ian Roumain Video: 1.78:1 for 16:9 screens, color Audio: English, English SDH, DD 2.0 Length: 85 min. Rating: ****1/2 A delightful documentary on would-you-believe 50 years since the first Star Trek series debuted on national TV in 1966. Included is the last interview with Leonard Nimoy – who played the famous Spock – before his recent death. It covers both the various TV series and the many feature films and promotes again the fact that Star Trek was saved by Lucille Ball because she really liked it. Some of the episodes of the various series are titled wrongly, but no matter. The Wrath of Khan is considered the best of the earlier feature films, and the Deep Space Nine TV series was darker than the general Star Treks, but kept up the positive outlook on life in the future, which most sci-fi films portray as total chaos (Mad Max and Blade Runner are mentioned). (DP9 was also […]
Audio News for October 25, 2016
Terry Currier of Portland’s Music Millennium Wins Award – The Independent Spirit Award was given to Terry Currier at the Music Biz 2017 Convention in Nashville. He has been a true music business pioneer for four-plus decades, with his concept of live in-store performances, and for helping to create the Coalition of Independent Music Stores 20 years ago. The president of Music Biz said he has played a massive role in advocating for the health and vitality of independent music retail. ECM New Series on Contemporary Composers – The first two composers covered in the new ECM CD series are Meredith Monk and Gavin Bryars. KlikR Universal Remote Control – lets you control anything electronic in your home from a companion smartphone app if you simple stick a KlikR onto the gadget. It is for a limited time only $19.99 from the Daily Dot store, with free shipping in the U.S. You can organize your devices by room, you can silence your audio if a call comes in, and you can give it voice commands. Samsung Facing a Home Revolt – Due to the debacle surrounding the recall of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone for overheating and bursting into flame, […]
La Mascarade – Works of Robert De Visee and Francesco Corbetta – Rolf Lislevand – ECM New Series
La Mascarade – Works of Robert De Visee and Francesco Corbetta – Rolf Lislevand – ECM New Series 2288, 48:13 (5/27/16) *****: (Rolf Lislevand, Baroque guitar & theorbo) The wonders of the French Baroque on contrasting plucked instruments. The Kingdom of France in the age of Absolutism was organized from the center outward. At the radiant center was, of course, the Sun King, Louis XIV. Seen within the mentality of the time, he was far more than just a potentate. Rather, he was a sacramental figure. His doings, his health and his moods were connected to the well-being of the entire nation. This meant that there was a lot of fussing about his person, some of it rather comical. For example, The Master of the Chamber Pot would carefully scrutinize the King’s digestive productions to make sure that all was well with the natural order. Skipping over the myriad cooks and gardeners, we arrive at a special class of servants who attended to the Monarch’s spiritual well-being, namely the musicians. One of these had the special role of performing in the the King’s own chamber, at board or at bed. This was in fact the King’s Own Lutenist, and it […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
