Monthly Archive: October 2016
“Viva Italia: Sacred Music in 17th Century Rome” – Duke Vespers Ens., Mallarmé Ch. Players, Washington Cornett & Sackbut Ens./ Brian Schmidt – MSR Classics
“Viva Italia: Sacred Music in 17th Century Rome” – GIOVANNI FELICE SANCES: Missa Sancta Maria Magdalenae and music by CARISSIMI, CHARPENTIER, PALESTRINA & VICTORIA – Duke Vespers Ens., Mallarmé Ch. Players, Washington Cornett & Sackbut Ens./ Brian Schmidt – MSR Classics MS 1580, 58:28 (4/13/16) *****: A terrific concert of vocal music from Rome. Recorded live in concert in April 2015, Durham’s excellent Duke Vespers Ensemble, with the help of equally accomplished colleagues, show a healthy bright-eyed enthusiasm and vocal splendor in music by Carissimi, Charpentier, Palestrina, Victoria and the always intriguing Giovanni Felice Sances, whose Missa Sancta Maria Magdalenae provides a thrilling world premiere. Born in Rome and subsequently a composer and tenor, Sances moved to the Hapsburg court in Austria where he served for more than 40 years, eventually rising to Master of the Imperial Chapel. His large-scale Mass, with its seven voices, six strings, two cornetti and four trombones, is a grand affair appropriate to only the second North American performance and the first recording. The easy expertise and wide knowledge of the musicians plus their roots in the Duke and Triangle communities, allows them to respond authentically for their listeners, as Sances did for his, and […]
“Trios from Our Homelands” = REBECCA CLARKE: Piano Trio; ARNO BABAJANIAN: Piano Trio; MARTIN: Trio sur des mélodies populaires irlandaises – Lincoln Trio – Cedille
A lovely disc of neglected and highly worthy trios. “Trios from our Homelands” = REBECCA CLARKE: Piano Trio; ARNO BABAJANIAN: Piano Trio in f-sharp; FRANK MARTIN: Trio sur des mélodies populaires irlandaises – Lincoln Trio – Cedille 90000 165, 1:04:08 (8/12/16) [Distr. by Naxos] *****: The three members of the Lincoln Trio are using their varied ethnic backgrounds as the premise for this superb collection of little-known but outstanding piano trios. None will be very well-known to most people, though the Trio on Popular Irish Melodies, an early work of no little importance, will be recognized by some. Martin is a greatly underrated, underestimated, and certainly underperformed composer whose music is always rewarding. For those put off by some of the later, more complex works, this Trio is a grand place to start, an open invitation to a sound world that would increasingly develop in sophistication and melodic imagination as time went on. Most astute listeners know the name of Rebecca Clarke even though they can’t name one piece by her that they have heard. This 1922 Trio is remarkable for its vigorous technical difficulties, couched in a mélange of on-the-fence late romantic harmonies and nicely-crafted melodic lines. Though British, […]
GREGORY PECK Centennial Collection – To Kill a Mockingbird & Cape Fear + Extras, Blu-ray (1961 & 2/2016)
A fine remastering of one the most important films ever made. GREGORY PECK Centennial Collection – Remastering of To Kill a Mockingbird & Cape Fear + Extras, Blu-ray (1961 & 2/2016) Cast: Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Brock Peters, Robert Duvall, Phillip Alford Studio: Universal Pictures 61181322 (10/11/16) 2 discs Directors: J. Lee Thompson & Robert Mulligan Producers: Sy Bartlett & Alan J. Pakula Writers: James R. Webb & Horton Foote Music: Bernard Hermann for both films Video: 1.85:1 for 16:9 screens, black & white Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 & 2.0 & mono, French DTS-HD MA 2.0 Subtitles: French, Spanish, English for the hearing impaired, All regions Extras: A Conversation with Gregory Peck, Fearful Symmetry: The Making of To Kill a Mockingbird, Academy Award Best Actor Acceptance Speech, American Film Institute Life Achievement Award, Excerpt from Tribute to Gregory Peck, Scout Remembers, Feature Commentary Track with Director Robert Mulligan & Producer Alan Pakula, 100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics, Theatrical Trailer, BD-Live, My Scenes, Pocket BLU App Length: TT: 236 min. Rating: ***** The big thing is not only the wonderful remasterings of both great motion pictures, but also the many extras concerning the terrific contributions which Gregory Peck made to the first film, and as a […]
Joshua Breakstone – The Cello Quartet – 88 – Capri
Joshua Breakstone – The Cello Quartet – 88 – Capri 71444-2, 64:31 ****: Strong playing from a band immersed in a bop-inspired songbook. (Joshua Breakstone – guitar; Lisle Atkinson – bass; Andy Watson – drums; Mike Richmond – cello ) Joshua Breakstone is an intriguing guitarist of prolific dexterity in the manner of Wes Montgomery. Mind you, which of today’s guitarists, is not of that style? This release, featuring the cello quartet, is built around compositions of some influential bop-styled pianists, with the exception of Breakstone’s own composition with the apropos title: Eighty-Eight. As pointed out by Breakstone in his brief but helpful liner notes, the guitar and the piano are often though to be incompatible instruments because both are chordal in nature. However, in fact, both are rather similar as they fulfill a dual role: in addition to being rhythm section players, both perform solo functions. Hence Breakstone’s curiosity in bringing together some better and lesser-known compositions by a group of pianists, as a basis for this recital. Harold Mabern’s admiration for John Coltrane is proclaimed in the opening track “The Chief” with an assertive introduction to the approach of the quartet. After a long chordal rumination by Breakstone, […]
Dave Holland, doublebass – Aziza – Dare2
Dave Holland, doublebass – Aziza [TrackList follows] – Dare2 DR2-009, 68:34 (10/14/16) ****: (Dave Holland – bass/ Lionel Loueke – guitar/ Chris Potter – saxophones/ Eric Harland – drums) Dave Holland Quartet keeps the intensity alive. With legendary Bassist Dave Holland celebrating his 70th birthday this year, we might reasonably expect him to settle down and apply himself to something a little more sedate and reflective. Perhaps, a “Gateway Trio Unplugged does Bob Dylan,” or better yet an orchestral version of “Conference of the Birds with lyrics by Rumi.” But that isn’t Dave; Instead, we get another version of the Dave Holland Band, now stripped down to a quartet, playing some of the most raucous, funky, and spirited jazz of the year. The record under review appears on his own label, which he founded in 2005. His long tenure with ECM, a label on which Dave’s brand of energy jazz seemed to be incongruous, and seems to be over. We might wonder if this signals a new direction in his music. The answer is no. There is no swerving or slowing for Mr. Holland. Joining the band is Lionel Loueke. Lionel is originally from Benin and arrived in United States […]
Audio News for October 18, 2016
Apple to Set Up Research & Development Center in China – Their chief executive said the center will be in the city of Shenzhen, China – a major global hub for electronics manufacturing. It is also the home of Foxconn, who make the Apple iPhone. Both it and a separate center in Beijing will allow Apple to attract top local talent. Amazon Expands Into Subscription Music – Amazon Music Unlimited already charges consumers $10 a month for an ad-free, on-demand catalog of tens of millions of tracks. If you have Amazon Prime, you get a discounted rate of $8 a month on top of the $99 yearly Prime cost. If you are willing to make Amazon’s Echo your only source for listening to streaming, you can get the service for the cheapest rate around, only $4 a month. This will help Amazon dominate music streaming in homes in a voice-command future, letting their rivals duke it out to win control of mobile listening. Giving access to Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa, has also been a way to hook consumers. (The Echo is a very small single speaker with no bass and mono only.) In the year past, consumers have shifted to […]
BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique – Royal Concertgebouw Orch. /Daniele Gatti – RCO
BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 (1830) – Royal Concertgebouw Orch. /Daniele Gatti – rec. live, April 1 & 3, 2016 – RCO multichannel SACD RCO16006, 57:30 (9/9/16) [Dist. by Naxos] ** 1/2: Not the fire I would expect from Gatti and Berlioz. Daniele Gatti has been helming the Concertgebouw for two years, replacing Mariss Jansons who stepped down after 11 years. Jensons’ years there were generally considered a bit too laid back by many critics, who felt the orchestra was idling in neutral. Gatti’s appointment as Chief Conductor was widely applauded. He’s a consummate musician, and has brought some fresh thinking to many classical works. That said, this recording of the Berlioz Symphony fantastique is a bit of a puzzlement. The performance seems subdued, and not a pure reflection of the excitement Berlioz designed for the work. It’s clinical, and a polar opposite to the famous (infamous) Leonard Bernstein performance from 1963 that may be one of the best known recordings of the symphony. My favorite interpretation was Colin Davis who led the Concertbouw in 1974 and it’s still available on a remastered Decca CD. Certainly, Gatti gets the details right, and he’s in complete control of the orchestra, but […]
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6 “Pathetique”; Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Ov. – Czech Philharmonic/ Semyon Bychkov – Decca
“The Tchaikovsky Project” from Semyon Bychkov and Decca opens with two tragic scores. TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6 in b, Op. 74 “Pathetique”; Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture – Czech Philharmonic Orch./ Semyon Bychkov – Decca 483 0656, 63:53 (10/14/16) [Distr. by Universal] ****: Russian-American conductor Semyon Bychkov (b. 1952) embarks on “The Tchaikovsky Project,” an extensive survey of the composer’s major works, including symphonies, concertos, symphonic poems, and incidental music. The present recording (17-19 August and 24-26 September 2015) from Prague’s Dvorak Hall, Rudolfinum, has Bychkov’s leading the Czech Philharmonic, an ensemble well familiar with the Pathetique Symphony by way of work with Vaclav Talich and Lovro von Matacic. The 1893 symphony deliberately courts the theme of mortality, invoking the marking morendo for dynamic phrasing and scoring the dark instrumental colors of the winds and strings. True to his Russian Orthodox heritage, Tchaikovsky quotes the melody of the Orthodox Requiem twice, after the climax in movement one and at the end of movement four. The key relations between movements remain narrow, incremental in half-steps, as though the “mortal coil” had already made its presence felt artistically. Commentators have pointed out that even the seeming dynamic energy and relative freedom of […]
Yusef Lateef – The Doctor Is In…And Out – Atlantic (1976)/ Pure Pleasure – vinyl
One of the best Lateef sessions. Yusef Lateef – The Doctor Is In…And Out – Atlantic SD 1685/ Pure Pleasure remastered vinyl (UK) [7/15/16] ****: This 1976 original release was one of the best Lateef sessions by the jazz experimenter with many different styles, moods, instruments and vibes. On this session he plays both alto and tenor saxes, oboe, flute and bamboo flute. Other of the 13 contributing sidemen include Kenny Barron on keyboards and sometimes Ron Carter on bass. Background vocals on a few of the eight tracks are by Cissy Houston and Judy Clay. The one track I think I will skip on the next playing is the five-minute-long “Technological Homosapien” because it has a long narration by Robert Cunningham and I prefer straight instrumental jazz. There is a section of straight instrumental improvisation in the middle, but not enough to interest me. The second track on Side A, “Hellbound,” is most interesting with its percussion ostinato – used on several of the tracks. The main solos feature two reed instruments, but I was unable to define them. The third track is mostly instrumental, but towards the end has some vocals in a foreign language – perhaps Spanish. […]
EYCK: Fantasias for Theremin and String Quartet – Eyck, theremin/ American Contemp. Music Ens. – Butterscotch vinyl or CD
Interesting contemporary works featuring the Theremin, on both vinyl & CD. (First Amazon button is for vinyl; second one down for the CD.) CAROLINA EYCK: Fantasias for Theremin and String Quartet – Eyck, theremin/ American Contemporary Music Ensemble (string quartet) – Green vinyl or standard CD, Butterscotch BSR-015 (10/14/16) ***: There are six Fantasias, designed to ape early-60s Nonesuch LPs with three to a side of the LP. The original recording is 96K/24-bit, but let me tell you something: Every record label that promotes the hi-res nature of the original recording is maintaining a hoax, because it all must be down-sampled to the standard 44.1K/16-bit of standard CDs, no matter what the original recording was. (Keep that in mind when you look at physical CD jewelboxes in the stores.) Also, there is no such thing as hi-res vinyl – no matter what some of the manufacturers such as Sony may advertise. This may sound very good but it is merely an analog recording, not hi-res. Putting it in this hi-res section is just because they usually sound very good (especially the 45 rpm remasters), not because they are really hi-res. In this case the striking theremin performances of Eyck were […]
AUBERBACH: Tatiana ballet, Blu-ray (2016)
AUERBACH: Tatiana (ballet), Blu-ray (2016) Auerbach is nothing if not ecelctic. . . even polystylistic. Players: Hamburg State Opera Ballet: Helene Bouchet, Edvin Revazov, Leslie Heylmann, Alexandr Trusch, Carsten Jung Conductor: Simon Hewett; Choreography: John Neumeier. Studio: C Major 737504 [7/8/16] Video: for 16:9 screens, color HD Audio: DTS-HD 5.1, PCM stereo Subtitles: English, German, French Extras: Tatiana – Back to Pushkin Length: 167 min. Ratings: Audio: **** ½ Video: ***** Tatiana is a ballet by John Neumeier with music by Lera Auerbach, a Soviet-Russian-born American composer. While its narrative origins lie with Alexander Pushkin’s longish poem Eugene Onegin, its musical technique and style can’t be pinned down like a PBS production of Léo Delibes’ Coppélia or indeed like Intuitive Momentum by the Bill T. Jones Dance Company. Auerbach is nothing if not eclectic or, in the words used to describe her countryman Alfred Schnittke, even ‘polystylistic.’ The same holds true of Neumeier, dancewise. The ballet begins pleasantly enough, with a sweet dream sequence of the young Tatiana, the germination of many hours reading romantic novels. The music is almost Tchaikovskian, with its fat melodic lines and gushy intonations. Soon it takes on a dark aura, as Auerbach […]
PUTS: Sym. No. 2; River’s Rush;, Flute Concerto – Peabody Sym./Alsop – Naxos
EVIN PUTS: Symphony No. 2; River’s Rush; Flute Concerto – Adam Walker, flute;/ Peabody Sym. /Marin Alsop – Naxos American Classics 8.559794 TT:56:36 (8/12/16) ****: Puts works are moving and the composer is worth keeping your eye and ears on. Winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for the opera Silent Night, Kevin Puts is surely one of the up and coming composers of his generation. His work has been commissioned and performed by leading orchestras in the United States and abroad, including the New York Philharmonic, the Tonhalle Orchestër (Zurich), the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Cincinnati, Detroit, Atlanta, Colorado, Houston, Fort Worth, Utah, St. Louis, the Boston Pops, and the Minnesota Orchestra, which commissioned his Sinfonia Concertante, and by leading chamber ensembles such as the Mirò Quartet, the Eroica Trio, eighth blackbird, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. This album gives us Puts’ emotional Symphony No. 2, performed by the Peabody Symphony Orchestra and conductor Marin Alsop. The album will also include Puts’ Flute Concerto, featuring the London Symphony Orchestra’s celebrated principal flutist Adam Walker, and Puts’ toccata for orchestra River’s Rush. The Symphony No. 2 reflects Puts’ impressions of the changes brought […]
Chris Jones – Roadhouses & Automobiles – Stockfisch 45 rpm vinyl (2)
Chris Jones – Roadhouses & Automobiles – Stockfisch SFR 357.8027.1 double 45 rpm vinyl (Distr. by In-Akustic), 52:00 ****1/2: Singer-songwriter connects to acoustic roots in excellent sound. (Chris Jones – guitar dobro, vocals; Alan Taylor – vocal, guitar; Grischka Self – electric bass; Thomas Klippet – Hammond B-3;Yogi Jockusch – percussion; Christina Lux – backing vocals; Ian Melrose – guitar; Lutz Moller – piano, Hammond B-3; Hans-Jorg Maucksch – fretless bass; Wolfgans Beisart- mandolin; Beo Brockhausen – saxophone, African bow harp; Nils Tuxen – pedal steel; Siard de Jong – fiddle, mandolin; Martin Huck – pedal steel; In many cases, acoustic folk artists don’t get the opportunity to record in quality formats. German label Stockfisch Records has become a destination for these artists. Under the watchful guidance of Gunter Pauler, several lesser-known guitarists have emerged. The latest example is Chris Jones, His current recording, Roadhouses & Automobiles has been released on 45 rpm 180-gram vinyl. The eleven-song album (including ten originals) is an intimate glimpse into the singer-songwriter narratives that revitalized the popular music scene, beginning with Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan in the sixties. Side A opens with the title cut of a classic road song framed by acoustic guitar […]
Rio Samba – Various Artists – Chant Du Monde (3-CDs)
Rio Samba [TrackList follows] – Various Artists – Chant Du Monde 2742397.99, 168:26 (3-CD box) (Distr. By Harmonia mundi) ***: Sunshine in a cardboard box. Samba and its many musical iterations, is associated with Brazil along with such other touchstones as the caipirinha, string-bikinis, and Copacabana Beach. In this 3-CD set entitled Rio Samba, the listener is provided with an overview of this musical form played by practitioners, who for the most part, are unknown to the North American audience. However these folks are the real deal, and the compositions which have been chosen are almost as equally unrecognized away from their geography. Nevertheless, they cover the various Escolas do Samba to provide a terrific overview of this dance phenomenon. The music is infectious, lively, and engaging. The time period covered is from the mid-50s to the mid-60s, and most of the early numbers are well recorded in mono, and the latter dates are in stereo with nice separation. The music was released to coincide with the summer Olympics in Rio and it is a terrific way to bring back the excitement of this event, but fun entirely separated from it too. TrackList: CD1: Saudosa Maloca; Un Cāntico à Natureza; […]
BACH: The Cello Suites, arr. by Valter Despalj – Petrit Ceku, guitar – Eudora
J.S. BACH: The Cello Suites, arr. by Valter Despalj – Petrit Ceku, guitar – Eudora multichannel SACD 1602 – CD 1: 58: 57, CD 2: 74:31 (5/6/16) *****: The cello suites in spectacular hi-res surround sound recorded on guitar in new arrangements by Valter Despalj. It is with great anticipation that one sits down to take in a guitar recital of the complete Bach Cello Suites by Croatian guitarist Petrit Ceku released by Eudora on SACD. One is always a bit nervous about one’s seat. Too far back and we are with the snoozers who need to be jogged awake. And yet it is awkward, impolite even, to be seated too close; some recordings thrust your head into the very sound-hole of the instrument. But with the first almost too well-known Prelude in G major, we realize with joy that we are ideally positioned in row 6, seat M, in a smallish recital hall with medium-dry acoustic. The balance between the upper end of the guitar and the low E is graciously achieved, while the amber hues of the middle-range are superbly nuanced and affecting. The instrument by Ross Gutmeier is well-behaved in all registers, and yet it is not […]
BEETHOVEN 7th Sym.; SCHUBERT 8th Sym.; Encores – Philadelphia Orch./Stokowski (1927) – Pristine
1927 readings of Beethoven and Schubert achieve an ardent, fiery gloss in these remasterings. BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 93; SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 8 in b, D. 759 “Unfinished”; Moment Musical No. 3 in f (arr. Stokowski), D. 780; Rosamunde, D. 797: Ballet Music No. 2: Two Versions – Philadelphia Orch./ Leopold Stoowski – Pristine Audio PASC 483, 74:03 [avail. in sev. formats from www.pristineclassical.com] ****: Producer and editor Mark Obert-Thorn revitalizes a select group of 1927 recordings by Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977) with his Philadelphia Orchestra, at the time an ensemble whose discipline and homogeneity of execution rivaled the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam under Mengelberg, the Boston Symphony under Koussevitzky, and the Halle Orchestra as led by Sir Hamilton Harty. The first of Stokowski’s recorded interpretations of the Beethoven Seventh Symphony (6, 15 and 25 April 1927) projects an enthusiastic energy throughout, although occasionally the vehemence tends to exaggeration. The slow first-movement introduction enjoys a hearty sense of harmonic drama, leisurely in its traversal of three major keys of A, C, and F. The ensuing Vivace carries a restless breadth quite exhilarating. The a minor Allegretto movement rings tragically true, with fine response in the divided […]
Audio News for October 14, 2016
Astell & Kern Hi-Res Players Get Tidal Integration – Tidal support is beginning to roll out to A & K players via an over-the-air (OTA) firmware update. This isn’t the first streaming service built into A & K players, but earlier services such as Groover+, MOOV, and Deezer were liited in terms of where they could be used. Tidal, on the other hand, is available in more than 50 countries. It features lossless audio, though Spotify and Apple Music still lack this feature. Tidal’s standard plan is $10 a month, with the lossless audio plan $20 a month. A 30-day free trial is available. (Tidal reportedly owes a great deal and is having trouble staying afloat.) Naim’s New Uniti Hi-Fi Kit – Audiophiles loved Naim’s wireless speakers and they sounded good. Now they have introduced the Naim Uniti star at about £3000. You will of course need good speakers with it. It supports all hi-res audio formats, it will rip from CDs to a USB stick and multiroom with existing Naims via iOS or Android apps, and there’s a five-inch color screen on the front. There’s also a half-sized unit without the CD drive for £1600. DTS:X Has a Scalable […]
A. SCARLATTI: La Gloria di Primavera – Soloists/Philharmonia Baroque Orch. & Chorale/ Nicholas McGegan – Naxos
What a shame the American continent had to wait 300 years for this wonder. ALESSANDRO SCARLATTI: La Gloria di Primavera – Performers: Diana Moore (Primavera)/ Suzana Ograjensek (Estate)/ Clint Van Der Linde (Autumno)/ Nicholas Phan (tenor)/ Douglas Williams (Giove)/ Philharmonia Baroque Orch. & Chorale/ Nicholas McGegan – Naxos Pure Audio Blu-ray PBP-09BD (5.1 surround + PCM 2.0), TT: 138:36 *****: It’s amazing that this work, unearthed after a 300-year hibernation, has come to light again, especially considering its scope—well over two hours long, obviously a major effort by any standard. McGegan and company have brought it to light in honor of the 30th season of his Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (has it been so long?), and the piece certainly deserves it. Scarlatti was asked if he could produce, rather quickly, an occasional piece honoring the recent and long awaited birth of Archduke Leopold Johann, the heir of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. This birth was hoped to assuage the long-standing European wars, but hopes faded fast when the unfortunate Archduke didn’t last very long. Neither, apparently, did Scarlatti’s serenata, a work somewhere between a cantata and an opera, not staged, and in form rather simple—a series of recitatives followed by […]
MAX REGER: The Complete Organ Works – Martin Schmeding, organ – Cybele 17 SACD set
The complete organ works of Reger on 16 binaural SACDs plus an interview. MAX REGER: The Complete Organ Works [TrackList follows] – Martin Schmeding, at 13 different historic Sauer & Walcker organs, Dom zu Berlin, Wiesbaden & elsewhere – 17 multichannel (binaural stereo channels) SACDs in gold-stamped collectors’ box – Vol. 17 is interview of organist (in German) by Mirjam Wiesemann – TT: 19 hrs., 24:36 + 172-p. colored booklet – (4/12/16) *****: This is a first. Not only does the exceptional package contain all of the astonishingly complex organ works of Max Reger, but in addition to a fine 5.1-channel hi-res SACD layer, plus a standard CD stereo layer (as all hybrid SACDs now have), there is also a two-channel binaural layer of all the works, for listening on a pair of good headphones. Never mind the interview if you don’t understand German. The 3D artificial head recording technique used by Cybele puts the listener (if your hearing fairly closely matches that of the headphones) almost directly on the scene as if we was in front of the organs being heard. A dummy head with sensitive microphones where the ears are is used, and the phase relationships are therefore […]
The Last Words of Christ (REGER, HAYDN, WEBERN & Others – Ebonit Sax Q. – Challenge Classics
Ebonit Saxophone Quartet – The Last Words of Christ – REGER/HAYDN/WEBERN/SIBELIUS/SHOSTAKOVICH – Challenge Classics multichannel SACD CC72701, 53:13 (2/3/16) ****: (Simone Muller, soprano saxophone/ Dineke Nauta, alto saxophone/ Johannes Pfeuffer, tenor saophone/ Paulina Marta Kulesza, baritone saxophone/ Claron McFadden, voice) A nearly successful attempt at solemnity. In 1786 a work by Joseph Haydn premiered in Cadiz, Spain. The occasion was Good Friday Service in a “subterranean” cathedral. According to reports made to Haydn, the church was darkened and a priest flung himself before the altar and uttered the first word of the seven last sentences spoken by Jesus before his death. A homily on each word followed, separated by the performance of each of the seven movements. Together, music and text comprised the Easter celebration of the Passion. As such, it appears to belong to the tradition of religious music which reached its apogee in Handel, Pergolesi and Bach. However, I have always had a problem with this notion; The Seven Last Words of Christ considered in purely musical terms does not seem to express any noticeable degree of solemnity, no transcendent yearning or tragedy. Certainly, the old Haydn jollity and wit are set aside, but instead we hear a […]
Roma Aeterna (PALESTRINA, VICTORIA & Others) – New York Polyphony – BIS
“Roma Aeterna” [TrackList follows]- New York Polyphony – Works by PALESTRINA, DE VICTORIA AND GUERRERO; TIM KEELER; ANDREW FUCHS; JONATHAN WOODY – BIS multichannel SACD: BIS-2203 TT: 72:07 (6/3/16) [Distr. by Naxos] *****: Lovely music and a fine recording make this a most listenable disc. This is a lovely disc from BIS, featuring two masses that are stunningly recorded and performed. Previous discs by the New York Polyphony have explored music from the renaissance and contemporary works, but this disc is anchored generally in the 16th century, with a program centered on two of the greatest composers of the era – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Tomás Luis de Victoria. Palestrina’s polyphonic art has influenced composers throughout the ages, and his Missa Papae Marcelli is often regarded as the crowning glory of vocal music from the era. His slightly younger colleague Tomás Luis de Victoria was born in Spain, but went to Rome to study and remained there for two decades. During that time he published a number of works, including Missa O quam gloriosum and the motet Gaudent in coelis. The disc also offers a short work by Francisco Guerrero. The program includes works scored for four as well […]
Overtures to Bach (GLASS, IYER, SIERRA, DU YUN & Others) Incl. BACH: Cello Suites – Matt Haimovitz, cello – Pentatone
Matt Haimovetz, cello – “Overtures to Bach” – composed by PHILIP GLASS, VIJAY IYER, ROBERTO SIERRA, DU YUN, LUNA PEARL WOOLF plus The Six BACH: Cello Suites (Preludes only) – Pentatone multichannel SACD PTC 5186 561, 75:48 (9/9/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: 6 unique takes on the Bach Cello Suites plus Bach. Overtures to Bach is an intriguing idea for a disc. Cellist Matt Haimovitz has selected the Preludes of the six Bach Cello Suites, then commissioned six contemporary composers to write overtures, or preludes to the six Bach Preludes performed on this disc. While potentially the project could have been an unpleasant musical gimmick, the reality is that this is a wonderful disc, with music that compliments rather than works against the Bach. Haimowitz is a tremendously talented cellist, and he’s long been associated with the Bach Cello Suites. As a youth, he took his cello around the country for impromptu concerts at coffee houses and bars, all to great acclaim. He’s been a featured soloist with many of the world’s great orchestras, including the Atlanta Symphony, the Tokyo New Japan Philharmonic, and the Berlin Philharmonic. The disc begins with a premier of a short Philip Glass work, that precedes […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
