Monthly Archive: November 2016
“44 Waltzes on 88 Keys” – SCHUBERT: Valses Nobles; BRAHMS: 16 Waltzes; DVORAK: 8 Waltzes; RAVEL: Valses nobles et sentimentales – Peter Schaaf, p. – Schaaf
Peter Schaaf bestows a natural affection of a series of Nineteenth-Century waltzes. 44 Waltzes on 88 Keys – SCHUBERT: Valses Nobles, D. 969; BRAHMS: 16 Waltzes, Op. 39; DVORAK: 8 Waltzes, Op. 54; RAVEL: Valses nobles et sentimentales – Peter Schaaf, p. – Schaaf SR 102, 72:29 [info@schaafrecords.com] ****: Peter Schaaf won the Kosciuszko Foundation’s Chopin Prize in 1961 and the Morris Loeb Prize from Juilliard in 1965. A student of iconic piano pedagogue Rosina Lhévinne, Schaaf performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, had a modest solo recital career, then went into accompanying and chamber music. He played many recitals with Yo-Yo Ma, including his New York recital debut in 1971. Schaaf also worked with Kyung-Wha Chung, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Renata Tebaldi, and Jon Vickers, with whom he made a recording on the VAI label of Schubert’s Die Winterreise from a 1983 Toronto performance (VAIA 1007-2). For several years he led the Archduke Trio. Equally renowned for his photography work, Schaaf now feels the urge to record more keyboard repertory. The obvious addition to the standard “waltz repertory” comes in the form of the Dvorak Eight Waltzes, Op. 54, conceived somewhat abortively for a commission in 1879 for a grand […]
The Intimacy of Creativity – a Five Year Retrospective – Music by various composers played by Hong Kong Philharmonic / Jaap van Sweden – Naxos (2 CDs)
The Intimacy of Creativity – a Five Year Retrospective – Music by various composers played by Hong Kong Philharmonic / Jaap van Sweden – Naxos (2 CDs) 8573614-15 (8/12/16) ****: An interesting collection of contemporary music well-played and recorded. This celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology features an interesting range of music, from the string orchestra version of Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht to a sequence of contemporary scores. They provide an opportunity to showcase the individual and collective talents of the distinguished principals of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Two works, by Ming-Hsiu Yen and Matthew Tommasini, focus on Hong Kong’s landscape, whether majestically natural or busily urban, and the selection ends with Arvo Pärt’s modern classic, Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten. The disc is the result of an annual partnership devoted to promoting an intimate dialogue between composers and performers. Distinguished composers, together with selected composer fellows from Hong Kong and around the world, present and revise their compositions after in-depth discussions with world-renowned performers during public open discussions. The revised compositions are presented at preview concerts on the campus of HKUST and world premiere concerts in downtown Hong Kong. The […]
PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 5 – NY Philharmonic/ Leonard Bernstein (Columbia LP, 1966) – Speakers Corner vinyl
A great remastering of a truly excellent work and performance. SERGEI PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 5 – NY Philharmonic/ Leonard Bernstein (Columbia LP, 1966, MS 7005) – Speakers Corner vinyl (2016) *****: The Fifth is probably the most-performed of the seven symphonies penned by Prokofiev for its many lovely melodies and its development work being of a nature that makes it more immediately accessible to the unsophisticated listener. I’m thoroughly familiar with the symphony because in the university I played the bass drum in a performance of it, and there is plenty of bass drum here – especially in the concluding movement. Somehow after Prokofiev moved back to the Soviet Union in 1933, he failed to have the many problems with the party which his colleague Shostakovich had. He somehow toed the party line and became highly privileged. In this symphony he had a general air of cheerfulness, and saw it as a “hymn to free and happy Man.” This is especially noted in the theme heard on the clarinet in the second movement. The first movement is full of orchestral radiance and a host of great melodies. In this symphony, Prokofiev wanted to get away from the idea most listeners had […]
Pyramid – The Modern Jazz Quartet (1959-60) – HDTT DVD-Audio and Atlantic CD
Terrific fidelity for Modern Jazz Quartet lovers but a short program. Pyramid – The Modern Jazz Quartet (1959-60) [TrackList follows] – HDTT DVD-Audio (10/25/90) and Atlantic (LP1325) ****: HDTT began by making very high-quality transfers to DVD-Audios of two-track tapes (which also play on most DVD decks). Then they moved into 4-track tapes, and this one is from an Atlantic 4-track tape played on highly advanced gear. Lately they have even moved into transfers of original stereo LPs as well as multichannel Blu-rays and downloads. Their site search failed to find their cover for this 192K/24-bit DVD-A disc, so the cover here is of the original Atlantic CD, which Amazon does have, and which is different. It also has seven additional tracks that this disc lacks, as indicated below. The personnel are the same thruout, and the MJQ has long been one of my favorite jazz groups for their unusual John Lewis-originated music and their stage presence of formal rigor – just like a classical quartet. They were a reference point that widened the world of jazz, to be accepted even in conservatories. The long title number is in 3/4 time and all the music is terrific. There have been […]
Audio News for November 29, 2016
New Sony Dub Stage Equipped to Master Films in Immersive Sound Formats – The new Culver City stage is designed to simulate a typical home theater environment. It includes object-based surround formats like Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro-3D. It is currently preparing several feature titles for Blu-ray, 4K UHD and digital delivery. It is equipped to master feature films and TV in immersive sound formats. The mix stage features an Avid Pro Tools S6 mixing console with 24 faders, two Pro Tools HDS systems, Ancillary gear from Blackmagic, Pegasus and Brainstorm, and a custom-built Delicate Audio truss system for mounting nearfield speakers to conform to the specs of individual sound formats. “Flexibility is essential,” says one of the Sony designers. New Complete Mozart on DGG & Decca – Deutsche Grammophon and Decca have released the ultimate in over-the-top gifts in their 200-CD Mozart 225: The New Complete Edition. The box weighs about 20 lbs. and includes 240 of old and new recordings of every known Mozart score: his operas, symphonies, concertos, piano music, even his arrangements of Bach and Handel. Some 600 eminent artists perform the Mozart works and you download the opera librettos and song texts from a web […]
Nate Lepine Quartet: Vortices – ears&eyes
Saxophonist Nate Lepine: helping put the new Chicago sound on the musical map. Nate Lepine Quartet: Vortices – ears&eyes ee:16-054, 44:48 [9/30/16] ****: (Clark Sommers – bass; Nick Mazzarella – alto saxophone; Nate Lepine – tenor saxophone; Quin Kirchner – drums) Jazz fans may not realize it, but Chicago is a city with a vibrant jazz scene with talented musicians who regularly move outside of the jazz norm. For instance, tenor saxophonist Nate Lepine often goes toward the edges where free improvisation meets composed jazz. He cultivates material which has one step in the past and one foot in the ever-changing present. A sense of shifting between straightforward and forward-thinking permeates Lepine’s 44-minute debut, titled Quartet: Vortices. Alongside Lepine are other Chicago jazz artists who appreciate Lepine’s musical vision: bassist Clark Sommers (who has performed with Brian Blade, Bennie Maupin, Jeff Parker, and others); alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella (who has participated in other Chicago-based improv/jazz groups); and drummer Quin Kirchner (who has connections to Chicago bands such as Bill MacKay’s Darts & Arrows, the Rob Clearfield Trio and Old Door Phantoms). This foursome brings sympathetic perception to Lepine’s 11 originals, which range from whirlwind tunes to wafting cuts which have […]
Russian Adventure, Cinerama, Blu-ray (1966/2016)
A great remastering of the Russian version of Cinerama into a wonderful (though now dated) Russian travelogue. Russian Adventure, Cinerama, Blu-ray (1966/2016) Narrator: Bing Crosby Directors: Leonid Kristy, Roman Karmen, Boris Dolin, Oleg Lebedev, Solomon Kogan Reconstruction & remastering: David Strohmaier Studio: Cinerama Corp./Hal Dennis Productions/ Flicker Alley Deluxe Combo Edition FA0049 (11/22/16) Video: Smile-Box simulated curved screen for 16:9 screens, 1080p color Audio: English, DD 5.1, PCM stereo Extras: Fortress of Peace (1964) a Swiss Army propaganda film in Cinerama; Concord (1966) a short about the soon-to-be active supersonic passenger jet; Working with our Father on Russian Adventure; Reconstructing Russian Adventure restoration demonstration; Russian Adventure trailer; Trailer gallery from other Cinerama films; Slideshows, ads and public materials from Russian Adventure; Facsimile of original program booklet. Length: 127 min. Rating: **** This travelogue was originally shot by the Russians in their similar eight years of Kinopanorama productions. They gave copies of the original six three-panel productions to Cinerama to show in 127 minutes both a brand new and intimate view of their country and culture which was so often cited but seldom seen during the Cold War years. The Cinerama folks got Bing Crosby to be the narrator for this […]
Palladian Ensemble – An Excess of Pleasure – Works of MATTEIS, LOCKE, PURCELL, etc. – Linn
Palladian Ensemble – An Excess of Pleasure – Works of MATTEIS, LOCKE, PURCELL, etc. [TrackList Follows] – Linn BKD 010, 65:43 (10/31/95 & 3/11/16) ****½: (Pamela Thorby; recorders/ Rachel Podger; violin/ Joanna Levine Viola da Gamba/ William Carter; theorbo, guitar) A welcome reissue of the Baroque chamber super-band Palladian Ensemble’s debut recording. Between their formation in 1991 and 2003, when violinist Rachel Podger left to pursue a solo career, the Palladian Ensemble made ten remarkable recordings for Linn Records. Except for the first, which is under review here, on which Joanna Levine plays viola da gamba in place of regular Susan Heinrich, the ensemble has remained the same. Seven of these recordings received lofty Diapason awards. Over these 12 years, they have established themselves as a consistent and premier Baroque chamber group. For me, this ensemble of theorbo/lute, violin, viola da gamba and recorder is distinctive for its harpsichord-less sonority. William Carter’s fretted instruments have an expanded role in maintaining the harmonic textures. We feel his presence everywhere in the ensemble, whether plucking the deep notes on the theorbo or driving the rhythm with his bright-hued Baroque guitar. Occasionally, as in the Ciaconna, he showcases his virtuosity on a solo […]
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major K 595; Piano Concerto No. 12 in A, K. 414; BARTOK: Piano Con. No. 1 – Rudolf Serkin, p./ Philadelphia Orch./ Eugene Ormandy/ Marlboro Fest./ Alexander Schneider (K. 414)/ Columbia Sym. Orch./ George Szell (Bartok) – Praga Digitals
Praga renews the sound of Rudolf Serkin’s 1962 recordings of Mozart and Bartok. MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major, K 595; Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K. 414; BARTOK: Piano Concerto No. 1, Sz. 83 – Rudolf Serkin, piano/ Philadelphia Orch./ Eugene Ormandy (K. 495)/ Marlboro Festival/ Alexander Schneider (K. 414)/ Columbia Sym. Orch./ George Szell (Bartok) – Praga Digitals PRD 250 350, 79:50 (12/9/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: Pianist Rudolf Serkin (1903-1991) for many years stood as one of the more prolific Mozart interpreters on record, imparting to Mozart a clear, robust line not so troubled by his percussive wont in Beethoven. His version of the 1790 Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major with Eugene Ormandy (28 January 1962) enjoys a muscular sonority that bespeaks the virility in late Mozart. The Philadelphia Orchestra personnel, especially the woodwinds, prided themselves on the liquid articulation of the parts as they integrate with the fabulous Philadelphia string sound. In the opening Allegro’s minor-key secondary subject, Serkin brings out its expressive power without cloying or breaking the elastic fluidity of his line. Without trumpet and tympani, the texture in Mozart’s last piano concerto carries a paradoxical sense […]
SCHUMANN: Papillons; Carnaval; Davidsbuendlertaense – Philippe Bianconi, p. – La Dolce Volta
Philippe Biancoli revisits those Schumann works that indulge in masks and identity transformation. SCHUMANN: Papillons, Op. 2; Carnaval, Op. 9; Davidsbuendlertaense, Op. 6 – Philippe Bianconi, p. – La Dolce Volta LDV 28, 77:51 (9/30/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: Philippe Bianconi attended the Conservatory in Nice where he studied with Simone Delbert-Fevrier. In Paris he studied with Gaby Casadesus and in Freiburg-in-Breisgau with Vitalij Margulis. He was the first prize winner of both the Casadesus International Competition in Cleveland and the “Jeunesse Musicales” International Competition in Belgrade, as well as the Silver Medal of the Seventh Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth. Biancoli recorded this all-Schumann recital 7-10 April 2016, meaning to capture the theme of “Doubles and Masks.” Biancoli takes Schumann at his “word,” insofar as the composer responds in all of the works presented here to Jean-Paul Richter’s novel Flegeljahre – Years of Indiscretion – to create a series of masked balls whose characters represent the many contradictory aspects of Schumann’s psyche. Rife with biographical allusions and anagrams of the name of “Schumann” and the town of “Asch,” the pieces often roam into fact and fiction, the commedia dell’arte, and the ongoing romances in Schumann’s […]
Lee “Scratch” Perry – Must Be Free – Megawave
A dub/reggae pioneer far from his prime. Lee “Scratch” Perry – Must Be Free – Megawave MEGW0452, 58:45 [9/23/16] ***: (Lee “Scratch” Perry – vocals; Spacewave (AKA John Palmer) – production; The Groovematist (AKA Mechial White) – production (track 2); Karienne Scott – backing vocals (track 2); IAmPhloboi (AKA Kenneth Bankhead) –production (track 12); Subatomic Sound System (AKA John Emch) – production (bonus track)) There are two statements on the back of the digipak for Lee “Scratch” Perry’s latest outing, the hour-long Must Be Free. One statement is true and one statement is misleading. There is a “Parental Advisory. Explicit Content” notice. That is factual, as some of the lyrics contain words or spoken lines meant for mature listeners. The other sentence reads, “File Under Reggae/Dub.” That’s deceptive. The 80-year-old Rainford Hugh Perry (otherwise known as Lee “Scratch” Perry) is one of the pioneers of dub music. Starting in the late ‘60s, Perry implemented sound effects and remixing to generate new instrumental or vocal versions of existing reggae music. But the 13 tracks (plus a bonus cut) on Must Be Free are most often electrontica, while some elements come from the dubstep dance genre (despite the name, dubstep has a […]
The New Age (1994/2016)
A sexy and smart 1994 comedy on La-La-Land shams and scam. The New Age (1994/2016) Cast: Judy Davis, Peter Weller, Patrick Bauchau, Adam West Director: Michael Tolkin (The Player) Studio: New Regency Enterprises/20th Century Fox [2/23/16] Video: for 16:9 screens, color Audio: English, PCM stereo No region coding No previews Length: 112 min. Rating: **** Considered one of the sharpest dark comedies about life in LA, it makes some other attempts at the same idea seem a bit lame, but the later American Beauty is a winner. Nice to have this one on a decent DVD for the first time. It’s immediately obvious this is an older film because the portable phones are huge. The two leading actors play the Witners perfectly. The yuppie couple in the expensive LA home with pool, take part in a great satire on consumerist culture. It includes sexual relations with others, alternative medicine, Death By Dignity before it became an Oregon law, misapplied Buddhist, Hindu and pagan philosophy, yoga, drum circles, and even BDSM. It opens with Judy yelling at her husband because he has just quit his high-paying job without telling her. She says “Money isn’t money! Money is an expression of something […]
Audio News for November 25, 2016
How Classical Music Affects Thoughts and Mood – Certain types of music can move us emotionally from one feeling to another. In the ‘70s a researcher play certain music in chambers where plants were growing. Of the plants that were provided with rock music, some became stunted and others gangly and most died within a few weeks. Plants that had more soothing music playing in their chambers grew more robust and outlived other plants. Not all types of music leave us in an improved mood once the music ends. An internal medicine physician, Neil Nedley, M.D., says there are ten benefits to listening to classical music: 1. Increases interest in reading and learning, 2. Strengthens brainpower, 3. Encourages good lifestyle habits, 4. Allows frontal lobe to filter information, 5. Encourages fitness, 6. Increases productivity, 7. Strengthens creativity, 8. Decreases irritability, 9. Increases spiritual pursuits, and 10. Improves self-control. It’s important to take careful thought in choosing your music wisely; perhaps just as important of a choice as are the foods you eat and the friends you spend time with. Be mindful of the music that enters your mind. New Federal Rule Requires Movie Theaters to Provide Closed Captioning – The Justice Department […]
Pete’s Dragon, Blu-ray (2016)
A wonderful Disney live-action story similar to some ways to their Jungle Book. Pete’s Dragon, Blu-ray (2016) Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban Director: David Lowery Studio: Walt Disney Studios (11/29/16) Video: 2.39:1 for 16:9 screens, HD Technicolor Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DD 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1 Subtitles: English, French, Spanish Dubbed: French, Spanish Extras: “A Director’s Diary;” “Making Magic” designing the dragon in cgi; “Disappearing Moments” a montage of the film’s deleted scenes; Audio commentary with director David Lowery, co-writer Toby Halrooks, actors Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence; Music Videos: “Nobody Knows,” “Something Wild;” Bloopers, Previews, DVD & digital HD versions Length: 103 min. Rating: ****1/2 When a mysterious 10-year-old boy, Pete, turns up claiming to live in the woods with a giant green dragon, it’s up to a forest ranger, Grace, and young Natalie to learn where the boy came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this magical dragon. The dragon is not fierce except against true enemies, and raises the little boy in the woods for six years until young Natalie finds him. The dragon can also make himself invisible, which is probably why nobody has seen […]
FELDMAN: Intermission 5; Piano Piece 1952; Extensions 3; Palais de Mari; CRUMB: Processional; A Little Suite for Christmas – Steven Osborne, p. – Hyperion
Piano music that quiets the mind and intrigues the senses. FELDMAN: Intermission 5; Piano Piece 1952; Extensions 3; Palais de Mari; CRUMB: Processional; A Little Suite for Christmas, A.D. 1979 – Steven Osborne, p. – Hyperion CDA 68108, 62:46 ****: Put the wife and kids to bed, dim the lights, and enter a sound world of musical quietude. Barely audible individual notes juxtaposed with forceful chords, long silences, glacial speed and lengthy reverberations echo in the sound world of Morton Feldman (1926-1987). This is piano music meant for meditation and drifting into the recesses of the mind and the ether of the senses. It’s also pregnant with subtle beauty, nuances of tone color, and moments of new sounds from the piano. As recounted by Alex Ross in a 2006 New Yorker article, Feldman met one of his major influences, John Cage, in 1950 after they walked out of a concert in Carnegie Hall, just after the New York Philharmonic had performed Anton Webern’s 12-tone Symphony. Feldman remarked to Cage, “Wasn’t that beautiful?” Both had left early to avoid Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, the next work on the program. Feldman grew up in the 30s and 40s of New York City and […]
HAYDN: Piano Concerto in G Major; Con . for Piano, Violin & Strings in F Major; Piano Con. in D Major – A. Staier, pianoforte/ Freiburger Borockorchester/ Gottfreid von der Goltz – Harmonia mundi
The Staier-Haydn concertos on the pianoforte combine austerity and vitality in an infectious mix. HAYDN: Piano Concerto in G Major, Hob. XVIII: 4; Concerto for Piano, Violin and Strings in F Major, Hob. XVIII: 6; Piano Concerto in D Major, Hob. XVIII: 11 – Andreas Staier, pianoforte/ Freiburger Borockorchester/ Gottfreid von der Goltz – Harmonia mundi HMG 501854, 64:20 (1/11/05) [Distr. PIAS] ****: Andreas Staier originally recorded these Haydn concertos in 2004, performing on a 1986 reconstruction of a Walter pianoforte of 1785. The program begins with the galant 1770 Concerto in G Major, an “outdoor” piece meant to appeal to the sophisticated audience who frequented the establishment of Prince Esterhazy. The first movement Allegro abounds in rapid double notes and runs for the keyboard, which in the guise of pianoforte realization, maintains a lucid but brittle quality. The cadenza becomes quite animated, altering figuration, dynamics, and textures quite freely, in the spirit of a fantasia-improvisation. A liquid trill brings the string tutti back, strutting and dancing to a tender resolution. The second movement Adagio enters into some chromatically-arresting modulations that involve various turns and ornaments. Staier’s dry tone may not suit all tastes, especially those who prefer a modern […]
DVORAK: Slavonic Rhapsodies; Symphonic Variations – Prague Philharmonic/ Jacub Hrusa – Pentatone
DVORAK: Slavonic Rhapsodies; Symphonic Variations – Prague Philharmonic/ Jacub Hrusa – Pentatone multichannel SACD PTC5186554, 60:28 [Distr. by Naxos] (10/7/16) ***1/2: Lesser known Dvorak lovingly played and very nicely recorded. For the third of his three-album series for Pentatone, the young and increasingly popular Jakub Hrusa conducts the Prague Philharmonic in an all-Dvorak program of appealing orchestral works comprising the Symphonic Variations Op. 78 coupled with the lesser known Slavonic Rhapsodies Op. 45, not to be confused with the well known Slavonic Dances. It’s nice to get a release of Dvorak’s non symphonic works, which are very popular, but there was more to the great Czech composer, and people who listen to this disc will agree. This is a lovely recording, with very nice instrumental positioning in the front channel, while the rears provide ambiance. Massed strings are very clean, and the SACD format renders the strings in a natural stress-free sound. The brass are also quite realistic. The low end is solid in this 5.0 recording. Hrusa has been a strong advocate of Dvorak, and he’s filling out the catalog nicely. Although these works are not the most familiar of Dvorak’s output, this is a most welcome recording and […]
“New York Rhapsody” – Lang Lang, p. & many others – Sony Classical
A really amazing crossover album and one of the very best Rhapsody in Blues. “New York Rhapsody” – Lang Lang, p. & many others [TrackList follows] – Sony Classical 889853329229, 70:00 (9/16/16) *****: I almost decided to put this CD in our Popular category, but it certainly is a very intense crossover effort in spite of Lang Lang saying that it is not. At the center of it all is perhaps the very best version of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue on record, and I am very partial to one with David Golub, conducted by, of all people, Mitch Miller, on Arabesque (1992). That one is great stereo sound and performance but this one is even better. Part of it is the showiness of Lang Lang, which is bound to come out in this album dedicated to America’s most symbolic city as great artists have imagined it. Part of it is also that this is a two-piano version of the Gershwin classic, with jazz legend Herbie Hancock at his Fazioli and Lang Lang at his Steinway, plus the London Symphony! The rest of this CD consists of nine short tracks featuring vocals by Jason Isbell, Andra Day, Kandace Springs, Lisa Fischer, […]
Audio News for November 22, 2016
Biggest Tech Turkeys of 2016 – according to Cnet, first Microsoft’s Surface tablet. Second, Google’s messenger overload; Third, watching sports in VR; Fourth, NFL draft prospect Laremey Tunsil smoking weed with a grass mask on Twitter – it went viral; Surface went offline during the AFC championship game in January; Twitter unceremoniously dumped Vine – a new service for sharing six-second videos; Uber is losing money; smartwatches are so 2015 – nobody is buying them; McDonald’s Un-Happy Meal, which has had a recall for burns and rashes; Microsoft would like you to forget about Tay, an AI they let loose on Twitter – she turned into a horny racist; Facebook declared war on the Philippines; Kanye asked Zuckerberg of Facebook for a load; Hulk Hogan slams Gawker in a privacy lawsuit; Snapchat filters draw ire; Computers blamed for missed flights with several airlines; Tesla’s autopilot led to a fatal car crash; T-Mobile moved to a single unlimited data plan and angered many customers; Verizon added fees to avoid fees; The FBI backed down from pushing Apple to unlock their iPhone; Apple eliminated the standard headphone jack in their new smartphones; BlackBerry goes nowhere and outsourced their phone business; The founder […]
Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra – Make America Great Again – Troubadour Jazz
New Orleans jazz – helping to “make America great again?”… Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra – Make America Great Again – Troubadour Jazz TJR103016, 62:48 (9/16/16) ****: (Delfeayo Marsalis – trombone; Khari Allen Lee – alto & soprano sax; Jeronne Ansari – alto sax; Roderick Paulin – tenor & alto sax; Gregory Agid – clarinet & tenor sax; Scott Johnson – tenor & baritone sax; Roger Lewis – baritone sax; Terrance Taplin, Charles Williams, Jeffery Miller, T. J. Norris, Maurice Trosclair – trombones; Andrew Baham, Scott Frock, Dr. Brice Miller, John Gray, Jamelle Williams – trumpets; Kyle Roussell – piano; Meghan Swartz – piano; David Pulphus – bass. With special guests – Dee-1 – rap; Cynthia Liggins Thomas – vocal; Wendell Pierce – narration; Branford Marsalis – tenor sax; Victor Goines – tenor sax; Oliver Bonie – baritone sax; John Culbreth – trumpet; Jeff Albert – bass trombone; Uptown Music Theatre Choir – Cynthia Liggins Thomas, Tara Alexander, Ebon George, Jazmine Piper-Marsalis, Kiya Henderson, Justice Smith, Celeste Metoyer, Hillary Vaucresson) Jazz artists are not typically political junkies, with some notable exceptions, i.e Bob Brookmeyer, and Charlie Haden. However, many jazz musicians have keen hip observational skills in finding […]
Bronislaw Huberman, v./ Ignaz Friedman, p. in works of BEETHOVEN, BACH, SCHUBERT, ELGAR, CHOPIN, BRAHMS & BRUCH – Pristine Audio
Mark Obert-Thorn restores the classic recording of the 1930 Kreutzer Sonata by Huberman and Friedman. BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 “Kreutzer”; BACH: Andante from Solo Sonata No. 2 in a minor, BWV 1003; Sarabande and Double from Solo Partita No. 1 in b minor, BWV 1002; Chorale Prelude: “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland,” BWV 62; Air from Orchestral Suite No. 2 in D, BWV 1068; SCHUBERT: Ave Maria, D. 839; Moment Musical in f minor, D. 780, No. 3; CHOPIN: Waltz in c-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2; Waltz in G-flat Major, Op. 70, No. 1; Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2; BRAHMS: Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 39, No. 15; BRUCH: Kol Nidrei, Op. 47; ELGAR: La capricieuse, Op. 17 – Bronislaw Huberman, v./ Ignaz Friedman, p. (Beethoven)/ Siegfried Schultze, p. – Pristine Audio PACM 102, 78:06 [avail. in var. formats (incl. a successful ambient stereo) from pristineclassical.com] ****: The art of violin virtuoso Bronislaw Huberman (1882-1947) remains fascinating and problematic to our ears, unaccustomed to his idiosyncratic style of continuous vibrato and sudden shifts of tempo. But the sincerity and ardent fervor of his performances warrants our attention; and often, […]
************ Multichannel Disc of the Month *********** * DEBUSSY: Images (complete); Jeux; La plus que lente – SF Sym./ Michael Tilson Thomas – SFS Media
The latest from MTT and the SF Symphony is an all-Debussy SACD. * DEBUSSY: Images (complete); Jeux; La plus que lente – San Francisco Sym./ Michael Tilson Thomas – SFS Media multichannel SACD 821936-0069-2, 62:31 (10/28/16) *****: More superb recordings and performances from one of the best orchestras in the U.S. – the San Francisco Symphony. The mastery of orchestration possessed by the French composer is exquisitely demonstrated in this collection of his impressionist style. French composers nearly always did the best job of portraying Spain in their music, and Debussy’s Images is a great example. Each one of the six parts of Images has its own national coloration. Iberia is the central panel of the Images, and is a sort of love song on a grand scale to the country which so engaged some French composers, including him. In the Night Fragrances section Debussy caresses us with the scents of oleander and sweet chestnut, wild rose and thyme. The score is marked “Slow and dreamy.” The last of the six parts, Rondes de printemps, is dedicated to the composer’s new wife, and quotes a French children’s song. It is actually a fierce little tone poem. Jeux is one of […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
