Monthly Archive: December 2016
Last Of The Mississippi Jukes (2016)
Last Of The Mississippi Jukes (2016) An interesting historical blues documentary finally gets released on DVD. Performers: Alvin Youngblood Hart; Bobby Rush; Chris Thomas King; Vasti Jackson; Patrice Moncell; Eddie Cotton; George Jackson; The King Edward Blues Band; The House Rockers; Abdul Rasheed; J.T. Watkins & Levon Lindsey; Dennis Fountain & Pat Brown; Lucille; Greg “Fingers” Taylor; Sam Carr; Anthony Sherrod; Jesse Robinson; David Hughes & Virgil Brawley; Steve Cheseborough; Casey Phillips & The Hounds Studio: MVD Visual MVD7127D Director: Robert Mugge Audio: PCM Stereo 2.0, DTS 5.1 Video: for 16:9 screens, color and black & white Chapters: Saturday Night, Sunday Morning; Ground Zero For Blues; Subway Swing; Last Call; Subway Blues: End Of The Line Length: 86 minutes Rating: Audio: ***1/2 Video: **** Overall: **** Blues has been an integral part of the American culture since its inception. The legacy of racism and brutality can never be ignored or changed by revisionist history. But this deeply felt musical genre has permeated African America and the mainstream with significant impact. Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Led Zeppelin, Carl Perkins, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington and Count Basie all share this musical roots genesis. […]
Stuart McCALLUM & Mike WALKER – The Space Between – Edition
Atmospheric guitar duo music in the tradition of early Pat Metheny with string quartet adornment. Stuart McCALLUM & Mike WALKER – The Space Between – Edition 1082, 49:11 (11/25/16) ***: (Stuart McCallum – acoustic guitar & electronics/ Mike Walker – electric guitar; (string quartet on tracks 1, 3, 6 & 7) Laura Senior & Gemma South – violins/ Lucy Nolan – viola/ Peggy Nolan – cello) When the ancient seer foretold a year of evils, he may have had 2016 in mind. Averting from the geopolitical stage to the music scene, we must face that it has been a time of testing. It is not a good sign when a city with dozens of first-rate musicians sees its only jazz club close (a decade ago Portland, Oregon had three fine jazz clubs). All the more do we welcome glad tidings from abroad and look to any positive developments there as a good omen. One such sign is the fruition of yet more great independent labels in Europe. One of the finest of these, Edition Records out of England, has made a positive impression on this site. This label specializes in conceptually-driven music which breathes fiery inspiration and artistic commitment. The […]
William Kapell, p. – Broadcasts and Concert Performances, 1944-1952 = Works of BACH, BRAHMS, CHOPIN, DEBUSSY, GRANADOS, LISZT, MENDELSSOHN, RACHMANINOV, SCHUBERT, R. STRAUSS & others – Marston (3 discs)
Marston Records bestows a glorious boon on those who revere the great American virtuoso, William Kapell. William Kapell – Broadcasts and Concert Performances, 1944-1952 = BACH: Suite in a minor, BWV 818; Nun komm der Heiden Heiland (arr. Busoni); Concerto in a minor for Four Klaviers (after Vivaldi); BRAHMS: Intermezzo in A-flat, Op. 76, No. 3; CHASINS: Tricky Trumpet No. 6; CHOPIN: Nocturne in b-flat minor, Op. 9, No. 1; Sonata No. 3 in b: Largo – excerpt; Mazurka in f minor, Op. 63, No. 2; Mazurka in c-sharp minor, Op. 6, No. 2; DEBUSSY: Children’s Corner Suite; Suite bergamasque; La Soiree dans Granade; FALLA: Miller’s Dance; GRANADOS: The Maiden and the Nightingale; LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 in a minor; MENDELSSOHN: Song Without Words in f-sharp minor, Op. 67, No. 2; MOZART: Sonata in C Major, K. 330; Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 570; NAPOLITANO: El gato; PALMER: Toccata ostinato; RACHMANINOV: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43; SCHUBERT: 2 Laendler from D. 783; SCHUMANN: Romance in F-sharp Major, Op. 28, No. 2; Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44; SHOSTAKOVICH: 3 Preludes from Op. 34; R. STRAUSS: Burleske in d minor – William Kapell, piano/ Rosalyn Tureck, […]
Nadia Reisenberg, piano – Live Ch. Recitals and Home Solo Performances = Works of WEBER, MOZART, BEETHOVEN, LISZT & Others – Romeo (2 discs)
Piano virtuoso Nadia Reisenberg’s “personal elation” in making chamber music with gifted friends and colleagues. Nadia Reisenberg – Live Chamber Recitals and Home Solo Performances = WEBER: Grand Duo Concertante, Op. 48; MOZART: Piano Trio in E-flat Major, K. 498 “Kegelstatt”; BEETHOVEN: Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 11 “Gassenhauer”; Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 16; MOZART: Pastorale Variee; LISZT: Spanish Rhapsody; DVORAK: Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81; GLAZUNOV: Valse Allegretto in D, Op. 42, No. 3; CHOPIN: Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 42; Nocturne No. 20 in c-sharp minor, Op. Posth. – David Glazer, clarinet/ The Galimir String Q. (Dvorak)/ Members of the Budapest String Q. (Beethoven Op. 16)/ David Glazer, clar./ David Soyer, cello (Mozart, Beethoven, Op. 11)/ Nadia Reisenberg, p. – Romeo 7318/19 (2 CDs) 78:20, 74:50 [Distr. by Albany] ****: Despite having virtually “retired” from the active concert stage in 1947 in order to fulfill her teaching duties and her parenting role, Nadia Reisenberg (1904-1983) once more commands our attention in a series of chamber (and solo) works organized by her son, producer and commentator Robert Sherman. With the help of archivist Donald Manildi and engineer Seth Winner, these concerts receive a new […]
PHILIP GLASS & ROBERT WILSON: Einstein on the Beach, Blu-ray (2016)
Still Philip Glass’ most important work in a stunning production! PHILIP GLASS & ROBERT WILSON: Einstein on the Beach, Blu-ray (2016) Production: Chatelet Theatre, Paris Performers: The Philip Glass Ensemble/The Lucinda Childs Dance Company/Antoine Silverman, Helga Davis, Kate Moran/Michael Reisman (cond.) Robert Wilson (stage director)/ Don Kent (screen director) Studio: Opus Arte (2 discs) [10/28/16] (Distr. by Naxos) Video: 1.33:1 (4:3) color Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, PCM Stereo Length: 263 min. Ratings: Audio: ***1/2 Video: **** Like it or not, Einstein on the Beach remains Philip Glass’ most defining work. It is what gave him a large amount of name recognition and – at the time – ‘word on the street.’ I first became aware of Einstein in 1976, mainly by reading new music journals. I quickly bought the vinyl set of the original cast recording on the now defunct art label, Tomato Records, which I still have to this day. Einstein on the Beach is the work that paved the way for Glass’ work going beyond the small and somewhat sparsely attended concerts of his ensemble (of which I attended several) to his film scores such as the still powerful Koyaanisqatsi and the more “true” opera, Satygraha. It […]
Audio News for December 30 2016
The 2016 Year in Classical Music – Two of the most influential musicians of both centuries took their final curtain calls during 2016: Pierre Boulez (who blew minds in conservative classical music with his compositions) and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, the Austrian cellist, conductor, music researcher and founder of historic performance practice. Also deceased was Peter Maxwell Davies, Master of the Queen’s Music at the British court and composer of symphonies, concertos, operas, ballet and film music. South African tenor Johan Botha also died, a celebrated singer of Wagnerian roles. Terrorist and other attacks in other Bavarian cities affected the 2016 Bayreuth Festival. German conductor Hartmut Haenchen stepped in with little rehearsal time and was well received, but the same didn’t go for the new stage director Uwe Eric Laufenberg. The Salzburg Festival had a varied program, including works by Thomas Ades and Friedrich Cerha. The Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival revolved around the central theme of Joseph Haydn. Next year it will be Maurice Ravel. At Bonn’s Beethovenfest, director Nike Wagner present a program with the theme “Revolutions.” A number of prizes were handed out: Greek-Russian conductor Teodor Currentzis got one, as did Cecila Bartoli and German conductor Thomas Hengelbrock. Turkish pianist/composer Fazil […]
BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique – Royal Concertgebouw Orch./ Daniele Gatti – RCO/ Avotros 45rpm vinyl (2)
Amazing fidelity in this 45 rpm vinyl, though perhaps not the best performance. HECTOR BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique – Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/ Daniele Gatti – RCO/ Avotros 45 RPM vinyl (2 discs) ****1/2: Gatti is the seventh conductor of the famed Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amserdam, and takes an unconventional version of the score which has astonished audience since its premiere in 1830. He has a sense of surprise and freshness based on the thorough knowledge of Berlioz’ score, and the joy of making music with the RCO member players who choose Gatti as their new chief conductor. This a masterful job of remastering at 45 rpm. Unfortunately, the performance – while excellent – doesn’t seem to find anything new in this extraordinary work of Berlioz. It is also available on a fine RCO multichannel SACD (which I have not heard) but using the pseudo-surround feature on most preamps creates an absolutely enveloping music in surround effect with this magnificent 45 rpm remastering. One writer compared the SACD sonics to the SACDs of the ten Mahler Symphonies released a few years ago by the Concertgebouw. The warmth and ambiance of the acoustically-perfect concert hall come thru either way. You would have to […]
“Hawniyaz” – Kayhan Kalhour, kamancheh/Aynur, chant/Cemil Qoçgirî, tenbûr/Salman Gambarov, p. – HM
Just sit back and enjoy this wonderful ensemble and learn something. “Hawniyaz” – Kayhan Kalhour, kamancheh/Aynur, chant/Cemil Qoçgirî, tenbûr/Salman Gambarov, p. – Harmonia mundi, 57:31 [Distr. by PIAS] (8/12/16), ***1/2: Upon first seeing this album I honestly had no idea what I was in for. I have heard very little of contemporary classical music come out of the Middle East (an example of which this is not) and I have a rather limited appreciation for traditional ethnic music from any culture (an example of which this is not.) So the great surprise here is that this album is almost indescribable and quite good. It is sort of an ‘easy listening/world music/ethnic jazz’ experience and makes for very interesting and relaxing listening. The first thing I had to learn was what these instruments are that this amazing ensemble uses. Thanks to very good booklet notes, I learned that a kamancheh is a “spike fiddle” played with a bow and/or plucking and strumming and is indigenous to fifteenth century Iran and is played to this day throughout Armenia, Azerbaijan and the larger region. A tenbûr is a kind of long-necked lute also originally from the Kurdish territories and still played much of […]
American Psalmody of the 20th Century – Gloriae Dei Cantore/Richard K. Pugsley – Paraclete (3 CD set)
A fine tour of American choral music on 3 CDs. American Psalmody of the 20th Century – Gloriae Dei Cantore/Richard K. Pugsley – Paraclete Recordings 8999 (3 CD set) TT: 3:11:00 (7/20/16) ****: This new recording from Paraclete is a pretty complete tour of American Choral music based on Psalms from the Bible. The collection features 20th century music, and 23 of the works contained in this 3 CD set have never been recorded previously, making this set quite a musical treasure. The composers represented include Charles Loeffler, Virgil Thomson, Kent Newbury, Samuel Adler, Charles Ives, Alan Hovhaness and more. The performances are by the Gloriae Dei Cantores, an internationally recognized choir with more than forty members who range in age from seventeen to seventy. This massive collection is conducted by Richard Pugsley. There are also instrumental contributions from brass instruments, a piano and the great organ at Methuen Memorial music Hall at Metheun, MA. The collection is so large you’re not likely to get through all 3 CDs in one sitting, but wherever you dive in I think you’ll be pleased with the level of musicality. Taken together, the collection is moving and they are well performed. It was […]
Lee Konitz / Kenny Wheeler Quartet – Olden Times – Live At Birdland – Neuburg Double Moon
Lee Konitz / Kenny Wheeler Quartet – Olden Times – Live At Birdland – Neuburg Double Moon DMCHR 71146, 78:31 ****: Time has not diminished the astounding expressiveness of these two musical innovators. (Lee Konitz – alto saxophone/ Kenny Wheeler – trumpet, Flugelhorn/ Frank Wunsch – piano; Gunnar Plümer – drums) It would be futile to attempt to categorize the Lee Konitz / Kenny Wheeler Quartet re-release Olden Times. Both Konitz and Wheeler are unique players and have been associated with jazz categories as diverse as cool, post-bop, and avant-guarde. The music on this album probably fits all of these possibilities, and more. The original release of Olden Times was originally in 2000, but for a variety of reasons never caught on with the listening public, disappeared without a trace, and rarely showed up in most discographies. This remastering has enhanced the listening experience and the music is filled with thought and vitality. All of the tunes were written by the various band members, with Konitz and Wheeler carrying the bulk of the load. Konitz starts off the session with his own composition “Lennie’s” which begins abruptly with Konitz leaning into the number. Filled with long improvisation alto lines, it […]
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Blu-ray (2016)
A classic that has been seen by millions—now in your living room. George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Blu-ray (2016) TCHAIKOVSKY: The Nutcracker (Live from Lincoln Center) Performers: The New York City Ballet Director: Katherine E. Brown Producer: John Goberman Studio: C Major 738704 2016 [Distr. by Naxos] Video: 16:9 HD Blu-ray Audio: PCM Stereo 2.0, DTS-HD MA 5.0 Subtitles: Italian, German, English, French No region code Length: 100 min. Extras: Behind the Stage (10 min.) Rating: ***** Balanchine’s Nutcracker has been a staple for 64 years at the New York City Ballet. It’s seen by over 100,000 people annually, and countless versions of it have been given throughout the United States, popularizing the work in a way that Tchaikovsky could never imagine. It’s no secret as to why this particular vision of the piece has proved so enormously widespread—the fanciful delights of this rabidly gorgeous production, the inevitable deliberateness of the dance numbers that are perfectly executable yet still breathlessly entertaining, and the magical atmospherics add up to a production that is fully worthy of the accolades received over the years. It’s about time we had this on Blu-ray, in stunning sound and superb color, with a bonus segment that takes […]
Ramon Llull – A time of conquests, dialogue…- Savall – Alia Vox
A fascinating probe into one of the most brilliant minds ever to grace the earth. “Ramon Llull – A time of conquests, dialogue, and disconsolations” = Hespérion XXI /La Capella Reial de Catalunya/ Jordi Savall — Alia Vox multichannel SACD AVSA9917, (2 discs) TT: 137:34 & book [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Ramon Llull (1232-1316) was one smart dude—logician, philosopher, Third Order Franciscan, and author of the first major work of Catalan literature. He is also considered a martyr, having been stoned by an angry group of Muslims, and died the following year, though he has only been beatified to this point, in 1857 by Pope Pius IX. Llull experienced a six-fold vision of Jesus Christ which led him to leave family and position for service to God and the Church. His greatest achievement was probably his Art, given lasting expression in The Ultimate General Art from 1305. His earnest desire was to produce a system that would facilitate the production of knowledge, always devoted to the principles of his faith, and which would give a common philosophical platform that the great monotheistic religions could agree on, thereby providing a stage for the conversion to Christianity. He wrote no music, […]
BEETHOVEN: Two Sonatas – Grumiaux, v./Arrau, p. – Pentatone
Beethoven as he was meant to be played. BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonatas No. 1 in D, Opus 12:1; No. 5 in F, Opus 24, “Spring” – Arthur Grumiaux, violin/ Claudio Arrau, p. – Pentatone multichannel (4.0) SACD PTC 5186 235, 45:22 (8/26/16) [Distr. by Naxos] *****: They don’t get much better than this—Beethoven violin sonatas, that is. Grumiaux is one of those special cases whose CDs I return to often. That meltingly creamy tone, whether in chamber music, Beethoven sonatas, or Bach Sonatas and Partitas, bends the will of the composer’s tonal suggestions, whatever they may have been, to the mind and technique of a very special performer. Indeed, Grumiaux’s sensitive touch graces any work of art that he saw fit to engage, and for those whom beauty of sound is something special, if not mandatory, this release will send you to the stars. Alongside an equally dedicated and perspicacious partner like Claudio Arrau, it only gets better. Sometimes recordings that pair such talented and decidedly insightful performers like those here result in surly and surely misguided outcomes (one only needs to listen to the recording of the Beethoven Triple Concerto on EMI with Karajan, Rostropovich, and Richter to understand this), […]
MONTEVERDI: Messa a Quattro voci et salmi of 1650; CAVALLI: Magnificat – The Sixteen/ Harry Christophers – Coro
A terrific start to a new two-part series. MONTEVERDI: Messa a Quattro voci et salmi of 1650 (Vol. 1); CAVALLI: Magnificat – The Sixteen/ Harry Christophers – Coro Cor 16142, 71:29 ****: After Monteverdi’s death in 1643 at the age of 76, his publisher thought highly enough of some of his unpublished pieces to put them out in print. Though his two large collections of secular (Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi) and sacred (Selva morale et spiritual) music from the last five years of his life represent a major summing up of 30 years of work as the choirmaster of the Doge’s chapel at San Marco, this overflow of creative work that didn’t make it to the printed page is evidently as worthwhile and moving as anything he ever wrote. The collection emanated from the composer’s own stock of manuscripts, and contain a variety of psalm settings, vespers, a litany, and a mass. You might notice that the very title of this collection is “mass”, and none is to be found on this disc; that’s because The Sixteen have committed to two discs from this collection, and the Mass will be available on Volume 2. Many of these works include instrumental […]
“The Clarinet in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries from Solo to Quartet” – Music of ERNESTO CAVALLINI, DOMENICO SCARLATTI & others – Stark Quartet – Tactus
“The Clarinet in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries from Solo to Quartet” – Music of ERNESTO CAVALLINI, DOMENICO SCARLATTI & others – Stark Quartet – Tactus TC890001, 62:14 [Distr. by Naxos] (11/11/16) ***: Very nice playing in this collection for the true enthusiast. There is a decent amount of repertoire (well, pretty large actually) for clarinet ensembles. However, most of it lies in the transcriptions category or is to be found in the pre-twentieth century realm. The reasons for this are understandable in that many composers found the advances in clarinet making since the work of Klosé and Buffet quite intriguing. This, combined with the portability of these ensembles, often gave composers an attractive alternative to the standard string quartet sound or the very unique declamatory timbres of brass ensembles, so popular in the late Baroque. This album goes to show that there are some very nice works from the mid-nineteenth century to be sure but also some examples from the early to mid-twentieth century. (The advent of the true virtuoso player and extended techniques playable on very advanced instruments has given rise to more concerti and solo rep than any ensembles like this the past fifty to seventy years, […]
Martha Argerich: Live Broadcasts, Vol. 5 – Works of MOZART, BACH, SCHUMANN & CHOPIN – Doremi
The Argerich legend continues in potent and sometimes manic performances from 1966. Martha Argerich: Live Broadcasts, Vol. 5 – MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 20 in d minor, K. 466; BACH: Toccata in c minor, BWV 911; SCHUMANN: Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17; CHOPIN: 3 Mazurkas, Op. 59 – Martha Argerich, p./ Sym. Orch. of the North German Radio/ Reinhard Peters – Doremi DHR-8048, 78:27 (11/18/16) [www.doremi.com] ****: The Doremi label continues to release previously unpublished sound documents from the volcanic performance career of Martha Argerich: here we have two 1966 concerts, from Hamburg and Milan, respectively. These interpretations testify to the then-twenty-five-year-old Argentinian’s fiery approach to her repertory, although the Schumann no less reveals the dangers of a temperament’s having become manic. The Mozart concerto (16 June 1966) displays Argerich at her best: she has a true sense of the Mozart style, attested to here and also in her collaboration with Eugen Jochum in the Concerto No. 18 in B-flat Major, K. 456 from Bavaria. Her fluidity and grace bespeak careful coaching from both Friedrich Gulda and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, “classicists” in their own right. I did not know conductor Reinhard Peters (1926-2008), who had a significant career […]
Art Pepper & Warne Marsh – Unreleased Art: Volume 9 at Dante’s, April 26, 1974 – Widow’s Taste
A blend of passion and cerebral coolness… Art Pepper & Warne Marsh – Unreleased Art: Volume 9 at Dante’s, April 26, 1974 – Widow’s Taste APM 16001 – 3 CDs 58:44, 60:03, 57:22 ****: (Art Pepper – alto and soprano sax; Warne Marsh – tenor sax; Mark Levine- piano; John Heard – bass; Lew Malin – drums; Bill Mays – piano on “Cherokee”) I’ve had the pleasure of listening to all nine volumes of previously unreleased live recordings of Art Pepper issued by his widow, Laurie Pepper under her own label. They cover the later years of Art’s career and display his urgency in sharing his vision even when he was in ill health and fully aware that he did not have long to live. If at all possible, Art’s playing became even more vibrant as he poured out his guts and love for the music that had sustained him when drugs and incarceration sapped his strength and well being. The latest issue from Laurie documents a full evening at Dante’s, a jazz club in North Hollywood. Recorded in late April, 1974, from tapes of an unknown source, Art was sharing the stage with tenor saxist, Warne Marsh. Pepper had […]
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major; Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major – The Cleveland Orch./ Mitsuko Uchida, p. and cond. – Decca
Pianist-director Uchida instills both pomp and poetry into her latest survey of the Mozart concertos. MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major, K. 453; Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503 – The Cleveland Orch./ Mitsuko Uchida, piano and cond. – Decca 483 0716, 67:23 (10/28/16) [Distr. by Universal] **** : Piano virtuoso Mitsuko Uchida (b. 1948) has systematically been re-examining the Mozart selected-concerto cycle, a project she embarked upon years ago with conductor Jeffrey Tate and the English Chamber Orchestra. This present combination of the concertos in G Major and C Major completes her current project, the recordings made 11-13 February 2016 in live performance in Severance Hall, Cleveland. We have had excellent Mozart from Cleveland prior, under George Szell, with such distinguished soloists as Rudolf Serkin and Robert Casadesus. Auditors may find Uchida’s latest renditions somewhat precious and lacking in spontaneity, but the clarity and fluidity of ensemble remains undeniable. The two concertos, written for Mozart’s own use for a series of Vienna premieres between 1784-1786, gives us music which allowed Mozart to show off his keyboard virtuosity while he expanded his notion of concerto procedure, experimenting, for example, with the stile brise in the […]
Audio News for December 27, 2016
Alexa Control4 Home Automation Setup – Control4 is smart-home-as-a-service company which specializes in custom-installed connected entertainment setups. Fairly high end, the master receivers start at $600 and go as high as $2000, and to that must be added costs of your smart home gear. But it offers seamless, dealer-installed integration of all home AV needs, along with the lighting, climate and security gadgets. In one test, Alexa replaced a two-switch control setup for the gas fireplace with a single switch that controlled the lights, ceiling fans, fireplace, and even toggled pre-programmed scenes. It includes stuff that most people never thought of automating. Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 3700 – at $1499, gives the wonderful feeling when the lights go down and movie starts in your home theater. It is the mid-level projector of three models in the Home Cinema line, and does not lack for brightness or sharpness. It also makes 3D look good, and can be easily connected to better speakers than those built into the unit. The image is very adjustable, and the projector need not be placed directly in line with the screen. It can project a 100” image just ten feet away from the screen. Biggest Works […]
FRANCK: Sonata for v. & p.; Melancolie, Andantino quietoso; RAVEL: Sonata for v. & p. No. 2; Tzigane – Kirill Troussov, v./ Alexandra Troussova, p. – MD&G Recital
An excellent performance of Ravel & Franck violin & piano sonatas, plus extras. FRANCK: Sonata for violin & piano; Melancolie, Andantino quietoso Op. 6; RAVEL: Sonata for violin & piano No. 2; Tzigane – Kirill Troussov, v./ Alexandra Troussova, p. – MD&G Recital multichannel SACD 903 1984-6 (plus 2+2+2), 65:28 (Distr. by Naxos) [1/13/17] ****: A really wonderful violin and piano recital in hi-res surround. Troussove has a lovely sound on his violin and the German Steinway of Troussova’s sounds (built in 1901) excellent in this hi-res recital. And Troussov plays a 1702 Stradivarius on which Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto of 1881 had been performed. Troussova is the brother of Troussov, and both have performed thruout Europe at various concerts, and they have made many recording for the EMI Classics label. Franck was most important to French music during his lifetime, and strugged to promote French music after the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1871. He was the organist at various churches in Paris until his death and during the last decade or so of his life concentrated on chamber music, of which his Sonata for Violin and Piano is an example. Ravel intended his Violin Sonata in G […]
GAVIN BRYARS: The Fifth Century; Two Love Songs – Prism Quartet/The Crossing/Donald McNally – ECM New Series
Music that sounds both ancient and modern and beautiful throughout. GAVIN BRYARS: The Fifth Century; Two Love Songs – Prism Quartet/The Crossing/Donald McNally – ECM New Series ECM2405, 50:58 [Distr. by Naxos] (11/18/16) 50:58 ****: I have always found Gavin Bryars’ music to be beautiful, mysterious, unique; sometimes a bit disturbing – but always worth investigating. Known for its often slow-paced and quiet kind of minimalist-inspired sound, his music continues this effect with The Fifth Century, a song cycle after the seventeenth-century English poet and theologian Thomas Traherne. The title is actually also the name of a treatise on the “essence of God” by Traherne. While the texts are steeped with imagery of the infinite, of the heavens and of eternity, the real attention-getting aspect of this piece is Bryars’ rich, yet sparse, chord progressions and voicings and the beauty they produce. The other aspect of this score that cannot be appreciated until heard is the use of a saxophone quartet to accompany the otherwise a capella choir. One would think that saxophone quartets in such a context would drown the vocals or be given some oddly out of place chordal progressions or exposed moments that sound very stereotypically “saxophone-like.” […]
Patrick ZIMMERLI – Shores Against Silence – Songlines
Patrick ZIMMERLI – Shores Against Silence – Songlines 1619, 38:38 (11/4/16) ****: (Patrick Zimmerli, tenor sax/ Kevin hays; p./ Larry Grenadier. bass/ Tom Rainey, drums, Satoshi Takeishi, percussion) Previously unreleased quartet music from 1992 by heady classical/jazz composer Patrick Zimmerli. Given the technical mastery and expressive range of tenor saxophonist Patrick Zimmerli, it is surprising that he is not better known among the jazz cognoscenti. Perhaps that is because, by choice, he has never had both feet inside jazz. In an interview with Evan Iverson, he explained how his childhood circumstances account for his unusual path in life. Patrick’s older brother was a child prodigy at the piano. When the younger sibling (by three years) was still romping around on his hobby-horse, the older was playing the Well-Tempered Clavier in the nursery. A few years later, instead of making mischief around the neighborhood, the boys studied the scores of the Beethoven Sonatas together. His brother having already claimed it, the piano was off-limits, but the young Pat took up the saxophone and soon learned to play by ear and to improvise, two bids for autonomy. As his passion in music took over, he dedicated himself to imitative mastery of the […]
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