Monthly Archive: January 2017
Audio News for January 31, 2017
Philip Glass is 80; But Some Classical Music Lovers Hate His Music – His productivity has been amazing: there are ten symphonies, 14 operas, seven string quartets, film scores, 20 piano studies, 11 concertos, and much else. He is also the greatest collaborator among composers since Stravinsky. One of the famous ones was with notorious Robert Wilson, the theatre director with whom he did the five-hour Einstein on the Beach. He is considered the father of minimalism. Actor Benedict Cumberbatch is Into Classical Music Too – He is a close friend of concert pianist James Rhodes and a lover of classical music. Together, they have released a series called Piano Night. They talk about what Cumberbatch loves about classical music and why Rhodes thing Chopin is the greatest. Video Surveillance Growth – is partly due the demand for IP-enabled security cameras in physical security. They allow users to remotely survey their property and appeal to both individual consumers, government agencies, and industry verticals. They provide superior video quality as well as hardware and software scalability. Recent innovations in systems integration, such as data storage, have grown this area faster. The global market is also growing, especially in India and China, though […]
BROSCHI, PORPORA & HANDEL: “Farinelli – A Portrait – Live in Bergen” – Anne Hallenberg/ Les Talens Lyriques/ Christophe Rousset – Aparte
BROSCHI, PORPORA & HANDEL: “Farinelli – A Portrait – Live in Bergen” – Anne Hallenberg/ Les Talens Lyriques/ Christophe Rousset – Aparte 117, 79:40 (2/17/17) ****: Most famous arias of the legendary castrato Farinelli sung by fine mezzo-soprano with two Handel arias as encores. Carlo Broschi, known to posterity as Farinelli, was a late and certainly the most illustrious castrato of the 18th century. His career was ably chronicled by Charles Burney, whose writings on the musical culture of his time are the equivalent of our New York Times’ Arts section. According to Burney, Farinelli’s debut was a mythical moment, the arrival of a god on a cloud of artistic conquest. Rome, 1722, was the setting for a memorable contest in which the “power of his lungs” bested the virtuosity of a reputed trumpet player while a partisan audience swooned in acclamation. From this moment, the career of Farinelli was launched. Conquests of all the operatic centers of Italy ensued. Foreign capitals beckoned as well; first Vienna, and then the musical capital of the world, London. Burney described the wonder of his reception: “The band did not follow him, but were all gaping with wonder, as if thunder struck…unable to keep […]
British Music – Conducted by Sir Charles Groves = ELGAR, DELIUS, VW, BRIAN, HOLST, WALTON, BRIDGE & Many Others – Warner Classics (24 CDs)
True to its advertisement, this set brings together a fine selection of British music led by a devoted practitioner of his craft. British Music – Sir Charles Groves = ELGAR: Nursery Suite; Funeral March from Grania amd Diaramid, Op. 42; Severn Suite, Op. 87; Caractacus, Op. 35: Complete Cantata; Woodland and Triumphal March; The Crown of India – Suite, Op. 66; The Black Knight, Op. 25; Spanish Serenade, Op. 23; The Snow, Op. 26, No. 1; Fly, Singing Bird, Op. 26, No. 2; Imperial March, Op. 32; The Light of Life, Op. 29; Enigma Variations, Op. 36; Violin Concerto in b, Op. 61; Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Op. 39: No. 1 in D and No. 4 in G; DELIUS: A Song of Summer; Eventyr; A Dance Rhapsody No. 1; Paris: a Nocturne; Lebenstanz; North Country Sketches; Sea Drift; Songs of Sunset; An Arabesque; A Mass of Life; Koanga; The Song of the High Hills; VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Hugh the Drover; HOLST: The Hymn of Jesus, Op. 37; Short Festival Te Deum; Hymns from the Rig Veda – Second Group, Op. 26, No. 2; Ode to Death, Op. 38; Two Songs without Words, Op. 22: Marching Song; BRIAN: Symphony No. 8 in […]
MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition; A Night on Bald Mountain; TCHAIKOVSKY: Set. fr. Swan Lake – Vienna Philharmonic/ Dudamel – DGG
Dudamel traverses familiar Russian territory, convincing and affectionate, but rarely with new insight. MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition; A Night on Bald Mountain; TCHAIKOVSKY: Waltz from Swan Lake, Op. 20 – Vienna Philharmonic Orch./ Gustavo Dudamel – DGG 479 6297, 50:51 (12/2/16) [Distr. by Universal] ***: Whenever a new recording emerges of an old chestnut, my hackles rise, assuming the performance to be guilty until it proves itself innocent. So be it. Gustavo Dudamel – a protégé of another literalist conductor, Claudio Abbado – has taken on the Mussorgsky 1874 Pictures as orchestrated by Maurice Ravel (rec. April 2016) partially to give exposure to the “Superar” Project, which provides free music lessons for children from Vienna’s Tenth District. Pictures of the children grace the album insert cover and booklet. While I cannot deny the instrumental versatility of the Vienna Philharmonic players and the pungent acoustical resonance captured by Recording Engineer Rene Moeller and Teldex Studio, Berlin, I am not sufficiently overwhelmed to recommend this performance over my perennial favorites Bernstein, Reiner, and Toscanini. Certainly the individual colors in this performance, as in the Vienna Philharmonic’s excellent bassoon solos, captivate my ear. The bass fiddles in Bydlo have rarely resonated so […]
Blue Canvas – Brandi Disterheft with Harold Mabern & Joe Farnsworth – Justin Time
Blue Canvas – Brandi Disterheft with Harold Mabern & Joe Farnsworth – Justin Time JUST 255-2, 44:55 ****: A smart and expressive release. (Brandi Disterheft – acoustic bass, cello, vocals; Harold Mabern – piano; Joe Farnsworth – drums) Guy Dixon, writing for Canada’s Globe & Mail on July 20,2009, offered the following headline: “It’s 3 AM, and a Canadian bassist is looking for her big break”. The article went on to describe how Brandi Disterheft was attempting to break into the jazz scene in New York City, after playing in and around Toronto, Canada during the previous decade. Now some eight years on, Disterheft appears to have paid her dues. She has brought together pianist Harold Mabern, one of the few remaining hard bop standouts, along with one of the stalwarts of New York jazz circles, drummer Joe Farnsworth, to deliver a smart and expressive release entitled Blue Canvas. The recording session is a mix of mostly well-known jazz standards along with several Disterheft originals, all of which demonstrate a certain harmonic expressiveness, that works well in a trio setting. The set opens with a Bobby Timmons/Jon Hendricks’ opus “Dis Here” which has seen its share of interpretations. Mabern takes […]
“French Music” – works of CHAUSSON: Sym. in B-flat; Poeme de L’Amour; DEBUSSY: Printemps – Praga Digitals
The colorful, Symbolist scores of Ernest Chausson receive classic accounts by Munch and Barbirolli. French Music = CHAUSSON: Symphony in B-flat Major, Op. 20; Poeme de L’Amour et de la Mer, Op .19; DEBUSSY: Printemps – Symphonic Suite – Kathleen Ferrier, contr./ Halle Orch./ Sir John Barbirolli/ Boston Sym. Orch./ Charles Munch (Chausson Symphony and Debussy) – Praga Digitals PRD 250 345, 74:58 (11/25/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: Artur Nikisch conducted Ernest Chausson’s Symphonie in 1897, earning the work the epithet “masterpiece” in Paris, Brussels and Barcelona, on a par with Beethoven’s or Schumann’s symphonies. My own first exposure to this scintillating, exciting work came via Dimitri Mitropoulos and the Minneapolis Symphony on CBS (ML 4141), then soon after, with Frederick Stock and the Chicago Symphony on Bluebird LP (LBC 1056). The Symphony (1890) owes many debts to Cesar Franck in terms of structure and its cyclic arrangement of themes. Charles Munch directs a performance from Boston 26 February 1962. The Chausson Symphony enjoys from Munch and his responsive BSO a spacious and ominous opening Lent, whose motivic elements will return at the work’s conclusion to bring cyclic closure to the composition. The horn and bassoon apply the melody […]
Talking Sticks (2016)
Not just a film bio of Arthur Lipner but a trip around the earth viewing many aspects of mallet instruments worldwide. Talking Sticks (2016) Cast: Arthur Lipner, Gary Burton, Mike Mainieri, Vida Chenoweth, Bernard Woma and other top percussionists Studio: Living Arts Productions Video: for 16:9 screens, color Audio: English DD stereo Length: 63 min. Rating: ****1/2 A fascinating global percussion journey, as Lipner goes everywhere there are seemingly some sort of mallet instruments and players and builders of them. I had no idea that the marimba/xylophone was so widespread over the earth. He visits Mexico, Ghana, Iceland, Brazil, and perhaps the most amazing are the ice mallet instruments created in Norway which melt when the sun finally comes out. Lipner is searching for deeper personal connections with various cultures and creativity thru his music, and is obviously nuts for mallet instruments – and I wasn’t aware there were so many of them. This is a wonderful documentary which probably would not have been possible before cheap and portable video equipment which meets film standards. It should appeal to more than just the aficionados of music. The several talks with Burton and Mainieri are especially interesting. This film should inculcate […]
SOLER: Con. for Two Harpsichords & CHAMBONNIERES: 8 Harpsichord Suites – both Brilliant
Two harpsichord collections of great note. ANTONIO SOLER: Six Concertos for Two Harpsichords – Agustin Alvarez & Eusebio Fernandez-Villacanas – Brilliant 95327, 57:09 (9/2/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: JACQUES CHAMPION DE CHAMBONNIERES: Eight Harpsichord Suites – Franz Silvestri, harpsichord – Brilliant 95339 (2 CDs) (10/28/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Soler studied with Domenico Scarlatti and is almost as much fun as Scarlatti. They both worked for the Spanish court, though Italian musicians, and in a letter Soler says that he was a scholar of Scarlatti. Soler created many harpsichord sonatas for his royal pupil, just as Scarlatti did. He even dedicated one of these concertos to the Infant of Spain Don Gabriel de Borbon. And what better than a sonata for a single harpsichord than a concerto for two of them! It really sounds great on headphones or in the car, but is still most enjoyable sitting in front of a good system. Despite the “two organs” of the title of these six concertos, there is evidence that they were often done on two harpsichords. The custom of the time was that music for keyed instruments was indistinctively played on whatever instrument with keyboard was available. The form of the […]
Deepwater Horizon, Blu-ray VR (2017)
A very dramatic portrayal of the real-life worst oil spill accident ever. Deepwater Horizon, Blu-ray VR (2017) Cast: Kurt Russell, Mark Wahlberg, John Malkovich, James DuMount, Douglas M. Griffin, Joe Chrest, Kate Hudson, Gina Rodriquez Director: Peter Berg Based on story by: Matthew Sand Studio: Summit Entertainment/ Lionsgate (1/10/17) [2 discs] 4K Blu-ray Combo Pack Video: For 16:9 screens, HD, color Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish DD 5.1, English DD 2.0, English Optimized for Late-Night Listening Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish Extras: (on Blu-ray) Beyond the Horizon – an hour-long five-part series: “Captain of the Rig,” “The Fury of the Rig,” “Deepwater Surveillance,” “Work Like An American” (tribute to America’s blue-collar workers. Length: 97 min. Rating: **** Kurt Russell and Mark Wahlberg head up this true story of the most major oil spill accident ever. Russell provided wisdom on the set which ultimately improved the film. The 126 real-life heroes aboard the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig began their day like any other. But before it ended, the world saw one of the greatest man-made disasters in U.S. history. The film shows the brave acts of the men and women aboard who rose to the unbelievable challenge and risked all […]
Gregory Porter (vocals) – Live In Berlin, Blu-ray + 2 CDs (2016)
Soul/jazz singer releases a live performance Blu-ray. Gregory Porter – Live In Berlin, Blu-ray + 2 CDs (2016) Performers: Gregory Porter – vocals; Chip Crawford – piano; Jahmal Nichols – double bass; Emanuel; Harrold – drums; Tivon Pennicott – tenor saxophone Producer/Director: Jeremy Aziz Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment EVB335539 Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; PCM Stereo 2.0 Video: 16:9 for 1080i HD, color TrackList: (Same as CD): Holding On; On My Way To Harlem/What’s Going On; Take Me To The Alley; Don’t Lose Your Steam; Hey Laura; Liquid Spirit; Consequence Of Love; Bass Solo/Papa Was A Rolling Stone; Musical Genocide; Don’t Be A Fool; Work Song?Drum Solo; In Fashion; Be Good (Lion’s Song); 1960 What?; Water Under Bridges; Free/Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) Length: 128 minutes Rating: Audio ***1/2 Video **** Overall **** Gregory Porter has become a star in the modern soul/jazz genre. His songwriting ability and recordings have garnered critical and fan enthusiasm. His stage persona has made him an international star. Eagle Vision has released a Blu-ray (with 2 CDs), titled Gregory Porter – Live In Berlin. Like many artists, their essence can often be understood in a context of performance. […]
BRAHMS: Violin Con. & Con. for Violin & Cello – Julia Fischer & others – PentaTone
Classic Yakov Kreizberg performances of Brahms from 2007 feature the truly-gifted Julia Fischer. BRAHMS: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77; Concerto in a minor for Violin, Cello and Orchestra, Op. 102 – Julia Fischer, violin/ Daniel Mueller-Schott, cello/ Netherlands Philharmonic Orch./ Yakov Kreizberg – PentaTone multichannel SACD PTC 5186 592, 72:59 (4/24/07) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: I am uncertain as to how this 2007 recording of the two great Brahms string concertos came my way at this late date, but the relatively young Julia Fischer (b. 1983) performs with a grand combination of velocity and lyric ardor. I had not known of cellist Daniel Mueller-Schott, but his playing on the “Ex Shapiro” Matteo Goffriller instrument from Venice, 1727 convinces me that he well suits the 1887 Double Concerto. So far as that late work is concerned, it made for a reconciliation piece between Brahms and Joseph Joachim, who had parted way in the course of Joachim’s divorce proceedings with mezzo-soprano Amalie Schneeweiss. The fact that Brahms incorporated motifs from Joachim’s favorite Viotti Concerto No. 22 in a minor, as well as Joachim’s patented F-A-E or F-E-A signature for “free but lonely” insured their renewed meeting of minds. Conductor Kreizberg […]
The Budapest String Quartet plays BRAHMS Quartets & Quintets – Praga Digitals
The five major Brahms string works receive vivid, boldly evocative readings in classic performances. BRAHMS: String Quartet No. 2 in a, Op. 51, No. 2; String Quartet No. 3 in B-flat Major, Op. 67; String Quartet No. 1 in c, OP. 51, No. 1; String Quintet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 88; String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 111 – The Budapest String Q./ Walter Trampler, viola – Praga Digitals PRD 250 348 (2 CDs), TT: 2:28:29 (2/24/17) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] For many collectors of chamber music recordings, the Brahms String Quartets, as played by The Budapest String Quartet for CBS (LP, SL 225) from November and December 1963, represented a milestone for their store of great music. Generally, the level of execution of the group – originally founded in 1917 – still glowed with amber power, but weaknesses infected the intonation of Joseph Roisman, first violin. The ensemble would disband at last in 1967. The set opens with the Brahms a minor Quartet, Op. 51, No. 2 (1873), a melancholy paean to Schubert, whose own quartet in the same key holds an ethereal, doomed atmosphere. Brahms utilizes in the second violin (Sascha Schneider) the patented […]
“Double Concertos for Violin and Clarinet” = by MILLS, CHATMAN, CHIHARA, & DAVID – Crystal
Another great release from this dedicated husband and wife duo. “Double Concertos for Violin and Clarinet” = RICHARD MILLS: Duo Concertante; STEPHEN CHATMAN: Concerto for Clarinet, Violin and Orch.; PAUL CHIHARA: Love Music: Concerto for Violin, Clarinet and Orch.; THOMAS CHRISTIAN DAVID: Sonate for Clarinet and Violin – Walter Verdehr, v./Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, clarinet/Taipei Sym. Orch./Richard Mills/Las Cruces Sym./ Lonnie Klein/ Slovak Radio Orch./Kirk Trevor – Crystal CD973, 71:29 (9/08/16) ****: Walter Verdehr and Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr have performed as the founding members of the Verdehr Trio (using two or three amazing pianists) over the span of fifty-plus years. I read that they only recently retired from public performance but during this time they commissioned and recorded well over one hundred works for this combination. They also have given us recordings of these works under the amazingly comprehensive collection, “The Making of a Medium.” As a clarinetist, I am both amazed and grateful for their contribution for I have always found the combination of clarinet, violin a rewarding one but – in some ways – not as richly populated as the trio genre comprised of clarinet, cello and piano. In fact, for many years the best known works in the trio with […]
MODEST MUSSORGSKY: Boris Godunov (2016)
A good quality ‘realistic’ production worth investigating. MODEST MUSSORGSKY: Boris Godunov (2016) Production: Sofia Opera, Bulgaria Performers: Martin Tsonev (Boris Godunov)/Mario Kratsev (Fyodor)/Irina Zhekova (Kseniya)/Sofia Opera Orchestra and Chorus/Konstantin Chudovski (cond.)/Plamen Kartaloff (stage director)/Stefan Mushatov (screen director) Studio: Dynamic [7/29/16] (Distr. by Naxos) Video: 1.33:1 color Audio: DTS-HD 5.1, PCM Stereo Subtitles: French, English, Italian, German, Russian, Bulgarian, Korean Length: 115 min. Ratings: Audio *** Video ***1/2 The opera, Boris Godunov, is considered by many to be Modest Mussorgsky’s masterwork. Mussorgsky was a member of Russian nationalist composers who became known as “The Five” (along with Balakirev, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov and the fairly obscure Cesar Cui.) I’ve always felt that the most interesting thing about this group is actually how comparatively few big famous masterworks came out of this cadre. Mussorgsky is probably best known for his Pictures an Exhibition; and that due to Ravel’s lush orchestration. Boris Godunov is based on the Pushkin play about the real seventeenth-century czar who overcame attempted uprisings and the deaths of both family members and advisors to become a bridge between the Tsar, “Ivan the Terrible” and a ‘modern’ Russia. Like all the czars, Godunov’s reign and mandate was not wholly pure but he […]
Tim GARLAND – One – Edition Tim GARLAND – One – Edition
Tim GARLAND – One – Edition EDN1072, 56:11 (6/6/16) ***: (TIm Garland; soprano and tenor saxophone/ Asaf Sirkis; drums & percussion/ Jason Rebello; piano, keyboards/ Ant Law; nylon string guitar and 12 & 8-string guitar) Energetic tenor playing on a muddled, fusion-flavored session. I first encountered Tim Garland as part of an unusual but fine trio which consisted of Geoff Keezer on piano, Joe Locke on vibraphone, and Mr. Garland on tenor and soprano saxophones. Playing in a chastened, post-bop idiom, these musicians employed both brains and brawn. The tenor playing made a most agreeable impression. Thus, I was happy to see Garland surface on the reputable Edition label out of England with the euphonious trio of Jason Rebello, Asaf Sirkus, and Ant Law. The first track, Sama’i For Peace, opens up with a funky 10-beat groove with added middle-eastern percussion. The soprano makes the first solo statement with the vehemence and self-assurance of a master. The bustling rhythm section are mobilized into action by the performance, and the piece ends with a great swirl of percussive energy. Midway through, however, I discerned some extra keyboard voicings which provoked the skeptical raising of an eyebrow. The second track, Bright New […]
Audio News for January 27, 2017
End-To-End Multilingual Streaming Solution – Osprey Video has partnered with Belgium-based streaming company Streamovations. to present videos in multiple languages thru a single turnkey system based on software certified to work with Osprey Video hardware. They wanted to develop a system so that any organization could accomplish its streaming goals, since many need to share live video on the web in multiple languages simultaneously, but there is no out-of-the-box system to do it. Customers can capture, encode, transcode, manage, analyze and store all content, streaming up to 32 audio feeds with one system. The video is properly mixed with the different audio tracks for each language. It uses new Osprey cards, and simplifies streaming for anyone in any industry, even if they need to stream in just one language. Samsung Soundbar Works Without Rear Speakers – The New Samsung HW-K850 Soundbar delivers both the width and height of sound associated with Dolby Atmos mixes, and its powerful subwoofer ensures there is not shortage of movie-friendly bass, too. The subwoofer is just a big black box, but it is wireless and is designed to sit behind another chair or cabinet. It has full 4K, HDR passthrough in a compact and attractive […]
Donny McCaslin – Beyond Now – Motéma
Now is the time for saxophonist Donny McCaslin. Donny McCaslin – Beyond Now [TrackList follows] – Motéma MTA-CD-211, 62:57 [10/14/16] *****: (Donny McCaslin – tenor saxophone, flute, alto flute, clarinet; Jason Lindner – keyboards; Tim Lefebvre – electric bass; Mark Guiliana – drums; Jeff Taylor – vocals (track 2); David Binney – additional synths, vocals (tracks 5, 9); Nate Wood – guitar (track 2)) Saxophonist Donny McCaslin was already on the rise in the jazz world, but his collaborative work on David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, pushed McCaslin into realms of acclaim and notice: which is why McCaslin’s latest outpouring, the hour-long Beyond Now, has generated a lot of interest from folks both within and outside the jazz community. The key thing to note, though, is that Beyond Now affirms McCaslin’s importance. The nine tracks (five originals and four stimulating covers) have high-quality virtues and the broad, cutting-edge jazz displays McCaslin and his quartet’s exhilarating comprehensiveness. This is a CD which amply showcases a band who knows how to do cross-genre jazz which straddles electronica, modern rock, contemporary jazz and more. McCaslin’s brief but significant time with Bowie was life-changing. Beyond Now was inspired by and is a tribute to […]
STRAVINSKY: The Firebird; NIKOLAEV: The Sinewaveland – Homage to Jimi Hendrix – Seattle Sym. Orch./Ludovic Morlot – Seattle Symphony Media
A magnificent Firebird in state of the art CD sound. STRAVINSKY: The Firebird; NIKOLAEV: The Sinewaveland – Homage to Jimi Hendrix – Seattle Sym. Orch./Ludovic Morlot – Seattle Symphony Media SSM1014, 58:32 *****: This CD is another example of the superb recordings and performances that have become a signature of the Seattle Symphony’s recordings under the leadership of Ludovic Morlot. Their recent Mahler 10th Symphony, the three CDs surveying the orchestral works of Henri Dutilleux have defined the best in current audiophile technology and performance. There’s a vibrant immediacy and musical presence to their sound that vividly captures these live performances. Despite Igor Stravinsky’s (1882-1971) title as the apostle of modernism in his time, popularity of his output among audiences in the ensuing 50 years since his death has waned. But his three early ballets, and a few neoclassical pieces have stood the test of time. While much of Stravinsky’s music tends towards structural and stylistic innovations (pounding, irregular rhythms, pungent harmonies and musical disruption held together by persistent tempos), his three ballets (The Firebird, Petrushka, Rite of Spring) add memorable melodies, an element of fantasy and orchestral brilliance that enchant contemporary audiences. The Firebird (1910) exists at the intersection […]
WEINBERG: Suite for Orchestra; Symphony No. 17, ‘Memory’ – Siberian State Sym. Orch./Vladimir Lande – Naxos
A great addition to an important series. MIECZYSLAW WEINBERG: Suite for Orchestra; Symphony No. 17, ‘Memory’ – Siberian State Sym. Orch./Vladimir Lande – Naxos 8.573565, 64:49 (10/14/16) ****: I think it is a very good thing that the music of Polish composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg is now getting a fair amount of attention thanks to the dedication of some conductors, such as Vladimir Lande, and thanks to recording companies such as Naxos and Chandos who are making his musical available. During his lifetime, Weinberg was known mainly as a very gifted concert pianist and only somewhat as a composer. Being a Jew during the second World War his few opportunities for larger renown may have eluded him but for being ‘discovered’ and befriended by Shostakovich in the early 1950s. Weinberg even emigrated to Moscow where he was able to build a nice reputation as a composer, especially among singers. (In point of fact his opera, The Passenger, is considered a modern masterpiece for both its music as well as a plot line that is very much based on ‘post-Holocaust’ themes.) Weinberg was tremendously prolific and this present disc gives us much to enjoy. The opening Suite for Orchestra is a charming […]
SHOSTAKOVICH: Sym. No. 10; encores – Texas Music Fest. Orch./ Mei-Ann Chen – HDTT
Written just after the death of Stalin, the composer stated that this symphony is about the Stalinist era, but others disagree. SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 10; AN-LUN HUANG:: Sebei Dance No. 2 “Lantern Festival”; RACHMANINOFF: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; CHOPIN: Etude Op. 27/7 – Texas Music Festival Orch./ Mei-Ann Chen; (Extras:) Moores School Sym. Orch./Franz Anton Krager/ Kenneth Broburg, p. – HDTT multichannel Pure Audio Blu-ray (5.0 or 2.0) 24/96 (Rec. 2013 & 2014) ****: Although Shostakovich said his Tenth Symphony clearly is about the Stalinst era in the Soviet Union, critics disagree and say it was an example of Shostakovich’s synthesis of allusions to the symphonic tradition on the one hand, and encoded references to his own particular time and place on the other. It was premiered under Mravinsky in December of 1953. The first movement is in a rough sonata form. The short scherzo movement is the second, full of syncopated rhythms and furious sixteenth note passages. The third movement is a moderate dance-like suite which the composer called a nocturne. It uses two musical codes: the DSCH which represents the composer, and the Elmira Theme – representing a student of Shostakovich’s with whom he fell in […]
Audio News for January 24, 2017
“Stream the Studio” Campaign Announced by DEG Voice and Music Industry – The organizations will support the expansion of the current hi-res audio download market into studio quality hi-res streaming. Representatives from Rhapsody, Pandora and HD Tracks expressed their enthusiasm for this. They hinted at more advanced optional features in the future. The expansion of hi-res audio into the growing streaming market underscores the recent rise in subscription music services. Sprint Acquires Tidal – Telecommunications company Sprint has bought 33% of Tidal music streaming service, thus making their entire catalog of music available to their 45,000,000 retail customers. Alexa-supported Devices Big at CES – LG topped the list with many products with Alexa integration. It also debutd LG Hub Robot, a home assistant that can dance along with music and display facial expressions on command. Thanks to the power of Amazon’s cloud, the Lynx robot wll support commands like setting reminders, playing music and providing the daily weather report. Lenovo introduced the cylindrical Smart Assistant Speaker, a sort of beffed-up Alexa with eight far-field microphones, power treble speakers and subwoofers, and an audio profile optimzed by Harman Kardon engineers. Ford partnered with Amazon and AT&T for Alexa voice commands. The […]
STEVEN STUCKY: Rhapsodies; American Muse; Concerto for Orch. – BMOP/Sanford Sylvan – Naxos
This important American composer left a rich legacy you should get to know. STEVEN STUCKY: Rhapsodies; American Muse; Concerto for Orchestra – Boston Modern Orch. Project/Sanford Sylvan, bari./Gil Rose – BMOP multichannel SACD 1050, 56:34 (11/15/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: The gifted American composer Steven Stucky just passed away last year and fortunately he left behind a rich myriad of music in nearly every genre for us to enjoy and to appreciate his talents for orchestration, harmony and – that most elusive of “modern music” qualities – melodic line. The BMOP and its dedicated and talented director Gil Rose have done Stucky’s music many times and has its own rich legacy of recordings of modern music to marvel at. This present recording is well worth having both for it being another well-done collection of contemporary American concert music but for being an important addition to the Steven Stucky recording compendium. These three works are all quite interesting and attractive. Rhapsodies was written in 2008 for Lorin Maazel and the New York Philharmonic to take on their pending European tour. This relatively brief (nine minute) work is, indeed, ‘rhapsodic’ and the work is filled with the most exquisite harmonies and voicings […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
