Monthly Archive: January 2017
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 24; Piano Concerto No. 8, Piano Sonata No. 11; Fantasia – Wilhelm Kempff – Praga Digitals
The Kempff Mozart recordings combine an elastic gravity with refined delicacy. MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 24 in c minor, K. 491; Piano Concerto No. 8 in C Major, K. 246; Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331; Fantasia in d minor, K. 397 – Wilhelm Kempff, piano – Bamberg Sym. Orch. (K. 491)/ Berlin Philharmonic Orch./ Ferdinand Leitner – Praga Digitals PRD 250 359, 79:57 (10/7/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: Praga gathers recordings by the great German piano master Wilhelm Kempff (1895-1991) recorded 1960-1962, of which the two works set in a minor key point to Mozart’s affinities with a burgeoning Romanticism. A case in point arises in the January 1961 reading of the unfinished 1782 Fantasia in d minor, K. 397, whose striking inwardness (Lento) wants to linger in an exalted space, but whose contrasting impulsiveness creates a palpable tension. Suddenly, in the last pages, a galant music-box sensibility dispels the clouds of doubt, although the authenticity of the conclusion remains questionable. Kempff allots to this rich piece his special presence. The 1786 Concerto No. 24 in c minor seems to be having a feast of recorded attention lavished upon it: the present performance from Bamberg […]
Rush – Time Stands Still (2016)
Rush – Time Stands Still (2016) Cast: Geddy Lee – bass, vocals; Alex Lifeson – guitar; Neil Peart – drums; incl. interviews with Brian Hiatt, Liam Burt, Ray Daniels, John Virant and others. Studio: Rounder/Ole and Zoe Vision ZOE0114300002 Director: Dale Heslip Narrator: Paul Rudd Video: 16:9, color, black &white Audio: PCM Stereo 2.0, DTS 5.1 Length: 97 minutes Ratings: Audio: **** Video: ***1/2 Overall: **** No band in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame has created more controversy with its selection than Rush. A lot of rock fans love them, a lot of rock fans do not! The Canadian blues/rock turned science fiction progressive band have been recording for over forty years. Geddy Lee (bass, vocals; Alex Lifeson (guitar) and drummer Neil Peart (who represents the only lineup change in their history) are revered by their fans for their unusual album compositions and arrangements. As recently as 2012, they released Clockwork Angels and toured the world in support. Considering their self-titled debut was in 1974, the long-term appeal of Rush is undeniable. Initially, the group were established as another psychedelic blues outfit, influenced by Black Sabbath, Cream and Led Zeppelin. They morphed […]
Best of the Year Discs for 2016
Best of the Year Discs for 2016 = The 12 Multichannel Hi-Res Discs of the Month for 2016 CLASSICAL (incl. HI-RES), CLASSICAL REISSUES, CLASSICAL VINYL & PURE AUDIO BLU-RAY KATI AGÓCS: The Debrecen Passion – BMOP Sound 1046 American First Piano Sonatas – Licad, p. – Danacord * ”For the Beauty of the Earth” – Celebrating Creation – Works of WIDOR, VAUGHAN-WILLIAMS and others – Gabriel V Brass Ensemble/Sharon Rose Pfeiffer, pipe organ/ percussion ens. – Arte/ Paraclete SACD GDCD 061 * BEETHOVEN: The Nine Symphonies (1963); Rehearsal of the Ninth Sym. – Berlin PO./ Herbert von Karajan – DGG Pure Audio Blu-ray stereo 00289 479 5977 Maya Beiser, “Transclassical” – Innova 952 Jussi Bjoerling in Copenhagen – JSP Records LUCIANO BERIO: Sinfonia & GUSTAV MAHLER: Ten Early Songs – HMC 902180 BRAHMS AND HINDEMITH Viola Sonatas Reisenberg/Doktor – Romeo Records * COUPERIN: Trois Lecons de Tenebres; SEBASTIEN DE BROSSARD: Trio Sonatas in c and a; Stabat Mater – La Nuova Musica/ David Bates – Harmonia mundi SACD HMU 807659 * Chick Corea (piano) & Bela Fleck (banjo) – Two – Concord Jazz CIA-37992-2 (2 CDs) * CORIGLIANO: The Ghosts of Versailles (complete opera) – Soloists/ LA […]
Howard Johnson & Gravity – Testimony – Tuscarora
Howard JOHNSON and Gravity – Testimony – Tuscarora 17-001, 53:39, (3/3/17) ****: (Howard Johnson: BB-flat tuba, baritone sax, pennywhistle/ Velvet Brown; Ens. leader, F-tuba/ Dave Bergeron; E-flat tuba/ Earl McIntyre; E-flat tuba/ Joseph Daley; BB-flat tuba/ Bob Stewart; CC tuba/ Carlton Holmes; piano/ Melissa Slocum; bass/ Buddy Williams; drums) Low rumbles, virtuosic soloing and great charts feature in newest Howard Johnson tuba ensemble session. At an impressionable moment in my youth, I encountered a stupendous work of art, Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, by Charles Mingus. In place of the leader’s bass, there was a massed rank of low brass, including tuba, that thrummed and growled with dark menace against the caterwauling soloist. I recall a hip elder remarking that this ensemble represented an absolute standard for “bottom” in a big band. That indelible, bone-rattling sound came back to me as I surveyed Howard Johnson’s 2017 Gravity, which features an ensemble of six tubas, and not at the expense of the doublebass. It looks like the bottom has only now been reached. With all due respect to that incomparable musician Mr. Howard Johnson, I was initially skeptical. Having reached an age of ripeness, if not deliquescence, I have an […]
MENDELSSOHN: Syms. Nos. 1 & 4 – London Sym./Gardiner – LSO Live
A vigorous and incisive Italian, with a fresh and even more exhilarating “First”. MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 1 in c, Op. 11; No. 4 in A, Op. 90 “Italian” (1833 version) – London Sym. Orch./ John Eliot Gardiner – LSO Live multichannel Pure Audio Blu-ray & SACD LSO0765 (2 discs, on audio-only Blu-ray), 62:11 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Mendelssohn’s tour of Europe from 1829-31 ended with a sojourn in Italy, where the 22-year-old immediately began writing a symphony that would reflect his experiences. It is easily the sunniest of all his compositions, though it did cause him heartache, so much so that he decided to revise it in 1834. But since it was never published in his lifetime, it is the earlier version commonly played today, and so Gardiner offers it here. I expected something rather on the quick side, and he does not disappoint. What is most surprising is the ability of the LSO to articulate some of the fast triplet passages in the first and last movements as clearly and cleanly as they do, a real tribute to the virtuosity of the orchestra. This is an exciting if predictable performance (there have been others in this mold as […]
BEETHOVEN & BRUCH Violin Concertos – Accardo & Masur – Pentatone
Accardo and Masur combine for splendid work in pillars of the violin concerto repertory. BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61; BRUCH: Violin Concerto No. 1 in g, Op. 26 – Salvatore Accardo, violin/ Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/ Kurt Masur – Pentatone RQR multichannel (4.0) SACD PTC 5186 237, 71:22 (10/21/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Italian virtuoso violinist Salvatore Accardo (b. 1941) still reigns as a recognized “heir” to Niccolo Paganni, especially given his recorded survey of the six Paganini concertos with Charles Dutoit. Accardo and Kurt Masur recorded the present (Philips) coupling of the Beethoven Concerto and the First Bruch Concerto in 1977-1978, the latter a particularly happy rendition since conductor Masur (1927-2015) had immersed himself in much of Bruch’s symphonic repertory, besides. The Beethoven Concerto receives a gentle, lyric, Apollinian approach, to my mind much in the tradition of splendid rendition Oistrakh and Cluytens made for EMI. Nothing of the expansive, first movement Allegro ma non troppo feels rushed: the phrase arches evolve lustrously, with seamless attention to the rhythmic pulse over which the violin weaves its beguiling tapestry, sempre perdendosi, forgetting itself. When Masur requires a more monolithic effect, the Gewandhaus certainly swells to the occasion, but without […]
FOSS: “Piece’s of Genius” – three chamber works – var. soloists – Albany
FOSS: “Piece’s of Genius” – three chamber works – NY New Music Ensemble / Jean Kopperud, clar./ Stephen Gosling, p./ Linda Quan & Deborah Wang, violins/ Lois Martin, viola/ Christopher Finckel, cello – Albany Troy CD 1644, 62:17 (10/1/16) ***1/2: A fine survey of Foss chamber music covering a quarter century of composition. It was sad when Lukas Foss passed in 2009. He was a creative maelstrom of ideas, and while never truly mainstream, he was influential in the musical world, and he has left us a rich collection of music. Foss was an advocate of and became fascinated by the possibilities offered by aleatoric or “chance” music, and set up an improvisation ensemble. He was well-known as a conductor as well as a composer, and in life he was controversial, being praised and attacked by fellow musicians. This CD features the renowned New York Music Ensemble performing three of Foss’s chamber works. This collection is presented in reverse chronological order of composition. The recording opens with Tashi (1986), working its way backwards through Solo Observed (1982), and concludes with Echoi (1961-63). This is music that is challenging to listen to, and difficult to play. The NYME excels at these […]
POUL RUDERS: Symphony No. Five – Danish Nat. Sym. Orch./Olari Elts – Bridge
Another complex and unique but interesting work for the Ruders fan. POUL RUDERS: Symphony No. Five – Danish Nat. Sym. Orch./Olari Elts – Bridge 9475 [Distr. by Albany] (11/04/16) 26:30 ***: I agree wholly with other writers who have commented that Bridge is to be commended for continuing its series of works by the very unique Danish composer Poul Ruders. Ruders’ music is nothing if not unique; nearly impossible to describe, very eclectic as it even varies more than a bit from work to work, His “voice” is that he has no easy to label ‘pigeon-hole’ and classical musical theoreticians and historians do love to identify ‘schools’ and strive to populate them. That is actually one of the aspects to Ruders’ work I love; the element of the unexpected. The Fifth Symphony, heard here, was written as recently as 2012 and is comprised of three very interesting movements. The opening Presto alla breve is characterized by some brass declamations and moves briskly along in a manner that sounds nearly like it is aimless and would “unravel” at any moment. The middle Tranquillo sognante is the highlight of the work for me. This fairly expansive and also fairly bleak movement contains […]
Madeleine Peyroux – Secular Hymns – Impulse!
Madeleine Peyroux – Secular Hymns – Impulse!/Verve B0025437-02 33:33**** An album that has an interesting texture and a solid groove. (Madeleine Peyroux – vocals, acoustic guitar, guileless; John Herrington – electric guitar, vocals; Barak Mori – upright bass, vocals) “Short but sweet” might be the appropriate description of the latest Madeleine Peyroux release entitled Secular Hymns. Clocking in at just over 33 minutes, the album is brief even by old LP standards. That is not to say the music does not fill and fulfill the time available. It does in a funky bluesy way. Recorded in a live setting at the parish church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, UK, Peyroux and her cohorts guitarist John Herrington and bassist Barak Mori deliver a mostly acoustic set of cover tunes from blues, gospel and Americana. Mature of voice, but still with a vague hint of Billie Holiday lurking, Peyroux conveys the right blend of empathy and warmth as the launches into “Got You On My Mind”. With the requisite tango beat established by the arco bass of Barak Mori, the band sashays into Tom Waits’ “Tango Till They’re Sore” with Peyroux’s vocal reading both engaging and thoughtful. Allen […]
RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: Nagasaki: Memories of My Son – Tokyo Philharmonic Orch./soloists – Milan
A beautiful and poignant score to a mostly unknown movie. RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: Nagasaki: Memories of My Son – Tokyo Philharmonic Orch./soloists – Milan M2-37688, 57:32 (9/22/16) ***1/2: Ryuichi Sakamoto has a long and admirable resume of work in both the concert hall realm and, that for which he is best known; film scores. I have personally admired and enjoyed his music for many years going back to his score to Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (starring the great David Bowie), The Last Emperor (on which he collaborated with the gifted and eclectic David Byrne) and even the very recent The Revenant. He is known and respected both in Hollywood and in Japan as one of our very finest film composers. He was also an actor in some of the movies. I had never heard of the Japanese film, Nagasaki: Memories of My Son and, from what I can tell, it has not been released to video and – if shown in the United States – has been shown only in very limited release. The movie itself is, as the title implies, a piece that reflects on the emotional distress following the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This […]
Audio News for January 20, 2017
Schools Dive Into Video Stream – Two national companies – National High School Sports Network and The Cube, have been joined by WSN – a new streaming technology in 38 classrooms so far. Unlike the other two, who offer only the software, WSN offers a turn-key package of hardware, software and technical support. The other two streaming companies charge $10 per view, but WSN charges more to bigger high schools which typically have a bigger budget. Coverage of high school sports produces income beyond ticket sales and fund-raising efforts. The Video Encoding and Transcoding Market – The demand for video streaming services is increasing due to proliferation of online media services on the Internet and mobile platforms globally. Encoding and transcoding equipment plays an important role in enabling baster delivery of media contact to end users. A video encoder converts an analog-based video content to digital format to make it compatible to run on Internet and mobile devices. Sometimes a video transcoder is use to convert an existing digital video content to another digital format for smooth functioning. Both encoder and transcoder must retain the video quality while converting to a different video format. However, there is considerable loss of […]
Zero Days (2016)
Zero Days (2016) Cast: George W. Bush & others Director: Alex Gibney Studio: Magnolia Home Ent. 1115 (1/17/17) Video: for 16:9 screens, color Audio: English, DD 5.1 Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish Extras: Interview with director, Theatrical trailer Length: 114 min. Rating: **** This documentary/thriller is about Stuxnet – a self-replicating computer malware that the U.S. and Israel unleashed to destroy the centrifuges of the Iran nuclear facility. The U.S. researchers on it had no idea it had come out of the U.S. but they figured it was a nation-state that did it. It ultimately spread way beyond its intended target, and while it delayed Iran’s development for a nuclear weapons capability, it brought us to a worldwide situation of continuous cyber warfare – where even the smallest country can now threaten to turn off all the electricity in the U.S. or specific places. The origin, background, development, implementation, discovery and investigation of, and fallout from Stuxnet are clearly laid out in this informative documentary. It ends with the general subject of state-sponsored cyber warfare. The less knowledge one has of Stuxnet and consequences of cyber warfare, the more important the documentary will probably be to the viewer. There are some […]
The Girl on the Train, Blu-ray (2017)
A daring thriller without the usual gun play. The Girl on the Train, Blu-ray (2017) Cast: Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux Director: Tate Taylor Studio: Universal Studios Home Ent. 61179949 (1/17/17) (2 discs) Video: 1.85:1 for 16:9 screens, color HD Audio: English DD 5.1 & 2.0, French DD 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1, Spanish DTS-HD 5.1 Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish No region software Extras: Digital copy, UltraViolet, Deleted and extended scenes, The Women Behind the Girl, On Board the Train, Commentary track with director Great job of acting for Emily Blunt as the girl destroyed by her recent divorce, spending her daily commutes (even though she was fired for being an alcoholic a year ago) fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple living in a house her train passes each day. Things change when she sees something shocking there and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds. It concerns her probable guilt in killing another woman because this lady was having an affair with her husband. But as it has turned out in other films, she did not kill anyone, and it was her own ex-husband who was the killer. The actress playing the local policewoman is also […]
Ancient Aliens Season 9 (15 episodes) (2016)
Season Nine of a popular video series which explores many mysteries within us. Ancient Aliens Season 9 (15 episodes) (2016) Cast: Erich von Daniken, George Clotworthy, Giorgio Tsoukalos, David Childress, Eric Redfern Studio: Lionsgate 4-DVD collection – 15 Episodes on 4 discs Video: 1.78:1 For 16:9 screens, color Audio: English PCM 2.0 stereo Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish Length; TT: 10 hrs., 30 min. Rating: **** Swiss writer Von Daniken is listed as No.1 in the IMDb guide to the “The major nonsense-sayer on the Internet. Griogio Tsoukalos is No. 3 and Eric Redfern is No. 16. Ancient Aliens explores the controversial theory that extraterrestrials have visited Earth for millions of years. From the age of the dinosaurs to ancient Egypt, from early cave drawings to continued mass sightings in the US, each episode in this hit HISTORY series gives historic depth to the questions, speculations, provocative controversies, first-hand accounts and grounded theories surrounding this age old debate. Did intelligent beings from outer space visit Earth thousands of years ago? I didn’t know there were pyramids all over the world, even in Antartica, so there may be something to all this after all. According to the Ancient Astronaut theorists, these discoveries […]
Rez Abbasi & Junction – Behind the Vibration – Cuneiform
Guitarist Rez Abbasi’s new band brings fusion to an innovative level. Rez Abbasi & Junction – Behind the Vibration – Cuneiform, Rune 424, 57:59 [5/20/16] ****: (Rez Abbasi – guitar, co-mixer; Mark Shim – tenor saxophone, MIDI wind-controller; Ben Stivers – keyboards, B-3, Rhodes; Kenny Grohowski – drums) Guitarist Rez Abbasi has seemingly worked in every type of jazz and improvisational music imaginable. His solo projects and collaborations (Vijay Iyer and Rudresh Mahanthappa are just two of many) have comprised South Asian jazz fusion, jazz-rock, acoustic and hard electric music, electronica elements integrated with jazz, Indo/Saharan blends, and other diverse and distinct music. Abbasi’s embrace of different genres into a unified whole reaches fresh heights on his latest foray, the hour-long Behind the Vibration, which is the first album with Abbasi’s new quartet, Junction, and also his first release on the Cuneiform label. Alongside Abbasi is tenor saxophonist Mark Shim (who also adds an electronic MIDI wind-controller). Shim has a few solo CDs to his name and has previously recorded or performed with Greg Osby, Elvin Jones, Mose Allison and Betty Carter. In the drum seat is Kenny Grohowski (credits include John Zorn, John Medeski, and numerous others). Rounding out […]
Richard Pinhas and Barry Cleveland (guitars etc.) – Mu – Cuneiform
Two iconoclastic guitarists weave together an experimental, improvisational session. Richard Pinhas and Barry Cleveland – Mu – Cuneiform, Rune 426, 48:20 [1/16/17] ****: (Barry Cleveland – producer, mixer, guitar, Moog guitar, bowed guitar, bowhammer guitar, E-Bow guitar, sitar guitar, M-Tron, Vocalizer 1000, kalimba, zither, gong, incidental percussion, percussion programming, samples; Richard Pinhas – guitar, guitar synthesizer, Metatronics; Michael Manring – bass, E-Bow bass; Celso Alberti – drums, electronic drums, percussion) The 48-minute Mu is the first collaboration between French guitar individualist Richard Pinhas and equally inventive San Francisco Bay Area guitarist Barry Cleveland. The four extended tracks form an unpredictable, non-classifiable and arresting combination of progressive rock, art rock, experimental improvisation, instrumental psychedelia and intriguing electronics. For those not in the know, Pinhas has been a key person in experimental music since the early 1970s: in spirit he is France’s version of King Crimson’s Robert Fripp. Cleveland came to some prominence in the ‘80s and ‘90s, working in a number of bands and cross-genre projects. The two friends have played on stage but Mu marks the first time they have gone into a studio together. Rounding out the group is bassist Michael Manring, who was important to the Windham Hill […]
DVORAK: Slavonic Dances (comp.) – Czech Phil./ Jiri Belohlavek – Decca
Do we need another of these? Maybe not, but we definitely need THIS one! DVORAK: Slavonic Dances (complete) – Czech Phil./ Jiri Belohlavek – Decca 478 9458, 76:08 [Distr. by Universal] *****: From the opening bars of the first Opus 46 dance, I was afraid I was going to be unimpressed. I didn’t like the tempo, especially after becoming accustomed to the barn-burning exercises of Levi and Kubelik. But the underlying pulsation, so intense and provocative, and the absolutely shimmering extremes of the strings convinced me otherwise. And so it would become the norm for the rest of this disc. It is, quite simply, a miracle of subtlety and grace, with some of the most pungent colors ever available on a recording. Even in the Opus 72, a set written in response to the first, Dvorak is quite a different composer. Gone is the freshness and vitality that so characterize the first effort, with its uncomplicated directness and melodic charm. What we get instead is a much cleverer and thoughtful artist, one who is taking far more pains with the orchestration and details present in more minute cells of phrasing and even contemplation. As a result, this second set lacks […]
As Dreams – Music by JANSON, LACHENMANN, NØGÄRD, XENAKIS & SAARIANO – Norwegian Soloists Choir /Grete Pedersen – BIS
As Dreams – Music by JANSON, LACHENMANN, NØGÄRD, XENAKIS & SAARIANO – Norwegian Soloists Choir /artistic director Grete Pedersen – BIS multichannel SACD BIS2139, TT: 61:00 10/28/16 [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Contemporary music representing dreams. This is an interesting and compelling disc from BIS and the Norwegian Soloists Choir and its artistic director Grete Pedersen. With a theme of ‘dreams’, the disc gives us a sampling of music that suggests a dreamlike quality. With music from Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany and Greece, and texts ranging from fragments of ancient Assyrian and Sumerian (in Xenakiss Nuits) and the 8th-century Wessobrunner Prayer (Lachenmann) to poems by Balzac (Saariaho), Nietzsche (Janson) and Rilke (Nørgård), the music is all very different, but all adhere to the theme of the disc. The presentation includes musicians from Oslo Sinfonietta in the accompanied works, which include Nørgårds Singe die Gärten for eight-part choir and 8 instruments and Jansons Nocturne for double choir, 2 cellos, harp and 2 percussionists. In life, as on this disc, dreams can be good dreams or bad, and this program gives us the variety of nocturnal experiences. It’s not all ethereal and wistful, but like real dreams, sometimes upsetting and dramatic. The performances […]
Stephen Crump – Stephen Crump’s Rhombal – Papillon Sounds double vinyl
Stephen Crump – Stephen Crump’s Rhombal – Papillon Sounds PS51514 stereo double vinyl, TT: 59:33 ****: Jazz bassist and composer releases an unusual tribute album. (Adam O’Farrill – trumpet; Ellery Eskelin – tenor saxophone; Stephen Crump – doublebass; Tyshawn Sorey – drums) Stephen Crump has established a solid reputation as a musician, composer and bandleader. He is known as a member of the Vijay Iyer Trio and his own Rosetta Trio. In 2015, he put together the Rhombal Quartet, with drummer Tyshawn Sorey, trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and saxophonist Ellery Eskelin. His intention was to pay tribute to his late brother, Patrick. Stephen Crump’s Rhombal was released in 2016 on MP3 and CD and now is available on vinyl format. Side A opens (“No D For Nelson”) with a vampy doublebass line, that is maintained throughout the piece. Crump and drummer Tyshawn Sorey (who are previously band mates) interact in a precise, cohesive manner. The melodic instrumentation falls to trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and saxophonist Ellery Eskelin. They delve into some abstract structures together and find room for solos. There is also a nimble, accelerated tempo break. “Grovi” embraces a funkier, soulful feel centered by Crump’s deft bass work. Trumpet and saxophone […]
BORTKIEWICZ: Lyrica Nova; Etude in D-flat Major; Nocturne; Esquisses de Crimee; Three Preludes; Piano Sonata No. 2 – A. Soldano, p. – Divine Art
The music of Bortkiewicz receives ardent and luxurious realization from pianist Soldano. BORTKIEWICZ: Lyrica Nova, Op. 59; Etude in D-flat Major; Nocturne from Op. 24; Esquisses de Crimee, Op. 8; Three Preludes; Piano Sonata No. 2 in c-sharp, Op. 60 – Alfonso Soldano, p. – Divine Art dda 25142, 69:31 (10/14/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: The Ukrainian composer Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877-1952) had been unknown to me until his name arose in a conversation in Atlanta with Rudolf Firkusny, who stated that he had worked with Vaclav Talich on one of this composer’s concerted pieces. Bortkiewicz had studied with Liadov and Karel van Ark at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, but also with Liszt pupil Alfred Reisenauer. A life of almost perpetual migration for Bortkiewicz followed the events after the Russian Revolution, the rise of Nazism, and the outbreak of WW II. Finally, in 1945 Bortkiewicz received from Vienna a pension that could supplement his teaching at the Vienna City Conservatory. A self-admitted Romantic composer, Bortkiewicz held melody in esteem, sporting a distinct aversion to developments in atonal, serial, aleatory, and cacophonous music. His tonal syntax takes its diverse cues from Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and Medtner. From the groups assembled by pianist […]
Amendola vs. Blades – Greatest Hits – Sazi
Camaraderie and friendship on full display. Amendola vs. Blades – Greatest Hits [TrackList follows] – Sazi sr004, 47:39 [10/7/16] *****: (Scott Amendola – drums, cymbals, co-producer; Wil Blades – Hammond B-3, Hohner Clavinet, co-producer) What is the sound of deep-rooted friendship? Cajoling and jokes. Finishing each other’s sentences. And in case of drummer Scott Amendola and keyboardist Wil Blades [yes, he spells his first name with only one ‘l’], it’s the sound of music. The two San Francisco Bay Area musicians began performing together on stage as Amendola vs. Blades a decade ago. The 47-minute Greatest Hits is the duo’s debut recording. Of course the title is tongue-in-cheek, since the seven tunes will be new to most. Some of the compositions were recorded by Amendola and Blades for other projects, so fans might recognize some of the music. When the twosome decided it was finally time (and they had the time) to put their artistry onto tape, it was important to maintain an impromptu vibe. Amendola explains, “It’s all about keeping it fresh and keeping the audience engaged.” Which is why they turned Greatest Hits into a live recording, taped during two evening concerts inside an intimate downtown Oakland music […]
ADAMS: Scheherazade.2 – St. Louis Sym./David Robertson – Nonesuch
John Adams’ new Violin Concerto is dramatically compelling. JOHN ADAMS: Scheherazade.2 – Leila Josefowicz, v./ St. Louis Sym./David Robertson – Nonesuch 557170, 47:35 ****: One of the characteristics that is so endearing about John Adams’ music is that it reflects the variety of emotional and intellectual Zeitgeist of our times. It can be deep and profound (The Wound Dresser), humorous (Lollapalooza), comment on politics (Nixon in China), or make a statement about a societal issue. He has showed a previous interest in portraying events from a women’s perspective—his oratorio El Nino expresses the Nativity from a women’s point of view. “How could you tell this story in the year 2000 and not have a woman’s voice?” he exclaimed. In his new violin concerto, Scheherazade.2, Adams uses the story of Scheherazade in the tales of the Arabian Nights to express his anger at violence against women in today’s culture. In 2013 the composer saw an exhibit in Paris at the Arab World Institute about the history of the “Arabian Nights” collection of folk stories. Scheherazade was forced into a marriage with a Persian king who seduced a virgin each night and executed her the following morning. Scheherazade’s clever stories delayed her […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
