Monthly Archive: April 2017
McRae – The Great American Songbook – Atlantic (1972)/ Pure Pleasure (2017) – double vinyl
McRae – The Great American Songbook – Atlantic SD 2-904 (1972)/Pure Pleasure (2017) stereo double vinyl, 71:17 ****: Jazz chanteuse delivers a versatile set on a vinyl re-mastering of a 1972 concert. (Carmen McRae – vocals, piano; Joe Pass – guitar; Jimmy Rowles – piano; Chuck Domanico – doublebass; Chuck Flores – drums) Pure Pleasure […]
Thumbscrew – Convallaria – Cuneiform
Thumbscrew – Convallaria – Cuneiform – Rune 415, 72:58 ***: An album of music that is demanding and forceful. (Mary Halvorson – guitar; Michael Formanek – doublebass; Toma Fujiwara – drums) Even after several listenings of Thumbscrew’s most recent release Convallaria, it is still a challenge to find a way to begin the review of […]
AUSTIN: Symphonic Rhapsody “Spring”; ALWYN: Blackdown; BANTOCK: Witch of Atlas; GURNEY: Gloucestershire Rhapsody; GARDINER: A Berkshire Idyll; VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: The Solent – BBC National Orch. of Wales/Rumon Gamba – Chandos
An encouraging start to a valuable series of British orchestral music. BRITISH TONE POEMS Vol 1 = Music by Frederic Austin, William Alwyn, Granville Bantock, Ivor Gurney, Henry Balfour Gardiner & Ralph Vaughan Williams – BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Rumon Gamba ; Chandos 10939 reviewed as 24-96 flac download; TT: 76:41 [Distr. by […]
BEACH: Piano Concerto in C# minor; HOWELL: Piano Concerto in D minor; CHAMINADE: Concertstück in C# minor – Danny Driver (p) / BBC Scottish Symph. Orch. / Rebecca Miller – Hyperion
Three inspiring works for piano and orchestra by three women composers. THE ROMANTIC PIANO CONCERTO Vol 70 : Music by Amy Beach, Dorothy Howell and Cécile Chaminade – Danny Driver, piano / BBC Scottish SO / Rebecca Miller – Hyperion CDA68130, reviewed as hires 24-96 flac download; TT 69:31 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] *****: Hyperion’s […]
Audio News for April 7, 2017
V-Moda Wireless Bluetooth Headphones Go Hi-Res – The M-100 – a favorite of DJs – now has improved sound, better battery life, more colors, and a much-requested hinge. This model of the V-Moda lacks the noise cancellation of some other more expensive phones, but that can pollute the pure sound. The new Crossfade 2 has […]
BRAHMS: Theme and Variations, Op. 18b; Ballades, Op. 10; 7 Fantaises, Op. 116 – Denis Kozhukhin, piano – Pentatone
A distinguished set of Brahms works by Denis Kozhukhin affords us passion and poetry, at once. BRAHMS: Ballades & Fantasies = Theme and Variations, Op. 18b; Ballades, Op. 10; 7 Fantaises, Op. 116 – Denis Kozhukhin, piano – Pentatone SACD PTC 5186 568, 57:01 (3/31/17) ****: Denis Kozhukhin (b. 1986) proves himself a passionate devotee […]
STRAVINSKY: Violin Concerto in D – David Oistrakh(v)/Lamoreux Orch./Bernard Haitink; Pulcinella Suite – Philharmonia Orch./Otto Klemperer; Jeu de Cartes – Bavarian Radio Symph. Orch./Bernard Haitink; Movements for Piano and Orch. – Margret Weber(p)/Berlin Radio Symph. Och/Ferenc Fricsay
The cover photo of Stravinsky’s impish grin is a perfect advertisement for this collection of three neoclassical pieces, plus a serial-period “fourth deal”–the album title is a reference to the Jeu de Cartes (Card Game), a “ballet in three deals.” STRAVINSKY: Igor Stravinsky in Four Deals – Violin Concerto in D Major/David Oistrakh, Violin/Concerts Lamoureux/Bernard […]
PUCCINI: Turandot (2016) – Orch. del Teatro alla Scala di Milano/Riccardo Chailly – Decca
Something’s different about this production. PUCCINI: Turandot (2016, Luciano Berio completion) Cast: Nina Stemme, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Maria Agresta , Coro di voci bianche dell’Accademia Teatro alla Scala Orch.: Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano Director: Riccardo Chailly Studio: Decca. Blue-ray [1/27/17] Run Time: 130 minutes Video: 1.77:1 Color Audio: DTS-HD 5.1, PCM Stereo Subtitles: English, […]
BACH: Italian Concerto in F Major; BRAHMS: Three Intermezzi; MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition; KREISLER: Schoen Rosmarin; KHACHATURIAN: Toccata; NAZARETH: Odeon – Tango Brasiliero – Mordecai Shehori, piano – Cembal d’amour
Another in the thoughtful, excitingly virtuosic recitals that lit the New York stages in the course of 20 years. Mordecai Shehori – The Celebrated New York Concerts, Vol. 11 = BACH: Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971; BRAHMS: Three Intemezzi, Op. 117; MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition; KREISLER: Schoen Rosmarin; KHACHATURIAN: Toccata; NAZARETH: Odeon […]
Keith JARRET – A Multitude of Angels – ECM
A must-hear for fans of Keith Jarrett’s solo piano concerts. Keith Jarrett – A Multitude of Angels [TrackList follows] – ECM Rune 2500-03 (4-CDs), 70:37, 77:12, 73:58, 75:19 [11/18/16] *****: (Keith Jarrett – piano) There is much to absorb on Keith Jarrett’s multi-CD set, A Multitude of Angels, which contains five hours of music—spread over […]
TANEYEV: Piano Trio; RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Piano Trio in C minor – Leonore Piano Trio – Hyperion
TANEYEV: Piano Trio, Op. 22; RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Piano Trio in C minor – Leonore Piano Trio – Hyperion CDA 68159, 77:58, ****: Sizzling performance of two late Romantic piano trios. In addition to becoming significant Russian composers, both Sergei Taneyev (1856-1915) and Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov (1844-1908) taught many others: Glazunov, Myaskovsky, Stravinsky, Rachmaninov and Gliere, to […]
SCHUMANN: Fantasie; Kreislerinana – Collard, p. – La Dolce Volta
Jean-Philippe Collard celebrates his long commitment to the passionate and fanciful works of Robert Schumann. SCHUMANN: Fantasie in C Major, Op. 17; Kreisleriana, Op. 16 – Jean-Philippe Collard, p. – La Dolce Volta LDV 30, 63:57 (1/27/17) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: French pianist Jean-Philippe Collard (b. 1948) prefaces his recording (4-6 April 2016) with […]
Eraldo Bernocchi and Prakash Sontakke – Invisible Tracks – RareNoise
An international summit meeting between two progressive guitarists. Eraldo Bernocchi and Prakash Sontakke – Invisible Tracks [TrackList follows] – RareNoise RNR069, 48:44 [11/18/16] ****: (Eraldo Bernocchi – baritone guitar, electric guitar, electronics & producer; Prakash Sontakke – lap steel guitar) Those who think they know the RareNoise label may not know as much as they […]
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major “Romantic”; WAGNER: Parsifal – Good Friday Music – Berlin Philharmonic Orch. (Wagner)/ Vienna Philharmonic Orch./ Wilhelm Furtwaengler – Praga Digitals mono
Two Furtwaengler post-War performances remind us of his spiritual commitment to the German tradition. BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major “Romantic”; WAGNER: Parsifal – Good Friday Music – Berlin Philharmonic Orch. (Wagner)/ Vienna Philharmonic Orch./ Wilhelm Furtwaengler – Praga Digitals mono SACD PRD/DSD 350 130, 77:32 (3/24/17) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: Wilhelm Furtwaengler’s […]
Kirk MacDonald Jazz Orchestra – Common Ground – Addo
Kirk MacDonald Jazz Orchestra – Common Ground [TrackList follows] – Addo AJR032 (2 CDs), 91:04 ****: This is a band that has an expressive command of some very challenging material. It doesn’t seem to be all that long ago, although perhaps it was, there were a number of significant jazz orchestras in Canada including Rob […]
Bobby Previte – Mass – RareNoise
Bobby Previte puts the massive into a Mass. Bobby Previte – Mass [TrackList follows] – RareNoise RNR072, 69:27 [11/8/16] ****: (The Rose Ensemble – 11-member chamber vocal group conducted by Jordan Sramek; Stephen O’Malley, Jamie Saft, Don McGreevy, Mike Gamble – electric guitar; Marco Benevento – pipe organ, Rheem organ, electronics; Reed Mathis – electric […]
LAWES: Complete Music for Lyra Viol – Richard Boothby, lyra viol – HM
WILLIAM LAWES: Complete Music for Solo Lyra Viol – Richard Boothby, lyra viol – HM 907625, 59:37 (6/10/16) ****: Elegant “musical recreations” from the Court of Charles I played on the most famous surviving contemporary instrument on loan from Royal College of Music. William Lawes was the principal court composer for Charles I, his official […]
BACH: Italian Con.; Four Duets; Partita Nos. 1 & 3; Fantasia; Aria – Rafal Blechacz, p. – DGG
Rafal Blechacz transfers his natural affinity for Chopin to the music of Chopin’s idol, Sebastian Bach. BACH: Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971; Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825; Four Duets, BWV 802-805; Fantasia and Fugue in a minor, BWV 944; Partita No. 3 in a minor, BWV 827; Jesus bleibet meine […]
Editorial for April 2017
For our April free drawing we have a fantastic 40 CDs and 3 DVDs Rostropovich Cello Retrospective. It includes all his Erato and EMI recordings as well as recordings made during his stay in the Soviet Union by a secret mic in the Moscow hall. Music aficionados erased the Rostropovich name from the tapes after […]
BACH: The Partitas and French Suites – Richard Egarr – HM
BACH: The Partitas – Richard Egarr – Harmonia Mundi 907593. CD 1: 75:39, CD 2 79:20 (3/24/17) *****: BACH: The French Suites – Richard Egarr – Harmonia Mundi 907583, CD 1: 47:04, CD 2: 58:29 (5/27/16) ****1/2 : (Richard Egarr; harpsichord) Egarr continues his successful tour of the complete Bach solo repertory played on his […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
