Monthly Archive: August 2017
JANACEK: Lord, Have Mercy on Us; Diary of One Who Disappeared; Glagolitic Mass – Czech Philharmonic Choir/ Czech Philharmonic/ Vaclav Neumann – Praga Digitals
JANACEK: Lord, Have Mercy on Us; Diary of One Who Disappeared; Glagolitic Mass – Jadwiga Wysoczanska, soprano/ Marie Mrazova, alto/ Beno Blachut, tenor/ Dalibor Jedlicka, bass/ Petr Sovadina, organ/Brass Section of the Prague Symphony Orchestra/ Jiri Pinkas (Lord)/ Miroslav Frydlewicz, tenor/ Vera Soukupova, alto/Soloists of the Pavel Kuehn Chamber Chorus/ Radoslav Kvapil, piano (Diary)/ Gabriela Benackova, soprano/ Vera Soukupova. Alto/ Frantisek Livora, tenor/ Karel Pruesa, bass/ Jan Hora, organ/ Czech Philharmonic Choir/ Czech Philharmonic/ Vaclav Neumann (Mass) – Praga Digitals PRD 250 382, 78:50 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: Three visceral works from Leos Janacek testify to his deep Moravian roots. Recorded on 28 March 1964, the chant Lord, Have Mercy on Us stands as the oldest Czech song. A paraphrase of the Kyrie Eleison of the liturgy, the music moves as a responsory whose Slavonic origins date back to the Tenth/Eleventh centuries. The text proceeds as a simple plea in eight verses, though Janacek’s harmonization achieves a blazing, inner light. Janacek conceived his cycle of songs, The Diary of One Who Vanished between 1917-1919. The cycle is set for tenor, alto, three female voices, and piano, here recorded May 1970. The poems responsory—which tell the story of a village […]
Fabien Sevitzky Vol. 2 = Symphonic Works by GLAZUNOV; DUBENSKY; CESANA; GERSHWIN – Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra/ Fabien Sevitzky – Pristine
Fabien Sevitzky Indianapolis Symphony, Vol. 2 = GLAZUNOV: From the Middle Ages, Suite Op. 79; DUBENSKY: Fugue for 18 Violins; Stephen Foster: Theme, Variations and Finale; CESANA: Negro Heaven; GERSHWIN (arr. Bennett): Porgy and Bess – A Symphonic Picture – Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra/ Fabien Sevitzky – Pristine Audio PASC 509, 69:09 [www.prisitneclassical.com] ****: Fabien Sevitzky’s traversal of Russian and American scores has exemplary reproduction in this Pristine edition. Restoration Engineer and Producer Mark Obert-Thorn turns again to the legacy of Fabien Sevitzky (1891-1967), here in the recordings for RCA 1941-1945 that feature music of late Russian romantic composers and Americans of originally Russian extraction. The collection opens with Sevitzky’s version (8-9 February 1945) of the 1902 Suite in E Major, “From the Middle Ages,” by Alexander Glazunov. The Prelude that begins this evocation of ancient times proves particularly lush and sonically dazzling, luxurious as it possesses melodic ardor and fine instrumental colors. When RCA issued the Suite on its budget Bluebird label, the Scherzo movement was omitted, which we realize now to have been an error, given its juxtaposition of buzzing orchestral effects superimposed upon the Dies Irae of the Latin Mass. The fervent Danse Macabre more than hints […]
SZYMON LAKS: Chamber Music – ARC Ensemble – Chandos
SZYMON LAKS: Chamber Music—Divertimento—Wind Concertino—Passacaille—String Quartet No. 4—Piano Quintet—Sonatina—ARC Ensemble—Chandos CHAN 10983, 83:04, ****: A Holocaust survivor’s vibrant neoclassical chamber music emerges from the shadows. There have been a lot of recordings of Jewish composers who perished in the Holocaust of World War II in the last twenty-five years. Much less attention has been paid to those musicians and composers who survived the horrors of the Nazi regime. Composer and musician Simon Laks lived through the atrocities of a prison camp. His distinctive chamber music on this disc is a stellar example of discovering and reviving lost music from the 20th century. The Artistic Director of the ARC Ensemble, Simon Wynberg asserts, “Beyond the lives lost, the more complicated story has to do with how bigotry and war utterly changed the course of musical history by marginalizing the work of many survivors.” This CD is part of the ARC Ensemble’s Music in Exile series that is finding and performing significant music unperformed for over 50 years. The Polish composer Szymon Laks (1901-83) was deported to the transit camp of Pithiviers in 1941 while teaching music and playing the violin in Parisian cafés. When he arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau he became conductor […]
Philippe MANOURY: The Book of Keyboards – Third Coast Percussion – New Focus
Philippe MANOURY: The Book of Keyboards (works for percussion ensemble) – Third Coast Percussion – New Focus, 49:48 (8/417) ***: New works of distinction for various vibraphone, marimba and sixxen ensembles, not so far distant from the world of Iannis Xenakis. (Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Owen Clayton, Peter Martin, David Skidmore, Ross Karre, Gregory Beyer) Imagine the mailman, in his normal course of delivery. He delivers the mail at one house as per usual. But at the next, he meticulously tears up the letters and makes a small pile on the porch, which he lights on fire. As you watch from the window, he proceeds down the block following what appears to be a deliberate design. Occasionally he deviates, delivering normally at three straight houses. But the former pattern re-emerges. Here in the box, there in a smoldering pile left on the porch. This would be a spectacle of great interest and mental engagement. You would not get bored as you awaited with some interest his arrival at your own mailbox. Make the scenario stranger, though. Instead, imagine the mailman shape-shifting at every house, disappearing and reappearing randomly as a lawn ornament or a raccoon or wafting balloon. An initial […]
Olivier MESSIAEN, “20th Anniversary Edition” – A Comprehensive Collection of the Works of Olivier Messiaen – Warner Classics, 25 CDs
Olivier MESSIAEN, “20th Anniversary Edition” – A Comprehensive Collection of the Works of Olivier Messiaen – Warner Classics, 25 CDs [Performance credits below] (4/15/17) ****: Warner Classics has released an exceptional and comprehensive assemblage of Olivier Messiaen’s significant musical corpus. To honor this special release from Warner Classics, and the impact Messiaen has had on music in the 20th Century, Audiophile Audition is presenting an extended review (by a few genre), beginning with some personal reflections. Olivier Messaien – A Few Observations I first encountered the music of Olivier Messaien (1908-1992) with his 1933 The Ascension in a recording by Leopold Stokowski. The eclectic combination of sincerity, simplicity, religious devotion, ecstasy, and rhythmic complexity had a shocking effect, if only for the sheer vitality of the numinous visions. Messaien had been twenty-five-years-old at the time he created the piece; his having lived in the French musical world dominated by Debussy and Ravel – and to a degree, Stravinsky – it struck me how much Messiaen had gleaned from their individual sonorities while breaking free to impose his own sound-world. A little investigation on my part revealed the composer’s strong Catholic faith, his training by Dukas, his mastery of the organ […]
Procol Harum – A Salty Dog – Regal Zonophone
Procol Harum – A Salty Dog – Regal Zonophone/A&M (1969)/Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (1969) Limited Edition UDSACD2192 stereo-only SACD, 40:18 ****1/2: This is a stunning re-mastering of classic Procol Harum! (Gary Booker – piano, three-stringed guitar, celeste, bells harmonica, recorder, word, vocals and orchestral arrangement (Salty Dog, All This And More); Matthew Fisher – producer, organ, acoustic guitar, marimba, recorder, and orchestral arrangement (Wreck of The Hesperus) David Knights – bass guitar; B.J. Wilson – drums, tabla; Robin Trower – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, sleigh, tambourine; Kellogs – Bosun’s whistle and refreshments) In 1967, the music business was experiencing a cultural awakening. Albums like Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Velvet Underground, Days Of Future Passed, The Doors, Surrealistic Pillow, and Disraeli Gears (among many) pushed the genre of rock music to dizzying creative heights. That year, another English band, Procol Harum released the single (and album) “Whiter Shade of Pale”. The symphonic opus managed to incorporate psychedelic rock with baroque (“J.S. Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major”) influences. Other bands intermingled compositions with classical overtones, but “Whiter Shade Of Pale” was the most fluent integration of pop with classical music. The band consisted of Gary Booker (piano, […]
Oscar Pettiford – Nonet/Big Band/Sextet – 1955-1958 – New York City – Uptown Records
Oscar Pettiford – Nonet/Big Band/Sextet – 1955-1958 – New York City – Uptown Records UPCD27 86/27.87 – 2CD 78:40/79:32 – ***1/2 Of historical significance – Oscar Pettiford – 1955-1958 Live Broadcasts in NYC … (Oscar Pettiford – bass, cello; Donald Byrd, Johnny Coles, Ray Copeland, Art Farmer, Joe Wilder – trumpets; Eddie Bert, Jimmy Cleveland – trombones; David Amram, Jim Buffington, Ed London – french horns; Gigi Gryce, Gene Quill – alto sax; J.R. Monterose – tenor sax; Jerome Richardson – tenor sax, flute; Danny Bank, David Kurtzer – baritone sax; Sahib Shihab – alto sax, baritone sax, flute; Hank Jones, Dick Katz, Hod O’Brien – piano; Betty Glamann – harp; Carl Pruitt – bass; Osie Johnson, Earl “Buster” Smith, Shadow Wilson – drums. Arrangements by Benny Golson, Gigi Gryce, Oscar Pettiford, Lucky Thompson, Ernie Wilkins) Through their Flashback Series, Uptown Records is providing a tuition free education chronicling the history of jazz. Many of the releases from this series use radio broadcasts from the East Coast. The sound quality of these broadcasts has not matched the European radio archives that have seen the light in the last ten years highlighting American jazz artists on tours of the continent. That […]
SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto; GRIEG Lyric Pieces; LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsodies; Polonaise – Nelson Freire, piano/ Radio-Symphony Orchestra Berlin/ Adam Fischer – Audite
SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto No. 2 in g minor, Op. 22; Grieg: 5 Lyric Pieces; LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5 in e minor; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 in E Major; Polonaise No. 2 in E Major – Nelson Freire, piano/ Radio-Symphony Orchestra Berlin/ Adam Fischer – Audite 95.742, 55:08 (8/11/17) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Vintage recordings by Nelson Freire reveal several sides of this explosive virtuoso, passionate and intimate, at once. Those who relish the piano artistry of Brazilian virtuoso Nelson Freire will seek out his 16 March 1986 collaboration with conductor Adam Fischer in the Saint-Saens 1868 Piano Concerto No. 2, a fine addition to Freire’s active discography. Even those familiar with its Bach influences in the opening movement will well appreciate the various nuances Freire brings to the arpeggiated filigree that infiltrates its often dramatically energetic contours. The organ-like cadenza yields to passionate outbursts from Fischer’s orchestra, especially in the woodwinds. The briefer cadenza reveals a thoughtful pearly-play from Freire, while the music literally begins the recapitulation. Even in the midst of these “classical” procedures, we hear hints of the exoticism and “Eastern” sensibility that mark Saint-Saens’ love of North Africa. The E Major Allegro Scherzando cavorts most playfully, […]
“Amersterdam Meets New Tango” & “Jazz Tango – Pablo Ziegler – Zoho ZM
“Amersterdam Meets New Tango” – Pablo Ziegler & the Metropole Orkest/Jules Buckley – Zoho ZM 201307 (6/11/13) ****: Pablo Zeigler, the successor to Piazzolla, and two Zoho CDs. Pianist-composer Pablo Ziegler was pianist with the great Astor Piazzolla between 1978 and 1989. He’s most prominent as a creator of the Argentinean New Tango and has carried the Nuovo Tango banner ever since Piazzolla’s demise. In his first CD he re-casts his trio arrangements for the unique orchestra/big band known as the Metropole Orkest. It is a musical hybrid of the classic tango with American jazz. Ziegler is no stranger to the world of crossover projects and has worked with Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Maria Schneider and many others. Tasteful and exciting music, to be sure. TrackList: 1. Buenos Aires Report 5:31 Ziegler 2. Milonga para Hermeto 5:39 Quique Sinesi 3. Blues Porteno 7:43 Ziegler 4. Desperate Dance 5:57 Ziegler 5. Murga del Amanecer 6:27 Ziegler 6. Places 6:44 Ziegler 7. Pajaro Angel 5:48 Ziegler 8. Buenos Aires Dark 9:05 Ziegler 9. Que lo parió 5:17 Ziegler “Jazz Tango” – Pablo Ziegler Trio with Hector Del Curto, bandoneon, and Claudio Ragazzi, guitar – Zoho ZM 201704, (5/5/17) ****: For his more […]
TELEMANN: A Companion – Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin – Harmonia Mundi
TELEMANN: A Companion (7CDS) – Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin – Harmonia Mundi 2908781, 8 hours 39:06, (9/8/17) ****½ : A grand survey of the prolific and many-voiced genius of the 18th century Baroque with two large scale choral works at center. For the 350th anniversary of Telemann’s death, Harmonia Mundi has arranged a handsome bouquet of recordings from its own catalog and added a substantial book which documents the composer’s long and fruitful life, calling the whole production A Telemann Companion. The diligent musicologists of this label have set an absolute standard in their critical introductions to music, and its companion essay (with English and French translations) makes for rewarding education in music history. It would not be easy to select a sample of a composer whose output is numbered at 6000 compositions, surpassing the combined works of Bach and Handel. Yet HM has kept the task manageable by selecting from recent releases which cover the main genres of 18th-century music: opera, sacred music, the concerto and the orchestral suite. Conspicuously missing are the solo works and the trio sonata. Telemann’s fanatical musical inventiveness extended across the entire range of the music of his time. His various employments brought […]
Jascha Spivakovsky, Vol 3 = BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonatas – Pristine Audio
Jascha Spivakovsky: Bach to Bloch, Volume III = BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 8 in c minor, Op. 13 “Pathetique”; Piano Sonata No. 14 in c-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 “Moonlight”; Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, Op. 81a “Les Adieux”; Piano Sonata No. 32 in c minor, Op. 111 – Pristine Audio PAKM 070, 76:02 [www.pristineclassical.com] ****: Pristine and Andrew Rose continue to nurture the Jascha Spivakovsky legend with four Beethoven sonatas. The third installment of Pristine’s resuscitation of the Jascha Spivakovsky (1896-1970) legend now extends to four Beethoven sonatas, recorded 1955-1967, to supplement the Waldstein Sonata in Volume I. For a recent radio tribute to Spivakovsky over KZSU-FM, Stanford—sharing the microphone with commentator Mark Ainley—I chose the 1957 broadcast performance of the Les Adieux Sonata, specifically conceived by Beethoven as a tribute to Archduke Rudolf. This rendition by Spivakovsky, pointedly virile, enjoys such an immediacy of effect – especially in dynamic contrasts – that it becomes a template of the Spivakovsky approach. The feelings of emotional oppression, in the opening Adagio and in the haunted Andante espressivo, proceed with a sustained gravity and pedaled continuity, only to dissipate in a rush of reconciliation at the Vivacissimo, as […]
Streams and Podcasts for 26 August 2018
This week, The Music Treasury will focus on the artistry of Wanda Landowska. Among other things, Landowska played a significant role in revitalizing interest in the harpsichord. This evening’s show will include works by Bach, Scarlatti, as well as Poulenc, who composed a concerto for her. The show can be heard on Sunday, 27 August 2017, between 19:00 and 21:00, PDT. Dr. Lemco is the show’s host, it is presented as a radio show with streaming broadcast: kzsulive.stanford.edu On both Saturday and Sunday, Edmund Stone will share his observations and insights on some parts of the vast repertoire of film scores. It too is broadcast as a streamed radio show, from its host station in Portland: AllClassical.org. The show can be heard between 14:00 and 15:00 PDT. This Saturday, 26 August 2016, Edmund Stone’s show is “Spaced Out”, where he will explore the theme of space exploration, with scores from Apollo 13, Star Wars, Star Trek, and more. Sunday will have an encore broadcast of last week’s show, “Before They Were Famous”, featuring works John Williams, Elmer Bernstein, and other in their earlier days.
Angelo Maria FIORE: Complete cello sonatas & 17th c. Italian Operas – Elinor Frey (baroque cello) – Passacaille
Angelo Maria FIORE: Complete cello sonatas & 17th c. Italian Operas – Elinor Frey (baroque cello) – Passacaille 1026, 74:38, (5/1/17) ****: Late Baroque ascendency of the cello in Northern Italian sonata and vocal music, brilliantly played on original instruments. (Elinor Frey; baroque cello / Lorenzo Ghielmi; harpsichord / Suzie LeBlanc; soprano / Esteban La Rotta; theorbo) If asked to guess the origin of the major human inventions such as the mechanical clock, gunpowder, the compass, or paper, the safe guess is usually China. When it comes to musical forms and instruments, however, one should posit an Italian source, the heritage that has bequeathed us the very word “invention.” The recording under review documents the debut of the cello as a solo instrument at the end of the 17th century in the Northern Italian courts of Bologna, Padua and Modena. The cello enjoyed a most dramatic triumph over the viol family, until then the long-standing instrumental choice of the nobility and amateurs throughout Europe, ending in the total eclipse of its rival. The Sonatas of Angelo Maria Fiore demonstrate just how the ‘“veni, vedi, vici” attitude of the instrument managed this conquest. First, a number of cellist composers attached to […]
BACH: French Suites —Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano—Decca
Vladimir Ashkenazy—BACH: French Suites—Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano—Decca 483-2150—82:52 ***1/2 Vladimir Ashkenazy is a name with which I’ve been familiar for many years. As a former resident of Cleveland, where he was for many years the guest conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, I had the opportunity to see him lead that orchestra. And despite turning 80 this year, he’s still an active musician, returning to piano literature for Decca. Bach’s French Suites (BWV 812-817) are, like his partitas, English Suites, and the ordres and suites of other baroque composers (François Couperin and George Frederick Handel come to mind), a collection of “dances” composed around a key center. Unlike his partitas, however, Bach’s French suites are composed on a smaller scale, dispensing with any overtures or preludes. And somewhat uncharacteristic of Bach, the treatment of voices across the two hands is less contrapuntal than we might expect. In Bach’s day, the clavichord and harpsichord would have been the appropriate keyboard instruments for these works. In using a modern piano, the modern performer has the opportunity to introduce dynamic contrasts and a wider variety of articulation. Ashkenazy applies a fairly consistent approach in his recording of the French Suites. He treats the two hands […]
Jon Cowherd – Gateway – Newvelle Records
Jon Cowherd – Gateway – Newvelle Records NV009LP – 180 gm vinyl – ***1/2 A reoccurring theme of expressive freedom – Jon Cowherd – Gateway (Jon Cowherd – piano; Steve Cardenas – guitar; Tony Scherr – bass; Brian Blade – drums) An overriding theme found on all of the Newvelle Records LP subscription series, on audiophile quality vinyl, is open and free expression. The leaders are paired with accompanying musicians who share a goal of exploring primarily jazz with open ears in blending blues, ethnic, world, and classical motifs. Newvelle often provides online videos that show the musicians, in studio, deep in concentration but always in a near rapturous state knowing that they have open rein, free of industry interference. This freedom in on full display on the latest Newvelle release, from pianist Jon Cowherd. It’s in a quartet setting with piano, guitar, bass, and drums. Jon wrote all the compositions except for “Memorial Day,” written by drummer, Brian Blade. Guitarist, Steve Cardenas is featured prominently, and he brings a lyrical intensity, reminiscent of Pat Metheny. Tony Scherr is rock solid on bass, and Brian Blade provides the ballast that both inspires and propels the group. Brian and Jon go […]
San Francisco String Trio – May I Introduce To You – Ridgeway Records
May I Introduce To You – San Francisco String Trio – Ridgeway Records RRCD006 61:51***: A new spin to bring a “jazz” interpretation to iconic compositions (Mads Tolling – violin; Mimi Fox – electric, acoustic & 12-string guitars; Jeff Denson – double bass & vocals) Question: What does the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and jazz have in common? Answer: Nothing. Question: What does the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as interpreted by The San Francisco String Trio and jazz have in common? Answer: A lot. On the 50th Anniversary of the release of this seminal album, this Bay Area trio puts a new spin on the music to bring a “jazz” interpretation to the iconic compositions. All members of this saucy trio come from jazz backgrounds, and currently have faculty positions at the California Jazz Conservatory. So tackling this project was not a stretch. The real trick is taking these familiar tunes with their popular musical structure and verses, and converting them into something new in a completely different genre. The experiment begins with “When I’m Sixty-Four” as violinist Tolling introduces the song with a run through of the first two verses, which […]
Entrez, le Diable! = Baroque Cello Sonatas by LANZETTI; BERTEAU; MARTIN; BARRIERE – Juliana Soltis, Baroque cello/ Adalha MacAdam-Somer, viola da gamba/ Lucas Harris, theorbo/ Justin Murphy-Mancini, harpsichord – Acis
Entrez, le Diable! = LANZETTI: Sonata in e minor, Op. 1, No. 8; BERTEAU: Sonata in G Major, Op. 1, No. 3; MARTIN: Sonata in D Major, Op. 2, No. 4; BARRIERE: Sonata in D Major, Book 1, No. 4; Sonata in d minor, Book 3, No. 5 – Juliana Soltis, Baroque cello/ Adalha MacAdam-Somer, viola da gamba/ Lucas Harris, theorbo/ Justin Murphy-Mancini, harpsichord – Acis APL 72276, 62:05 (5/9/17) [Distr. by Albany] ****: The intimate and audacious joys of the Italian cello return in their youthful guise via the art of Juliana Soltis. Recorded 13-15 January 2016, the Baroque cello works proffered by performer-scholar Juliana Soltis celebrate the advent of the appearance of Neapolitan Salvatore Lanzetti (1710-1780) and his historic appearance in May 1736 at the Concert Spirituel at the Tuileries in Paris. The Italian cello had long suffered a second-class citizenship in musical circles, where the viola da gamba or basse de viole received stellar status. Lanzetti’s Sonata in e minor alternately demands what Soltis calls “sweet singing consonances” and “wild, woolly dissonances.” The aesthetician Hubert Le Blanc in his 1740 Defense de la basse de viole castigated the cello as “a miserable canker, wretch and poor Devil.” […]
Yelena ECKEMOFF Quintet: In the Shadow of a Cloud – L & H
Yelena ECKEMOFF Quintet: In the Shadow of a Cloud – L & H 25, 96:00, (8/4/17) ***: ECM-sound alike composer and pianist Yelena Eckemoff’s tone poems arranged for a quintet. (Yelena Eckemoff; composer and piano; Chris Potter; saxophone, bass clarinet, flute; Adam Rogers; guitar; Drew Gress; bass; Gerald Cleaver; drums) The profound but irascible German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer astonished himself and the world (the latter belatedly) by independently discovering the central tenets of both Buddhism and Hinduism. When the first texts from the East, such as the Upanishads, began to make their way into European translations, Schopenhauer was able to show how many of the philosophical themes had been anticipated in his own multifarious writings. As it happened, this made little impression on his contemporaries. A happier coincidence can be seen in the work of Yelena Eckemoff a transplanted Russian composer and pianist who, it seems, has independently discovered jazz. Arriving in the United States in 1991 as something of a refuge, following an education at the prestigious Moscow Conservatory as a classical musician, she had almost no acquaintance with the America-rooted improvisatory tradition. However, this did not stop her from releasing her first jazz record, Cold Sun, which comprised […]
Dave Stryker – Strykin’ Ahead – Strikezone
Dave Stryker – Strykin’ Ahead – Strikezone Records 8815 59:39****: A stylish endeavour ( Dave Stryker – guitar; Steve Nelson – vibes; Jared Gold – organ; McClenty Hunter – drums ) The configuration of an organ, guitar, drums jazz trio seems to have been around since God was a boy. However adding vibes to the mix offers another sound dimension that is more than simply the addition of one instrument. Guitarist Dave Stryker’s new release Strykin’ Ahead demonstrates that this new cohort provides an imaginative take on an album of originals and jazz stalwarts. The band leads off with a Stryker original “Shadowboxing” which is an animated minor blues and defines the possibilities that the band will pursue in its excursions of improvisation. Following along is a Wayne Shorter piece called “ Footprints” offered up in ballad style with a 5/4 time signature. Within the frame provided by the number, the principals find corners of the melody to develop a sensitive and expressive reading. Billy Strayhorn’s lovely number “Passion Flower” takes on a new meaning as it is given a Latin vibe by way of the feather light brushes of drummer McClenty Hunter. The album’s title track “Strykin’ Ahead” is […]
Serebrier conducts GRANADOS = Works by GRANADOS; TOLDRA; MALATS; CHAPI; MORERA; MONASTERIO; ALBENIZ; GRIGNON – Concerto Malaga String Orchestra/ Jose Serebrier – Somm Celeste
Serebrier conducts GRANADOS = GRANADOS: Andaluza; Oroental; Pequena Romanza for String Quartet; El Himno de los Muertos; Intermezzo from Goyesca; TARREGA: Recuerdos de la Alhambra; Gran Vals; TOLDRA: Nocturna; MALATS: Serenata; CHAPI: Nocturno; MORERA: Desolacio; MONASTERIO: Andante Religioso for Strings; ALBENIZ: Tango, Op. 165, No. 2; Mallorca, Op. 202; GRIGNON: Lento Expresivo for String Orchestra – Concerto Malaga String Orchestra/ Jose Serebrier – Somm Celeste SOMMCD 0171, 62:21 [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Serebrier and the Concerto Malaga celebrate the rich legacy of Barcelona and Iberian musical impulses. Recorded in August, 2016, these Spanish works led by Jose Serebrier resonate with an especial affection, since Enrique Granados (1867-1916) expresses the Catalan and Andalusian spirit in his Danzas Espanolas, in these orchestral arrangements by Fran Farraga, Ken Abeling, Eduardo Lopez-Chavarri. The string ensemble Concerto Malaga, itself established in 1996, specializes in string repertory, and so has evolved a warm, burnished sound that fits exactly the aural space that Serebrier inherited as a protégé of Leopold Stokowski. The Andaluza and Oriental that open the program constitute standard Granados classic fare. Granados often celebrated Barcelona’s music life; and in this respect, the music of colleague Enric Morera (1865-1942) proves relevant. His affecting, often dissonantly […]
Albert ROUSSEL: Symphonies, Suites – Paul Paray/ Leonard Bernstein/Andre Cluytens/Herbert von Karajan – Praga Digitals
Albert ROUSSEL: Suite in F; Symphony No. 3; Bacchus et Ariane, Suite No. 2; Symphonie No. 4 – Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Paul Paray/New York Philharmonic/Leonard Bernstein/Orchestre de la Societe du Conservatoire de Paris/Andre Cluytens/Philharmonia Orchestra/Herbert von Karajan – Praga Digitals PRD 350 138, 79:59, (9/08/17) ****: A fine compilation of this somewhat obscure composer’s best. Albert Roussel was one of those composers whose innovation and skill was greater than his name recognition. Roussel was an eclectic writer whose music—while not all ‘signature’—is trapped in a gray area in between the late Romantic worlds of some countrymen such as Dukas and Bizet and the Impressionist realm of Debussy and Ravel. Perhaps even more interestingly, some of his music actually sounds ahead of its time with moments of orchestration and harmony that seem to presage Prokofiev or early Kabalevsky. This is a nice, if not a bit odd, compilation of what are Roussel’s arguably best-known works, and—the odd part—released as remasterings of signature recordings by the four orchestras and conductors within. Actually, although the compilation is a bit of pot-pourri, one good reason to acquire this well engineered disc is to have recordings by orchestras and the conductors who in most ways remain […]
The Who – Isle Of Wight 2004 (Blu-ray + 2 CDs) – 2017
The Who – Isle Of Wight 2004 (Blu-ray + 2 CDs) – 2017 The Who reclaim their rock throne. Cast: Pete Townsend – guitar, vocals; Roger Daltrey – vocals; Simon Townsend – guitar, vocals; Pino Palladino – bass; Zak Starkey – drums; John “Rabbit” Bundrick – keyboards Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment EVB335649 Director: Matt Askem Audio: DTS-Master Audio 5.1; LPCM Stereo 2.0 Video: 1.78:1 for 1080i HD, color Length: 132 minutes Rating: Audio: ****: Video: ****: Overall: ****: When the Beatles disbanded in 1970, there was a certain void. It was filled primarily by The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and The Who. Purveying the social and political anger of their era, The Who were defined by the anthemic, brilliant songwriting of Pete Townsend. In addition, Townsend’s theatrical guitar playing electrified the rock scene. Singer Roger Daltrey exemplified the gritty working class with his growling vocals. Keith Moon’s maniacal, propulsive drumming added to the explosive mix. And John Entwhistle’s sophisticated bass refined an elegance to this wild […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
