Monthly Archive: November 2017
Chorale Masses & Sacred Concertos – Rheinische Kantorei, Hermann Max – MDG
SCHEIN, BERNHARDT, ZACHOW, FISCHER: Chorale Masses & Sacred Concertos – Rheinische Kantorei, Hermann Max – MDG MDG6020169 [distr. by Presto Classical] (9/15/17) TT: 44:27 Track list below *** 1/2 Excellent performances and a convincing recording Five hundred years ago the Reformation triggered an upsurge in the production of church music, and even today Martin Luther’s sacred hymns continue to be mainstays in Lutheran religious services. This disc has a lovely collection of masses and concertos from a variety of composers of the period, roughly between the 16th and early 18th century. The works are performed by the Rheinische Kantorei, Hermann Max, conductor. The music on offer in this collection is hauntingly beautiful and well performed. None are mainstays of the popular classical canon, but that doesn’t make them any less compelling. The recording is apparently a re-master, and dates from 1985. I can assure our readers that the recording is not compromised by age. As DG has demonstrated many times, there is a tremendous effort in the recording and production of their product, and the recording here is exemplary. The sound of the chorale and instruments are well positioned in a reverberant space. I thought the sound opened up nicely […]
Thanos MITSALAS: Tribute – Clear Note
Thanos MITSALAS: Tribute – Clear Note 75681, 65:07 (9/12/17) ****: Outstanding guitar artistry in a presentation of several first-rate contemporary works—Assad, York, Piazzolla—as well as a stupendous Alexandre Tansman “Scriabin Variations.” (Thanos Mitsalas; guitar) In the liner notes to this 2017 release by the Greek guitarist Thanos Mitsalas, we are told that the artist is “steadily achieving recognition as one of the leading virtuosos of his generation.” The first half of the CD at hand, Tribute, earnestly substantiates those claims, emphasizing finger-wiggling velocity on a technically daunting polyphonic piece by Alexandre Tansman called 3 Variations on a theme of Scriabin. This is a impressive piece, and at 10:16, the longest on the record. The enigmatic Scriabin theme leads the guitar far away from the typical guitaristic ambience, into the realm of heady Modernism that is nicely fit to the demands of the guitar. The first track Tiento Antiguo, an inward looking lyrical piece with a minor mode brooding but few Iberian gestures, is by Rodrigo. The same composer is featured on track four, Un Tiempo Fue Italica Famoso, a dark piece that alternates between Iberian castanet-accented strumming with florid passages of excessive virtuosic self-consciousness. The sound engineer has achieved a […]
CHOPIN: Piano Sonata No. 3; Berceuse; Four Scherzos – Barbara Nissman, piano – 3 Oranges Recordings
CHOPIN: Piano Sonata No. 3 in b minor, Op. 58; Berceuse in D-flat Major, Op. 57; Four Scherzos – Barbara Nissman, piano – 3 Oranges Recordings 3-OR 24, 76:37 [www.threeorangesrecordings.com] ****: Nissman’s latest recorded survey of Chopin contains power, poetry, and majesty. American piano virtuoso Barbara Nissman (b. 1944) extends the legacy of her own record label with some extremely brilliant Chopin, including his last major composition for solo keyboard, the 1844 Sonata No. 3 in b minor. But no less epic, the four scherzos, conceived over a period 1831-1843, challenge both technique and poetic fluency in a manner thoroughly idiosyncratic of the composer’s vocal and dramatic style. Nissman has donned the mantle of the late Gina Bachauer, whose own range of repertory and gripping, consummate technique beguiled and dazzled audiences. The present Chopin recital by Nissman (rec. 1-3 August 2013) derives from the campus of Duquesne University, Pittsburgh. In his own words, Chopin much admired Liszt, both in his own right—albeit with some reservations—as a composer and as a fine interpreter of Chopin himself, particularly of the etudes. Nissman addresses, in potent declamation, the Allegro maestoso of the Sonata with a grand sense of design and rhetorical fervor, especially […]
Wadada Leo Smith – Najwa – TUM
Wadada Leo Smith – Najwa – TUM CD 049, 55:43 [10/20/17] ****: An electrifying tribute project. (Wadada Leo Smith – trumpet; Adam Rudolph – percussion; Pheeroan akLaff – drums; Bill Laswell – electric bass, mixing; Michael Gregory Jackson, Henry Kaiser, Brandon Ross, Lamar Smith – guitar) Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith is no stranger to going electric. He used the power of being plugged in with his Miles Davis-centric Yo Miles! band (two CDs celebrating Davis’ music featuring guitarist Henry Kaiser), and the multi-guitar group Organic (with contributions from guitarists Michael Gregory Jackson, Brandon Ross and Lamar Smith, Smith’s grandson). Smith has returned to the amplified, guitar-inclined format with the hour-long, five-track album Najwa (an Arabic word translated as passionate, secret or whisper). Smith is joined by all of the above-listed guitarists plus percussionist Adam Rudolph, drummer Pheeroan akLaff (he had a longstanding association with Oliver Lake and was a member of Smith’s New Dalta Ahkri ensemble and Smith’s Golden Quartet), and electric bassist Bill Laswell (who also provides post-production expertise). Najwa is a many-layered conceptual work. Three of Smith’s four lengthy compositions (only one is under 10 minutes) are tributes to past artists of creative jazz and/or blues. The first […]
Streams and Podcasts for 26 November 2017
This week’s Music Treasury will feature Paul Paray, the distinguished French conductor, organist, and composer. Paray’s long life (over nine decades and through two world wars) saw him active in Europe and the United States, as well as Israel, with premier orchestras in New York, Detroit, San Francisco, Boston, Monte-Carlo, and others. Paray conducted the breadth of orchestral music, and he particularly specialized in French symphonic literature. This week’s show will feature recordings of pieces by Chabrier, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mendelssohn, Handel, and Strauss (Richard), concluding with end of Mahler’s Symphony Number 5. Hosted by Dr Gary Lemco, the show can be heard on 26 November 2017, between 19:00 and 21:00 PST, as well a streaming broadcast through kzsulive.stanford.edu.
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6, “Pathetique” – MusicAeterna/ Teodor Currentzis – Sony
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6 in b minor, Op. 74 “Pathetique” – MusicAeterna/ Teodor Currentzis – Sony 88985404352, 47:00 ****: A much-touted interpretation of the Tchaikovsky Sixth Symphony has musical – if not fiscal – benefits. Had my old colleague from “First Hearing,” conductor Richard Kapp, auditioned this recording of the familiar Tchaikovsky Sixth Symphony, he would likely have rebelled against its hype and denigrated what he would term its “slick production values.” Recorded at the Funkhaus, Nalepastrasse, Berlin (9-15 February 2015), the performance celebrates the Russian conducting pedagogue Ilya Musin (1903-1999), who instructed, among others, Yevgeny Mravinsky. With a recording team led by Damien Quintard, the music benefits from close miking, so that the opening bassoon (Talgat Sarsembaev) and the Scherzo’s theme-leading clarinet (Valentin Uryupin) have their moments. In the febrile Allegro molto vivace, the oboe (Dmitry Bulgakov) and the trumpet fanfares (Joao Moreira, Pavel Kurdakov, Oliver Christian) inject a martial mania in clear, even clarion, voices that quite carry us forward, especially in the second, E Major march. In the outer movements, the palpable, b minor/D Major gloom and spiritual despondency achieve their effect through the power of the MusicaAeterna strings, particularly the violas, cellos, and basses. But whether […]
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 4 & No. 7 – Boston Symphony Orchestra/ Serge Koussevitzky – Pristine Audio
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op. 60; Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 – Boston Symphony Orchestra/ Serge Koussevitzky – Pristine Audio PASC 515, 70:15 [www.pristineclassical.com] *****: Previously unreleased Beethoven performances by Koussevitzky and BSO add significant documents to that conductor’s recorded legacy. “Rare Beethoven Symphony Recordings”: Producer and recording engineer Andrew Rose reminds us the Serge Koussevitzky (1876-1951) led the Boston Symphony in the Beethoven Fourth Symphony thirty-nine times, but until now, no recorded performance had ever been issued. This thirty-third rendition (6 March 1943, broadcast from Symphony Hall, Boston) had been withheld for various technical reasons which Rose catalogues—but the real point lies in the fact that much labor has been expended to correct pitch variations and sonic distortion, along with occasional missing notes—to produce a seamless document that we admirers of the conductor and his splendid ensemble can savor in excellent form. Koussevitzky takes a deliberately slow, lugubrious tempo in the minor mode to open the B-flat Symphony, indeed in what seems an adumbration of a grim event. Of course, what erupts becomes a testament to Beethoven’s epic humor, rollicking and ecstatically thundering at the heavens. The gem, the Adagio, allows the BSO […]
PJ Perry Quartet – Alto Gusto:Live At The Yardbird Suite – CellarLive
PJ Perry Quartet – Alto Gusto: Live At The Yardbird Suite – CellarLive CL051317 62:33**** A taste of the boppish playing style of this highly regarded musician. ( PJ Perry – alto saxophone; Jon Mayer – piano; Steve Wallace – acoustic bass; Quincy Davis – drums) PJ Perry is not a name that would be generally recognized south of the 49th parallel, even though noted US jazz writer Scott Yanow has written:”…I tend to think of altoist PJ Perry as Canada’s Sonny Stitt”. However in Canada, Perry has been fêted over the years with Juno Awards ( Canada’s Grammy) and recently (2016) the Order Of Canada, which is the country’s highest civilian honour for “his contribution to Canada’s musical repetoire as an accomplished jazz saxophonist”. So if you are wondering what the fuss is all about, his latest release Alto Gusto Live at the Yardbird Suite, will give you a taste of the boppish playing style of this highly regarded musician. The choice of material for this live session, fits perfectly into Perry’s wheelhouse. With the accompaniment of three musicians from both Canada and the US, they provide a measure of empathy and inventiveness that spurs Perry’s scintillating improvisations. Paul […]
Imagine Christmas – Sono Luminus
Imagine Christmas – Sono Luminus – CD DSL 92216 (Track list below) Various artists – (10/27/17) TT: 38:16 ** 1/2 Holiday Time! One of the duties of our stalwart reviewers is to slog through the Christmas music releases for the year. It’s not one of my favorite duties, but I’m always hoping some good will come of the effort, instead of yet another version of Handel’s Messiah or another in the endless collection of Mormon Tabernacle Choir releases of holiday tunes. My idea of perfect Christmas music is Vaughan William’s Hodie. This year I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the high reliable Sono Luminus label has put together a non-trite holiday album. The bad news is that it’s a bit inconsistent and the styles of each track are a little too broad for everyone’s taste. At less than 40 minutes it’s also a bit stingy on content. Still, the quality can makeup for that. Sono Luminus has a fine group of artists to chose from, so they’ve given us some nice interpretations of holiday favorites. You’ll find Silent Night with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble, Joy to the World, Have Yourself a Merry […]
Mumpbeak – Tooth – RareNoise
Mumpbeak – Tooth [TrackList follows] – RareNoise RNR078, 41:43 [5/26/17] ****: Is it jazz? Is it progressive rock? It’s definitely Mumpbeak. (Roy Powell – Hohner clavinet, Moog Little Phatty, Hammond organ, tubular bells; Lorenzo Feliciati – bass; Torstein Lofthus – drums) What’s a Mumpbeak? Despite the title, it’s not some fantastical bird. Mumpbeak is the Oslo, Norway-based prog-rock/jazz fusion instrumental power trio led by keyboardist Roy Powell with bassist Lorenzo Feliciati and newest member, drummer Torstein Lofthus. Feliciati has issued solo projects; Powell and Feliciati are in jazz-rock ensemble Naked Truth; Powell is also in the genre-defying trio Interstatic; and Lofthus drums for avant-garde group Shining and the psychedelic prog-rock/jazz trio Elephant 9. Mumpbeak crafts a kind of niche music, which blends classic progressive rock akin to Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Van Der Graaf Generator alongside forays into jazz comparable to Miles Davis’ early ‘70s material. Mumpbeak’s 41-minute sophomore release, Tooth, was issued as a CD Digipak, a limited-edition single blue vinyl LP (2×180 grams) and a digital download album. This review refers to the CD version. Roy Powell Powell favors a heavily-effected, guitar-sounding clavinet. “I play a stock Hohner E7 clavinet into a series of guitar effects pedals […]
Miriodor – Signal 9 – Cuneiform, Rune
Miriodor – Signal 9 [TrackList follows] – Cuneiform, Rune 438, 52:15 [9/5/17] ****: Miriodor: keeping the movement alive. (Bernard Falaise – guitar, keys, turntable; Pascal Globensky – keys, synth, piano; Rémi Leclerc –percussion, drums, electronics; Nicolas Lessard – bass, contrabass, keys) There are musical genres, such as punk, bluegrass and reggae. Then there are musical movements, which are revolutionary, methodical and unifying. The Rock In Opposition (or RIO) movement is a faction of progressive music which was pioneered by the English avant-rockers Henry Cow, the French ensemble Art Zoyd (which merges free jazz, progressive rock and avant-garde electronica) and Univers Zéro, the instrumental progressive Belgian band. On this side of the Atlantic, the premier practitioners of the RIO movement are the members of Montreal, Canada group Miriodor (who blend jazz, classical, rock and other international influences), which formed in 1980 and issued their first LP in 1984. Miriodor has had a fruitful and long history with the forward-seeking Cuneiform label, which released Miriodor’s ninth album, fittingly titled Signal 9. There is an otherworldly aspect to the 11 tracks, which Miriodor keyboardist Pascal Globensky explains is deliberate. “Metaphorically, we could say that Miriodor is a planet, with aliens communicating in their […]
Dimitar LIOLEV: Eastern Shadows – Slam
Dimitar LIOLEV: Eastern Shadows – Slam 581, 45:55 (6/26/17) ****: An inspired Bulgarian quartet collaborates on some Slavic-flavored original jazz charts. (Dimitar Liolev; tenor saxophone/ Martin Tashev; trumpet, flugelhorn, laments/ Massimiliano Rolff; bass/ Dimitar Semov; drums) An eccentric friend of mine set out on a quixotic journey to discover “the South” (of the United States). Dispensing with GPS and geographical conventions, he proposed to drive with his window down until he detected the smell of fried chicken. Like those mariners of old who were entranced by the aroma of cloves before the fabled Spice Islands hove into sight, he was overpowered well before registering the sign “Memphis, Population 652,000” and fetching up at the doors of its illustrious chicken-serving establishment, where both nose and tongue consummated the long journey. I would like to make a similar journey to discover a musical land that I call Trans-Danubia. (extending somewhat beyond the contested geographical entity) With both windows down, I would trust my ears in stereo, rather than my nose, to discover the alluring accents and spirited rhythms of the region’s various musical traditions. These might include the emotionally vivid Sevdalinka (*) of the southern Slavs, the potent women’s chorus wailing from […]
CHOPIN: “Evocations” = Piano Concertos; Rondo for 2 pianos; “Fantasie Impromptu”; Chopin-inspired works by SCHUMANN, BARBER, TCHAIKOVSKY, MOMPOU – Daniil Trifonov/ Sergei Babayan/ Mahler Chamber Orch./ Mikhail Pletnev – DGG
CHOPIN: Evocations = Piano Concerto No. 2 in f minor, Op. 21; Piano Concerto No. 1 in e minor, Op. 11; Variations on “La ci darem la mano,” Op. 2; Rondo in C Major for 2 Pianos, Op. 73; Impromptu No. 4 in c-sharp minor, Op. 66 “Fantasie-Impromptu”; SCHUMANN: “Chopin” from Carnaval, Op. 9; GRIEG: Study “Hommage a Chopin”; BARBER: Nocturne, Op. 33; TCHAIKOVSKY: Un poco di Chopin, Op. 72, No. 15; MOMPOU: Variations on a Theme of Chopin – Daniil Trifonov, piano/ Sergei Babayan, piano (Op. 73)/ Mahler Chamber Orchestra/ Mikhail Pletnev – DGG 479 7518 (2 CDs) 62:18; 77:43 (10/6/17) [Distr. by Universal] *****: An elegant love-letter or postcard to Chopin, in new arrangements and signed by several admirers. Purists beware: pianist-conductor Mikhail Pletnev has re-orchestrated the two Chopin piano concertos, attempting to establish “more of an equality of participation” between the forces. Some will recall that Alfred Cortot made his own adjustments to Chopin’s original almost a century ago. Pianist Daniil Trifonov has supplemented the exclusively Chopin pieces with creative “responses” to his work from other composers of various nationalities, those who appreciate “the essence of the Chopin character: his evocative, personal intimacy. The 1957 Mompou piece […]
Vilde Frang: Homage = Violin Music by RIES; SCHUMANN; WIENIAWSKI; GLUCK; SCHUBERT; POLDOWSKI; DEBUSSY; SCRIABIN; KREISLER; DVORAK; PROKOFIEV; ALBENIZ; PONCE; BAZZINI; MENDELSSOHN – Vilde Frang / Jose Gallardo – Warner
Vilde Frang: Homage = RIES: La capricciosa; SCHUMANN: Widmung; WIENIAWSKI: “Obertass” Mazurka; Caprice in E-flat; GLUCK: Melodie; SCHUBERT: Ballet Music from “Rosamunde”; POLDOWSKI: Tango; DEBUSSY: La plus que lente; SCRIABIN: Etude, Op. 8, No. 10; KREISLER: Gypsy Caprice; Rondino; DVORAK: Slavonic Dance in e minor; PROKOFIEV: Masks; ALBENIZ: Sevilla; PONCE: Estrellita; BAZZINI: Calabrese, OP. 34, No. 6; MENDELSSOHN: Song without Words, Op. 62, No. 1 – Vilde Frang, violin/ Jose Gallardo, piano – Warner Classics 0190295605326, 54:51 ****: Vilde Frang “indulges” her talents by paying homage to composers in transcriptions by masters of her instrument. Norwegian Violin virtuoso Vilde Frang (b. 1986) pays literal homage to the pedagogues and luminaries of the past with seventeen pieces and arrangements (rec. March 2017) made for her chosen instrument by the likes of Auer, Kreisler, Heifetz, and Szigeti. Frang performs on an 1854 Jean-Baptiste Vauillaume, opening her suave program with an “undoctored” original piece from 1925, La capricciosa, by Franz Ries (1846-1932), a work that slides and cavorts in flirtatious gestures, then breaks into a spiffy version of a Brahms Hungarian Dance. The fine lied from Schumann’s Op. 25 Myrthen, “Widmung” makes as ravishing a violin transcription (by Leopold Auer) as it does […]
Streams and Podcasts for 22 November 2017
The pianist Dino Ciani had a rich career, with breadth and diversity in his repertoire ranging from Beethoven to Bartok, including Schumann, Schubert, Chopin, Debussy… In addition to solo piano works, he was also noted playing the concerto repertoire through major concert halls in the United States and Europe, working with Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Sir John Barbirolli, and others. Dr Gary Lemco, host of The Music Treasury, will review significant recordings from Ciani’s career, unfortunately cut short by his untimely death in his thirties. Included will be solo piano works by Schumann, Beethoven, Faure, Hummel, Debussy, and concluding with Beethoven’s first piano concerto. The show can be heard on 22 November 2017, between 19:00 and 21:00, PST. In addition to being a radio show, it is also presented as streaming broadcast: kzsulive.stanford.edu
Kjetil MULELID Trio: Not Nearly Enough To Buy A House – Rune Grammofon
Kjetil MULELID Trio: Not Nearly Enough To Buy A House – Rune Grammofon RCD2 2196, (11/17/17) ****: Another fine example of exciting on-the-edge-of free jazz trio music from Trondheim, Norway. (Kjetil Mulelid; piano/ Andreas Skar Winther; bass/ Bjorn Marius Hegge; drums) The title of this new release, Not Nearly Enough to Buy a House, describes the general condition of folk here in Portland, Oregon as elsewhere. The phrase contains neither complaint nor charge, but puzzlement at a setup that is at odds with the aspirations of the spirit. The trio led by Kjetil Mulelid on the piano inhabits a pretty nice musical space, however. There are a few moments of the particularly Nordic loneliness and nostalgia, but most of the session is a busy collaboration on strong melodic shapes. The compositions have no connection to either the American Songbook or the later jazz charts of the post-bop era. Rather the style stands closer to folk music, not least in its surprising intimacy. The rhythmic interactions of the superb Andreas Winther on the kit and the solid Bjorn Hegge on bass are infused with post-free European influences, now floating, now rattling furiously but rarely tapping out a predictable swing pulse. The […]
JD Allen – Radio Flyer – Savant
JD Allen – Radio Flyer [TrackList follows] – Savant SCD 2162, 53:23 [6/2/17] ****: Saxophonist JD Allen ups the ante on exploratory jazz. (JD Allen – tenor saxophone; Liberty Ellman – guitar; Gregg August – bass; Rudy Royston – drums) Its significant tenor saxophonist JD Allen’s latest album, the 53-minute Radio Flyer, was recorded in January, 2017. It was a period when changes were taking place in American society and politics, and the current notions and future hopes of many were out of balance. It was the start of a tumultuous time, and Allen’s seven originals reflect his embrace of a higher plane of improvisation and freedom, of the need to move into new directions. Basically, as Allen states in the CD liner notes, “To express yourself without concern for consequences.” Allen deliberately wanted to draw on the essence of adventure and revolution of fellow saxophonists such as Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Albert Ayler and others. These stalwarts crafted jazz which echoed the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, and for Allen the post-Obama era demands similar musical exploration. Thus, Allen’s music is unconstrained, freer and more outward-bound than anything he’s previously done. No surprise Allen utilizes his trusted trio members Gregg […]
Sam Taylor Quartet – Along The Way – CellarLive
Sam Taylor Quartet – Along The Way – CellarLive CL050217 55:33*** A tale of two tenors ( Sam Taylor – tenor saxophone; Larry McKenna – tenor saxophone 1,2,6,7,9; Jeb Patton – piano; Neal Miner – acoustic bass; Peter Van Nostrand- drums) Firstly, just in case it is not patently obvious, this Sam Taylor is not The Sam “The Man” Taylor, the American jazz and blues tenor saxophonist who famously used “honking” in his solos during his heyday in the 1950s and 60s. This Sam Taylor is a young Philadelphia native who is looking to find his niche in today’s tenor saxophone world. Perhaps that is the reason he hooked up with Larry McKenna ,the eighty year old tenor sax legend from the same city to record Along The Way for the Canadian label CellarLive. This album is really two sessions. There are the five tracks with Larry McKenna and the four without his participation, and the contrast is significant. Taylor is just beginning his career, putting in the hours and developing his tone and ideas. At eighty, McKenna has done all that and although he may not have achieved the recognition he deserved, he is no less the player because […]
Lena BLOCH & Feathery: Heart Knows – Fresh Sounds New Talent
Lena BLOCH & Feathery: Heart Knows – Fresh Sounds New Talent 531, 70:31 (9/25/17) ****½ : (Lena Bloch – tenor sax/ Cameron Brown – bass/ Russ Lossing – piano/ Billy Mintz – drums) Collective improvisations in a low-key Lee Konitz inspired linear concept approach quartet. I was listening to a recent release from Denmark the other day in my accustomed attitude of skeptical but alert scrutiny. I was not feeling especially susceptible to emotional revelations, especially given the mood of placid contemplation evoked by the redundant cerebral noodling of two guitars (Jakob Bro and Bill Frisell) and the curious offbeat messing around on the kit (Paul Motian). All the more surprising, that I nearly burst into tears at the entry of an alto sax that played no more than half a dozen notes, each one delivered with a hesitation, an exploratory uncertainty, a tender-but-wobbly intonation. However, there was so much feeling in these notes that it amounted to a small revelation. It raised the old question of whether musical tone is a representation of human feeling, but of a kind so precise as to slip through the wide net of language. Five more notes, at least one badly muffed, and […]
BACH: Cantatas for Bass/ Concerto for Oboe d’amore – Matthias Goerne, baritone/ Katharina Arfken, oboe/ Freiburger Barockorchester/ Gottfried von der Goltz, conductor – HM
BACH: Cantatas for Bass/ Concerto for Oboe d’amore = Ich hatte viel Bekuemmernis, BWV 21: Sinfonia; Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56; Concerto in A Major for Oboe d’amore, after BWV 1055; Ich habe genug, BWV 82 – Matthias Goerne, baritone/ Katharina Arfken, oboe and oboe d’amore/ Freiburger Barockorchester/ Gottfried von der Goltz, violin and conductor – Harmonia mundi HMM 902323, 56:41 (9/22/17) ****: A tasteful collection of Bach’s Leipzig cantatas for solo voice and oboe brings us devotional, ardent performances. Recorded in February 2017, these pious products of 1726 convey an austere sense of Bach’s evolving cantata style, which moved away from massive, intricate choruses to a more intimate ensemble involving solos and duets, and the large chorus appears only in closing moments in simple chorales. Bach’s text-painting, his sense of augenmusik, also assumes a new and vivid dimension, especially in the relatively dark Cantata No. 56, conceived for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, a positive, definitive testament of the shriven Christian. The text by Christoph Birkmann (1703-1771) refers to the Gospel, of a sick man with palsy who finds healing upon a ship that takes the former sufferer “into his own city.” The opening movement, which […]
Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition – Agrima – Mahanthappa
Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition – Agrima – Mahanthappa 60:08 [10/17/17] ****: Taking Indo-Asian jazz fusion to the next level. (Rudresh Mahanthappa – alto saxophone; Rez Abbasi – guitar; Dan Weiss – drums, percussion) “I wanted everyone to think about Agrima as if we were making a rock album.” That’s alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa describing the hour-long sophomore effort from his fusion trio, Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition. That’s not to imply listeners will mistake Agrima for a rock record. It means the band— Mahanthappa, electric guitarist Rez Abbasi and drummer/percussionist Dan Weiss—has stretched its compositional and improvisational reach, use a heavier-sounding approach and has evolved the Indo-Asian influences and jazz elements. Agrima was self-released as a limited-edition LP and a digital download. This review refers to the digital download version. The Indo-Pak Coalition premiered in 2005 when they performed at a New York City pub, and issued their debut, Apti, in 2008. Mahanthappa is known for working with pianist Vijay Iyer, has recorded with fellow saxophonist Steve Lehman and Bunky Green, and recently became Director of Jazz Studies at Princeton University. Abbasi has about a dozen solo albums to his credit; his résumé includes Billy Hart, Dave Liebman, Gary Versace and […]
The Operatic Pianist II = Works by BELLINI; LESCHETIZKY; THALBERG; WAGNER; WRIGHT; MEYERBEER; SAINT-SAENS; LISZT – Andrew Wright, piano – Divine Art
The Operatic Pianist II = BELLINI (arr. Jaell): Reminiscences de Norma; BELLINI (arr. Wright): “Col sorriso d’innocenza” from Il Pirata; LESCHETIZKY: Andante Finale de Lucia di Lammermoor; THALBERG: Fantasie sur Mose in Egito; WAGNER (arr. Liszt): Lohengrin’s Admonition; WRIGHT: Paraphrase on Verdi’s “Miserere”; MEYERBEER (arr. Kullak): Cavatine de Robert de Diable; SAINT-SAENS: Concert Paraphrase on Le Mort de Thais; LISZT: Fantasy on Themes from Rienzi – Andrew Wright, piano – Divine Art dda 25153, 67:45 (9/15/17) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: The art of the keyboard transcription of opera has a passionate acolyte in Andrew Wright’s assembly of virtuoso treatments. I vividly recall an intermission feature of the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts in which the late Jorge Bolet delivered a lecture-recital—compressed into fifteen minutes—on Liszt operatic transcriptions, paraphrases and reminiscences, given Liszt’s great contribution to 19th Century pianism and his desire to extend the operatic repertory to those towns and villages throughout Europe that may have lacked an opera house. Nor was Liszt the only advocate for operatic “transmission” via the keyboard, since Sigismund Thalberg (1812-1871) contributed his own share of virtuoso transcriptions despite posterity’s having granted the garland to Liszt. Vincenzo Bellini Contemporary pianist and composer Andrew Wright (rec. 11-12 April […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
