Monthly Archive: November 2017
Mordecai Shehori: The New York Concerts, Vol. 13 = BACH: Keyboard Concerto; MOZART: Andante in F; Adagio in b minor; Rondo in D; BEETHOVEN: Sonata in A; CHOPIN: 6 Chants Polonais – Mordecai Shehori, piano – Cembal d’amour
Mordecai Shehori: The Celebrated New York Concerts, Vol. 13 = J.S. Bach: Keyboard Concerto No. 3 in d minor, BWV 974 (after Marcello); MOZART: Andante in F Major for Mechanical Organ, K. 616; Adagio in b minor, K. 540; Rondo in D Major, K. 485; BEETHOVEN: Sonata in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2; CHOPIN (arr. Liszt): 6 Chants Polonais, Op. 74 – Mordecai Shehori, piano – Cembal d’amour CD 190, 65:03 [www.cembaldamour.com] ****: Another fine addition to the legacy of New York recitals by Shehori, this offers a potent collection of four essential composers. The concert of 19 June 1991 from Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall opens with Bach’s arrangement of the Oboe Concerto by Alessandro Marcello, whose Adagio movement has had an independent life of its own. Hearing the entire “concerto” allows us to enjoy the full context of Bach’s treatment, here in graceful tones—from the very first Allegro—that often sound like limpid, ornamental figurations we hear in Rameau. The slow movement, clear and intimately wrought, extends a flowing cantilena—over a pensive bass—in the arioso manner Bach utilizes in his own f minor Concerto, BWV 1056. The Presto exudes an easy, fluent series of scalar passages in […]
Thomas ADÈS: string quartets, piano quintet – DoelenKwartet of Rotterdam / Dimitri Vassilakis- Cybele
Thomas ADÈS: string quartets, piano quintet, DoelenKwartet of Rotterdam, Dimitri Vassilakis, pianist / Cybele 5.1 SACD with binaural tracks for headphone listening cat. # 261603 / TT: 58:10 (10/20/17) ****: This is a fine recording and performance of the music of Thomas Adès, born in 1971. The composer studied piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as well as composition and musicology at King’s College in Cambridge. A composer of diverse genre, Adès has written orchestral pieces, chamber music, choral music, and operas. His chamber opera Powder Her Face (1995) was performed worldwide, while The Tempest (2004) was performed in London first, then other venues. Adès appears as conductor regularly with orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra , the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the symphony orchestras in Melbourne and Sydney, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra . He is the artistic partner of the Boston Symphony Orchestra , which will culminate in the world premiere of a new piano concerto for Kirill Gerstein in 2019. The CD reviewed here contains multiple interesting works by the composer, including Arcadiana op 12 for String Quartet, The Piano Quintet for Piano […]
GRIEG: Peer Gynt; SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 5 & No. 7 – Dresden Phil. Orch./ Concertgebouw Orch. of Amsterdam/ Hilversum Radio Phil. Orch./ Paul van Kempen – Pristine
GRIEG: Peer Gynt: Suites Nos. 1 and 2; SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 82; Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 105 – Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra (Grieg)/ Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam (Op. 82)/ Hilversum Radio Philharmonic Orchestra (Op. 105)/ Paul van Kempen – Pristine PASC 514, 72:43 [www.pristineclasscal.com] ****: Paul van Kempen delivers expertly crafted readings of Grieg staples and two Sibelius symphonies. The recorded legacy of Paul van Kempen (1893-1955) has been restored sporadically, in part by the now-defunct Tahra label and by the Historic-Classic label in Great Britain. A small contribution came from Philips some time ago, when the company issued a fine Tchaikovsky CD of the Fifth Symphony and a stunning Capriccio Italien. Producer and recording engineer Mark Obert-Thorn has already addressed Kempen’s Beethoven—the Second and the Fifth—on Pristine (PASC 327) and on an album devoted to Mahler Rarities (PASC 466). A major contribution, Kempen’s 1955 Verdi Requiem with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia di Roma (for Philips), found restoration through Preiser’s “Paperback Opera” series (20047). Edvard Grieg The two long-familiar suites from Peer Gynt (May 1939 and April 1940) from Dresden receive finely honed but sober treatment from Kempen, with few surprises. […]
SAINT-SAENS: Organ Symphony; Carnival of the Animals – Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia/ Antonio Pappano – Warner
SAINT-SAENS: Symphony No. 3 in c minor, Op. 78 “Organ”; Carnival of the Animals – Daniele Rossi, organ/ Martha Argerich and Antonio Pappano, pianos/ Annie Dutoit, narrator/ Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia/ Antonio Pappano – Warner Classics 0190295755553, 61:36 (11/3/17) ****: Antonio Pappano and Martha Argerich collaborate for mighty and mischievous Saint-Saens in great sound. Recorded 4, 7-9 April and 19-20 November 2016, these two familiar works of Camille Saint-Saens appear together because of their shared paternity in time, in the late spring of 1886. Commissioned by the London Philharmonic Society, the Organ Symphony reminds us of Saint-Saens’ position as organist at La Madeleine in Paris. Following Liszt (and Schubert), Saint-Saens connects his cyclical composition as two movements, each subdivided into two of their own, evolving through the “transformational” process Liszt utilizes in his tone-poems and piano sonata. The influence of both the sequence Dies Irae and the opening of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony infiltrates the first movement. The low strings of Pappano’s orchestra – in live performance—savor the serpentine lines of the development, colored by brief mottos from the woodwinds and sudden, tutti fortissimos. The brass and tympani sections enjoy their own sonorous contribution to the onrush of churning […]
Debbie Poryes Trio – Loving Hank – OA2 Records
Debbie Poryes Trio – Loving Hank – OA2 Records OA2 22146 61:55*** A very sympathetic ‘shout out’ to one of jazz’s treasures ( Debbie Poryes – piano; Peter Barshay – bass; David Rokeach – drums; Erik Jekabson – flugelhorn track 1) The relationship between pianists Debbie Poryes and Hank Jones would appear to be somewhat tenuous. But that did not stop the San Francisco based pianist from offering a tribute to the late, great, lyrical and impeccable master of the keyboard, under the album title Loving Hank. Apart from a period in the 1980s, when Poryes made The Netherlands her home base while she taught and played in that country along with several other European venues, Debbie has pretty much confined herself to the West Coast and Northern California in particular. She has developed a very individualistic approach to her piano playing, but it is informed in style by such luminaries as Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Tommy Flanagan and—not unsurprisingly—Hank Jones. For those who may be unfamiliar with Hank Jones ( there really can’t be all that many), he was one of seven children and raised in Pontiac Michigan. Two of his brothers also became well-known jazz musicians, Thad a […]
Ken Peplowski Quintet – Live At Ambassador Auditorium – Concord Jazz
Ken Peplowski Quintet – Live At Ambassador Auditorium – Concord Jazz CCD-4610 59:13**** An exhilarating session that works to the strengths of the individual members (Ken Peplowski – tenor saxophone, clarinet; Howard Alden – guitar; Ben Aronov – piano; Murray Wall – bass; Tom Melito – drums; Special Guest: Harry “Sweets”Edison – trumpet tracks 3 ,4, 9) Since this session was recorded in 1994, much has changed in the music world in general and jazz in particular. However what has not changed is a clear, consistent, sense of enthusiasm from the bandstand. Live At Ambassador Auditorium featuring the Ken Peplowski Quintet delivers the goods in exhilarating fashion. Ken Peplowski, while he may not be considered an innovator on either the tenor sax or the clarinet, is nevertheless more than accomplished on both instruments. On tenor his tone is mellow and breezy, while on clarinet he is more boppish in style rather than Woody Herman-like. Surrounding himself with a coterie of like-minded players, plus guest trumpeter “Sweets” Edison, the band romps through a selection tunes that works to strengths of the individual members. Starting with Dizzy Gillespie’s “Birk’s Works” a blues in style if not in form, opens with Peplowski’s tenor […]
Escaper – Skeleton Key – Ropeadope
Escaper – Skeleton Key – Ropeadope, 33:46 [5/12/17] ***1/2: Jam/jazz interplay from a Brooklyn quintet. (Will Hanza – guitar; Jay Giacomazzo – bass; Andrew Nesbitt – drums; Adam Ahuja – keyboards; Johnny Butler – saxophones) [MP3 only at time of review] Brooklyn-based quintet Escaper fits into the nebulous area where jam band music, jazz and fusion-fueled rock commingle. While the five-some (who formed in 2016) are not at the level of contemporaries such as Medeski, Martin & Wood, Charlie Hunter or the Bad Plus, fans of those musicians would probably like what Escaper is doing. It’s not a surprise Escaper is on the Ropeadope Records roster, which has issued albums by Hunter, MMW, Critters Buggin and likeminded artists. On Escaper’s debut, the 33-minute, seven-track Skeleton Key, the ensemble deftly mixes rock, funk, RnB, indie rock and other influences into their modern jazz tunes. Some jazz listeners get bothered when the expression ‘jam band’ comes up. Escaper guitarist Will Hanza explains, “The term ‘jam’ can be a loaded one, but the idea of having some concrete ideas, while still allowing the music to be open to take advantage of the moment is really important to us.” That aesthetic is at the […]
Chuck Owen & the Jazz Surge: Whispers on the WInd – Mama Records
Chuck Owen & the Jazz Surge: Whispers on the WInd – Mama Records 1054, 73:59 (9/8/17) ****½: Ambitious charts for 19 piece jazz band with folk American highlights and heartland landscape tone painting of the Maria Schneider school of composition. (Chuck Owen; composer and accordion/ Sara Caswell; violin/ Clay Jenkins; trumpet/ Gregoire Maret; harmonica/ Randy Brecker; trumpet/ Jerald Shynett; trombone/ Corey Christiansen; guitar/ Danny Gottlieb; drums Valerie Gillespie; alto saxophone/ Tom Brantley; trombone/ LaRue Nickelson; guitar/ Mike Iapichino; trumpets Jim Hall; bass trombone) In this age of insolvency for the working jazz artist, it is hard to believe that it is possible for a large ensemble to stay together, perform and record for any reasonable time. Somehow the 19 piece jazz orchestra, the Jazz Surge led by Chuck Owen have done this since the mid ‘90s. Based in central Florida, Owen has built up an agile and disciplined unit which has hosted major guest artists from Nat Adderly to Randy Brecker and put out half a dozen recordings. In the process, he has refined his own distinctive style which welds the classic techniques of Brookmeyer and Bill Holman to the eclectic Americana influences of Maria Schneider, to whom he might […]
Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow, Bobby Previte with Iggy Pop – Loneliness Road – RareNoise
Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow, Bobby Previte with Iggy Pop – Loneliness Road [TrackList follows] – RareNoise RNR077, 61:33 [5/26/17] ****: Modern jazz trio music with a surprise guest vocalist. (Jamie Saft – piano; Steve Swallow – bass; Bobby Previte – drums; Iggy Pop – vocals (tracks 4, 9, 12)) Keyboardist Jamie Saft has returned for another outing with his trio, The New Standard, which includes drummer Bobby Previte and bassist Steve Swallow. The 61-minute, 12-track Loneliness Road is the threesome’s sophomore record and a follow-up to the group’s 2014 self-titled debut. Loneliness Road sustains the trio’s methodology of using Saft’s noteworthy contemporary jazz compositions and the band’s telepathic interplay. This time, The New Standard adds unexpected guest vocalist Iggy Pop, who is spotlighted on three tunes. Yes, the guy who led the notorious proto-punkers The Stooges puts his unique vocal stylings to jazz music. By the by, it does work. Loneliness Road was released as a CD digipack, double vinyl (2×180 grams) and multiple digital formats. This review refers to the CD configuration. Although much has been written about Pop’s appearance on this record, the main focus is Saft’s originals and the communication between Swallow, Saft and Previte. The three […]
Sky Music: Tribute to Terje Rypdal – Rune Grammofon
Sky Music: Tribute to Terje Rypdal [TrackList and Artistlist follows] – Rune Grammofon RCD2194, 79:50 [8/25/17] ****: A birthday tribute to an undervalued guitarist. The 79-minute, nine-track Sky Music: Tribute to Terje Rypdal is a transformative album. It is transformative in two ways. The mostly Norwegian, plus some American, musicians transform the music of guitarist Terje Rypdal [pronounced TEAR-hey REEP-doll] into interpretive tunes which spotlight his compositions; and the CD will hopefully transform or convert people to become fans of Rypdal and his sizeable discography (nearly 30 albums as leader; and probably twice that as a collaborator with other artists). Many jazz listeners outside of Norway may not be aware of Rypdal, despite five decades as an innovative and influential jazz musician. A significant portion of his releases have been issued on the ECM label, but he hasn’t often toured America. His records have not had the popular appeal of fellow Norwegians such as Jan Garbarek. Thankfully, Rypdal’s progressive jazz has been discovered by other jazz/improv stalwarts, such as Nels Cline, Bill Frisell, Henry Kaiser and former Sonic Youth member Jim O’Rourke, who all contribute to this tribute. The material also includes a large cast of Scandinavians. Sky Music came […]
Delfeayo Marsalis – An Evening with Delfeayo Marsalis: Kalamazoo – Troubadour Jass Records
Delfeayo Marsalis – An Evening with Delfeayo Marsalis: Kalamazoo – Troubadour Jass Records #TJR093017 – 67:38 – ****1/2 Like father, like son… (Delfeayo Marsalis – trombone; Ellis Marsalis Jr. – piano; Reginald Veal – bass; Ralph Peterson – drums) It takes real talent from true jazz professionals to make an evening of playing familiar standards into a “musical event.” That is accomplished by trombonist, Delfeayo Marsalis, who along with his father, iconic pianist, Ellis Marsalis, Jr., bassist Reginald Veal, and drummer, Ralph Peterson, recorded a concert at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, on April 17, 2015. Delfeayo was at the University to lead a student workshop, and perform an evening concert. Delfeayo has become a preeminent trombonist at the top of his game. His tone is warm and burnished with an innate swing that brings to mind J.J. Johnson. His father, Ellis, does not get as much press (outside of his home, New Orleans) as his multi-talented sons, but his piano playing blends the strengths of Basie and Bill Evans. The audience response to Ellis on “It Don’t Mean a Thing” shows an appreciation of his piano mastery. Beginning with the 1923 penned, “Tin Roof Blues,” the quartet concentrates on […]
Handel: Complete Violin Sonatas — Er-Gene Kahng, violin; Miroslava Panayotova, piano — Con Brio
Handel: Complete Violin Sonatas — Er-Gene Kahng, violin; Miroslava Panayotova, piano — Con Brio Recordings CBR21751, 80:00, **: Modern rendering of Baroque Chamber Music: well performed, but… Baroque performance practice might be described as a number of things; a style, an anthropology, a philosophy, or even a set of rules. Since the late 1960s, there have been an increasing number of musicians, playing baroque music, who adhere to this “code,” even though reproducing music “as it was heard” at the time is impossible to do with any certainty. In a former life I read a bit of music philosophy (and philosophy of the arts) and came to the conclusion that playing music in Bach’s sound world, or in this case, George Frederick Handel’s sound world, was a legitimate pursuit. Beyond the choice of instruments, performance practice also dictated how to read a text, how to improvise and embellish with ornaments, and how to read various figures as rhetorical gestures. It was clear to me that there was more to this music beyond what was left on a page; there was a tradition and we had enough clues to suggest that the tradition might lead us to approach this music differently […]
BRAHMS: Complete Symphonies – Vienna Philharmonic/ NBC Symphony Orchestra/ BBC Symphony Orchestra/ Bruno Walter – Pristine Audio
BRAHMS: Symphony No. 1 in c minor, Op. 68; Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73; Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90; Symphony No. 4 in e minor, Op. 98 – Vienna Philharmonic/ NBC Symphony Orchestra/ BBC Symphony Orchestra/ Bruno Walter – Pristine Audio PASC 512 (2 CDs) 2 hrs 30:15 [www.pristineclasical.com] *****: The restoration of Bruno Walter’s “first symphony cycle” embraces some potent, even demonic interpretations by a master of the idiom. In his note for this integral set of the Brahms symphonies by Bruno Walter (1876-1962)—his first cycle, of which three symphonies derive from pre-war recordings—restoration engineer and producer Mark Obert-Thorn finds a bit of anomaly in that EMI held off (until 1934, with the e minor Symphony) capturing Walter in such a basic staple of his repertory; and that, unfortunately, the Anschluss disrupted any possibility of having extended the first cycle with the VPO. For the Second Symphony, Obert-Thorn provides Walter’s appearance before an American orchestra, Toscanini’s NBC Symphony (17 February 1940), in what quickly becomes a super-charged meeting of musical minds. In spite my life-long appreciation for Bruno Walter—and his Brahms—I have never been fond of any of his renditions of the c […]
Farnell Newton – Back to Earth – Posi Tone
Farnell Newton – Back to Earth – Posi Tone Records #8169 – 56:36 – **** (Farnell Newton – trumpet; Kyle Molitor – trombone; Greg Goebel – piano; Dylan Sundstrom – bass; Christopher Brown – drums) Jazz is alive and well in Portland… Most every major metropolitan area has jazz musicians who could have a national presence if they could afford to live in New York City’s highly competitive (and expensive) jazz scene. For various reasons, they choose to remain as “big fish” in smaller jazz markets. Many teach in jazz studies programs at colleges, where they receive health benefits and pensions. They can also serve as first call sidemen for nationally known artists who who visit their locales for single night gigs. (However, it is easier to get these gigs for rhythm section instrumentalists—piano, bass, and drums—than it is for front line horn players). Posi Tone Records is one of the few labels to feature regional talent as band leaders. In this case, they feature Portland, Oregon trumpeter, Farnell Newton, backed by fellow Rose City talent. Newton is a jazz professor at Portland State University, a program led by Darrell Grant. Farnell can hold his own in any jazz setting. […]
Aruan Ortiz – Cuban Nocturne – Newvelle Records
Aruan Ortiz – Cuban Nocturne – Newvelle Records NV011LP 180-gram stereo vinyl 37:01 ****1/2: A beautiful tribute to Cuban classical music! (Aruan Ortiz – piano) Jazz pianist Elan Mehler had a different idea of marketing jazz in the modern era. While jazz sales are modest, aficionados are not reticent about purchasing albums in “hard format” especially vinyl. In an unprecedented move, the label initiated a limited basis, subscription-only service for vinyl. With releases from Jack DeJohnette, Noah Preminger, Leo Genovese, Frank Kimbrough, Ben Allison and Don Friedman, the expanded frontier of jazz marketing was underway. Newvelle Records has released their subscription-based Season 2 set of high quality jazz. The artist on Season 2 include John Patitucci Trio (featuring Yotam Silberstein and Rogerio Boccato); Kevin Hayes and Lionel louse Trio; Jon Cowherd Quartet (featuring Steve Cardenas, Tony Scherr and Brian Blade); Chris Tordini Trio (featuring Becca Stevens and Greg Ruggiero); Aruan Ortiz; and the F Rufus Reid Trio (With Steve Allee and Duduka Da Fonseca (featuring the Sirius Quartet. As with season 1, Newvelle is promoting hi-quality 180-gram vinyl. One of the featured artists is Cuban pianist Aruan Ortiz. The history of Cuban piano music is voluminous including classical (including Ignacio […]
Streams and Podcasts for 5 November 2017
Szymon Goldberg had a long and multi-faceted career as violinist, conductor, teacher… a life touching every decade of the 1900s. He was distinguished as a concertizing soloist for many years, as well as being a concertmaster for the Berlin Philharmonic under Furtwangler, whilst concurrently playing in string trios and quartets. He was an active conductor throughout his musical life. Gary Lemco, host of The Music Treasury, will take a closer look at Goldberg’s life, presenting recordings of Goldberg on the violin, featuring composition by Bach, Handel, Dvorak, and Beethoven (culminating with Beethoven’s Violin Concerto). The show can be heard on 5 November 2017, between 19:00 and 21:00, PDT. In addition to being a radio show, it is also presented as streaming broadcast: kzsulive.stanford.edu
MATHIEU: Piano Concerto; GERSHWIN: An American in Paris – Alain Lefevre, piano/ Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra/ Joann Falletta – Analekta
MATHIEU: Piano Concerto No. 3 in c minor, Op. 25; GERSHWIN: An American in Paris – Alain Lefevre, piano/ Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra/ Joann Falletta – Analekta AN 2 9299, 54:55 (9/8/17) [Distr. by E1] **** An adolescent Canadian composer’s precocious piano concerto finds vivid realization after painstaking reconstruction. Composer Andre Mathieu, “the Canadian Mozart,” performed at Town Hall in New York City on 3 February 1940, to begin rebuilding a career his father Rodolphe had crafted for the boy prodigy in Paris, so cruelly curtailed by the Nazi invasion of France. Mathieu (1929-1968) won the recognition of impraesario Arthur Judson, manager of the New York Philharmonic. Andre completed his Concerto No. 3 on 20 June 1943, and the second movement Andante had a private performance for Andre Kostelanetz, who then had an arrangement broadcast over CBS on 31 October 1943. The Concerto proper remained suppressed until 1946/47, when it appeared, in part, in a movie – Whispering City – as arranged by Giuseppe Agostini. In 1947 Mathieu was approached by Radio-Canada to record this version. In new arrangements—by Marc Belanger and Alain Lefevre—the piece found acolytes—in its guise as Concerto de Quebec—in Philippe Entremont and Lefevre. In 2008, Georges Nicholson […]
Phillip GLASS: Glass Essentials = An 80th Anniversary Tribute — Nicholas Horvath— Grand Piano
Nicholas Horvath – Glass Essentials – An 80th Anniversary Tribute – Grand Piano GP752LP (distr. by Naxos) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 45:19 ****: Gifted pianist pays tribute to Phillip Glass solo piano repertoire. Pianist Nicholas Horvath is renowned for his interpretation of Franz Liszt’s music. He has been recognized for many awards, including First Prize of the Scriabin and the Luigi Nono International Competitions. Horvath has become an aficionado of composer Phillip Glass. While broadly recognized for his film scores (The Hours, The Truman Show, Koyaanisqatsi, Kundun, The Thin Blue Line and Notes On A Scandal among many), Glass has made a significant contribution to piano composition. Horvath has released five albums (Glassworlds 1-5) on the Grand Piano label of Glass’ piano works, transcriptions and movie scores. The latest Horvath album is titled, Glass Essentials – An 80th Anniversary Tribute. As noted by Horvath, this is a celebration of solo piano repertoire. The opening track on Side A is “Etudes, Book 1-Etude No. 6”. Etudes ( which emerged in the early 19th century, coinciding with the growing popularity of the piano) are concise, didactic pieces of music that are characterized by specific technical skills and unusual difficulty. Etude No. 6 also […]
“GERSHWIN & WILD” = Virtuoso Etudes after Gershwin—Joanne Polk, piano—Steinway & Sons
GERSHWIN & WILD: WILD: Virtuoso Etudes after Gershwin—Theme and Variations on Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch over Me”—Sonata 2000—Joanne Polk, piano—Steinway & Sons 30090, 60:04, ****: When composer-pianist Earl Wild (1915-2010) was 10 years old, he asked his mother how there could be a God when the organist at their local church in Pittsburgh was so lousy. Wild later became an atheist. He went on to become one of the great American virtuoso pianists. New York Times critic Harold Schoenberg said of him, “By any standards, Mr. Wild has one of the great piano techniques of the 20th century, and with it, a rich, sonorous tone.” Wild began studying the piano at age 4 and when he was 15 he played the Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Minneapolis Symphony under Dimitri Mitropoulis. Starting with President Herbert Hoover in 1931, he performed in the White House for six consecutive presidents. He was the orchestral pianist for conductors’ Otto Klemperer, and Arturo Toscanini. Throughout his career he was active as a soloist and performed with many orchestras. His extensive discography includes 35 piano concertos and numerous other solo works. If you love Gershwin, don’t miss his iconic RCA early stereo Gershwin […]
Editorial for November, 2017
While the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra has presented recordings of Beethoven symphonies in the past, Sir Simon Rattle is now following the footsteps of Herbert von Karajan and Claudio Abbado in recording the complete cycle of the Beethoven Symphonies. Rattle has been the principal conductor and artistic director of the orchestra since 2002, with his tenure drawing to a close next year. The recordings of the symphonies were originally released as CDs in 2015, to great positive recognition. Now these recordings have been produced on vinyl, to the delight of audiophile purists. Along with Sir Thomas Rattle conducting, the Ninth has the soloists Annette Dasch, Eva Vogel, Christian Eisner, and Dimitry Ivashchenko, supported by the Berlin Radio Choir lead by Simon Halsey. This extraordinary box set of 10 vinyl albums is being sponsored promotionally by the publisher, Naxos of America, as well as Audiophile Audition. All you need to do to enter the drawing is to fill out the form found here: Register To Win Please visit our sponsor’s site for more information, as well as audio samples: Naxos Beethoven – Berlin Philharmonic. AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began as a local program in San Francisco and then in 1985 as a weekly national radio series […]
Dave Liebman/Joe Lovano – Compassion: The Music Of John Coltrane – Resonance
Dave Liebman/Joe Lovano – Compassion: The Music Of John Coltrane – Resonance HCD-2030, 52:32 ****: Two jazz legends pay tribute to a jazz icon! (Dave Liebman – tenor/soprano saxophones, wooden recorder, C flute; Joe Lovano – tenor saxophone, autochrome, alto clarinet, Scottish flute; Phil Markowitz – piano; Ron McClure – double bass; Billy Hart – drums) There are many reasons for the enduring influences of John Coltrane. His short career (mostly 1955-1967) included being part of the first Miles Davis Quintet. His stint as a sideman was brief, mostly with Davis, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie. But as a band leader Trane soared with highly elaborate compositions and a unique tenor saxophone style. His early training on alto and clarinet made Coltrane comfortable with upper register tenor play, unlike his contemporaries. He also popularized the utilization of soprano sax. Exemplary recordings for Blue Note (Blue Trane), Prestige (Coltrane), Atlantic (Giant Steps, My Favorite Things) and Impulse (Live At The Village Vanguard, A Love Supreme) rewrote the annals of jazz history. Coltrane’s penchant for exotic composition and playing led him on a quest that started in bebop and hard bop, then made a wildly creative turn to modal, free form and […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
