Monthly Archive: December 2017
Heifetz and Horowitz = MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition; MOZART: Violin Concerto No. 5 “Turkish”; KORNGOLD: Violin Concerto – Vladimir Horowitz, piano/ Jascha Heifetz, violin/ New York Philharmonic Orchestra/ Efrem Kurtz – Pristine
Heifetz and Horowitz = MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition; MOZART: Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219 “Turkish”; KORNGOLD: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 – Vladimir Horowitz, piano/ Jascha Heifetz, violin/ New York Philharmonic Orchestra/ Efrem Kurtz – Pristine Audio PASC 513, 77:27 [www.pristineclassical.com] ****: Pristine pairs the two most eminent world musicians in 1947 renditions of virtuoso repertory. The two most eminent virtuosos of their respective instruments appear in the space of six weeks in New York City in 1947 in total command of their chosen repertory. The Horowitz performance—from two sessions from November and December 1947 at Town Hall—of the long-familiar Mussorgsky suite had been issued by RCA in 1948, but not in so fine sound as Andrew Rose here achieves by virtue of his XR process. The Heifetz collaborations had not been intended for release, having been preserved by the Carnegie Hall Recording Company, which utilized CBS equipment meant for New York Philharmonic broadcasts. As Andrew Rose states, “The Heifetz Sunday afternoon concert of [30 March 1947] was also broadcast by CBS, but the lack of announcements over the extended applause suggests this was not a CBS recording. Whilst the concerto performances […]
Jean-Michel Bernard Plays Lalo Schifrin – Varese Saraband
Jean-Michel Bernard Plays Lalo Schifrin – Varese Saraband 303 067 523 8, 63:42 ****1/2: Lalo Schifrin’s career in music began as a classical progeny. When he met iconic trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie in his native Argentina durang the 1950’s. Schifrin joined Gillespie’s band and this unique merger of classical and jazz structures occurred. Although versed in jazz, Schifrin became renowned for his film (Bullitt, Dirty Harry, The Cincinnati Kid) and television (Mannix, Mission Impossible) scores. Music lovers who are unfamiliar with his name are aware of his memorable compositions. Jean-Michel Bernard is an accomplished musician and composer. His film scores include Hugo, The Science Of Sleep and Be Kind, Rewind. Like Schifrin, he has collaborated with both classical and jazz musicians. It appeared to be a natural phenomenon for Bernard to assemble a talented group of players and release a tribute to a musical icon. Recorded in France and the U.S., Jean-Michel Bernard Plays Lalo Schifrin is a breath of fresh air. With elegant and dynamic flourishes, the Schifrin catalogue comes to life. The opening theme from Mannix is sprightly with a “60’s/70’s” jazz rock score, featuring a muted trumpet (Eric Giausserand) and Bernard’s stylish piano handling the leads. The television […]
Bob Gluck and Tani Tabbal – At This Time: Duets – Ictus
Bob Gluck and Tani Tabbal – At This Time: Duets [TrackList follows] – Ictus CD181, 49:51 [10/15/17] ****: A different kind of duet album. (Bob Gluck – Yamaha acoustic piano, Roli Seaboard Grand, Keith McMillan QueNexus, Yamaha P60, Apogee Quartet audio interface, Ableton Live & Lemur iPad interface, Madrona Labs Aalto synthesizer, Kontakt software sampler; Tani Tabbal – drums) There’s a context of revolution and evolution on keyboardist Bob Gluck and drummer Tani Tabbal’s aptly-named At This Time: Duets. The 49-minute, nine-track CD is tellingly described as “an artistic reflection on the political struggles of our time.” The heart of the album belongs to “El Pueblo Unido Jamás Será Vencido (The People United Will Never Be Defeated),” an anthem of the Chilean revolution, particularly against the U.S.-backed Pinochet regime. There is also material which has themes of hope as well as despondency, such as the title track, “Resolve” and “Persistence.” The evolutionary aspects ride through several electronic compositions which are abstract and take jazz improvisation to new levels of reconstruction. The theme of evolution also appears on some cuts which come from Miles Davis’ ‘Lost’ Quintet of 1968-1970, so-called since the group never recorded in the studio and live tapings […]
ROBERT SCHUMANN: String Quartet No. 3; ALBAN BERG: Lyric Suite; GYORGY KURTAG: Officium Breve – Quartet Gerhard– Harmonia Nova
ROBERT SCHUMANN: String Quartet No. 3; ALBAN BERG: Lyric Suite; GYORGY KURTAG: Officium Breve – Quartet Gerhard– Harmonia Nova HMN 916108, [Distr. By Harmonia Mundi] 63:11, (10/23/17) ***1/2: Some emotionally deep music playing exceptionally by this young quartet. This is a fascinating release and mainly for the concept behind the new label, Harmonia Nova. Harmonia Nova, affiliated with the venerable Harmonia Mundi seeks to find and promote new classical music talent, especially younger promising artists. Certainly if we look at the five releases to date we see this is the case. Whether it is this excellent string quartet, Quartet Gerhard, or the vocalists and pianist featured so far within HMN’s first five releases none of these millennial talents are household names – yet. That may be the best and certainly a valid reason to check out this assemblage of three emotionally wrought string quartets played so beautifully. The Schumann third quartet is well known and represents Schumann’s overt paean to his love, Clara, and is filled with the excess and feeling that this somewhat controversial relationship brought to his life. Berg’s Lyric Suite is also one of the composer’s best known works from a composer whose music crossed the lines […]
Ed Neumeister & his NeuHat Ensemble – Wake Up Call – MeisteroMusic
Ed Neumeister & his NeuHat Ensemble – Wake Up Call [Tracklist and Performing Artists follow] – MeisteroMusic 0017, 67:13 [7/15/17] ****: Modern, large ensemble jazz from an under appreciated composer/conductor. Don’t use the term big band jazz when it comes to arranger/conductor and trombonist Ed Neumeister. True, he utilizes many musicians on his self-released and fan-funded album, Wake Up Call. Twenty, to be exact (including Neumeister). This is modern, forward-veering large ensemble jazz in the same context as fellow conductor’s Michael Gibbs, Maria Schneider or Gil Evans. Think of the NDR Big Band as another likeminded large ensemble. Neumeister is a veteran of major big bands of the 1980s including the Duke Ellington Orchestra led by Mercer Ellington; Lionel Hampton; Buddy Rich; and Gerry Mulligan. He was a student of Bob Brookmeyer. And he was part of the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra (now the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra) from 1981 to 1999. The 67-minute Wake Up Call is Neumeister’s first studio recording with the NeuHat Ensemble. He formed a different version of the NeuHat Ensemble in 1983, and has previously written for the group, but Wake Up Call marks the debut of both Neumeister and his NeuHat Ensemble together on a […]
Marc Copland – Better by Far – InnerVoice Jazz
Marc Copland – Better by Far – InnerVoice Jazz IVJ 103, 62:29 [Spring 2017] ****: Pianist Marc Copland’s quartet makes it better. (Marc Copland – piano; Ralph Alessi – trumpet; Drew Gress – double bass; Joey Baron – drums) Pianist Marc Copland is and has been a persistently clear example of the lyrical side of jazz piano music. On Copland’s many releases as a leader and projects with other artists (see John Abercrombie, Bob Belden and more) he has become well-known for his modern harmonic jazz which is also typically accessible to general jazz listeners. In other words, Copland is innovative without sacrificing listenability. Copland’s quartet outing, Better by Far (on his own InnerVoice Jazz imprint) is a fine follow-up to his 2015 CD, Zenith, which had Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Drew Gress on bass and Joey Baron on drums. The four intuitive players are together again on the 62-minute, nine-track Better by Far. The album was issued with little fanfare in Spring, 2017—an official release date, in fact, was not provided—but the music speaks for itself. There are five Copland compositions; three credited to the quartet; and a Thelonious Monk tune. In total, the music blends subtlety and shimmer, […]
The Scott Hamilton Trio – Live At Pyatt Hall – Cellar Live
The Scott Hamilton Trio – Live At Pyatt Hall – Cellar Live CL070217 ****: An exemplary standard of creativity ( Scott Hamilton – tenor saxophone; Rossano Sportiello – piano; J.J. Shakur – acoustic bass) In the summer of 2017, the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival, working with the Italian Cultural Centre, brought together an American tenor saxophonist who is living in Italy, an Italian pianist who is living in New York, together with an American bassist living in Pennsylvania, for a wonderful musical pizza pie. All of this played out before an appreciative live audience at the intimate 140 seat Pyatt Hall in Vancouver B.C. The Great American Songbook is the source of most of the material in this recital, with three Italian themed numbers sprinkled throughout the session. Tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton has been known for his fluid and effortless swinging style since he first burst on the jazz scene in the 1970s. Pianist Rossano Sportiello is not generally as recognized as Hamilton but has a graceful and refined touch that perfectly suits the context of this session. The opening track is “Tangerine” which is a fine example of the symbiosis of these two players. Briskly up-tempo, it is […]
PAGANINI: 24 Caprices, Op. 1 – Augustin Hadelich, violin – Warner Classics
PAGANINI: 24 Caprices, Op. 1 – Augustin Hadelich, violin – Warner Classics 0190295728229, 81:07 (1/12/18) ****: Augustin Hadelich serves us a set of the complete Paganini Caprices in rousing, masterly fashion. Musical America’s Instrumentalist of the Year and the Warner Classics Award Winner 2015, Augustin Hadelich (b. 1984) performs one of the several “Everests” of the solo violin, the 1820 Paganini Caprices (rec. March 2016 – July 2017) from WGBH, Boston. Hadelich plays the 1823 Ex-Kiesewetter Stradivarius, an instrument thoroughly contemporaneous with the composer. Its resonant, piercing tone has been captured with stunning presence by Producer and Editor Antonio Oliart. Speculation has it that Nicolo Paganini (b. 1782) began composing his set of 24 Caprices around 1805, completing the set in 1820 for publication, one of only five opera he released for public consumption, if only to convince the world that he alone could perform his music. Beyond the sheer volume of technical effects Paganini achieves within his arsenal—double-stops, agonizing speed, harmonics, ricochet effects, pizzicato in both hands, staccato runs, up-bow staccato, cross-string arpeggios and scales—the man himself courted intriguing theatrical effects that became legend throughout Europe. German poet Heinrich Heine in one account described Paganini as “looking as if […]
Lewis Porter-Phil Scarff Group – Three Minutes to Four – Whaling City Sound
Lewis Porter-Phil Scarff Group – Three Minutes to Four [TrackList follows] – Whaling City Sound WCS 100 (distr. by Naxos), 73:19 [8/25/17] ****: Not your typical world jazz release. (Lewis Porter – piano; Phil Scarff – tenor, soprano and sopranino saxophones, tamboura; John Funkhouser – bass; Bertram Lehmann – drums) The best jazz takes listeners to all points of the compass. The material on the Three Minutes to Four CD by the Lewis Porter-Phil Scarff Group certainly puts a lot into 73 minutes. The contemporary jazz incorporates or is influenced by Ghanaian music, Indian ragas, Western classical music, bird calls, and fellow jazz musicians. There’s more as well, and yet it all has a natural, organic flow. The quartet consists of pianist Porter (who heads Rutgers University’s jazz history program and has recorded with Dave Liebman, Gary Bartz and Marc Ribot), saxophonist Scarff (who has extensive experience in Indian classical music as well as jazz), bassist John Funkhouser (who is on the faculty at Boston’s Berklee College of Music and has appeared with Joe Lovano, Bobby Watson and Rudresh Mahanthappa), and drummer Bertram Lehmann (who also teaches at Berklee and has also worked with Liebman as well as Randy Brecker, […]
Cyprien Katsaris plays THEODORAKIS = KATSARIS: Grande Fantaisie sur Zorba; Improvisation; THEODORAKIS: Prelude No. 7; Melos No. 5; Petite Suite for Piano – Cyprien Katsaris, piano – Piano 21
Cyprien Katsaris plays THEODORAKIS = KATSARIS: Grande Fantaisie sur Zorba – une Rhapsodie Grecque; Improvisation spontanee sur des chansons de Theodorakis; THEODORAKIS: No. 7 from 11 Preludes, AST 44; No. 5 from 12 Melos, AST 541; Petite Suite for Piano, AST 90 – Cyprien Katsaris, piano – Piano 21 P21 057-N, 78:17 (12/5/17) [www.cyprienkatsaris.net] ****: World-premiere recordings by Cyprien Katsaris celebrate composer Theodorakis, whose music for Zorba rings with boundless energy. Cyprien Katsaris (b. 1951), expressing a desire to celebrate his Greek heritage overtly and passionately, embraces the music of Mikis Theodorakis (b. 1925), composer of over 1000 songs, and whose scores for such films as Zorba the Greek and Serpico continue to inspire both music-lovers and serious musicians. In his accompanying notes, Katsaris traces the etiology of his Zorba Fantaisie (after the composer’s own ballet), which evolved slowly, even painfully, mostly between 2005 and 2007, but he completed the project only in the spring of 2017. While Katsaris first intended a keyboard work in the manner of Liszt, a rhapsody of some 15 minutes’ duration, the breadth of the project assumed a monumental course of its own. The Grande Fantaisie, an epic composition that lasts 53 minutes, seems to […]
Lise De La Salle, “Bach Unlimited” = Works by—and inspired by—J.S. BACH: Composers included BUSONI, POULENC, ROUSSEL, LISZT
Lise De La Salle, “Bach Unlimited” = Works by—and inspired by—J.S. BACH: Composers included BUSONI, POULENC, ROUSSEL, LISZT [Composition List Below] – Naïve Records V5444, 60:32, (11/03/17) ***1/2: A bit eclectic and very impressive! I do not profess to be an expert in piano playing nor in the current repertoire. I have heard plenty however and have worked with plenty of very fine pianists to know quality when I hear it and I cannot imagine that anyone would not be quite taken by the artistry of the young French virtuoso, Lise De La Salle. This is a cleverly eclectic but carefully assembled program of music by Johann Sebastien Bach and composers whose music pays homage to Bach; in whose music Ms. De La Salle is a bit of a specialist. So, it is not a surprise that her performances of the Italian Concerto and the Busoni transcription of the Chaconne in D minor for violin are just sublime. What I found most interesting and attractive about this album are the works by other composers who “channel” the master a bit. For Poulenc and Liszt the motive of their characteristically unique works comes from the name ‘Bach’ itself and the notes […]
Rufus Reid (with the Sirius Quartet) – Terrestrial Dance – Newvelle Records
Rufus Reid (with the Sirius Quartet) – Terrestrial Dance – Newvelle Records NV 012LP – audiophile vinyl LP – ****1/2 Newvelle Records continues to pursue the creative less familiar path… (Rufus Reid – bass; Steve Allee – piano; Duduka Da Fonseca – drums; with Sirius String Quartet: Fung Chern Hwei – violin; Gregor Huebner – violin; Ron Lawrence – viola; Jeremy Harmon – cello) As the final issue of their distinguished second subscription series, the audiophile vinyl boutique label, Newvelle Records, has again expanded their palette by pairing the iconic jazz bassist, Rufus Reid, with the boundary expanding Sirius Quartet (two violins, viola, and cello) to explore eight compositions blending chamber music with straight ahead jazz, with a touch of blues. As always, with all of Newvelle’s audiophile releases, the sound blend is impeccable, and Reid’s bass is vibrant, rich and woody, confirming his status as one of the last still performing old school bass legends. Reid came up during the 1960s, the end of the golden age of jazz, and has continued to push the post bop envelope. Rufus cut his teeth on the jazz scene in Chicago, playing with all the big names, before moving on to New […]
Reiner conducts WAGNER = Orchestral Selections from Die Meistersinger; Parsifal; Die Walkuere; Tannhauser; Lohengrin; Siegfried – New York Philharmonic/ Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/ Fritz Reiner – Pristine Audio
Reiner conducts WAGNER = Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg: Prelude to Act I (two performances); Prelude to Act III; Dance of the Apprentices; Procession of the Mastersingers; Parsifal: Prelude to Act I; Die Walkuere: Ride of the Valkyries; Tannhauser: Venusberg Music; Lohengrin: Prelude to Act I and Prelude to Act III; Siegfried: Forest Murmurs – New York Philharmonic/ Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/ Fritz Reiner – Pristine Audio PASC 517, 79:26 [www.pristineclassical.com] *****: Fritz Reiner’s legacy of Wagner from shellac sources proves memorably striking, given a fine restoration by Pristine Audio. Producer and Audio Restoration Engineer Mark Obert-Thorn here restores all of the Wagner repertory Fritz Reiner (1888-1963) left for posterity, 1938-1941. Reiner had a distinguished career in opera, having served at the Volksopera in Budapest and the Court Opera in Dresden. Like fellow musicians Bruno Walter, George Szell, and Otto Klemperer, Reiner maintained strong ties to Richard Strauss. History tells us that Reiner’s experience in the recording studio long proved frustrating, and his early 1938 efforts left him un-named in releases by the New York Philharmonic, which also remained anonymous. This release contains all of Reiner’s issued recordings of works by Wagner from the 78 rpm era; that more of Wagner’s […]
Jonathan SARAGA: Journey to a New World – Fresh Sounds New Talent
Jonathan SARAGA: Journey to a New World – Fresh Sounds New Talent 535, 72.05 (10/1/17) ***½: Feisty, uptempo post-bop ensemble with agile soloing by Fresh Sound New Talent trumpeter in front. (Jonathan Saraga; trumpet/ Remy Le Boeuf; alto sax/ Aki Ishiguro; guitar/ Chris Pattishall; piano/keyboards/ Rick Rosato;bass/ Kenneth Salters; drums) There is scarcely a person who has done more to promote the Jazz of our time (and not only our generation) than Jordi Pujol, who indefatigably works to bring new jazz artists to public attention. It is always with keen appreciation that I audition a new recording on his Fresh Sound New Talent label. On this occasion, we have a bright trumpet player, Jonathan Saraga, leading a sextet on mostly his own compositions. Things start off promisingly on Uprising. The front line exudes confidence in assertive solos and intricate twining sax/trumpet theme, while the rhythm section gives good account on a propulsive swinging beat that allows a very inventive drummer (Kenneth Salters) latitude for many-handed embellishments and wily accents. Saraga has a bright tone, quick articulation, a penchant for old-school sonic effects, and smeared, pungently bent notes. Alto Remy Le Boeuf demonstrates an extroverted style, but also a fine skill […]
BACH & CHOPIN: Josep Colom – Confluences – Eudora
BACH & CHOPIN: Josep Colom – Confluences – Eudora SACD 1703, 78:03 (12/1/17) *****: A recital which delves deep into the adjacent musical universes of Bach and Chopin with intelligence and improvisational prowess. (Josep Colom; 1957 Steinway Model D) Readers of these pages might recall a 2016 review of Josep Colom’s debut on the audiophile label Eudora which involved a dialog between Chopin and Mozart. This remarkable pianist is a member of the Chopin Competition committee and his own playing is both critically astute and meticulous without sacrificing the lyrical transcendence which is the heart of the music. Previously, Audiophile Audition had this to say of the unconventional “Chopinesque” treatment of Mozart. If taken separately, the Chopin pieces sound conventionally good. They are gracious readings with command of detail and tone throughout. But the Mozart pieces have probably never been conceived or performed in this fashion. Well-known pieces such as the Fantasy in C minor, K. 475 and Rondo in A minor K. 511 are chosen for their abundant use of chromaticism. By judicious use of pedal and phrasing, we arrive at moment of ambiguity: Is it Mozart or is it Chopin? The graceful cantabile style of both composers amounts […]
William WALTON: Symphony No. 1—Symphony No. 2. Bournemouth Symphony Onyxclassics
William WALTON: Symphony No. 1—Symphony No. 2. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Kirill Karabits, onyxclassics ONYX4168, 73:50, ***** Once in a while a reviewer hears a performance of familiar works that is so unique that it redefines the music. Kirill Karabits and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra has made a recording that expresses the passion and warmth of two of William Walton’s greatest works. And Onyx has provided sound with a level of detail that reveals in the glories of these works. William Walton (1902-82) was a mid-20th century English composer who benefitted from fortunate early connections. His father was a choirmaster and the young William was a chorister at Christ Church in Oxford. He studied music Oxford University and befriended the Sitwells, an aristocratic family of writers. They provided him with cultural and financial resources that allowed him to compose. By 1929, his Viola Concerto and the oratorio Belshazzar’s Feast made him a composer of note. But in 1929 Walton’s crisis in his personal life led to the composition of his greatest work, Symphony No. 1. He fell in love with Baroness Imma von Doemberg. The turmoil of that relationship spanned the years from 1932 to 1934, when it ended. The first three […]
Cécile McLorin Salvant – Dreams And Daggers – Mack Avenue Records
Cécile McLorin Salvant – Dreams And Daggers – Mack Avenue Records MAC1120 – 2CDs 112:05**** It is hard to imagine a more satisfying outcome from this ambitious project ( Aaron Diehl – piano; Paul Sikivie – double bass; Lawrence Leathers – drums; guests – The Catalyst Quartet; Sullivan Fortner – piano) Those iconic female jazz singers who are known singularly by their first names, Ella, Billie, and Sarah are not about to be dislodged easily from their lofty perch. However Cécile McLorin Salvant is certainly giving them a nudge, as her latest 2-CD set Dreams And Daggers will attest. Combining two New York City sessions, one recorded at the Village Vanguard in September 2016, with a studio outing at Di Menna Center for Classical Music in December 2016, Salvant has delivered a disparate selection of original and other material that tell stories that may be released in dreams and guarded in life. This high-concept release is filled with interesting interpretations of the material by Salvant backed by her usual trio of sharp instrumentalists namely pianist Aaron Diehl, bassist Paul Sikivie and drummer Lawrence Leathers. On the studio tracks, the classical string ensemble The Catalyst Quartet adds a fascinating new dynamic […]
DEBUSSY: Estampes; Images; Children’s Corner Suite; La plus que lente; L’Isle joyeuse – Stephen Hough, piano – Hyperion
DEBUSSY: Estampes; Images, Books I-II; Children’s Corner Suite; La plus que lente; L’Isle joyeuse – Stephen Hough, piano – Hyperion CDA68139, 69:25 (1/5/18) [Harmonia mundi/PIAS] **** A potent and sonically resonant all-Debussy album attests to the spectacular technique of Stephen Hough. Having listened to the exotic, even voluptuous, sounds of the gamelan and gong (or metallophone) at the 1899 Exposition Universelle in Paris, Debussy carried within his musical imagination of vast array of potential colors, each of which finds release in his brilliant 1903 suite Estampes (Engravings). Stephen Hough proves admirably capable of projecting the vibrant, pentatonic energy of the opening Pagodes, set on the keyboard’s black keys. Although Debussy marks the score sans nuance, the effect of ‘distancing’ does not diminish the spectacular wave-like motion—via 2-bar and 4-bar measures—of the piece, as though Balinese dancers had their sensuous reflection in a still pond. For the second of the engravings, Debussy takes us to Spain, as cross-fertilized by Moorish harmony. The lilted habanera rings with Spanish folk idioms across the range of the keyboard. The languor of the music increases with the strumming of sensuous guitars, moving to a hazy, even lazy, sense of seductive quietude. Hough explodes with a […]
Artur Schnabel: Beethoven Birthday Salute!
Streams and Podcasts for 17 December 2017 Artur Schnabel: Beethoven Birthday Salute! That all so distinguished pianist Artur Schnabel will be featured on this week’s show of The Music Treasury, broadcast on Sunday evenings in the Bay Area, as well as streaming on the ‘Net. While an exceptional pianist renowned for his performances of composers from Bach through Brahms, he is particularly noted for his attention to the works of Beethoven. For a time in the 1900s, Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas were fading from public attention; Schnabel championed them tirelessly, becoming the first artist to record the entire cycle of the sonatas. The show will feature exclusively works of Beethoven, ranging from some of his earliest to some of his latest… sonatas, fantasias, capriccios, as well as one duet —his final Violin Sonata, performed with Joseph Szigeti. Dr Gary Lemco hosts the show, which can be heard on 17 December, 2017—not so coincidentally, Beethoven’s Baptismal Day (the day after his birthday)! It is aired as a radio show at KZSU from Stanford between 19:00 and 21:00 PST, as well a streaming broadcast in parallel through kzsulive.stanford.edu.
Philip GLASS: Complete Etudes for Piano – Jenny Lin – Steinway & Sons
Philip Glass: Complete Etudes for Piano – Jenny Lin – Steinway & Sons CD 30070 – 11/20/17 TT: Disc 1 – 60:32, Disc 2 – 62:20 ****: An 80th birthday tribute to Philip Glass What a delightful 2 disc CD set this is, and a propitious time to celebrate Philip Glass’s 80th Anniversary year. Philip Glass composed the complete Etudes between 1994 and 2012, many of them for his own personal purposes as a solo recitalist. Glass was busy with composing, and felt he did not have the time to learn Etudes 11-20, which are more difficult to play, so Glass tagged nine other pianists from a variety of backgrounds to join him for the first live performances of all 20 Etudes. Jenny Lin, who is the performer on these discs was among the group selected, alongside Nico Muhly, Timo Andres, jazz virtuoso Aaron Diehl, frequent Glass interpreters Maki Namekawa and Sally Whitwell, and others. The New York premiere took place in December 2014 at Brooklyn Academy of Music. Lin continues to join Glass on the ongoing world tour of the Etudes. Jenny Lin has had a strong impact on the musical scene, noted for her support of modern music. […]
The Film Scores and Original Orchestral Music of George Martin – Berlin Music Ensemble conducted by Craig Leon – Atlas Realisations
The Film Scores and Original Orchestral Music of George Martin – Berlin Music Ensemble conducted by Craig Leon – Atlas Realisations CD ARCD008 (11/10/17) *** 1/2 Familiar and never heard music by the iconic George Martin This is a most welcome and overdue disc of the music of George Martin. This recording collects —for the first time—the major orchestral works of iconic composer, arranger and producer Martin. Performed by the Berlin Music Ensemble conducted by Craig Leon, the album features music from the films Yellow Submarine, Live and Let Die and the previously unrecorded choral and orchestral score for The Mission. Also included are the Overture to Under Milk Wood, the suite Three American Sketches and other previously unreleased original compositions. Martin was, of course, a lot of the composing power behind the Beatles, and he lushly scored several of their breakthrough albums and augmented and outright composed the music for their films, including A Hard Days Night and Yellow Submarine. As mentioned, he also composed the music for the Bond film, Live and Let Die. His talent was prodigious. Martin produced 30 number-one hit singles in the United Kingdom and 23 number-one hits in the United States. This album […]
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 2; Violin Concerto – Ivry Gitlis, violin/ Vienna Symphony Orchestra/ Orchestre Radio National de France/ Jascha Horenstein – Pristine
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43; Violin Concerto in d minor, Op. 47 – Ivry Gitlis, violin/ Vienna Symphony Orchestra (Op. 47)/ Orchestre Radio National de France/ Jascha Horenstein – Pristine Audio PASC 516, 70:22 [www.pristineclassical.com] *****: Superlative Sibelius interpretations to add to the Horenstein legacy, brilliantly assisted by veteran Ivry Gitlis. The Second Symphony of Sibelius (1902) combines the composer’s love for Italy as much as his innate sense of Northern climes, given the often “stern” objectivity and distance of his muscular themes. The Jascha Horenstein (1898-1973) legacy now embraces this often soaring work—still perhaps best captured in commercial recording by Koussevitzky in Boston, 1950—with a majestic, live performance from the Theatre de Champs Elysees, Paris, 19 November 1956. Typical of Horenstein, from the outset of the Allegretto movement, with its unorthodox sonata-form, the music assumes a fateful, driven pulse and direction. It has become a “fate” symphony, despite its bucolic, pantheistic leanings. A marvelous bassoon solo flows through the striking pizzicato strings to form a Tempo andante, ma rubato movement in the Aeolian mode. Much like the Koussevitzky approach, the accent lies in the thunderous bass line and often screeching high strings, horns, and tympani. […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
