Monthly Archive: March 2018
Homunculus / Kamus Quartet – Composer: Esa-Pekka Salonen, György Ligeti, Benjamin Britten – Kamus String Quartet – Alba Records
Three contemporary string quartets stunningly played and recorded! Homunculus / Kamus Quartet – Composer: Esa-Pekka Salonen, György Ligeti, Benjamin Britten – Kamus String Quartet – Alba Records SACD/Hybrid Catalog #: 409 – (01/05/2018) TT: 62:00 **** This new multi-channel release, which includes the world premiere recording of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s string quartet Homunculus, and also includes music by Ligeti (String Quartet no.1 (Métamorphoses Nocturnes) and Britten’s String Quartet no.3 Op.94. It’s a varied collection, but I think the selections work well together. Salonen, born in Helsinki, Finland, studied horn and composition at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, as well as conducting with Jorma Panula. He’s more well known for his conducting duties but he has a substantial body of work that is noteworthy, including Homunculus which is heard on this disc. None of the works presented here could be considered mainstream, and I think that is part of the appeal of this disc. The Britten is seldom performed, and the Ligeti is from early in his career and often passed over. The recording is excellent, and in multi-channel the music comes alive. The recording was done in a large church, and the acoustics are warm. Musicians are up front spread across the two front speakers, […]
The Music Treasury, 1 April 2018
This week, The Music Treasury is presenting a collection of performances by esteemed composers who could also wield the baton before a responsive ensemble. The dates of the performances range from the electrical era of 78rpm through 1965, live from Boston. The show is hosted by Dr Gary Lemco, and airs 1 April 2018, from 19:00 – 21:00 PDT on the host station at Stanford, kzsulive.stanford.edu. It may also be heard through its parallel streaming broadcast on the ‘Net at that time. Here is a summary of the composer/conductor and their pieces to be heard on the evening show: Shreker: Little Suite for Chamber Orchestra Falla: Harpsichord Concerto (Falla, harpsichord/ens.) Rubbra: Symphony No. 4, Op. 53 Ketelby: By the Blue Hawaiian Waters Chavez: La Hija de Colquide Ruggles: Portals (cond. By Aaron Copland/Boston Symphony) Glazunov: The Seasons, Op. 67: Summer and Autumn
Beau Soir = FAURE: Violin Sonata; Berceuse; FRANCK: Violin Sonata; DEBUSSY : La file aux cheveux de lin; Beau soir – Kyung Wha Chung, violin/ Kevin Kenner, piano – Warner Classics
After a substantial hiatus from the recording studio, Korean virtuoso Kyung Wha Chung returns with a soulful program of Gallic music. Beau Soir = FAURE: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13; Berceuse, Op. 16; FRANCK: Violin Sonata in A Major; Panis angelicus (arr. Kenner); DEBUSSY (arr. Hartmann) : La file aux cheveux de lin; Beau soir – Kyung Wha Chung, violin/ Kevin Kenner, piano – Warner Classics 0190295708085, 64:13 (3/23/18) [warnerclassics.com] ****: Recorded 31 October and 7 November 2017, this recital from the UK bears a dedication to Kyung Wha Chung’s concert manager of forty years, Yukio Izumi, whom she remembers for “his passionate and constant dedication to music.” Chung opens with a tastefully passionate account of Faure’s 1878 Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, the work that announced—said Camille Saint-Saens—Faure’s having become a master. The piece bears the imprimatur of the Faure style: alternately austere and measured, it offers refined temperament, heightened melodic ardor, and the unmistakable harmonic syntax that defines his especial sonic elegance. The ardent first movement Allegro molto proceeds in a modified sonata-form, rife with broken octaves and sudden crescendos in both parts. Besides asking the piano to intone the first melody […]
Reich: Drumming – Colin Currie Group with Synergy Vocals – Colin Currie Records
Steve Reich’s monumental composition in good sound and a solid performance. Reich: Drumming – Colin Currie Group with Synergy Vocals – Colin Currie Records CD CCR001 TT: 56:00 (3/8/18) *** 1/2 This was Steve Reich’s breakthrough masterpiece, inspired by his studies of African drumming in the 1970s. There have been many recordings of this work, and it’s often performed in concert. Listening to Drumming can be quite hypnotic. When the music stops, it’s often a jolt of silence that leaves one surprised. The work is of indefinite length, allowing the performers to decide how much to repeat. The performance on this disc with all 4 parts played runs just under an hour. Instrumentation varies in each part per Reich’s design: Part One: 4 pairs of tuned bongo drums, played with double-ended wooden sticks (and one male voice, according to the original score) Part Two: 3 marimbas, 2 or 3 female voices Part Three: 3 glockenspiels, whistler, and piccolo Part Four: complete ensemble The Colin Currie Group was formed in 2006 for a performance at the BBC Proms celebrating the 70th birthday of Steve Reich, the group specializes in the American composer’s work. This recording was made possible by a crowd-funding […]
Re-structures = Piano music by Lansky, Ruders, Machover, Kurtág, Ben-Amots – Quattro Mani – Bridge
Quattro Mani: Re-Structures Piano music by Lansky, Ruders, Machover, Kurtág, Ben-Amots for four hands. Quattro Mani (Steven Beck, Susan Grace)—Bridge 9496—49:00, *** 1/2: I often think of Johann Sebastian Bach when I think of combining multiple keyboard instruments. The image of Bach, with one or more of his sons performing at the Zimmermann Coffee House in Leipzig, performing one his adoptions for concerti for two solo instruments, comes to mind. The tradition may well have started before Bach. In the album from Quattro Mani (four hands) with Steven Beck and Susan Grace, we get to hear a set of five virtuosic and contemporary pieces written for two keyboards. Two instruments allow a composer to create some interesting possibilities: differences in timbre, fuller, richer sonorities and harmonies, and a play with the stereo image, exchanging voices between the two performers. To be clear, the album features two players on two instruments. The first piece, the most approachable, is entitled Out of the Blue by Paul Lansky. Its percussive opening plays with that stereo image capability. Composed of repetitive musical cells, it’s an overall energetic piece that seems to come and go, out of the blue. Cembal d’Amore by Poul Ruders is […]
MAHLER: Symphony No. 9 in D Major – Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Daniel Harding – Harmonia mundi
Daniel Harding realization of Mahler’s last symphony presents the work as an ongoing miracle and paradox of sound and sensibility. MAHLER: Symphony No. 9 in D Major – Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Daniel Harding – Harmonia mundi HMM 902258, 82:37 (3/23/18) [Distr. PIAS] ****: Amidst a personal world of increased uncertainty and loss—the death of eldest daughter Maria Anna in 1907; the end of a storm-laden career at the Vienna Court Opera; a diagnosed heart condition; and a distinct alienation of affection from wife Alma—Gustav Mahler in 1908/1909 set to work on his Ninth Symphony, which to the hyperactively superstitious Mahler meant playing with “fateful fire.” Mahler sought his Alpine work-retreat at Toblach among the Dolomites in South Tyrol. The new symphony would “complete” a tradition of Austro-German symphonies, but it would no less look forward to a concept, perhaps adopted from the Tchaikovsky Sixth, of bracing two fast movements within the taut power of two massive adagios. As much as a sense of bitter despair or resignation infiltrates this music, it persistently rushes into a confrontation with life’s furies and rewards, love and unbridled, pantheistic reverie. True, the music shares with Das Lied von der Erde the ewig motif, […]
CHRISTOPHERSEN: Woven Brass – Oslo Philharmonic Brass – Dual Disc, Hybrid SACD/ Pure Audio Blu-ray
Contemporary brass music in a stunning multi-format package Christophersen: Woven Brass – Dual Disc, Hybrid SACD/ Pure Audio Blu-ray – Oslo Philharmonic Brass (leader Jonas Haltia) (11/1/17) **** What a spectacular recording from 2L! This multi-format disc gives us some tight performances by the Oslo Philharmonic Brass. There music offered is all by Norwegian composer Bjørn Morten Christophersen. The six musicians gathered for this recording are all members of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, and they play together in the ensemble Norwegian Brass Expo. They are among the best and most experienced brass players in Scandinavia. The works vary from somber to energetic. 2L is always exemplary at sonics, and this disc is no exception. 2 discs come with the set, one a multi-channel SACD and the other is a Blu-ray audio disc with a variety of audio formats, including 2.0 LPCM 192/24, 5.1 DTS HDMA 192/24, 9.1 Auro-3D and Dolby Atmos for those so equipped. I listened to the Atmos mix, but in 7.1 as I don’t have height speakers. The disc also includes MQA formatted files, again for those equipped to play back that newer, and still controversial format. There are also MP3 files. Missing this time around are […]
Steve Slagle – Dedication – Panorama
Family, friends, and fellow musicians all make an impact on saxophonist Steve Slagle’s latest album. Steve Slagle – Dedication [TrackList and Performing Artists follows] – Panorama 007, 58:18 [1/4/18] ****: Saxophonist Steve Slagle’s one-hour album, Dedication, is well named. The nine tracks (seven Slagle originals) are each dedicated to someone important in Slagle’s life and/or career. Listening to this material one can hear Slagle’s influences, from Sonny Rollins to Wayne Shorter, Steve Swallow to Jackie McLean. Slagle may not be recognized by all jazz fans (some may know him as the former director of the Mingus Big Band), but he’s been an integral part of the jazz community for decades and each of his outings showcases his instrumental prowess, his composing skills and his ability to arrange and collaborate with various other jazz artists. Slagle put together a stellar group for this record, including bassist Scott Colley (who has worked with Chris Potter, Gary Burton and currently with Julian Lage); drummer Bill Stewart (credits include Scott Colley, Larry Goldings and also Potter); pianist Lawrence Fields (his résumé includes Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas and also Potter); percussionist Roman Diaz (who has a lot of Latin Jazz credits); and guest guitarist Dave […]
Black Gardenia – Lucky Star – Vintage Jazz
A self assured vocalist supported by a cohesive band Black Gardenia – Lucky Star – Vintage Jazz 5369123477 46:28*** In horticultural terms, a Black Gardenia is not an actual flower. But in musical realm, Black Gardenia is a Vancouver B.C. based vintage jazz band that combines jazz, country, folk and blues from the 20s,30s and 40s in a fresh concoction that’s easy on the ears. Their latest Vintage Jazz release is Lucky Star and builds nicely off their previous effort No Moon At All. Led by singer and ukulele exponent Daphne Roubini, this tight little band knows it way around the genre, and gives respect to the music to which it is devoted. A quick look at the track list on this release, signifies that all the ingredients are present to satisfy their explorative disposition. They begin with “What A Little Moonlight Can Do” with Roubini’s light breeze voice setting the tone for this fast paced interpretation. There is some snappy guitar execution from Andrew Smith and Paul Pigat to add some lustre to the arrangement. “Green Dolphin Street” is less frequently heard as a vocal, although Sarah Vaughan did a Latin version in 1950 that was masterful with […]
SCRIABIN: The Final Recital = Recreation of Scriabin’s program from his final concert – Jeremey Thompson – MSR
Pianist Jeremy Thompson recreates the composer’s last public appearance as a performer. SCRIABIN: The Final Recital = 2 Preludes, Op. 35; 4 Preludes, Op. 37; Prelude in G Major, Op. 39, No. 3; Mazurka in E Major, Op. 25, No. 4; Etude in b-flat minor, Op. 8, No. 7; Valse in A-flat Major, Op. 38; Sonata No. 3 in f-sharp minor, Op. 23; 3 Preludes, Op. 74; Nuances, Op. 56, No. 3; Danse languide, Op. 51, No. 4; Guirlandes, Op. 73, No. 1; Flammes sombres, Op. 73, No. 2; Etrangete, Op. 63, No. 2; Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp Major, Op. 30 – Jeremy Thompson, piano – MSR MS 1669, 65:57 (11/2017) [Distr. by Albany] ****: Pianist Jeremy Thompson realizes his ambition to recreate the ambitious program that composer Alexander Scriabin presented in St. Petersburg, Russia on 2 April 1915, Thompson’s homage to the composer’s centennial (rec. 22-23 May 2015). Scriabin would perish just three weeks after he gave his recital; a pity, for he had peaked as a performer, and his imagination, busy comprehending his virtual “Universe,” likely had cosmic possibilities. A contemporary writer for Etude magazine, Ellen von Tiedehohl, reported that Scriabin’s eyes “blazed fire” during the concert. […]
The Music Treasury, 25 March 2018
This week, The Music Treasury is focusing on the performances by conductor Willem van Otterloo. Talented in many areas, Otterloo opted to study music, where he excelled in both cello performance as well as composition. Though his activity as a conductor was launched in the Netherlands, his career ultimately landed in Australia, where he conceited the Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras, after wending through concert halls in Berlin and Vienna. In particular, he was noted for his performances of 19th and 20th century music. This show can be heard broadcast from its host station at Stanford University, kzsulive.stanford.edu, as well as simultaneously being available on the ‘Net. Hosted by Gary Lemco, the show runs from 19:00 to 21:00 PDT Sunday evening, 25 March 2018. The music will include works by Beethoven, Franck, Grieg, Brahms, and Weber.
Hiromi & Edmar Castaneda – Live In Montreal – Telarc
Too much talent at one time and in one place Hiromi & Edmar Castaneda – Live In Montreal – Telarc 00026 72:11**** ( Hiromi – piano; Edmar Castaneda – harp) Sometimes too much talent at one time and in one place is recipe for auditory overload. Such might be the case for the album Hiromi & Edmar Castaneda Live In Montreal. Recorded on June 30, 2017, at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, the two artists put a display of technical and harmonic wizardry that often defies description. So fasten your seat belts as you hit the play button. The compositions presented in the recital for the most part, come from the pens of Hiromi and Castaneda with two exceptions. First John Williams “Cantina Band” was used in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope film released in 1977 and the other is Astor Piazzolla’s “Libertango”. The breezy interpretation of the former offered by the duo is restlessly creative with each partner smoking out unlikely connections to the music that is filled with harmonic edginess and rhythmic boldness. On the Piazzolla composition, the Latin flavour is defined by Castaneda’s harp as he picks the strings with a rhythmic sure […]
Cantelli: New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 3 = Orchestral Works by WAGNER; VERDI; MONTEVERDI; HANDEL; BRAHMS; HINDEMITH – New York Philharmonic/ Guido Cantelli – Pristine Audio
Guido Cantelli’s final U.S. appearances bring potent and lyrical music-making to 1956 Carnegie Hall.
“Portraits: Works for Flute, Clarinet, and Piano” = Works by CHRIS ROGERSON; VALERIE COLEMAN; GUILLAUME CONNESSON; RACHMANINOV; PAUL SCHOENFIELD; PHILIP HAMMOND; IRISH TRADITIONAL – McGill/McHale Trio – Cedille
A wonderful album all the way around. “Portraits: Works for Flute, Clarinet, and Piano” = CHRIS ROGERSON: A Fish Will Rise; VALERIE COLEMAN: Portraits of Langston; GUILLAUME CONNESSON: Techno – Parade; RACHMANINOV (Arr. McHale): Vocalise; PAUL SCHOENFIELD: Sonatina; PHILIP HAMMOND: The Lamentation of Owen O’Neil; IRISH TRADITIONAL (Arr. McHale): The Lark in the Clear Air – Demarre McGill, flute/ Anthony McGill, clarinet; Michael McHale, piano/ Mahershala Ali, narrator – Cedille CDR 90000 172, 66:17 *****: Don’t be thrown off by the title—this lively and ingratiating disc delivers far more than most would think about a recital of flute, clarinet, and piano pieces. If you don’t know the players, their identities should give you encouragement. As the notes succinctly state, “Demarre McGill, a Chicago native, has served as principal flute of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the Dallas, Seattle, and San Diego Symphony Orchestras. His brother, Anthony McGill, is principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic and former principal of the Met Orchestra. Michael McHale, one of Ireland’s leading pianists, has performed as soloist with the Minnesota, Halle, Moscow, and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras and all five of Ireland’s major orchestras.” So, the cast of characters is comprised of noted and outstanding […]
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons – Rachel Podger / Brecon Baroque—Channel Classics
Vivaldi: Le quattro stagione, concerti, Il grosso mogul, Il riposo, L’Amoroso. Rachel Podger, Brecon Baroque—Channel Classics CCS SA 40318—76:00 [Distr. by Pias] ****: I’ve been following the historically-informed performance movement for most of my life, coming to collect recordings by Hogwood and Pinnock in the late 1980s as a teen. Rachel Podger came on the scene as those ensembles began to transition, first leading the English Concert, then going on to find success in chamber music. She’d go on to concertize with Andrew Manze, another one of the second generation of British baroque violinists, and more recently, she organizes a Baroque music festival and leads her own ensemble, Brecon Baroque. Brecon, as it turns out, is the name of her hometown in Wales. This new recording follows Podger’s other Vivaldi projects, including L’estro armonico (op. 3), La Stravaganza (op. 4), and La Cetra (op. 9). The opus four and nine editions of Vivaldi have been recorded by HIP ensembles, but their availability are fewer in company compared to the available recordings of the Four Seasons from opus 8. That being said, recording Vivaldi’s Four Seasons becomes a tricky enterprise for the modern-day violinist, akin to Coca-Cola offering another version of […]
SCHUMANN: Manfred Overture; Symphony No. 4; BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 3 – Swiss Festival Orchestra/ Wilhelm Furtwaengler – Audite
Audite restores the last of Furtwaengler’s glorious appearances in Lucerne, Switzerland.
MOZART: Violin Concerto Nos. 4 & 5 – Nikolaj Znaider, violin and conductor/ London Symphony Orchestra – LSO
Nikolaj Znaider proves a facile and elegant purveyor of Mozart’s two greatest violin concertos. MOZART: Violin Concerto no. 4 in D Major, K. 218; Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219 “Turkish” – Nikolaj Znaider, violin and conductor/ London Symphony Orchestra – LSO Live (DSD) LSOO807, 50:28 (3/2/18) (Distr. by [PIAS]) ****: Recorded 18 December 2016 (K. 218) and 14 May 2017 (K. 219), the two superior violin concertos Mozart composed at age nineteen (1775) allow solo Nikolaj Znaider to demonstrate the silken gloss of his 1741 “Kreisler” Guarnerius, leading the responsve LSO from his instrument, as had Nathan Milstein and Wolfgang Schneiderhahn their respective ensembles some two generations ago. Znaider seeks less a “salon” effect than a broad, concertante collaboration, with the D Major’s focus on a martial, consistent melodic flow. The petite, brass fanfare serves an introductory purpose, repeats to allow Znaider to enter, and then disappears. Znaider incorporates its gentle pomp into his first movement cadenza. The Andante cantabile has a touch of a ritard in the tempo which most realizations produce, with only Jiri Novak and Vaclav Talich’s ever having made the walking pace more animate. The soulful interchange of Znaider with the lower […]
Ivo Perelman and Matthew Shipp – Oneness– Leo
Ivo Perelman and Matthew Shipp – Oneness– Leo Musical collaboration and communication of the highest order. Ivo Perelman and Matthew Shipp – Oneness – Leo CD LR 823/825 (3-CDs), 49:24, 49:06, 43:52 [3/2/18] *****: (Ivo Perelman – tenor saxophone; Matthew Shipp – piano) How does one select the best of the best? As tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman and pianist Matthew Shipp have discovered, that’s nearly impossible. The concept behind the duo recording, Oneness, was for the two long-time musical allies to go into a studio—in this case, five days at Parkwest studios in Brooklyn in September 2017—and then pick the best material and release a single CD. When Shipp and Perelman listened to their completely spontaneous tunes— no predetermined themes, structures or tempos—they faced a conundrum. “The idea was to get just one CD, the best of the very best,” Shipp explains in the album’s liner notes. “But then we listened to these recordings and said, ‘We can’t do that: we can’t choose.’” The result? A three-CD boxed set of close to 2.5 hours of music which is the definitive statement of Shipp and Perelman’s enduring musical partnership. The two artists’ failure to compile a single disc is the listeners’ […]
The Show Before The Show – Live At The Penn & Teller Theatre – Capri
A cheerful little earful of musical magic The Show Before The Show – Live At The Penn & Teller Theatre Capri Records 74148-2 60:38****: ( Mike Jones – piano; Penn Jillette – bass) There has been a connection between music and magic for many years, but it was probably best illustrated in 1942 when Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, penned That Old Black Magic which had the following opening lines: “ That old black magic has me in its spell/That old black magic that you weave so well.” The singer Billy Daniels took the song over with his hit rendition in 1951. So it probably should not come as a complete surprise that one half of the Penn & Teller magic act, Penn Jillette , dipped his toe in the jazz world as a bassist supporting the remarkable pianist Mike Jones in the Capri Records release The Show Before The Show. This is not some dilettante thing for Penn Jillette, but rather an avocation that became a vocation. Since 2002 Jones and Jillette have been performing together before the Penn & Teller Las Vegas show begins. Remembering that the pre-show audience is not exactly hipster-ville, the duo’s set list is […]
Lauri Porra: Entropia and other works – Lahti Symphony Orchestra/ Jakko Kuusisto cond – Hybrid SACD BIS
Fascinating modern compositions, but I could live without the Finnish Rap Music Lauri Porra: Entropia and other works – Lahti Symphony Orchestra – Jakko Kuusisto cond – Hybrid SACD BIS 2305 (2/2/2018) TT: 83:18 *** 1/2 Great-grandson of composer Jean Sibelius, Lauri Porra began playing the cello at the age of six, but later switched to bass guitar. In addition to his work as a composer for orchestra, film and media, he is a member of the heavy metal band Stratovarius with which he has recorded four albums and performed concerts in over 60 countries. Highly versatile, Porra also leads his own Lauri Porra Flyover Ensemble, combining musical styles ranging from rock and jazz to classical, electronic and film music. Entropia, his concerto for electric bass and orchestra heard on this disc, was premièred by the composer and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra at the concert that opened the 2015 season, Jean Sibelius s 150th anniversary year. On this recording, the concerto is preceded by the three-part Domino Suite, which features substantial solos for piano and jazz drum set. This is truly avant-garde music, but I found the album an enjoyable challenge. The first work on the disc, Kohta, written in […]
SUK: Symphony No. 2, “Asrael”; KREJCI: Serenata for Orchestra – Southwest Orchestra of Baden-Baden/ Karel Ancerl – SWR
Karel Ancerl in 1957 delivers his passionate rendering of Suk’s autobiographical Second Symphony.
Musica Baltica Vol.3: FW Markull – Organ Works – MDG
19th Century organ music beautifully played and recorded Musica Baltica Vol.3: FW Markull – Organ Works – MDG (Dabringhaus und Grimm) Cat No: MDG9062048 Hybrid SACD TT: 67:19 (3/16/18) *** 1/2 Friedrich Wilhelm Markull began his career as a child prodigy and was appointed to the post of organist at Danzig’s magnificent St Mary’s Church when he was only twenty years old. Markull had a great influence on Johannes Brahms, who received inspiration in Danzig not only for his own organ compositions but also for the German Requiem. Markull died in 1887. Markull’s works are played on the Bucholz Organ, dedicated in 1841, an instrument with more than fifty stops on three manuals. Organist Andrzej Szadejko has found an outstanding replacement for the early romantic Danzig instrument Markull performed on, which was completely destroyed during World War II, in the very expertly restored Buchholz organ in Stralsund’s St Nicholas Church. The music on the disc is very well recorded. I listened in 5.1 surround, and I was quickly transported to St. Mary’s. I was pleased to see this disc has a dedicated subwoofer channel, as often classical recordings are done in the 5.0 format. The surrounds give us a sense […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
