Monthly Archive: April 2018
BERLIOZ: Les Troyens (complete opera) – Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra/John Nelson – Erato
A magnificent achievement, and one that doesn’t come along often. BERLIOZ: Les Troyens (complete opera) – Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Choeur de l’Opéra national du Rhin, Choeur Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Badischer Staatsopernchor/ John Nelson [Complete opera cast below] – Erato 9029576220 (4 CDs + DVD), 1 hour 54 minutes *****: Is this the best Trojans I have ever heard? No. The worst? Far from it. The fact is, there has never been a truly bad recording of this piece, perhaps because there are simply not many to begin with. Yet the fact remains that a transcendent revelatory recording has not yet surfaced—perhaps it never will, and perhaps the very nature of this piece offends against such a concept. The subject matter, to begin with, is massive, gargantuan, and full of historical import that only someone mad enough—like Berlioz—would tackle. But on the other hand, despite the monumental nature of the tale, this opera is definitely not an overblown piece of theatre, either on the stage or musically. Berlioz wrote the work over a three-year period, really the summit of his career, but as fate would have it, never heard it complete. Its history is replete with cuts and cutdowns—the original five […]
The Music Treasury for 15 April – Gundula Janowitz
The Music Treasury, 15 April 2018 – Gundula Janowitz This week, The Music Treasury is featuring the great helden-soprano Gundula Janowitz. Gundula Janowitz was very active on the opera stage from the 50s through the 70s. Janowitz had high international popularity of singers in her field; she also developed a comprehensive discography of works ranging from J.S. Bach through Richard Strauss. She worked with distinguished conductors of the time, including Karajan, Klempere, Bernstein, Kubalik, Solti and others. The host of The Music Treasury is Dr Gary Lemco; the show can be heard from its host radio station KZSU at Stanford University, or from the streaming simulcast on kzsu.stanford.edu. The show is scheduled for 15 April 2018 from 19:00 to 21:00 PDT.
The Modern Jazz Quartet – Fontessa – Atlantic/Speakers Corner
Mono jazz comes alive on re-mastered audiophile vinyl! The Modern Jazz Quartet – Fontessa – Atlantic 1231 (1956)/Speakers Corner (2018) 180-gram mono vinyl, 36:28 ****1/2: (John Lewis – piano; Milt Jackson – vibraharp; Percy Heath – double bass; Connie Kay – drums) As members of Dizzy Gillespie’s big band, John Lewis and Milt Jackson were establishing a reputation as premier jazz instrumentalists. John Lewis was revered for his inclination toward classical music and its organic integration with jazz. Milt Jackson was a fierce instrumentalist, inspired by bebop. After forming the John Lewis Quartet in 1952, the beginning of a four-decade prominence on the jazz scene was launched. Eventually, the “final” lineup was established with the addition of Percy Heath and Connie Kay. Under the name Modern Jazz Quartet, the ensemble were adept at recording their own albums (on various labels) and collaborating with a variety of jazz icons (Ben Webster, Jimmy Giuffre, Oscar Peterson, Sonny Rollins), Their ability to master improvisation and polyphony was unprecedented. They were adept at restrained, but inspired instrumental jams. Their earliest successes, “Django” and “Bags Groove” have become jazz standards. The Modern Jazz Quartet enjoyed various resurgences throughout their illustrious career, but they were at […]
Albert King – Born Under A Bad Sign – Stax/Speakers Corner
Albert King – Born Under A Bad Sign – Stax S 723 (1967)/Speakers Corner (2018) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 34:19 ****1/2: A wonderful analog re-mastering of vintage blues! (Albert King – guitar, vocals; Steve Cropper – rhythm guitar; Booker T – piano, organ; Isaac Hayes – piano; Donald “Duck” Dunn – bass; Al Jackson Jr. – drums; Wayne Jackson – trumpet; Andrew Love – tenor saxophone; Joe Arnold – baritone saxophone, flute) There are many blues icons. Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, B.B. King, Willie Dixon, Little Walter, and the list is extensive. Each of these American culture heroes has a unique background story and musical contribution. Among these greats is guitarist Albert King. One of Albert’s unique characteristics is that he was left-handed, but played a right-handed guitar flipped upside down. He was renowned for playing the Gibson Flying V. His biography is also interesting because of some of the confusion about his last name (King?…Nelson?) and whether or not he was related to B’B. King. Where there is no confusion is his talent. Known as the “Velvet Bulldozer” (again ambivalent explanations for that one), his silky vocals and serious instrumental chops. He has been cited as […]
DVORAK: String Quintet Op.97; String Sextet Op.48 – Jerusalem String Quartet/ Veronika Hagen, viola/ Gary Hoffman, cello – Harmonia mundi
Bohemia and America find sumptuous musical celebration in these two large chamber works of Dvorak. DVORAK: String Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 97; String Sextet in A Major, Op. 48 – Jerusalem String Quartet/ Veronika Hagen, viola/ Gary Hoffman, cello – Harmonia mundi HMM 902320, 66:57 (1/19/18) [Distr. by PIAS] ****: Recorded 14-17 January 2017, these two large string works testify to Dvorak’s master of forms that parallel compositions in the oeuvre of his musical mentor, Johannes Brahms, who had been mightily impressed with Dvorak’s Strains from Moravia. The 1878 Sextet in A Major—created in the brief span of thirteen days—gained the attention of Joseph Joachim, in whose home the work had its premiere by the Joachim Quartet, and so afforded Dvorak recognition beyond his native Bohemia. The opening movement, Allegro moderato, conforms to the Classical models from the Austro-German tradition. The first violin (Alexander Pavlovksy) and cello (Kyril Ziotnikov) intone the sweet duet that sets the melodic impulse. Opinions will diverge as to whether the Slavonic, quietly folk-like materials sustain the broad development Dvorak imposes. The constant interchange of thematic fragments and derivatives likely nods to Schumann as much as to Brahms for the subsequent evolution. Dvorak then […]
Takaaki – New Kid In Town – Albany Records
From classical training to jazz playing with impressive results! Takaaki – New Kid In Town – Albany Records 1689 59:06**** ( Takaaki Otomo – piano; Noriko Ueda – bass; Jared Schonig – drums) It is an uncommon occurrence when a classically trained pianist makes the transition to a jazz player with such impressive results. However such is the case with Takaaki and his trio for the release on Albany Records appropriately entitled New Kid In Town. Backed by bassist Noriko Ueda ( who is also the bassist with the Diva Jazz Orchestra) and drummer Jared Schonig, the trio runs through a set list of original compositions plus some jazz associated numbers to produce a disciplined exhibition of robust harmonies. The title track “New Kid In Town” is by composer Bernard Hoffer, who is also the producer of this release, and he also takes credit for discovering Takaaki playing at an unprepossessing New York restaurant. Filled with pleasing notes and an interesting propulsive framework, the composition provides the setting for the players to show they are a nimble and self-assured trio. John Lewis’ “Django” was an integral part of the Modern Jazz Quartet’s repetoire. The trio gives a sympathetic reading to […]
Les McCann & Eddie Harris – Swiss Movement – Atlantic
Speakers Corner releases a masterful vinyl upgrade of an historic jazz concert! Les McCann & Eddie Harris – Swiss Movement – Atlantic 1537 (1969)/Speakers Corner (2018) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 36:26 *****: (Les McCann – piano, vocal; Eddie Harris – tenor saxophone; Benny Bailey – trumpet; Leroy Vinnegar – bass; Donald Dean – drums) 1969 is regarded as one of the most eventful years in American culture. To be specific. the tumultuous extremes of the Sixties were exemplified by the cultural landmarks. There was a moon landing, Woodstock, the draft lottery, Charles Manson, the introduction of the Pontiac Trans Am, the Boeing 747 and the establishment of PBS. The advent of anti-establishment protest spread throughout the country. Movies like Easy Rider defined the restlessness and dysfunction of the counterculture. The musical landscape in 1969 reflected the rebellious ideology as well. Hyperbolic political and social contexts were intermingled with the expanding musical genre-bending. Jazz was undergoing a transformation also. Veteran cool jazz icon Miles Davis was experimenting with electric rock/funk. Many artists embraced a soul ambiance in the new jazz structures. These soul jazz performers included Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, Hank Crawford, Curtis Fuller, Freddie Hubbard and Herbie Hancock. Two jazz […]
FALLA: Fantasia Baetica & other piano works – Garrick Ohlsson, piano – Hyperion
Spain’s musical soul enjoys brilliant illumination in this survey of Manuel de Falla’s keyboard works. FALLA: Cuatro piezas espanolas; El sombrero de tres picos; Canto de los remeros del Volga; El amor brujo (trans. Falla); Homenaje “Pour le tombeau de Claude Debussy”; Sequnda danza Espanola; Fantasia Baetica – Garrick Ohlsson, piano – Hyperion CDA68177, 70:00 (3/2/18) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: In his memoir My Younger Years, Artur Rubinstein recalls his first impressions upon having met Manuel de Falla (1876-1946), whom he felt “resembled a grocer or butcher; but, when he sat down at the keyboard, the very soul of Spain flowed forth like a river.” Garrick Ohlsson (rec. 23-25 November 2016) opens with the 1909 Four Spanish Pieces, composed in Paris, where French influences—Debussy, Dukas and Ravel—mixed with the presence of Isaac Albeniz to produce Falla’s original blend of Spanish rhythm in his economical, accented syntax. The repeated notes of the Aragonesa easily capture flamenco boots, but the sense of cante jondo (deep song) no less asserts itself. Cubana has an easy lilt, a robust night song or serenade. Montanesa exerts a music-box sensibility over a water-borne bass line, a Debussy derivative. Andaluza nods to Albeniz in its […]
The Ruggiero Ricci/Martha Argerich 1961 Leningrad Recitals
The Ruggiero Ricci/Martha Argerich Leningrad Recitals from April 21-22, 1961 This week, The Music Treasury features historic recordings of two exceptional musicians of the last century—Ruggiero Ricci and Martha Argerich. Ruggiero Ricci (1918-2012), the San Francisco-born violin prodigy, retained his prowess almost to the day he died. Like Menuhin, Ricci was a pupil of Louis Persinger, and then went on to study with Georg Kulenkampff. Paul Stassevitch, and Michel Piasto. He became known as a Paganini specialist, but his repertory embraced music of every style, including his championship of the Concerto of Alberto Ginastera. His intonation could be razor sharp, and his poetic expressiveness raised the level of the virtuoso pieces he championed to an exalted height. Martha Argerich, Argentinian virtuoso, remains in the spotlight she created at the age of nineteen. At age 24 she won the International Chopin Piano Competition, likely the result of her studies first with Friedrich Gulda, and then with Nikita Magaloff and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. Besides enjoying a distinguished solo career, she has assumed directorship of numerous chamber music festivals, which invite both veteran and young musicians to perform a diverse range of repertory. Dr Gary Lemco hosts The Music Treasury, which can be […]
SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata D. 960; Fantasie for piano, four hands, D. 940; Marche militaire, D. 733 – Philippe Entremont, piano/ Gen Tomuro, piano – Solo Musica
Philippe Entremont fulfills a personal project to record the Schubert keyboard music he most treasures. SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat Major, D. 960; Fantasie in f minor for Piano, Four hands, D. 940; Marche militaire in D Major, D. 733, No. 1 – Philippe Entremont, piano/ Gen Tomuro, piano – Solo Musica SM 276, 68:42 (2/2/18) [Distr. by Sony] ****: Sometime around 1980 I met and spoke to Philippe Entremont (b. 1934) after a recital at the Atlanta Fox Theater, during which I mentioned how appropriate I thought his tone and touch would suit the music of Schubert. “I dearly love Schubert,” Entremont replied, “but I have yet to address him in the recording studio.” Now, almost 40 years later, Entremont fulfills his own, long-deferred project to record Schubert’s music for posterity. He chooses as his major work Schubert’s late (1828) Sonata in B-flat Major, the last of a triptych that testify to something like Schubert’s inner compulsion to express himself in the form. The already expansive first movement Molto moderato assumes even greater breadth with Entremont’s taking the repeat. A realization of Schubert’s sensitivity to loss, the music interrupts the opening statement with a disturbed trill on […]
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends – To Bonnie From Delaney – Atco
An album by under-appreciated rock icons gets an analog upgrade! Delaney & Bonnie & Friends – To Bonnie From Delaney – Atco SD-33-341 (1970)/Speakers Corners (2018) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 42:18 ****1/2: (Delaney Bramlett – guitar, vocals; Bonnie Bramlett – vocals; complete list of performers below) In the annals of rock history, there has never been a duo as influential and under-appreciated as Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett. Their powerhouse amalgam of gospel, pop, rock and roll, country and blues helped to launch the roots-based Southern sound. Bramlett who was an influential guitarist (apparently inspired George Harrison on slide guitar) came to prominence with the Shindogs (the “house” band for the popular 60’s TV show Shindig that included Leon Russell.) Bonnie Bramlett was a blues singing prodigy who sang with Albert King at 14, and was a backup singer (an Ikette) for Ike And Tina Turner. With Russell’s help, Delaney and Bonnie signed a contract with Stax Records, releasing their debut, Home. After moving to Electra, the band (known as Delaney & Bonnie & Friends due to the revolving door of studio musicians anxious to be part of this phenomenon) broke through with Accept No Substitute. In 1969, Delaney & Bonnie opened […]
BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonatas “Hammerklavier” & “Moonlight” – Murray Perahia, piano – DGG
Murray Perahia offers two distinct Beethoven sonatas from polar aspects of his idiosyncratic Romanticism. BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier”; Piano Sonata No. 14 in c-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 “Moonlight” – Murray Perahia, piano – DGG 470 8353, 55:42 (2/9/18) [Distr. by Universal] ****: Beethoven in 1818 had composed relatively few pieces, and the arrival of a new Broadwood instrument suddenly impelled him from his creative lassitude. The great range and potent sonority of this keyboard approximated, for Beethoven, the “symphonic” equivalent that he had imagined but could never quite realize. The ubiquitous interval of a third has become an ironic fixture in a work so innately vast in scale that its effect as a connecting tissue might seem trivial, especially given the breadth of the gestures that run rampant in the opening movement. The “competition” or juxtaposition, of conjunct, thirds and disjunct, leaping, block-chord, double-dotted figures continues, offset by cascades of scales, the sonorities of which sound like pearly music boxes. The progression prefigures the “Handelian” overture for The Consecration of the House, with its development marked by displacements of the original B-flat harmony and into D and G Major. In a […]
LOUIS COUPERIN: Dances from the Bauyn Manuscript = Three suites (d minor, g minor, A Major) and other dances. – Pavel Kolesnikov, piano – Hyperion
Pavel Kolesnikov devotes a refined disc to the music of Louis Couperin, one of the pillars of the French clavecin school. LOUIS COUPERIN: Dances from the Bauyn Manuscript = Suite in d minor; Suite in g minor; Suite in A Major; Allemande Grave in F Major; Chaconne in F Major; Chaconne ou Passacaille in g minor; Pavane in f-sharp minor; Tombeau de Mr de Blancrocher – Pavel Kolesnikov, piano – Hyperion CDA68224, 79:11 (3/3018) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: For the French Baroque, the esteemed Couperin family occupies a singular place, and Louis Couperin (1626-1661) perhaps deserves the celebrity of his brother Francois (1668-1733). As composer, harpsichord player, organist, and viol performer, Louis built a solid reputation, especially as his music became, in the words of Abbe Le Gallois, “valued by the learned [for its] full… chords and enriched with beautiful dissonances, imagery, and imitation.” Louis Couperin’s music—serving the special province of the French clavecinistes—delights in the use of suspensions, and proceeds in a style that fluctuates between serenity and emotional turmoil. Highly influenced by Johann Jakob Froberger, Louis Couperin left some 120 pieces for harpsichord, assembled in random order after 1676 in an anthology, the Bauyn Manuscript, copied […]
Editorial for April, 2018
Celebration of Debussy Impressions: The Sound of Debussy is a 3 CD set from Warner Classics, an enticing sampler of Warner’s release of the entirety of Debussy’s surviving corpus—Warner’s Claude Debussy: The Complete Works, released this year in at the centenary of his death, celebrating his rich creative output. Warner Classics has created a definitive release of all his know works, including six pieces in world-premiere recordings made especially for this edition. The collection was compiled in collaboration with renowned Debussy expert Denis Herlin (Editor-in-Chief of the complete critical edition of Debussy’s music for Durand, the composer’s publisher). The performing artists include Martha Argerich, Itzhak Perlman, Yehudi Menuhin, Daniel Barenboim, Kent Nagano and Sir Simon Rattle, among others. Additionally, there are recordings of Debussy himself performing his piano music. Impressions is a 3 CD subset of the larger Complete Works, and is offered this month courtesy of Warner Classics; all you need to do to enter is to fill out the form here: Register To Win. For more information about the 33 CD by Warner Classics’ Claude Debussy: The Complete Works, please see their web sites: https://www.debussy100.com. https://www.warnerclassics.com/claude-debussy-100/news/1711 [metaslider id=64748] AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began as a local program in San Francisco […]
Bill Frisell – Music Is – Okeh
A master of Americana music… Bill Frisell – Music Is – Okeh/Sony Masterworks 19075815002 – 58:44 – ****: (Bill Frisell – electric and acoustic guitars; loops; bass; ukulele, music boxes) Bill Frisell is a guitarist for all seasons. He fits in as the ultimate guitar sideman. His tastes are eclectic and cover rock, country, jazz, and bluegrass. His use of variable timbre is well known and he can combine beautiful melody with a rapid progression into dissonance. On one session he can cover John Lennon (All We Are Saying in 2011) and then play on a John Zorn Tzadik label that can satisfy the avant garde leanings. It has been quite awhile since Frisell’s previous solo album, Ghost Town. On his latest CD, Music Is, he returns to recording only his own compositions. There are five new tracks among the fifteen numbers, plus an alternate version of “Rambler” (that revisits one of his early ECM releases). His new CD was recorded at Tucker Martine’s Flora Recording and Playback Studio in Portland, Or. The acoustics are crisp and clear, and the echo of plucked strings is ever present. As the tracks were laid down, they were mixed to keep Frisell’s vision […]
Rahsaan Barber – The Music In the Night – Jazz Music City
A pleasurable amalgam of sounds that shows curiosity in accessing the contours of melody and harmony. Rahsaan Barber – The Music In the Night – Jazz Music City 56:12*** ( Rahsaan Barber – saxophones; Matt Endahl – piano; Jack Aylor – upright bass; Derrek Phillips – drumset; special guests: Dara Tucker – vocal #4; James DaSilva – guitar #7–10 ) Rahsaan Barber, is a slick saxophonist who is an integral part of Nashville’s pulsating music scene. In this session of easily recognizable compositions, he and the band have shown their curiosity in accessing the contours of melody and harmony, to deliver a pleasurable amalgam of sounds under the title The Music In the Night. Stylistically it is difficult to situate Barber’s playing although he does possess a well-constructed intonation and easy phrasing. As the band opens with Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” Barber’s playing shows that those previously mentioned traits are readily demonstrated. Butch Warren was a hard bop bassist in the 50s and 60s who played with Dexter Gordon, Jackie McLean and Thelonious Monk. His best known composition “The Backbone” was recorded by Dexter Gordon on the album A Swingin’ Affair. Barber gives it a boppish treatment playing with […]
Richard Royall “Duck” Baker IV (solo guitar) – Duck Baker Plays Monk – Triple Point
Monk on acoustic guitar is marvelous! Richard Royall “Duck” Baker IV (solo guitar) – Duck Baker Plays Monk [TrackList follows] – Triple Point TPR 271 (LP), 46:15 [3/23/18] ****: It’s been 36 years since Thelonious Monk passed away. His music and compositions continue to influence and inspire. Case in point is American fingerstyle guitarist Richard Royall “Duck” Baker IV’s new recording, the 46-minute Duck Baker Plays Monk. Throughout this album—available only as an LP—Baker explores the intricacies of nine Monk tunes. Baker has been around since the early 1970s. He’s performed jazz, blues, gospel, ragtime, folk, and Irish and Scottish music. He has over 30 albums to his credit and has been featured on numerous guitar anthologies. He has also written many guitar instruction books. Artists he has collaborated with include Tommy Emmanuel. Duck wanted to do a collection of solo acoustic guitar arrangements of Monk compositions about the time he did Spinning Song: Duck Baker Plays the Music of Herbie Nichols (1996). Baker has performed Monk’s music at various gigs for decades. For a long time, Duck could not find a label which was interested. He taped seven Monk pieces in 2010. But it was another five years before […]
Alfred Brendel Live in Vienna = SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto; BRAHMS Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel – Alfred Brendel, piano/ Vienna Phil. Orch./ Sir Simon Rattle – Decca
Music of Schumann and Brahms graces these two appearances in Vienna by Alfred Brendel, testaments to his mastery of the Romantic idiom.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
