Monthly Archive: September 2018
The Lily and the Rose — Medieval Music—The Binchois Consort—Hyperion
A rich visit into the choral music of Medieval Music of England.
MOZART: Violin Concerto Nos. 4 & 5 – London Symphony Orchestra/ Nikolaj Znaider, violin and conductor – LSO
Gentle, persuasively fluent virtuosity marks the Znaider readings of Mozart two last violin concertos.
Andy Biskin and 16 Tons – Songs from the Alan Lomax Collection – Andorfin
Transplanting the legacy of Alan Lomax into the jazz lexicon.
Stokowski: Wartime NBC Performances = Works by COPLAND; MOHAUPT; LAVALLE; HANSON; AMFITHEATROF; ANTHEIL; SCHOENBERG – Pristine Audio
Stokowski and the NBC Symphony between 1942 and 1944 deliver to the world a series of world premieres.
Joshua Trinidad – In November – RareNoise
Scandinavian-inspired jazz from a Denver trumpeter.
Other Animal – Other Animal – Traumton
A quartet from the ‘other’ side of jazz/improvised music.
Tord GUSTAVSEN trio: The Other Side – ECM
Tord Gustavsen trio adds Bach, and traditional Norwegian folk tunes to their modal repertoire to good effect.
“Six Evolutions” = BACH: Six Suites for Solo Cello – Yo-Yo Ma, cello – Sony Classical
The third time proves the charm for the ever-intrepid Yo-Yo Ma!
Lucia Jackson – You And The Night And The Music – Roni Music
A singer with a warm and charming voice
Horenstein conducts PROKOFIEV = Symphony Nos. 1 & 5; Suites – Concerts Colonne Orchestra Paris – Pristine Audio
Pristine restores the vivid 1954 Vox performances by Jascha Horenstein of music by Prokofiev, now imbued with new life.
The Music Treasury for 23 September 2018 – Aldo Ferraresi, Violinist
The Music Treasury presenting Violinist Aldo Ferraresi.
Will Ackerman – FLOW – LMB Music
Will Ackerman – FLOW – LMB Music 11006, 50:33 ****1/2: With three instruments and bona fide gravitas as instrumentalists, Flow is a group of established solo artists who have joined together to share a specific musical vision. Will Ackerman, Windham Hill founder and producer may be the most recognized member of Flow (whose spelling is an acronymic play on their names; Fiona/“F”; Lawrence/“L”; Jeff Oster/“O” and of course /“W”). Ackerman’s career spans over three decades and his thoughtful approach to acoustic guitar is iconic. At Windhan Hill, the music that he popularized was known as New Age. He is joined in the band by Australian pianist and vocalist Fiona Joy, finger-guitarist Lawrence Blatt and trumpet/flugelhorn artist (and “organizer” of this band). Individually all four players have critically acclaimed recordings and live performances on their resumes in Contemporary Instrumental music, New Age or even Ambient stylings. Regardless of the classification debates, this “supergroup” transcends the limitations of any genre. While still performing and recording, Ackerman has been a fruitful producer at his Imaginary Road Studios, in Vermont. This opportunity to work with brilliant musicians and create a cohesive, yet expansive aural landscape was impossible to ignore. FLOW was born out of […]
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony Nos. 4, 5 – SWR Symphony Orchestra/ Hans Rosbaud – SWR
Hans Rosbaud appears before his Baden-Baden orchestra in spirited, vibrant renditions of two Tchaikovsky symphonies.
“Teach Me Thy Statutes” = CHESNOKOV: Music from the All-Night Vigil and the Divine Liturgy – Vladimir Gorbik – Reference Recordings
Stunning music in vibrant and nearly-perfect surround sound.
Stephen Yip – Whispering Fragrance – Navona
Whispering Fragrances — a window into the world of contemporary composer Stephen Yip, with instruments ranging from solo violin to chamber ensembles with saxophone, bassoon, strings, piano, guzheng…
Justin Brown – Nyeusi – Biophilia
Bringing ‘fusion’ into the modern era.
SAINT-SAËNS: Piano Concertos – Louis Lortie/ BBC Philharmonic/ Edward Gardner – Chandos
Louis Lortie and conductor Gardner present us dazzling intensely athletic accounts of the three Saint-Saëns concertos, brilliant and scintillating.
Ray Chen – The Golden Age – Decca
The Golden Age—Ray Chen plays works by Kreisler, Bruch, Debussy, Gershwin, Scott, and others. Ray Chen (violin), Julien Quentin (piano), London Philharmonic Orchestra, dir. Robert Trevino; Made in Berlin (quartet)—Decca 483-3852—53:26, *****: The promise of music from the “Golden Age” of violinists—namely by the likes of violinists such as Kreisler, Heifetz, and Joachim and composers like Debussy, Satie, and Gershwin—is the theme behind this new release from Australian violinist Ray Chen. Decca does a superb job of capturing the music in full fidelity, especially so when the music is divided among three ensembles recorded in different locations: violin and piano, violin and orchestra, and string quartet. To my ears, it all sounds as if it was recorded during the same take in the same location. Despite the name of the album, the sound is not pushed behind a gauzy golden veil, but instead is lean and forward. Not every artist might appreciate the transparency of this sound, but it has the effect of putting us, the listeners, right in the front row. It’s really well done. The piece that might set you back into the Golden Age most forcibly is the performance of Debussy’s Clair de lune, which sounds straight […]
JANACEK: Glagolitic Mass; Sinfonietta; Taras Bulba; The Fiddler’s Child – Jiri Belohlavek – Decca
The music of Leos Janacek makes a sensational impression under the guidance of Jiri Belohlavek.
Carlo Grante plays Schubert = Hungarian Melody; Moments Musicaux; Drei Klavierstuecke – Music&Arts
Carlo Grante “grants” us a generous selection of Schubert’s piano works, resonant and spirited.
The Music Treasury for 16 September 2018—Sir Hamilton Harty, Conductor/Composer
This week’s show of The Music Treasury will feature works of conductor Sir Hamilton Harty, from the first half of the last century. The show will air from 19:00 to 21:00 on Sunday, 16 September, and will be hosted as always by Dr Gary Lemco. The show may be heard from its host station, KZSU, or streamed live from kzsu.stanford.edu. Sir Hamilton Harty (1877-1941), conductor and composer Harty was born in Hillsborough, County Down, Ireland, the fourth of ten children of an Anglican (Church of Ireland) church organist, William Michael Harty (1852–1918), and his wife, Annie Elizabeth. Harty’s father taught him the viola, the piano and counterpoint, and, at the age of 12, he followed his father’s profession and was appointed organist of Magheracoll Church, County Antrim. Harty took further posts in his teenage years as a church organist in Belfast and Bray. While in Bray, he came under the influence of Michele Esposito, professor of piano at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, who encouraged him to pursue a career as a piano accompanist. As Bray is only 12 miles from Dublin, Harty was able to go into the city to hear an orchestra for the first time in his […]
The Early 20th = IVES: Concord Sonata, and works by NIELSEN, ENESCU; SCHOENBERG – Andrew Rangell, piano. Steinway and Sons
Andrew Rangell’s performance of these early 20th century works (the Ives is a masterpiece) captures the essence of their romantic yet revolutionary roots.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
