John Sunier Archive
ROBERT ACKERMAN: “The World of Robert Ackerman” – Interplay Classical – MSR Classics (3 CDs)
An interesting and exhaustive collection of work by this Renaissance man!
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Blu-ray/DVD/UV Digital Copy (2011)
The sequel to the 2009 Holmes movie.
Anatole Fistoulari Conducts Russian Concert Favorites = Works of GLINKA, TCHAIKOVSKY, BORODIN, GLAZUNOV, PROKOFIEV, RIMSKY-KORSAKOV – Guild
Émigré Fistoulari leads two crack British ensembles in music of his native Russia, popular favorites rendered with sonic audacity and verve.
REICHA: Woodwind Quintets Nos. 5 &6, Op. 100 – Westwood Quintet – Crystal
The absolute best saved for last. Entire set now also available.
BRUCKNER: Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9 – Vienna Philharmonic/ Carl Schuricht – EMI Classics Signature Series (2 discs)
Another exceptional 96/24 remastering of historic recordings to stereo SACD.
RACHMANINOV: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 ; Preludes: Op. 23 & 32 – Sviatoslav Richter, p./ Leningrad Philharmonic Orch./ USSR Radio-TV State Sym./ Kurt Sanderling – Melodiya/Praga Digitals
Another historical stereo recording brought to stereo-only SACD.
“A Second of Silence” – SATIE: Gymnopédie I & II; GLASS: Company; SCHUBERT: Gretchen am Spinnrade; Des Baches Wiedenlied from Die Schöne Müllerin; Symphony No. 3; Symphony No. 8 in b, “Unfinished”; MORTON FELDMAN: Madame Press Died Last Week at Ninety – The Knights/ Eric Jacobsen – Ancalagon
A chamber orchestra of great quality presented in a sterling package.
“Who are these Angels?” = Choral works of JAMES MACMILLAN – Capella Nova/Alan Tavener – Linn
Capella Nova’s MacMillan sequel.
Sun Ray – A Tribute to Ray Bryant – Lenny Marcus Trio and friends
A consistently imaginative musical offering commemorating Ray Bryant.
The Mahler Album = MAHLER: Adagietto from Symphony No. 5; Adagio from Symphony No. 10; BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 11, “Quartet Serioso” – Amsterdam Sinfonietta/ Candida Thompson – Channel Classics
Not quite all Mahler, but what we do get is very attractive indeed.
Autour de ROBERT SCHUMANN = C. SCHUMANN: 3 Preludes and Fugues on Themes of Schumann; BRAHMS: 7 Variations on a Theme by Schumann; SCHUNCKE: Grande Sonata; SCHUMANN: Toccata in C Major; 5 Pieces, Gesange der Fruhe – Sylviane Deferne, p. – Doron
Swiss pianist Sylviane Deferne pays tender homage to the Robert Schumann circle, performing works by him, his wife Clara, and acolytes Brahms and Schuncke.
“Rococo Variations for Cello and Piano” – 6 works by BEETHOVEN, MARTINU & GEBROT – Jeremy Findlay, c./ Per Rundberg, p. – Praga Digitals
A most enjoyable collection of variations for cello and piano.
Dan Cavanagh Trio – The Heart of the Geyser
A piano trio outing that offers some appealing music.
HOLST: The Planets; BRITTEN: Variations & Fugue on a Theme of Purcell – Ladies of the BBC Chorus/ BBC Sym. Orch./ Gennadi Rozhdestvensky – ICA Classics
Russian maestro Gennadi Rozhdestvensky seems to trump the British at their own standard repertory in these intensely explosive readings of two classics.
JOAQUIN CLERCH: Concierto De Otono (Autumn Concerto); Concerto de Caceres – Anette Malburg, flute/ Joaquin Clerch, guitar/ Orq. de Camara de la Habana/ Thomas Gabrisch – MDG Scene
A most enjoyable Cuban Flute Concerto and Guitar Concerto.
Audio News for June 19, 2012
Recorded Interviews With Capitol Exec Donated to Library of Congress; Perreaux Announces High End 32-bit DAC; Western Digital Dual-Band Wireless Routers; Onkyo Upgrades Two AVR-Speaker Systems
NIELSEN: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6 “Sinfonia semplice” – London Sym. Orch./ Sir Colin Davis – LSO Live
The only SACD version of these two important Nielsen symphonies.
NIKOS SKALKOTTAS: Concertino; KALEVI AHO: Seven Inventions with Postlude; R. STRAUSS: Concerto for Oboe and Small Orch. – Yeon-Hee Kwak, oboe/ Munich Radio Orch./ Johannes Goritzki/ David Pia, cello – MDG Scene
Two interesting oboe concerti and a work for oboe and cello by a leading Finnish composer.
ADOLF WIKLUND: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor & No. 2 in B minor; Konsertstycke in C Major – Martin Sturfält, piano/ Helsingborg Sym. Orch./ Andrew Manze – Hyperion
Hyperion’s amazing Romantic Piano Concerto series seems to go on forever, and this disc is a real winner.
GAL: Cello Concerto in E Minor; ELGAR: Cello Concerto – Antonio Meneses, cello/ Northern Sinfonia/ Claudio Cruz – Avie
Cello concertos by Hans Gal and (revisionist) Elgar provide virtuoso Antonio Meneses with vital responses for Gal’s own query, “Why does one write a concerto?”
Lakecia Benjamin – Retox – Motéma
Saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin tries it all: soul-jazz, funk, R&B and more.
LOIC MALLIE: Jeux (Six organ improvisations on themes of Claude Debussy) – Hortus
A strange take on themes of Debussy played on the pipe organ.