John Sunier Archive
Concierto – Jim Hall, guitar – CTI/ Pure Pleasure PPAN 6060 – (2 vinyl discs)
Probably Jim Hall’s best album, now in glorious remastered vinyl sonics.
Audio News for August 25, 2015
Wild Classical Violinist Nigel Kennedy Going on Road With Music of Jimi Hendrix; Bach on the Moog – Again; New Bone Conduction Headphones; Russound Adds to XStream Line
Shen Lu: Watercolor = PEIXUN: Autumn Moon on a Calm Lake; RAVEL: Miroirs; RACHMANINOV: Etudes Tableaux; DUN: Eight Memories in Watercolor – Shen Lu, p. – Steinway & Sons
Chinese virtuoso Shen Lu offers a series of watercolors cut from Hunan and Western sensibilities.
DVORAK: Piano Concerto in g minor; SCHUBERT: Fantasy for Piano in C Major, “Wanderer” – Sviatoslav Richter, p./ Bavarian State Orch./ Carlos Kleiber – Warner Classics
Classic renditions by Richter of Dvorak and Schubert constitute “required listening” for anyone who appreciates this keyboard titan.
Sol Gabetta: Prayer = Works of BLOCH, SHOSTAKOVICH, CASALS – Sony Classical
Cellist Sol Gabetta and friends pay their musical homage to peace through works which arose from a Jewish spirit of prayer and devotion.
“Momentum 21 – New Music for a New Century” = Works of JAMES AIKMAN, DEREK BERME; FOUMAI, THEOFANIDIS – Albany
Momentum will hold your interest with these great new works.
Simon & Garfunkel – The Complete Columbia Albums Collection – Sony/ Legacy Edition (6 vinyl discs)
Vinyl box set of this iconic duo is superb!
Felix Salmond, Volume 2 = Cello works of BEETHOVEN, CHOPIN, BIZET, PIANELLI, PIERNE – Pristine Audio
The second installment dedicated to cello virtuoso Felix Salmond features him in fine sound from Juilliard in three of the Beethoven sonatas.
Michael Gibbs and the NDR Bigband – Play a Bill Frisell Set List [TrackList follows] – Cuneiform Michael Gibbs and NDR Bigband – In My View [TrackList follows] – Cuneiform
The NDR Bigband celebrates the music of Bill Frisell and more.
R. STRAUSS: Symphonia Domestica; Die Tageszeiten — Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin/Rundfunkchor Berlin/ Marek Janowski – Pentatone
Excellent sound and performances make this hi-res surround disc very worthwhile.
John Fedchock New York Big Band – Like It Is – MAMA
A smartly cohesive celebration of sparkling musicianship.
Agnés Varda in California (1967-1981/2015)
Five films – some shorts and some features – made in California by Agnes Varda.
*JOHN ADAMS: Absolute Jest; Grand Pianola Music – SF Sym./ Michael Tilson Thomas – SFS Media
************ MULTICHANNEL DISC OF THE MONTH ************
Two wonderful works by John Adams in hi-res surround – one early and one late.
Fred Hersch – Solo – Palmetto Records
A pianist of unfailing imagination.
MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto in e minor; TCHAIKOVSKY: Violin Concerto in D Major – Arabella Steinbacher, v./ Orch. de la Suisse Romande/ Charles Dutoit – PentaTone
The inevitable violin concerto duo yet once more – wonderfully played – but do we yearn to add another such combination to a glut of performances?
Audio News for August 21, 2015
Walmart & Sam’s Club CE Sales Still Sluggish; Apple’s Music Festival to Stream for Free; Bluetooth Smart Technology Powers the Internet of Things; Three Tips for Making the Best Home Theater; Oculus Cinema Delivers Virtual Movie-Watching Experience
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 9; Violin Concerto No. 1 – Valery Gergiev/ Mariinsky Orch. / Leonidas Kavakos, v. – Mariinsky
The enigmatic Shostakovich 9th, with the superb Violin Concerto No. 1.
Billie Holiday: Banned From New York – Live 1948-1957 – Uptown Records (2 CDs)
A fitting tribute on the 100th Anniversary of her birth.
PROKOFIEV: Sym. No. 4 in C Major; Sym. No. 5 in B-flat Major; Dreams – Bournemouth Sym. Orch./ Kirill Karabits (Vol. 3) – Onyx
Karabits survey presents lyrically wistful renditions of the original C Major Fourth Symphony and the ever-potent Fifth Symphony.
Charlie Haden & Gonzalo Rubalcaba – Tokyo Adagio – Impulse
Telepathic communication…
SHOSTAKOVICH: Passacaglia from the Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk / Symphony No. 10 in e minor – Boston Sym. Orch. / Andris Nelsons – DGG
A stirring performance of the 10th Symphony with a recording to match.
Walt Disney Short Films Collection, Blu-ray (2015)
A dozen delightful Disney & Pixar cartoons the whole family will love.