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MODEST MUSSORGSKY: Boris Godunov (2016)

MODEST MUSSORGSKY: Boris Godunov (2016)

by | Jan 27, 2017 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

A good quality ‘realistic’ production worth investigating. MODEST MUSSORGSKY: Boris Godunov (2016)   Production: Sofia Opera, Bulgaria Performers: Martin Tsonev (Boris Godunov)/Mario Kratsev (Fyodor)/Irina Zhekova (Kseniya)/Sofia Opera Orchestra and Chorus/Konstantin Chudovski (cond.)/Plamen Kartaloff (stage director)/Stefan Mushatov (screen director) Studio: Dynamic [7/29/16] (Distr. by Naxos) Video: 1.33:1 color Audio: DTS-HD 5.1, PCM Stereo Subtitles: French, English, Italian, German, Russian, Bulgarian, Korean Length: 115 min. Ratings: Audio ***  Video ***1/2  The opera, Boris Godunov, is considered by many to be Modest Mussorgsky’s masterwork. Mussorgsky was a member of Russian nationalist composers who became known as “The Five” (along with Balakirev, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov and the fairly obscure Cesar Cui.) I’ve always felt that the most interesting thing about this group is actually how comparatively few big famous masterworks came out of this cadre. Mussorgsky is probably best known for his Pictures an Exhibition; and that due to Ravel’s lush orchestration. Boris Godunov is based on the Pushkin play about the real seventeenth-century czar who overcame attempted uprisings and the deaths of both family members and advisors to become a bridge between the Tsar, “Ivan the Terrible” and a ‘modern’ Russia. Like all the czars, Godunov’s reign and mandate was not wholly pure but he […]

Audio News for November 22, 2016

by | Nov 22, 2016 | Audio News

Biggest Tech Turkeys of 2016 – according to Cnet, first Microsoft’s Surface tablet. Second, Google’s messenger overload; Third, watching sports in VR; Fourth, NFL draft prospect Laremey Tunsil smoking weed with a grass mask on Twitter – it went viral; Surface went offline during the AFC championship game in January; Twitter unceremoniously dumped Vine – a new service for sharing six-second videos; Uber is losing money; smartwatches are so 2015 – nobody is buying them; McDonald’s Un-Happy Meal, which has had a recall for burns and rashes; Microsoft would like you to forget about Tay, an AI they let loose on Twitter – she turned into a horny racist;  Facebook declared war on the Philippines;  Kanye asked Zuckerberg of Facebook for a load; Hulk Hogan slams Gawker in a privacy lawsuit; Snapchat filters draw ire; Computers blamed for missed flights with several airlines; Tesla’s autopilot led to a fatal car crash; T-Mobile moved to a single unlimited data plan and angered many customers; Verizon added fees to avoid fees; The FBI backed down from pushing Apple to unlock their iPhone; Apple eliminated the standard headphone jack in their new smartphones; BlackBerry goes nowhere and outsourced their phone business; The founder […]

Editorial for March 2014

Editorial for March 2014

by | Mar 1, 2014 | Editorial

Foghorn Classics and Allegro Distributors have donated five copies of the three-CD package The Complete String Quartets of Bartok & Kodaly. The Alexander String Quartet’s sense of natural communications seems to make the Bartók Quartets less difficult, and our reviewer raved about the set. This San Francisco label was founded in 1994 by the Alexander String Quartet. To be eligible for this drawing, just register this month via our simple non-intrusive form, and we won’t share your email address. The six winners will be listed in this space next month. Here are the six winners of our February drawing—the new vinyl, “Water”,  by vocalist Gregory Porter from Motema Records. Congrats to all six!: Cynthia Cathron, Dallas TX; Lorenzo Glover, Columbus OH; Joseph Cardettino, Niskayua NY; Sandra Deuel-Weiks, Newaygo MI; Beth Nilva, Reno NV; Vadim Fedotov, San Francisco CA. GUEST EDITORAL by Dr. Mark Waldrep of AIX Recordings Surround Music Never Caught On? The Audiophiliac, aka Steve Guttenberg, wrote an interesting piece over at cnet.com (click here to read the entire article) that in his opinion interest in surround sound is “fading fast”. While I do have a great deal of respect for Steve (he called our Goldberg Variations Blu-ray disc “best […]

Audio News for December 30, 2011

by | Dec 30, 2011 | Audio News

Scientists Resurrect Damaged Analog Audio Discs Via Photography; Inexpensive Adapter Brings DTS Surround to Computer Headphones; Optimism at Annual CEDIA Meeting; High Ultrasonic Noise on SACDs a Myth