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BACH: The Cello Suites, arr. by Valter Despalj – Petrit Ceku, guitar – Eudora

BACH: The Cello Suites, arr. by Valter Despalj – Petrit Ceku, guitar – Eudora

by | Oct 15, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

J.S. BACH: The Cello Suites, arr. by Valter Despalj – Petrit Ceku, guitar – Eudora multichannel SACD 1602 – CD 1: 58: 57, CD 2: 74:31 (5/6/16) *****: The cello suites in spectacular hi-res surround sound recorded on guitar in new arrangements by Valter Despalj. It is with great anticipation that one sits down to take in a guitar recital of the complete Bach Cello Suites by Croatian guitarist Petrit Ceku released by Eudora on SACD. One is always a bit nervous about one’s seat. Too far back and we are with the snoozers who need to be jogged awake. And yet it is awkward, impolite even, to be seated too close; some recordings thrust your head into the very sound-hole of the instrument.  But with the first almost too well-known Prelude in G major, we realize with joy that we are ideally positioned in row 6, seat M, in a smallish recital hall with medium-dry acoustic. The balance between the upper end of the guitar and the low E is graciously achieved, while the amber hues of the middle-range are superbly nuanced and affecting. The instrument by Ross Gutmeier is well-behaved in all registers, and yet it is not […]

Kavakos, v. – Virtuoso = Works of Tarrega, Paganini, Falla, Stravinsky, Sarasate, Elgar, Etc.

Kavakos, v. – Virtuoso = Works of Tarrega, Paganini, Falla, Stravinsky, Sarasate, Elgar, Etc.

by | Aug 30, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

True virtuoso fiddle-playing! “Kavakos – Virtuoso” = STRAVINSKY: Danse russe; Chanson russe; SARASATE: Caprice basque; Romanza andaluza; TARREGA: Recuerdos de la Alhambra; FALLA: Danza del molinera; PAGANINI: Introduction and Variations on “Nel cor piu non mi sento”; Variations on “God Save the King”; WIENIAWSKI: Caprice-valse; R. STRAUSS: Waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier (arr. Prihoda); DOHNANYI: Gypsy Andante; BRITTEN: Reveille; ELGAR: La Capricieuse; TCHAIKOVSKY: Valse sentimentale; DVORAK: Humoresque – Leonidas Kavakos, v./ Enrico Pace, p. – Decca 478 9377, 78:47 (5/8/16) [Distr. by Universal] ****:  Recorded in Athens 28-31 May 2015, this program celebrates the bravura art of the virtuoso encore in the European tradition, an art that several contemporary instrumentalists – especially Leonidas Kavakos – have decided to reinvigorate. Kavakos plays the Abergavenny Stradivarius of 1724, an instrument quite capable of projecting a vivid, piercing range of tone, including the fearsome four-note chords that transform a piece like the opening Danse russe of Stravinsky into a ‘symphonic’ experience. If Kavakos’ passionate gypsy-classical style approaches that of any of the old masters, it is likely Huberman. The two Paganini works demand left-hand pizzicato, three- and four-note chords, tremolo, staccato, ricochet bowing, duets between melody and left-hand pizzicato accompaniment. Considerable hazards abound, and […]

Randy Brecker – Randy Pop – Piloo

Randy Brecker – Randy Pop – Piloo

by | Apr 1, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Randy Brecker – Randy Pop – Piloo PR009, 77:54 ****: (Randy Brecker – trumpet, effects, voice; Kenny Werner – piano, keyboards, arrangements; David Sanchez – tenor saxophone; Amanda Brecker – vocals; Adam Rogers – guitar; John Patitucci – bass; Nate Smith – drums) Elite session musician revisits his pop career in a jazzy way! Randy Brecker has been among the elite of session musicians for nearly fifty years. More importantly, his contributions involve a wide array of music. Brecker has played with Horace Silver, Bruce Springsteen, Charles Mingus, Frank Zappa, Stanley Turrentine, Lou Reed, Spyro Gyra, Dire Straits, Larry Coryell and Blood Sweat & Tears, to name a few. He was a successful band leader, most notably with the Brecker Brothers Band, that included his sibling Michael. That group earned several Grammy nominations and two wins. Brecker also garnered two Grammy awards as a solo artist. Music fans are familiar with a lot of his work by sound, if not by name. Brecker has assembled a top-notch band to revisit and invigorate his jazzy pop legacy. Randy Pop recreates nine songs that Brecker played on in his vaunted studio career. Arranged (or “deranged” as described by Brecker in the liner […]