chorus Archive
RICHARD DANIELPOUR: Songs of Solitude; War Songs; Toward the Splendid City – Thomas Hampson, bari./Nashville Sym. Orch./ Giancarlo Guerrero – Naxos
Some very moving and well-written songs on topics of war. RICHARD DANIELPOUR: Songs of Solitude; War Songs; Toward the Splendid City – Thomas Hampson, bari./Nashville Sym. Orch./Giancarlo Guerrero – Naxos 8.559792, 60:48, (10/14/16) ****: For people who follow American contemporary classical music only casually composer Richard Danielpour might not be one of the first names […]
Aretha Franklin – Yeah!!! – Columbia LP /Pure Pleasure vinyl
Aretha Franklin – Yeah!!! – Columbia CS 9151 (1965)/Pure Pleasure vinyl (2016) PPAN CS9151, 35:23 ****: This vinyl re-master captures the early career of an iconic artist! (Aretha Franklin – vocals, piano; Teddy Harris – piano; Kenny Burrell – guitar; James “Beans Richardson – doublebass; Hindell Butts – drums) She was known as The Queen […]
BELLINI: I Capuleti e i Montecchi (2016)
BELLINI: I Capuleti e i Montecchi (2016) You might want to pass this one up… Performers: Chorus & Orchestra of the Zurich Opera House/ Joyce DiDonato, Olga Kulchynska, Benjamin Bernheim, Roberto Lorenzi/ Fabio Luisi (cond.)/ Christof Loy (stage director)/ Franck Evin (lighting designer) Studio: Accentus Music [9/30/16] Length: 139 min. Video: 1.78:1 for 16:9 screens, […]
JENKINS: Cantata Memoria – For the Children – Bryn Terfel, bass-bar./ Elin Manahan Thomas, sop./ Cywair and CF1 Chorus/ Sinfonia Cymru/ Karl Jenkins – DGG
JENKINS: Cantata Memoria – For the Children (In Memory of Aberfan 1966) Bryn Terfel, bass-bar./ Elin Manahan Thomas, sop./ Cywair and CF1 Chorus/ Sinfonia Cymru/ Karl Jenkins – DGG 4796486, 56:00 (10/7/16) ****: A magnificent cantata that will leave the listener moved. This piece was written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the disaster on […]
Comparison of two Beethoven Ninths, both on SACD
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9 – Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orch. -/Wojciech Rajski – Tacet multichannel SACD in “Real Surround Sound” – TACET S 219 5.1 61:00 (8/12/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9 – Beethoven Orch. of Bonn/ Stefan Blunier – DGG Gold multichannel SACD 5.1 MDQ 937 1899-6 67:44 [Distr. by Ent. One] […]
RACHMANINOV: All-Night Vigil – London Sym. Chorus/ Simon Halsey – LSO Sing
LSC enters the fray with a release of highly competitive value. RACHMANINOV: All-Night Vigil, Op. 37 – London Symphony Chorus/ Simon Halsey – LSO Sing multichannel SACD LSO0781, 53:28 [Distr. by Naxos] (6/10/16) *****: If there is any work of Rachmaninov’s that has benefitted from the surround sound revolution, it is certainly his seminal All-Night […]
“Tapestries” = Choral works of DAN LOCKLAIR – soloists/The Choral Art Society/ Robert Russell – MSR Classics
A wonderful and generous sampling of some of the finest choral music written today. “Tapestries” = DAN LOCKLAIR: Holy Canticles; Alleluia Dialogues; Instant Culture; On Cats; Break Away!; Dona Nobis Pacem; Proclaim The Lord; A Christmas Carol; Three Christmas Motets; Windswept (The Trees); For Amber Waves; Tapestries; Brief Mass; Changing Perceptions; Epitaph – Ann Doyle, […]
JANACEK: Glagolitic Mass – Soloists/Evard Grieg & Bergen Cath.Choir – Chandos
JANACEK: Glagolitic Mass – Sara Jakubiak (sop.)/ Susan Bickley (mezzo)/ Stuart Skelton (tenor)/ Gábor Bretz (bass)/ Thomas Trotter (organ)/ Edward Gardner cond. Bergen Philharmonic Orch./ Bergen Philharmonic Choir & Choir of Collegiûm Mûsicûm; Adagio for Orch. – Bergen Philharmonic Orch./ Zdravas Maria, – Sara Jakubiak (sop.)/ David Stewart (violin)/ Karstein Askeland (organ)/ Edvard Grieg Chorus […]
HANDEL: Messiah at Grace Cathedral – audio-only Blu-ray (2015)
Rather laidback for my taste. HANDEL: Messiah at Grace Cathedral (1753 Foundling Hospital Version) – audio-only Blu-ray (2015) Mary Wilson, sop./ Eric Jurenas, countertenor/ Kyle Stegall, tenor/ Jesse Blumberg, bar./ John Thiessen, trumpet/ American Bach Soloists/ American Bach Ch./ Jeffrey Thomas (Live from Grace Cathedral, San Francisco 2014) Producer: Abigail McKee Director: Frank Zamacona Studio: […]
DVORAK: Stabat Mater – Soloists/Radio Sym. & Choir of Bavarian Radio/ Mariss Janssons – BR Klassik
This live performance maintains an air of piety and devotion requisite to its powerful musical occasion. DVORAK: Stabat Mater, Op. 58 – Erin Wall, sop./ Minoko Fujimura, mezzo-sop./ Christian Elsner, tenor/ Liang Li, bass/ Choir of the Bavarian Radio/ Bavarian Radio Sym. Orch./ Mariss Janssons – BR Klassik 900142, 77:55 [Distr. by Naxos] (1/8/16) *****: […]
BRAHMS: Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) – Mariss Jansons / Concertgebouw Orch./ Soloists / Netherlands Radio Choir – RCO Live
A very worthwhile addition to the Brahms catalog.
WAGNER: The Flying Dutchman, Blu-ray (2015)
The modernist liberties with the set design are really strange.
RODION SHCHEDRIN: The Left-Hander – Mariinsky Orch. and Chorus/ Valery Gergiev/ Soloists – Mariinsky (2 SACDs)
Sardonic little comedy in the Shostakovich tradition.
MAHLER: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 – Paavo Jarvi conducts, Blu-ray (2015)
An ambitious Mahler performance marred by reduced-quality video and odd audio.
HANDEL: Messiah – Lucy Crowe, sop./ Andrew Staples, alto/ Tim Mead, tenor/ Christopher Purves, bass/ Le Concert D’Astree/ Emmanuelle Haim – Erato (2 CDs)
Less than I had hoped for, but more than run-of-the-mill, with some glorious moments.
HANDEL: Messiah – Soloists/ Le Concert D’Astree/ Emmanuelle Haim – Erato (2 discs)
Less than I had hoped for, but more than run-of-the-mill, with some glorious moments.
* WAGNER: Complete Mature Operas [Details below] – PENTATONE multichannel (32 SACDs + 1 DVD)
************* MULTICHANNEL CDs OF THE MONTH *************
If you love Wagner, you have to have this magnificent set.
JOHN WARD: Fantasies & Verse Anthems [Track List follows] – Phantasm/ Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford – Linn
Part two of the Ward fantasias add the even better verse anthems, a marvel of poetic nuance and expressiveness.
The Tommy Igoe Groove Conspiracy
Drummer captures big band jazz with a funky delivery!
SCHONBERG: Moses and Aaron – Franz Grundheber (Moses)/ Andreas Conrad (Aron)/ Johanna Winkel & Katharina Persicke, sop./ Elvira Bill, Nora Petrochenko, altos/ Jean-noel Briend, Jason Bridges, tenors/ Andreas Wolf, bari./ Friedemann Rohlig, bass/ Europa Choral Akademie/ SWR Sym. Orch. Baden-Baden and Freiburg/ Sylvain Cambreling – Hanssler Classic
The first SACD recording of this seminal piece—and it’s a great one.
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9 cond. by Kurt Masur; Classical Music and Cold War, Blu-ray (1991/2014)
A great performance of Beethoven’s Ninth plus a fascinating documentary on musicians in the GDR during the cold war.
Frank Kimbrough Quartet – Palmetto Records
Frank Kimbrough is a pianist of vision and invention who along with his cohorts makes this session a most interesting offering.