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Reason & Reverence: Works for Orchestra – Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra / Petr Vronský – Navona

Reason & Reverence: Works for Orchestra – Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra / Petr Vronský – Navona

by | Jun 26, 2018 | Classical CD Reviews

An excellent collection of contemporary collection of music around the theme of reverence and growth Reason & Reverence: Works for Orchestra – Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra / Petr Vronský Navona Records NV6166  (6/8/2018) ****: What a refreshingly good listen this disc from Navona is. The album starts splendidly with Christopher Keyes’ An Inescapable Entanglement. It has a minimalistic style, with some more traditional elements. Red Rock is a symphonic poem commissioned by the Henderson Symphony and its music director, Taras Krysa. The music reflects Nevada’ Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas.  It’s an interesting piece, full of invention and subtle musical color. Fernidnando De Sena’s Deciphered Reverence explores the lofty idea of divine presence and creates an interpretation through the consistent, triumphant swelling of the orchestra. Composed by Willem Van Twillert, multiple styles set the foundation for Branches of Singularity. Multiple developments transitions from one style to another create an interesting and attention getting piece. Andrew Schultz’ Symphony No. 2 – Ghosts of Reason concludes the CD nicely. It’s a slower, contemplative piece. Sometimes a mixture of composers does not make for a good listening experience. But Reason and Reverence flows together very nicely, with some very fresh voiced composers. The […]

by | Jan 17, 2017 | Audio News

Hints On Shooting a Classical Video – (From a Grammy-award-winning producer:  Choose the piece but film the moment; Set the scenes & shoot it lean; Keep it real; Tell a story; Get intimate.  “If the viewer wants to focus purely on the music they’re welcome to shut their eyes. But if they want to watch you making the music, make sure they are watching something interesting.” Most Home Theater Companies Missing from CES –  Only four companies were there: AudioControl, Wolf Cinema, James and Vutec.  Though the Venetian suites had a $196,000 home theater demo, the lack of true home theater was noticeable at CES in Las Vegas. It is becoming apparent that manufacturers seeking to create trade channel partnerships with integrators are bypassing CES. But there was still plenty to see the show from a display standpoint. LG, Sony and Panasonic showcased impressive flat panel technology, namely OLED. But there were few audio companions.  The exorbitant hotel prices are also reducing media traffic, and then there is the huge congestion at the show. Moving between venues generally takes one to two hours. The Return of the Violin – The violin is getting much attention in recordings and live concerts […]

THORESEN: Sea of Names – Music by LASSE THORESEN – Maiken Mathisen Schau, flute/Trond Schau, p. – 2L

THORESEN: Sea of Names – Music by LASSE THORESEN – Maiken Mathisen Schau, flute/Trond Schau, p. – 2L

by | Nov 17, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

THORESEN: Sea of Names – Music by LASSE THORESEN – Maiken Mathisen Schau, flute/Trond Schau, p. – 2L multichannel SACD 2l-127 (11/18/16) *** 1/2: Contemporary chamber music from Norway, well-played and recorded. Lasse Thoresen is a well-known composer of contemporary Scandinavian music, inspired by a culture rich in a tradition of experimentation. His chamber music for flute and piano is here performed by Maiken and Trond Schau with virtuosity and precision that brings this music to life. Thoresen is Professor of Composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. He began composing at age 15. This disc is a compilation of works composed between 1976 and 2011. Some of the works are spiritual. Other represent the Norwegian countryside. Thoresen is not a name most western music fans will know, but his works as presented here are worth a thoughtful listen. The various pieces work well together as a full program. The audio is up to the usual 2L standards, even though the program material is not a sonic spectacular with a full orchestra or chorus. Even then, the dynamics of the piano and details of the flute come across quite realistically. The session was recorded at the Sofienberg Church […]

JOHN ADAMS: The Dharma at Big Sur; My Father Knew Charles Ives – BBC Sym. Orch./ John Adams /with Tracy Silverman, electric violin – Nonesuch (2 CDs)

JOHN ADAMS: The Dharma at Big Sur; My Father Knew Charles Ives – BBC Sym. Orch./ John Adams /with Tracy Silverman, electric violin – Nonesuch (2 CDs)

by | Oct 24, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

JOHN ADAMS: The Dharma at Big Sur; My Father Knew Charles Ives – BBC Sym. Orch./ John Adams /with Tracy Silverman, electric violin – Nonesuch 2-CD disc set 79857-2, 52:00 (9/26/06) ****: John Adams at his best with an East Coast and West Coast-themed musical offering. This is not a new disc, as it was released in 2006. But it is an important disc from one of the world’s greatest living composers, John Adams. This two disc set offers The Dharma at Big Sur, which comprises the 2003 title piece by Pulitzer Prize–winning composer John Adams, as well as My Father Knew Charles Ives, also from 2003. Both pieces are performed by London’s BBC Symphony Orchestra and conducted by the composer. The first piece, The Dharma at Big Sur is a musical offering reflecting on Adams’ move from the East to the West coast of America. Says the composer: “I immediately began searching my mind for an image, either verbal or pictorial, that could summon up the feelings of being an emigrant to the Pacific Coast—as I am, and as are so many who’ve made the journey here, both physically and spiritually. Coming upon the California coast, the Western shelf […]

Tribute to Hans Rosbaud – Works of BERG, WEBERN, SIBELIUS, BARTOK – Rosbaud cond. – Praga Digitals

Tribute to Hans Rosbaud – Works of BERG, WEBERN, SIBELIUS, BARTOK – Rosbaud cond. – Praga Digitals

by | Sep 24, 2016 | Classical Reissue Reviews

Praga presents a cross-section of Hans Rosbaud, a conductor who explores and experiments with all music. Tribute to Hans Rosbaud – BERG: Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6; WEBERN: Six Pieces for Large Orch., Op. 6; SIBELIUS: Valse Triste, Op. 44; Tapiola, Op. 112; BARTOK: Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion – Maria Bergman & Hans Rosbaud, pianos/ Werner Brabinger and Erich Seiler, perc./ SWR Sym. Orch., Baden-Baden/ Berlin Philharmonic (Sibelius)/ Hans Rosbaud – Praga Digitals PRD 250 333, 79:57 (10/7/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: Hans Rosbaud was a champion of contemporary music during the pre-stereo era. Hans Rosbaud (1895-1962) remains a vital force in the history of contemporary music, his having championed the work of serial composers, Bartok, and neo-Expressionists at a time when his only serious rivals in these efforts had been Hermann Scherchen and Rene Leibowitz. In the world of more” conventional” musical composition, Rosbaud could be as insightful land emotionally pungent as his colleagues Fricsay, Fuurtwaengler, and Klemperer, though his own approach lay well within the literalist tradition. My late colleague at the New York based “First Hearing” microphone, Richard Kapp, had been a devoted pupil of Rosbaud who never ceased arguing for Rosbaud’s under-rated, […]