instruments Archive
BEETHOVEN: Missa solemnis in D – Soloists/ Arnold Schoenberg Chor /Concentus Musicus Wien /Nicholas Harnoncourt ‒ Sony
BEETHOVEN: Missa solemnis in D Major, Op. 123 ‒ Laura Aikin, sop./ Bernarda Fink, alto / Johannes Chum, tenor/ Ruben Drole, bass/ Arnold Schoenberg Chor /Concentus Musicus Wien /Nicholas Harnoncourt ‒ Sony 88985313592, 81:00 (7/15/16) ***1/2: Harnoncourt was a great Beethoven conductor, but his final recording is not entirely successful. Did you know that Beethoven […]
“Piano Music of Jack Gallagher” = Frank Huang, piano – Centaur
A swish of the cape reveals another side to this marvelous composer. “Piano Music of Jack Gallagher” = Sonata; Evening Music; Sonatina; Nocturne; Six Bagatelles; Pastoral; Six Pieces for Kelly; Malambo Nouveau; Happy Birthday, April – Frank Huang, piano – Centaur CRC 3522, 78:13 [Distr. by Naxos] *****: I was in quite the anticipatory mode […]
Cyprien Katsaris – Die Wahlverwandtschten = Works of BEETHOVEN, MENDELSSOHN, LOEILLET, RAVEL, WANG, Etc. – Piano 21
Cyprien Katsaris shows off his new Bechstein in a series of works that gravitate to each other. Cyprien Katsaris – Die Wahlverwandtschten = BEETHOVEN: Egmont Overture, Op. 84; MENDELSSOHN: Suleika, Op. 34, No. 4; SCHUMANN: Novellette No. 1 in F Major, Op. 21, No. 1; POULENC: Noveltte, No. 3; LOEILLET: Courante; GODOWSKY: Renaissance: No. 10: […]
MANU COMTE & Others: “Homilia” – Works by PIAZZOLLA, JEREZ LE CAM, GUBITSCH, GISMONTI & COMTE – Avanti
Striking works for bandoneon, string quintet and guitar. MANU COMTE & Others: “Homilia” – Works by PIAZZOLLA, JEREZ LE CAM, GUBITSCH, GISMONTI & COMTE (TrackList Follows] – Avanti multichannel SACD 5414 706 1046-2 [Distr. by Naxos] (10/14/16) *****: (Manu Comté – bandoneon; B’ Strings Quintet; Tomas Gubitsch – guitar) Bandoneon master Manu Comté is internationally […]
European Tour – Nordic Brass Ensemble – Music of DOWLAND, PRAETORIUS, HOLBORNE et al – 2L (Blu-ray & SACD)
European Tour – Nordic Brass Ensemble – Music of DOWLAND, PRAETORIUS, HOLBORNE et al – 2L-128-SABD – Pure Audio Blu-ray + multichannel SACD, DTS-HD MA 192kHz/24 bit 5.1, PCM 192kHz/24 bit stereo, mShuttle: MQA 96kHz + MP3 (11/18/16) [Dist. by Naxos] ****: Beautifully rendered recording of Brass Ensemble music. This is a most agreeable disc […]
Jason Roebke Octet – Cinema Spiral – NoBusiness
Unpredictable, Chicago-styled ensemble improvisation and composition. Jason Roebke Octet – Cinema Spiral [TrackList Follows] – NoBusiness NBCD 86, 52:39 [9/16/16] ****: (Greg Ward – alto saxophone; Keefe Jackson – tenor and sopranino saxophone, contrabass clarinet; Jason Stein – bass clarinet; Josh Berman – trumpet; Jeb Bishop – trombone; Jason Adasiewicz – vibraphone; Jason Roebke – […]
GALILEI: The Well-tempered Lute; Tones I – IV – Zak Ozmo – Hyperion
VINCENZO GALILEI: The Well-tempered Lute; Tones I – IV – Zak Ozmo, lute – Hyperion 68017, 63:03 (2/5/16) ****: A long-neglected work of Renaissance musical investigation of equal-temperament as applied to the lute. (Zak Ozmo – lute) In this recording of VIncenzo Galilei’s Libro d’intavolatore di Liuto by Zak Ozmo, we are introduced to a musical work […]
Nils Okland Band – Kjolvatn – ECM
Nils Okland Band – Kjolvatn – ECM 2382, 49:25 6/26/15 ***: (Nils Okland; viola d’amore, fiddle/ Rolf-Erik Nystrom; saxophones/ Sigbjorn Apeland; harmonium/ Mats Eilertson; double-bass/ Hakon Morch Stene; percussion, vibraphone) A November open-boat journey with ECM. Here we have an ECM production in the by now well-established Nordic folk-jazz genre. The cover features the inevitable […]
“The Travels of FROBERGER” – Music by FROBERGER and his contemporaries – Magdalena Hasibeder, harpsichords & organ – Raumklang (2 CDs)
“The Travels of FROBERGER” – Music by FROBERGER and his contemporaries – Magdalena Hasibeder, harpsichords and organ – Raumklang (2 CDs) RK 3503, TT: 2:19:13 (6/17/16) [Dist. by Naxos] *****: A magnificent set of keyboard music of Froberger & others. Johann Jacob Froberger’s 400th birthday has inspired a large number of brilliant recorded responses that […]
ADRIAN JONES: Nybyggnan – Concerto for Saxophone & String Quartet – Daniel Reid/ Jeanette Eriksson/ Sérgio Crisóstomo/ Adrian Jones/ Anna Wallgren – BIS
ADRIAN JONES: Nybyggnan – Concerto for Saxophone & String Quartet – Daniel Reid (soprano, tenor and baritone saxes); Jeanette Eriksson/ Sérgio Crisóstomo (violins)/ Adrian Jones (viola)/ Anna Wallgren (cello) – BIS multichannel SACD BIS-2119, 53:49 (10/9/15) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Swedish folk-based music well played and nicely recorded. A viola player himself, Adrian Jones constructed […]
“F. Gerard Errante, New Music for Clarinet – Another Look” – Works by USSACHEVSKY, HAILSTORK , ERRANTE & Others – Ravello
A valuable collection of some of the most avant-garde clarinet work. “F. Gerard Errante, New Music for Clarinet – Another Look” = WILLIAM O. SMITH: Solo for Clarinet with Delay System; Asana; VLADIMIR USSACHEVSKY: Four Studies for Clarinet and EVI; ADOLPHUS HAILSTORK: A Simple Caprice; DANA WILSON: Piece for Clarinet “alone”; F. GERARD ERRANTE: Souvenirs […]
HAYDN: Symphonies Nos. 78, 79, 80 & 81 – Accademia Bizantina/ Ottavio Dantone – Decca (2 CDs)
Beautifully recorded and rendered, these original instrument realizations of rare Haydn symphonies do everyone honor. HAYDN: Symphony No. 78 in c; Symphony No. 79 in F Major; Symphony No. 80 in d; Symphony No. 81 in G Major – Accademia Bizantina/ Ottavio Dantone – Decca 478 8837 (2 CDs), 54:20, 55:10 (2/12/16) [Distr. by Universal] […]
COOKE: Symphonies 4 & 5 – BBC S.O. /BBC Northern S.O. / John Pritchard & Bernard Keeffe – Lyrita
ARNOLD COOKE: Symphonies 4 & 5 – BBC S.O. /BBC Northern S.O.* / John Pritchard & Bernard Keeffe* – Lyrita REAM.1123 59:44 [Distr. by Naxos] **** : The tonal, contrapuntal music of composer and teacher Arnold Cooke. The long-lived Arnold Cooke (1906-2005) was a composer, and teacher at the Royal Manchester College of Music (now […]
“At the Far Edge” = DANIEL ASIA : Symphony #1; Symphony No. 4; At the Far Edge – New Zealand Sym. Orch. / James Sedares – Summit + catalogue
“At the Far Edge” = DANIEL ASIA : Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 4; At the Far Edge – New Zealand Sym. Orch. / James Sedares – Summit + catalogue – DCD 256, 61:57 (2/15/00) ***: Interesting contemporary compositions but an uneven recording. This very listenable disc from Summit Records is not a new release, […]
Nefertiti – Miles Davis Q. – Columbia/Mobile Fidelity 45 rpm vinyl + Filles de Kilimanjaro – Miles Davis Q. – Columbia/Mobile Fidelity 45 rpm vinyl
A pair of the top Miles Davis albums remastered at 45rpm speed.
HAYDN: Sinfonia concertante; MOZART: Oboe Concerto; Bassoon Concerto – Var. performers/Arcangelo/ Jonathan Cohen – Hyperion
The sound is clear, well-balanced and warm.
FAURE: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major; R. STRAUSS: Violin Sonata in E-flat Major – Itzhak Perlman, v./ Emanuel Ax, p. – DGG
For their first inscription together, Perlman and Ax gloriously collaborate in two works new to the Perlman legacy. FAURE: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13; R. STRAUSS: Violin Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 18 – Itzhak Perlman, v./ Emanuel Ax, p. – DGG B0023611-02, 53:52 (8/28/15) [Distr. by Universal] ****: This recording […]
“Music from the Reign of Francis I” – a combination of a bound book and 2 CDs
ORNSTEIN: Piano Quintet; String Quartet No. 2—Marc-Andre Hamelin, p./Pacifica Q.—Hyperion
Wildly dramatic and lyrical chamber music from an American original.
“Midgard” – Traditional and Viking melodies – Mandragore – Big Round
Very entertaining and authentic sounding time trip.
J.S. BACH: Solo Cello Suites (6) – Andrew Dahlke, saxophones – Dahlmus (2 discs)
These amazing performances merit your attention.
“BEETHOVEN, BRAHMS, WEBER” = BEETHOVEN: Clarinet Trio; BRAHMS: Clarinet Trio; WEBER: Grand Duo Concertant – Jon Manasse, clar./ Jon Nakamatsu, p./ Clive Greensmith, cello – Harmonia mundi
I would give this one six stars if we ever did that.