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JON GIBSON: Relative Calm – Jon Gibson, saxes and keyboards/Joseph Kubera, keyboards/David Van Tieghem, perc. – New World

JON GIBSON: Relative Calm – Jon Gibson, saxes and keyboards/Joseph Kubera, keyboards/David Van Tieghem, perc. – New World

by | Jan 9, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

A look back at one of the ‘founders’ of minimalism well worth your while! JON GIBSON: Relative Calm – Jon Gibson, saxes and keyboards/Joseph Kubera, keyboards/David Van Tieghem, percussion – New World 8783-2 [Distr. by Albany], 69:06, (11/04/16) ****: I first became aware of Jon Gibson some forty years ago while he was still a member of the Philip Glass Ensemble. My admiration for Jon at the time was solidly (but only) due to his appreciable saxophone skills. I learned of his skills as a composer who could very capably bend the edges of what was then the minimalism genre through his Two Pieces (minimal though they are, they do not ‘mirror’ Philip Glass and others) on vinyl LP which has recently been rereleased on CD. Relative Calm on CD is a major find. From the press materials, Gibson is “one of the less frequently mentioned pioneering composers of minimal music and is probably best known as a founding member of the Philip Glass Ensemble. Gibson also holds the unique distinction of having performed with Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and La Monte Young (as a member of the Theatre of Eternal Music). In addition to Glass, the four composers are […]

The Complete Songs Of Virgil Thomson = Soloists with 2 pianists & percussion – New World (3 CDs)

The Complete Songs Of Virgil Thomson = Soloists with 2 pianists & percussion – New World (3 CDs)

by | Nov 16, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

Absolutely essential listening of a neglected but masterly song composer. The Complete Songs Of Virgil Thomson = Sarah Pelletier, sop./ Lynne McMurtry, contralto/ William Hite, tenor/ Aaron Engebreth, bari./ Alison d’Amato & Linda Osborn, piano/ John McDonald perc. – New World 80775 (3 CDs), 71:20, 76:04, 50:57 [Distr. by Albany] (4/4/16)*****: Any reasonably performed rendition of the complete Thomson songs was bound to achieve a five-star rating. Fortunately for us all, this one is outstanding in virtually every way. While it may be true that I can envision better, more star-quality singers in place of what we have here, these folks are no slouches, and an effort like this requiring mastery of an enormous amount of music is in itself a testament to the dedication and talent of these performers. Their attention to diction, vocal line, and beauty of tone only adds to the importance of their accomplishment. Thomson once said that the great song composers—Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, Mahler, Faure, Debussy, Duparc, Ravel, and Poulenc—accomplished their miracles through their ability to make the music “not only of equal quality with the verse but also its mate. It gets inside a poem and stays there, intertwined unforgettably, never to be […]

DVORAK: Sym. No. 9 in e minor, “From the New World”; Sym. No. 8 in G Major – Czech Philharmonic Orch./ Frantisek Stupka – Praga Digitals stereo-only

DVORAK: Sym. No. 9 in e minor, “From the New World”; Sym. No. 8 in G Major – Czech Philharmonic Orch./ Frantisek Stupka – Praga Digitals stereo-only

by | Aug 6, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

For those unfamiliar with the veteran Czech conductor Stupka, these two Dvorak performances provide a brilliant introduction. DVORAK: Symphony No. 9 in e minor, Op. 95 “From the New World”; Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88 – Czech Philharmonic Orchestra/ Frantisek Stupka – Praga Digitals stereo-only SACD PRD/DSD 350 134, 78:23 (8/12/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] *****: The name of Czech conductor Frantisek Stupka (1879-1965) certainly did not convey to me the same authority as I had accorded Vaclav Talich, Karel Ancerl, and Rafael Kubelik, but these performances – of the “New World” Symphony (6 January 1964) and the G Major Symphony (8 January 1959) – have changed my perspective. Stupka – having made his reputation with the Czech String Quartet – served as co-director of the Czech Philharmonic from 1946-1956 and director of the Moravian Philharmonic, the latter of which remained an “Eastern” ensemble without recorded documentation. The live broadcasts here preserved by Praga prove instantly refreshing and eminently affectionate readings of repertory that once more – under an inspirational conductor – throw off any sedimentation or ossification from long-wrought familiarity. The reading of the New World Symphony proceeds linearly but with inflamed interior voices from the […]

BEN JOHNSTON: String Quartets Nos. 6, 7, & 8—Kepler Quartet—New World

BEN JOHNSTON: String Quartets Nos. 6, 7, & 8—Kepler Quartet—New World

by | Jun 6, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

A challenging new musical language for modern music lovers. BEN JOHNSTON: String Quartets Nos. 6, 7, & 8—Kepler Quartet—New World 80730-2, 66:43 [Distr. by Albany] ****: As difficult and dangerous as it is to climb Mt. Everest, people do it because it’s there. Ben Johnston’s String Quartet No. 7 (1984) is known among string players and ‘experts’ as the most difficult string quartet to perform. According to a recent New York Times article, the Kepler Quartet has made it a cause over the past 14 years to learn and record all of the 10 quartets that Mr. Johnston has written. Now, 90, the composer lives in a farm outside of Madison, Wisconsin and is in failing health. The Kepler Quartet has been so dedicated to finish the project that they rehearsed in a church close to Johnston’s farmhouse (“literally in the midst of a cornfield, in the midst of a cemetery”) so they could consult with him during rehearsals. What makes Johnston’s quartets so difficult to perform is that he inserts microtones “into the grid of the twelve pitch scale” that is a standard of tuning for normal intervals of the octave scale. Johnston calls it ‘just intonation’ tuning. The system […]

The Emigrants; The New Land, Blu-ray (1971-72/2016)

The Emigrants; The New Land, Blu-ray (1971-72/2016)

by | Feb 26, 2016 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

A terrific pair of Jan Troell films from 1971 & ’72, with gorgeous restoration and fascinating extras. The Emigrants; The New Land, Blu-ray (1971-72/2016) Director: Jan Troell Cast: Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg Studio: Swedish Film Industry/Warner Bros./ The Criterion Collection 796/797 (2/9/16) [2 discs] Video: 1.66:1 for 16:9 wide screen, 1080p HD color Audio: Swedish PCM mono Subtitles: English Extras: New intro by theater/film critic John Simon, New conversation with film scholar Peter Cowie and Jan Troell, New Liv Ullmann interview, To Paint with Pictures – an hour-long 2005 documentary on making of the film, Trailers, Illus. booklet with essay by critic Terrence Rafferty. Lengths: Emigrants: 191 min.; New Land: 202 min. Ratings: *****, **** B0184DLI1Y This is a long couple of films: over six and half hours total plus the hour-long documentary. Vilhelm Moberg, upon whose novels the two films are based, considered his original four volumes a single work. Many Swedes had already read the novels about the journey to America in 1850. The fact that Troell keeps up interest during the long story, aided by the terrific acting of the youngish Ullmann and von Sydow, makes this a simply wonderful survey of human drama […]