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BEETHOVEN & BRUCH Violin Concertos – Accardo & Masur – Pentatone

BEETHOVEN & BRUCH Violin Concertos – Accardo & Masur – Pentatone

by | Jan 20, 2017 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

Accardo and Masur combine for splendid work in pillars of the violin concerto repertory. BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61; BRUCH: Violin Concerto No. 1 in g, Op. 26 – Salvatore Accardo, violin/ Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/ Kurt Masur – Pentatone RQR multichannel (4.0) SACD PTC 5186 237, 71:22 (10/21/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Italian virtuoso violinist Salvatore Accardo (b. 1941) still reigns as a recognized “heir” to Niccolo Paganni, especially given his recorded survey of the six Paganini concertos with Charles Dutoit. Accardo and Kurt Masur recorded the present (Philips) coupling of the Beethoven Concerto and the First Bruch Concerto in 1977-1978, the latter a particularly happy rendition since conductor Masur (1927-2015) had immersed himself in much of Bruch’s symphonic repertory, besides. The Beethoven Concerto receives a gentle, lyric, Apollinian approach, to my mind much in the tradition of splendid rendition Oistrakh and Cluytens made for EMI. Nothing of the expansive, first movement Allegro ma non troppo feels rushed: the phrase arches evolve lustrously, with seamless attention to the rhythmic pulse over which the violin weaves its beguiling tapestry, sempre perdendosi, forgetting itself. When Masur requires a more monolithic effect, the Gewandhaus certainly swells to the occasion, but without […]

MOZART: Piano Concertos No. 12 & No. 17 – Alfred Brendel, p./ Academy of St. Martin in the Fields/ Neville Marriner – Pentatone RQR

MOZART: Piano Concertos No. 12 & No. 17 – Alfred Brendel, p./ Academy of St. Martin in the Fields/ Neville Marriner – Pentatone RQR

by | Aug 29, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

If there is any justice in the world, this will continue through the whole series. MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A, K. 414; No. 17 in G, K. 453 – Alfred Brendel, p./ Academy of St. Martin in the Fields/ Neville Marriner – Pentatone multichannel (4.0) SACD PTC 5816 236, 55:47 [Distr. by Naxos] *****: Anyone who knows the series of piano concertos of Mozart with Brendel and Marriner knows of its importance and significance. Few pairings of conductor and pianist have so successfully navigated Mozart’s supreme masterpieces with such panache and style, and when these were released both critical opinion and public acclaim merged as if one voice to proclaim them the most sensational recorded issuances of these works ever accomplished. They were not entirely complete—and this is a shame. But the greats and almost-greats were, making them mandatory acquisitions. This release, one in Pentatone’s series dedicated to reissues of recordings originally made in four-channel surround sound for quadraphonics, is a real beauty, and self-recommending, one of two the company has released so far. One hopes for a complete traversal of all the Phillips Brendel Mozart concertos, but I have no idea if this is in the offing […]

The Fred Hersch Trio – Sunday Night At The Vanguard – Palmetto

The Fred Hersch Trio – Sunday Night At The Vanguard – Palmetto

by | Jul 29, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

The Fred Hersch Trio – Sunday Night At The Vanguard – Palmetto PM2183, 68:00 ****: Fred Hersch is a painter of musical portraits that are infused with tonal color and harmonic depth. (Fred Hersch – piano; John Hébert – bass; Eric McPherson – drums) Pianist Fred Hersch is a painter of musical portraits that are infused with tonal color and harmonic depth, all presented within a frame of originality, sophistication, and virtuosity.  His latest trio recording, Sunday Night At The Vanguard continues to demonstrate his commitment to these traits. As pointed out by Fred Hersch in the brief liner notes, the chosen numbers were derived from the entire first set in order as performed at the club, with the other two tunes coming from the second set. The opening number “A Cockeyed Optimist” was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein in 1949 for the Broadway musical South Pacific. After a run-through of the melody, Hersch and the band embark on an exposition of the number that says they are going to be steadfast inventive partners with smart interplay and proficient fluency. “Serpentine” begins a series of Hersch original compositions, each of which carves out a textured approach to the music that […]

Bill Charlap Trio – Notes From New York – Impulse!

Bill Charlap Trio – Notes From New York – Impulse!

by | May 22, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Bill Charlap Trio – Notes From New York – Impulse! B0024830-02, 54:02 ****: The epitome of an elegant, intelligent, mainstream pianist. (Bill Charlap – piano; Peter Washington – bass; Kenny Washington – drums) Whitney Balliett (now deceased) writing for The New Yorker on April 19,1999 said this of Bill Charlap (then 32) as he was beginning to make his mark on the jazz scene: “His sound shines; each note is rounded. Best of all, in almost every number regardless of its speed, he leaves us a phrase, a group of irregular notes, an ardent bridge that shakes us.” Now almost twenty years later, with the same trio (Peter Washington – bass/ Kenny Washington – drums [not related]) that has been with him for about the same period, Bill Charlap and his band-mates continue to bristle with exuberance, and maintain an intriguing interchange that makes them one of the premier jazz trios of the day. The release of Notes From New York, is the band’s first recording on Impulse! For the most part, they eschew the tried and true song selections, for a more varied choice of lesser-known numbers, on which they can extend their imprimatur. Although the opener “I’ll Remember […]