recording Archive
SCHUMANN: Fantasie; Kreislerinana – Collard, p. – La Dolce Volta
Jean-Philippe Collard celebrates his long commitment to the passionate and fanciful works of Robert Schumann. SCHUMANN: Fantasie in C Major, Op. 17; Kreisleriana, Op. 16 – Jean-Philippe Collard, p. – La Dolce Volta LDV 30, 63:57 (1/27/17) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: French pianist Jean-Philippe Collard (b. 1948) prefaces his recording (4-6 April 2016) with a motto from Schumann: “Sometimes bizarre things happen in the heart of man: thus joy and sorrow mingle there in a strange and motley nature.” The world of Robert Schumann conforms to this admission of duality in the nature of man, given his division of his psyche into the personae Florestan and Eusebius. Coincidentally, the Fantasie first came to me via a French pianist, Robert Casadesus, who combined its powerful emotional content with an equally adept sense of its structural power. For many years, the Kreisleriana suite “belonged” Vladimir Horowitz, whose own demons seemed to drive deeply into the labyrinths that the 1838 response to E.T.A. had elicited in Schumann. And since Collard had studied with Horowitz, this recording bears the mantle of tradition. The Fantasie emerges at once passionate and sturdy, lyrically evocative of storms and intimate stresses in its leaps, swirling trills, and […]
Kirk MacDonald Jazz Orchestra – Common Ground – Addo
Kirk MacDonald Jazz Orchestra – Common Ground [TrackList follows] – Addo AJR032 (2 CDs), 91:04 ****: This is a band that has an expressive command of some very challenging material. It doesn’t seem to be all that long ago, although perhaps it was, there were a number of significant jazz orchestras in Canada including Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, Dave McMurdo’s Jazz Orchestra both in Toronto, Vic Vogel’s Le Jazz Big Band in Montreal and Tommy Banks Big Band in Edmonton. With changing times, fashion, and economics it is a challenge to maintain a jazz orchestra on a consistent basis. Kudos go to Kirk MacDonald for keeping this formation together for their third recording Common Ground. All of the compositions on this release were written by Kirk MacDonald with arrangements by trumpeter Joe Sullivan. Although Sullivan was born in Ontario, he has worked and lived for the better part of his career in Montréal. He is currently an Associate Professor at McGill University where he directs the University’s Jazz Orchestra as well as playing in his own sextet ad big band. Sullivan’s arrangements of MacDonald’s compositions are lengthy affairs in the manner of tone poems, with multilayered harmonics and […]
Petros KLAMPANIS, doublebass – Chroma – Motema
Petros KLAMPANIS – Chroma – Motema 219, 44: 34 (3/10/17) ***: (Petros Klampanis; bass/ Gilad Hekselman; guitar/ Shai Maestro; piano/ John Hadfield; drums/ Keita Ogawa; percussion/ Gokce Erem, Megan Gould, Eylem Basaldi, Migen Selman; violins/ Carrie Frey, Peter Kiral; violas/ Colin Stokes, Sam Quiggins; cello) Gilad Hekselman shines on original arrangements which involve heavy use of a string octet. I first encountered bassist Petros Klampanis on an excellent release by Israeli saxophonist, Oded Tzur, reviewed in Audiophile Audition. The pianist on that recording, the versatile Shai Maestro, appears once again on this recording by Klampanis. The key figure here, though, is Gilad Hekselman, the most persuasive Pat Metheny acolyte of his generation and a incomparable soloist in any context. The Israeli-born guitarist has the same combination of velocity and sweetness as Pat, but is perfectly capable of hitting a switch on his box and shredding with vehemence over thick textures as he does on Little Blue Sun. The material of Chroma is mostly composed and arranged by the bassist. The exceptions are a light and funky tune, “Shadows,” and a much extended version of Hekselman’s “Cosmic Patience” from his remarkable record, Homes. The expansiveness of this chart seems to have […]
MENDELSSOHN: Songs Without Words; Andante and Rondo capriccioso – Ania Dorfmann, p. – Pristine Audio (2 CDs)
Mark Obert-Thorn restores Ania Dorfmann’s impressive effort in the complete set of Mendelssohn’s poetic tone-pictures. MENDELSSOHN: Songs Without Words; Andante and Rondo capriccioso, Op. 14 – Ania Dorfmann, p. – Pristine Audio PAKM 069 (2 CDs), TT: 2:12:21 [avail. in various formats from www.pristineclassical.com] ****: In his extensive “Producer’s Note,” Mark Obert-Thorn justly laments the fact that Russian pianist Ania Dorfamnn (1899-1984) remains in the collective memory of classical music enthusiasts as a “singular success,” her having recorded the C Major Beethoven Piano Concerto with Arturo Toscanini. Happily, thanks to the compact disc medium, much of her recorded legacy – excepting the Chopin waltzes – has returned, documentation of her wide-ranging gifts in Romantic repertory, with an occasional visit to contemporary music, specifically Menotti. Obert-Thorn restores her survey of the complete Mendelssohn Songs Without Words (rec. October – December 1956) and the brilliant Rondo capriccioso (12-13 January 1953), salon works in eight books that frequently attain a modest virtuoso status. Mendelssohn, himself a fine pianist, often writes left-hand accompaniments that demand wide leaps, while the fleetest of these miniatures asks for a firm tenor or soprano melodic line. When the RCA Victor set (LM 6128) had a review in […]
Russian Ballet Transcriptions for 2 Pianos = STRAVINSKY, BORODIN, TCHAIKOVSKY, KHACHATURIAN – Piano 21
Cyrpien Katsaris and Etsuko Hirose provide fingers and firepower to a compilation of Russian ballet favorites. Russian Ballet Transcriptions = STRAVINSKY: The Firebird – Suite No. 2; BORODIN: Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor, Act II; TCHAIKOVSKY: Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66: Adagio; The Nutcracker – Suite, Op. 71a; Swan Lake, Op. 20: 3 Dances; KHACHATURIAN: Gayaneh: Sabre Dance and Lezginka – Cyprien Katsaris and Etsuko Hirose, pianos – Piano 21 P 21 056-N, 76:06 (1/20/17) [www.cyprienkatsaris.net] ****: Hearing this 2016 performance of Stravinsky’s The Firebird – Suite (1919) in Achilleas Wastor’s 2-piano arrangement, I could well recall director Jan Kounen’s 2010 Stravinsky & Coco Chanel and its dramatized (and apocryphal) evolution of the ballet music for Le Sacre du Printemps. We feel through the excellent ensemble of Katsaris and Hirose – in this world premier recording – the evocation of those colors the orchestra will realize, along with Stravinsky’s use of the 50 Russian Folksongs that aided Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, especially in the latter’s Op. 31 Sinfonietta on Russian Themes. The two keyboards literally purr in the Ronde des princesses and then explode with flatulent fire in the Danse infernale du roi Kastchei. Though I miss the ineffable harp’s entry for […]
JANÁCEK: Orchestral Suites – Prague Radio Sym. Orch. / Tomas Netopil – Supraphon
JANÁCEK: Orchestral Suites – Prague Radio Sym. Orch. / Tomas Netopil – Supraphon SU4194-2, 52:00 (10/14/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ***: Janácek’s opera melodies reborn as orchestral suites. We know the music of Janácek best perhaps for his Sinfonietta. But the talented Czech composer was most often writing operas, and in truth, he didn’t leave us a great deal of straight orchestral music. This album from Supraphon and imported by Naxos remedies that, by offering three orchestral suites that were assembled from music the composer wrote for his large scale operas. The suites are from Jenufa, Kata Kabanova and Fate. Jenufa was the first opera to be set to a prose text. The globally celebrated piece reflected the sorrow Janácek felt after the death of his two beloved children and gave rise to a deep personal crisis. Katya Kabanova is one of the greatest Janácek works and one of the most beautiful lyric operas of the twentieth century and beyond. Fate was written in 1905, and wasn’t staged until 30 years after Janácek’s death. The adaptation heard here is by Frantisek Jilek, a fine Czech composer in his own right. Jenufa was adapted by Manfred Honeck, while Kata Kabanova was brought […]
“Works for Violin & Orchestra” = Music by TCHAIKOVSKY – Moonkyung Lee, v./London Sym. Orch./ Miran Vaupoticthe – Navona
“Works for Violin & Orchestra” = Music by TCHAIKOVSKY – Moonkyung Lee, v./London Sym. Orch./ Miran Vaupoticthe – Navona CD NV 6079, 57:40 (2/10/17) * 1/2: Excellent violin performances but with a mediocre recording. Navona Records has given us a very fine performance marred by a substandard recording. Soloist Moonkyung Lee gives her all in an enthralling violin performance with the London Symphony under the baton of Miran Vaupotic. Ms. Lee performs extensively across Europe, the United States, and Korea. She has performed under the baton of Maxim Shostakovich, with Mischa Maisky on Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, and with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the birth of Austrian composer Ignaz Pleyel. She has studied at New England Conservatory, Yale University, and New York University. She is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Seoul. I very much like her interpretation of this familiar Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, but the recording, in a word, (or three), is not very good. High frequencies seem constricted, blunting the sonorities of the violin and the rest of the orchestra. Frankly, I’ve heard recordings from the fifties that far exceed the quality of this disc. It’s a disappointment because the […]
ELGAR & TCHAIKOVSKY: Cello Concerto; Variations on a Rococo Theme – Johannes Moser, cello/ Orch. de la Suisse Romande/ Andrew Manze – Pentatone
ELGAR & TCHAIKOVSKY: Cello Concerto; Variations on a Rococo Theme – Johannes Moser, cello/ Orch. de la Suisse Romande/ Andrew Manze – Pentatone multichannel SACD 5186 570, 64:46 (2/3/17) *****: A compelling pairing of two works by like-minded composers, delivered in stunning super-audio format. With a little imagination and modest time travel, it is possible to witness the following encounter. A man, elegantly dressed with cane and boater, enters a pub. His rigid posture of self-composure contrasts with the look of utter despondency on his face. Peering about, he spies a solitary figure in a shadowy corner. The beard looks familiar and upon approach, it turns out to be Peter Tchaikovsky, slumped over a pint of ale, his face a picture of forlorn melancholy. Sir Edward acknowledges the fellow sufferer and takes a seat. Soon the two composers are commiserating over their personal troubles, their shared feeling of grief and disillusionment. Edward, recently widowed, finds himself in artistic doldrums, unable to stir the sources of his once fertile creativity. His wider points of reference include the ruin of the Great War, which has cast every human value into doubt. Peter, for his part, has a litany of complaints: fractured relationships, […]
Leo Genovese – Argentinosaurus – Newvelle vinyl
Leo Genovese – Argentinosaurus – Newvelle NV006LP vinyl, 37:12 ****: An intricate jazz pianist is captured on high quality vinyl! (Leo Genovese – piano; Esperanza Spalding – double bass, vocals; Jack DeJohnette – drums, melodica) Jazz fans are known for their purist dedication to high-quality audio recording. The surge of vinyl records in the last few years supports this context. Jazz pianist Elan Mehler (with his business partner Jean-Christophe Morisseau) has taken this business model a step further. Jazz fans can buy 6 albums, exclusively by subscription, for $400. This “crowdfunding” approach is unique. The music is recorded digitally (at East Side Sound Studios) at 24-bit 88.2 kHz and then mixed to vinyl with analog consoles. The 180-gram vinyl pressing is done in France (MPO). The Kickstart label has released albums every two months and feature Frank Kimbrough, Jack DeJohnette, Don Friedman, Ben Allison, Noah Preminger and Leo Genovese. Argentinosaurus is Genovese’s contribution to the Newvelle subscription series. It is an eclectic, complex assortment of musical interpretations that pushes the constraints of jazz genres. Side A opens with an original composition (“Chacarera Y Mas”) that features some vocals by Esperanza Spalding. After her ethereal singing, the complex integration of these […]
Howard Johnson & Gravity – Testimony – Tuscarora
Howard JOHNSON and Gravity – Testimony – Tuscarora 17-001, 53:39, (3/3/17) ****: (Howard Johnson: BB-flat tuba, baritone sax, pennywhistle/ Velvet Brown; Ens. leader, F-tuba/ Dave Bergeron; E-flat tuba/ Earl McIntyre; E-flat tuba/ Joseph Daley; BB-flat tuba/ Bob Stewart; CC tuba/ Carlton Holmes; piano/ Melissa Slocum; bass/ Buddy Williams; drums) Low rumbles, virtuosic soloing and great charts feature in newest Howard Johnson tuba ensemble session. At an impressionable moment in my youth, I encountered a stupendous work of art, Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, by Charles Mingus. In place of the leader’s bass, there was a massed rank of low brass, including tuba, that thrummed and growled with dark menace against the caterwauling soloist. I recall a hip elder remarking that this ensemble represented an absolute standard for “bottom” in a big band. That indelible, bone-rattling sound came back to me as I surveyed Howard Johnson’s 2017 Gravity, which features an ensemble of six tubas, and not at the expense of the doublebass. It looks like the bottom has only now been reached. With all due respect to that incomparable musician Mr. Howard Johnson, I was initially skeptical. Having reached an age of ripeness, if not deliquescence, I have an […]
RICHARD SUSSMAN: Evolution Suite – Richard Sussman – p., electronics, & others – Zoho
RICHARD SUSSMAN: Evolution Suite – Richard Sussman – p., electronics, Scott Wendholt – trumpet, Flugel horn, Rich Perry – tenor sax, Mike Richmond – acoustic & elec. bass, Anthony Poinciotti – drums/ The Sirius Quartet, With special guest: Zach Broc – elec. violin – Zoho CD ZM 201614, 71:00 (10/7/16) [Distr. by Allegro] *** 1/2: An important classical/jazz work but hurt a bit by the lack of a great recording. Richard Sussman’s ground-breaking The Evolution Suite for Jazz Quintet, String Quartet, and Electronics is the culmination of almost a decade of development. This five-movement, hour-long composition was funded by a Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Grant, and premiered and recorded on December 20, 2015, at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space in New York City. The work is a fusion of jazz and classical music. Composer Richard Sussman said it best: “”By combining jazz improvisation and many diverse rhythms and instrumental textures from throughout the world with contemporary classical music, I feel we can more truly reflect and more strongly connect with a wider cross-section of the multi-cultural society in which we live.” The disc includes another work, called Prevolution, a 10-minute track Sussman considers a ‘prequel’ to […]
A Portrait of Duke Ellington – Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra – Verve/ HDTT (DVD-A)
A compendium of 11 famous selections by Ellington, played by Dizzy and his Orchestra in hi-res. A Portrait of Duke Ellington – Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra – Verve/ HDTT, 41:09 192K/24-bit DVD-A *****: High Definition Tape Transfers has taken the old Verve 4-track pre-recorded tape from a 1960 NYC session and made a hi-res DVD copy using the ultimate in tape-to-digital equipment. Economic pressures forced Dizzy to give up his big band in 1950, but they appeared overseas after that and made this terrific recording. The HDTT liner notes have quite a bit of information about Dizzy and his playing of the unusual trumpet with the horn up at a 45-degree angle, and his cheeks blown out to drastic size. The package looks just like an ordinary CD but it is not. Although it says DVD-Audio, it will play on most any DVD deck or universal player. The sonics and the performances can’t be beat. TrackList: 1 In A Mellow Tone Written-By – Ellington* 3:44 2 Things Ain’t What They Used To Be Written-By – Ellington*, Persons* 4:50 3 Serenade To Sweden Written-By – Ellington* 4:23 4 Chelsea Bridge Written-By – Strayhorn* 2:34 5 Upper Manhattan Medical Group Written-By […]
BEETHOVEN: Two Sonatas – Grumiaux, v./Arrau, p. – Pentatone
Beethoven as he was meant to be played. BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonatas No. 1 in D, Opus 12:1; No. 5 in F, Opus 24, “Spring” – Arthur Grumiaux, violin/ Claudio Arrau, p. – Pentatone multichannel (4.0) SACD PTC 5186 235, 45:22 (8/26/16) [Distr. by Naxos] *****: They don’t get much better than this—Beethoven violin sonatas, that is. Grumiaux is one of those special cases whose CDs I return to often. That meltingly creamy tone, whether in chamber music, Beethoven sonatas, or Bach Sonatas and Partitas, bends the will of the composer’s tonal suggestions, whatever they may have been, to the mind and technique of a very special performer. Indeed, Grumiaux’s sensitive touch graces any work of art that he saw fit to engage, and for those whom beauty of sound is something special, if not mandatory, this release will send you to the stars. Alongside an equally dedicated and perspicacious partner like Claudio Arrau, it only gets better. Sometimes recordings that pair such talented and decidedly insightful performers like those here result in surly and surely misguided outcomes (one only needs to listen to the recording of the Beethoven Triple Concerto on EMI with Karajan, Rostropovich, and Richter to understand this), […]
ROY HARRIS & JOHN ADAMS: Violin Concertos with Tamsin Waley-Cohen (violin) / BBC Sym. Orch./Andrew Litton – Signum Classics
ROY HARRIS & JOHN ADAMS: Violin Concertos with Tamsin Waley-Cohen (violin) / BBC Sym. Orch./Andrew Litton – Signum Classics SIGCD468, 62:22 (10/1/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Two lovely contemporary violin concertos. This is a highly desirable recording from Signum Classics. It offers two violin concertos by American composers Roy Harris and John Adams. The Adams is fairly well known but the Harris concerto is a real find. Both men grew up in rural circumstances, Harris being born in a log cabin in Oklahoma. His music always has an ‘American’ feel to it, sometimes sounding a bit ‘Copland-esque’, but Harris has a unique voice with rural roots, and splendid orchestration. The Harris Violin Concerto was written in 1949, but did not get a first performance until 1984. The BBC Symphony gives the piece an exuberant and dynamic reading. Ms. Cohen is a rising star among violinists, and one can find ample evidence of that in her performance here. ‘ The John Adams Violin Concerto was composed in 1993, and Adams described the work as having a ‘hypermelody’, in which the soloist plays longs phrases without stop for the duration of the 35 minute piece. It’s a taxing piece for both the […]
BALAKIREV: Piano Sonata in b-flat minor; Reverie; Mazurka No. 6 in A-flat Major; Islamey; LISZT: Sonata in b; LYAPUNOV: Etude 1 “Berceuse” 12 Etudes d’execution transcendente – Louis Kentner, p. – Appian Recordings
APR resissues the Columbia shellacs of Louis Kentner, 1944-45, in Liszt, Balakirev, and Lyapunov. BALAKIREV: Piano Sonata in b-flat minor, Op. 5; Reverie; Mazurka No. 6 in A-flat Major; Islamey; LISZT: Sonata in b; LYAPUNOV: Etude 1 “Berceuse;” 12 Etudes d’execution transcendente, Op. 11 – Louis Kentner, p. – Appian Recordings APR 6020 (2 CDs) 70:41, 72:19 (9/2/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Executive producer Michael Spring, along with audio engineer Andrew Hallifax, deserves credit for this APR reissue of rare performances. Hungarian piano virtuoso Louis (Lajos) Kentner (1905-1987), whose records of Balakirev, Liszt, and Lyapunov from 1939-1949 come back to us in sterling remasterings. The Balakirev Piano Sonata (1900-1905), here in its first recording (2 June 1949), proffers a hybrid work of unorthodox construction, rife with exotic colors and folk motifs, a novel fusion of Chopin and Eastern doxology. Despite the often improvisatory gestures and sudden shifts of tempo and mood, Balakirev injects strong periods of strict counterpoint, as well as knotty figurations more than reminiscent of his most popular piece, Islamey. The music contains a plethora of warm, tender gestures, many of which lie high in the piano keyboard and remind us of Chopin’s Berceuse. The more explosive passages, […]
DEEMS TAYLOR: Three Century Suite – Moravian Philharmonic Orch./ Petr Vronsky – Navona EP
A very short EP but very accessible music from Deems Taylor. DEEMS TAYLOR: Three Century Suite [TrackList Follows] – Moravian Philharmonic Orch./ Petr Vronsky – Navona NV6066. 15:39 [6/21/16] ••••: This is the 50th anniversary of the passing of Deems Taylor, who was the narrator in Disney’s original Fantasia, and composed the delightful Thru the Looking Glass on Alice in Wonderland (one of my personal favorite works…Ed.). The Three Century Suite had only one previous performance, at Interlochen in 1960, so it is more than welcome to have this recording at this time. You can see and hear each of the five movements on You Tube, because evidently the music went with historical video images on screen. The “Bartholomew Fair” closing movement is a celebration of sheer joy. It is in waltz time and has a lovely melody for strings and winds. The Moravian Philarharmonic does a fine job playing this short score. Sound is excellent – a recording made just this year. TrackList: 1. Pavan – Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra / Petr Vronsky 4:19 2. Saraband – Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra / Petr Vronsky 2:33. 3. Jig – Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra / Petr Vronsky 2:36 4. Ragadoon – Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra […]
Jane Bunnett & Maqueque – Oddara – Linus Ent.
Jane Bunnett & Maqueque – Oddara – Linus Ent., 270244, 53:51****: Oddara is a surging, rhythmic, muscular offering. (Jane Bunnett – flutes, soprano sax, whistling; Danae Olano – piano, vocals; Celia Jimenez – bass, vocals; Magdelys Savigne – percussion ,vocals; Yissy Garcia – drums; Elizabeth Rodriguez – violin ,vocals; special guests: Melvis Santa – vocals; Dayme Arocena – vocals) Canada’s ties to Cuba go back to the 18th Century, and the Canadian Government has maintained an Embassy in the country continuously since 1945 (unlike the U.S.). Cuba has been a favourite Canadian tourist destination for many years (and also Portland Unitarians), and thus jazz musician Jane Bunnett’s fascination with the Afro-Cuban music tradition is not some Johnny-come-lately affair. Her latest foray into the genre with her all-female band Maqueque is entitled Oddara and is a surging, rhythmic, and muscular offering. Jane Bunnett’s accomplishments as a soprano saxophonist are well documented. The group of female musicians that she leads are primarily from Cuba, but spend significant amounts of time in Canada both recording and performing, when they are not on tour around the world in support of their music. In this release, the music has been penned, for the most part, […]
“Bergen Barokk: Suite Life” – Excerpts from var. suites composed by PHILIDOR, MARAIS, HOTTETERRE, CHEDEVILLE, COUPERIN – LAWO Classics
“Bergen Barokk: Suite Life” – Excerpts from var. suites composed by PHILIDOR, MARAIS, HOTTETERRE, CHEDEVILLE, COUPERIN – LAWO Classics multi-channel SACD LWC1096, 60:00 (10/14/16) ****1/2: European court music from the 17th century. The suites in this recording are taken from some of the many great music releases in Paris in the early 1700s. The releases, which were released “avec Privilege du Roy” (royal prerogative), reflecting ball, concerts, opera and ballet performances at the court and were well-received by a bourgeoisie filled with admiration for the luxurious lifestyles of the rich. Bergen Barokk was established in 1994 and is today among the leading early music ensembles. On this recording we hear Frode Thorsen on the recorder, Hans Knut Sveen on harpsichord, Thomas Boysen and Thor-Harald Johnsen on lute and guitar instruments and Markku Luolajan-Mikkola on viola da gamba. This is an attractive collection of court music, wonderfully played by the Bergen Barokk. It’s light music, very atmospheric. To my mind something to have on in the house rather than something I would sit in front of and engage in deep thoughts. The sound on the disc is very good. I listened to the 5.0 mix, and found the ensemble up front, […]
SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata No. 19; Piano Sonata No. 16 – Louis Schwizgebel, p. – Aparte
The youthful Louis Schwizgebel imparts poetry and virile motion to these two Schubert sonatas. SCHUBERT: Piano Sonata No. 19 in c, D. 958; Piano Sonata No. 16 in a, D. 845 – Louis Schwizgebel, p. – Aparte AP133, 70:00 (10/7/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Swiss-Chinese pianist Louis Schwizgebel (b. 1987) sports a Romantic temperament, much imbibed by studies with Brigitte Meyers, Pascal Deveoyon, and Emanuel Ax. This recording of two Schubert sonatas (17-18 March 2016) attests to an artistic maturity that complements his considerable digital skills. The massive c minor Sonata of 1828 pays several debts to Beethoven, including an opening theme that quotes Beethoven’s Variations in c minor, WoO 80, with its own chromatic chords in ¾. The tone of ominous and dire fate will soften as the music proceeds, until by the last movement Allegro a sense of frivolous, cantering repartee. The Adagio, an affecting rondo in A-flat Major in 2/4, combines a spiritual anguish with moments of serenity, much in the form of an extended lied. Here, pianist Schizgebel makes points for his canny sense of color. Besides the gambol of the Menuetto & Trio, the last movement ushers in a potent, rising scalar passage in […]
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 with a collection of brass performances by the Nordic Brass Ensemble. The group was founded in 1993 by a group of brass musicians who shared a strong desire to make chamber music together. From the start, the ensemble has focused on developing its own musical ideas and concepts of sound. By exploiting the different instruments’ special qualities and combining them in new and unusual ways, and by extensively using mutes, percussion, some non-standard instruments, the NBE is making a name for itself with a very unique approach to brass music. The music performed is traditional, with composers like Holborne, Dowland and Gesualdo. The arrangements were written for the group, and the addition of percussion, while unexpected, is quite persuasive to this listener. Since this is a 2L recording, I expected it to be good sonically, and I was not disappointed. The microphones are well back […]
Nick Sanders & Logan Strosahl – Janus – Sunnyside Communications
Nick Sanders & Logan Strosahl – Janus – Sunnyside Communications SSC1469, 41:40 ***: An intriguing release. (Nick Sanders – piano; Logan Strosahl – alto & tenor saxophone) You have to give credit to Nick Sanders and Logan Strosahl for getting this album entitled Janus released. Imagine, if you will, the pitch meeting with Sunnyside Communications wherein the duo wanted to record a disc that would feature their interpretations of music from medieval, Baroque and contemporary classics, as well as bebop and modern jazz. Clearly the individuals in charge of the label thought it was worth the risk. Was it ? Both Sanders and Strosahl are first class musicians having graduated from Boston’s New England Conservatory. This is where they first encountered each other and started playing together. Clearly, they are like-minded and highly accomplished collaborators as evidenced by the first track entitled “Sigma”. This original composition by Nick Sanders flits along the jagged edges of classical/free jazz at a confident pace. Diving into jazz’s oblique territory with Thelonious Monk’s “Thelonious,” the duo demonstrates their comfort with the number as they tackle Monk’s stylistic intricacies. Another number that falls into this category is the composition “Be-Bop Tune” by the two principals, […]
Frank Kimbrough Trio – Solstice – Pirouet
Frank Kimbrough Trio – Solstice – Pirouet PIT3097, 56:04 (10/7/16) *****: A great piano trio CD from the pianist with the Maria Schneider Orchestra. (Frank Kimbrough; piano / Jay Anderson; bass / Jeff Hirshfield; drums) The first thing I noticed about Frank Kimbrough’s Solstice is that it represents the work of three eminent and distinctive female composers: Annette Peacock (two tunes), Carla Bley, and Maria Schneider, as well as a song from singer Maryanne de Prophetis, long-time collaborator of the pianist. Congruent to the artistic sensibilities of these composers are works by Paul Motian and Andrew Hill and the title track “Solstice” by Mr. Kimbrough himself. Only “Here come the Honey Man” by Gershwin pays tribute to the American Songbook. Knowing Frank to exemplify a thinking-man’s approach to jazz improvisation, I looked forward to his investigations of these disciplined but emotionally potent composers. His trio consists of Jay Anderson and Jeff Hirschfield, both well-known names in the business. The first track is Carla Bley’s “Seven.” The oddly-shaped melody is introduced with simplicity and a feeling of tentativeness by the piano. It seems an inquiry into the strangeness of the world. The bass joins the discussion but the conundrum does not […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
