records Archive
“Under Stalin’s Shadow” = SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphonies Nos. 5 in d, 8 in c, 9 in E-flat; Suite from Hamlet – Boston SO/ Andris Nelsons – DGG (2 CDs)
A fine follow-up to the Grammified first release. “Under Stalin’s Shadow” = SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphonies Nos. 5 in d, 8 in c, 9 in E-flat; Suite from Hamlet – Boston SO/ Andris Nelsons – DGG 479 5201 (2 CDs), 76:44, 80:54 [Distr. by Universal] ****: It’s very nice to hear the BSO back on DGG. It’s also nice that they have engaged in a Shostakovich project. The first disc won a Grammy award, and the next promised recording will have Symphonies 6 and 7. The composer, who is now reaching a popularity that didn’t seem possible during the cold war, is being reassessed in a number of ways, turning away from the more overtly political associations that so mark many recordings and performances, and emphasizing the humanity of the man’s music in the midst of incredibly difficult circumstances. So the title of this release seems a little strange considering that fact that Maestro Nelsons himself says that this music is applicable to any listener, whether understanding of the circumstances it was written in or not. Oh well, I guess you need catchy marketing to sell records these days! But from a purely musical standing these are excellent readings all. The Eighth […]
Gilels in Seattle = Works of BEETHOVEN, CHOPIN, PROKOFIEV, RAVEL, DEBUSSY, STRAVINSKY & BACH – DGG
DGG restores a colossal recital from the Russian legend Gilels. Gilels in Seattle = BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 “Waldstein”; CHOPIN: Variations on “La ci darem la mano,” Op. 2; PROKOFIEV: Piano Sonata No. 3 in a minor, Op. 28; Visions fugitives, Op. 22 – excerpts; DEBUSSY: Images, Book I; RAVEL: Alborado del gracioso from Miroirs; STRAVINSKY: Danse russe from Petrouchka; J.S. BACH (arr. Siloti): Prelude in b minor, BWV 855a – Emil Gilels, p. – DGG 479 6288, 74:47 (9/2/16) [Distr. by Universal] ****: Emil Gilels (1916-1985) appeared in Seattle’s Opera House 6 December 1964 as part of his fifth tour of the United States. The private tape of the recital, made with professional equipment, came under the aegis of Deutsche Grammophone via pianist Felix Gottlieb, a former pupil of Gilels who had established the Emil Gilels Foundation and who runs the Emil Gilels Festival in Freiburg im Breisgau. The surviving recital had to dispense with the Chopin Ballade No. 1, the recording of which had lost several moments. Only the variations on Mozart by Chopin have ever appeared on records prior. Despite somewhat distant microphone placement, the opening 1803 Waldstein Sonata reveals a virtuoso […]
Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead – The Story of the National Lampoon, Blu-ray (2016)
Documentary on an amazing monthly magazine and it’s extremely unusual staff. Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead – The Story of the National Lampoon, Blu-ray (2016) Cast: Chevy Chase, Judd Aptow, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Doug Kenny, Kevin Bacon, Christopher Guest Director: Douglas Tirola Studio: History Films/ Magnolia Home Ent. 10947 [4/19/16] Video: for 16:9 screens, 1080p HD color Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Subtitles: English, Spanish Dubbed: French Extras: Bonus Interviews (over an hour), John Goodman reads Doug Kenny, Thoughts on Animal House, Drugs in the office, Thoughts on SNL, Working in NYC, “Jaws,” “Reading John Hughes,” Favorite Nat. Lampoon Pieces, Artists of Nat. Lampoon, Chevy Chase bit, more… Length: 95 min. Rating: **** From the 1970s thru the 1990s, the most outrageous comedy in print was the National Lampoon. It really pushed the limits of good taste and acceptability and branched out into radio shows, stage presentations, records and even movies such as Animal House and National Lampoon’s Vacation. I personally love John Belushi’s take-off on Joe Cocker and while he doesn’t wear a bumble-bee outfit in this one, that cracks me up every time. The office was a wild and free party all the time, with plenty […]
Audio News for April 19, 2016
FCC Proposal Re: TV Set-Top Boxes – The FCC has approved a proposal letting consumers swap their pricey cable boxes for cheaper devices and apps, to boost competition in the $20 billin TV set-top box market while delivering a blow to the major cable companies. Customers can obtain video services from providers such as Apple, Tivo and Alphabet Inc. instead of the cable and satellite providers. The FCC is allowing cable and satellite providers a 60-day comment period. If implemented, the industry would then have two years to comply. The cable and TV companies could lose billions of dollars in rental fees for set-top boxes. A counsel for Dish Network said “It is really not clear to us that any new regulation is needed to encourage innovation and in fact would actually hinder it.” They claim the video marketplace is already evolving with more customers replacing pay TV services with streaming Internet video. The FCC said 99% of American customers now much get their boxes from their cable or satellite providers and pay on average $231 a year to lease the devices. Rental fees for set-top boxes have risen 185% since 1994. The proposed rule would also require the cable […]
SCHUBERT: Piano Sonatas: No. 18 in G; No. 20 – David Korevaar, p. – MSR Classics
David Koervaar provides an intimate and almost intrusive glimpse into these late Schubert works. SCHUBERT: Piano Sonatas: No. 18 in G, D.894; No. 20 in A, D.959 – David Korevaar, p. – MSR Classics MS 1557, 71:37 [Distr. by Albany] ****: Korevaar, currently at University of Colorado Boulder (where this was recorded), is a wide-spectrum type of pianist who nevertheless brings a certainly stylistic sensibility to everything he records. One criticism that is often leveled at actors, for instance, is that in every role they play we discern the personality first and the character second. In music however, this is not a bad thing. One is never able to recreate, despite the best of intentions, who the “real” Beethoven or Mozart is, let alone the “true intentions” (whatever that means) of the composer. Interpretative musical art will always be a best guess scenario, and the re-creative aspects of musical performance dictate that each and every effort is in some way the union of multiple—and often disparate—musical personalities. I say this because Korevaar is an artist whose human sensibilities, no matter what he is playing, are always at the forefront. He seem anxious to communicate to us the deeply personal elements […]
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