rendition Archive
Som Howie, clarinet – “Premiere Rhapsodie” – Works of DEBUSSY, POULENC, BARTOK, RAVEL & Others – Cala
Very rewarding recital from this talented father and son duo. Som Howie, clarinet – “Premiere Rhapsodie” = CLAUDE DEBUSSY: Premiere Rhapsodie; BÉLA KOVACS: Hommage a Manuel de Falla; FRANCIS POULENC: Sonata for clarinet and piano; BÉLA BARTÓK: Romanian Folk Dances; JOHANNES BRAHMS: Sonata No. 1 in F-minor; MAURICE RAVEL: Pièce en forme de Habanera; JOSEPH HOROVITZ: Sonatina for clarinet and piano; TED SNYDER: Who’s Sorry Now; SID PHILLIPS: Clarinet Cadenza – Som Howie, clar./David Howie, p. – Cala CACD77020, 72:51 [Distr. by Albany] (8/09/16) ****: Som Howie is the very definition of young virtuoso. He grew up in in Sydney, Australia and grew up listening to and studying from Mark Walton at the Conservatorium where his dad, David Howie, was also Walton’s regular accompanist. Both are very fine players and this disc offers much to admire; especially for young clarinetists to emulate. This is also a very substantial program containing a few clarinet ‘war horses’ as well as a few lesser played works and new things. In the ‘war horse’ department, Howie’s rendition of the Debussy, the Brahms first Sonata and the Poulenc are all very fine; indeed. The pacing in the Debussy is a little different than what is […]
BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 27 in e minor; Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major; Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, “Hammerklavier” – Steven Osborne, p. – Hyperion
Steven Osborne brings passion and intimacy to the trinity of Beethoven sonatas, 1814-1819. BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 27 in e minor, Op. 90; Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101; Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat Major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier” – Steven Osborne, p. – Hyperion CDA68073, 74:25 (9/3016) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: Steven Osborne performs (31 March – 2 April 2015) the three Beethoven sonatas of the 1810 period, conceived as a trilogy – a group that forms its own arch of increasing length and difficulty – moving from a relatively compressed work in the e minor Sonata to one of the most epically taxing of sonatas in the keyboard repertory. Osborne plays the three sonatas in reverse order, beginning with the daunting 1819 Hammerklavier Sonata, given a remarkably fresh and energetic gloss in this rendition. If the “official” metronome marking for the opening movement stands at half note = 138, then even Osborne’s fluid dexterity cannot maintain the speed beyond the introductory bars; and he need not for the grand, virtuosic effect of the movement’s remainder. Osborne’s fleet approach seems to make the often audacious modulations that much more pronounced, as in the exposition’s second […]
Mark Murphy, Live In Athens, Greece – Harbinger
Mark Murphy, Live In Athens, Greece – Harbinger HCD 3202 A singer of no-nonsense acumen. (Mark Murphy – vocals; Spiros Exaras – electric guitar; Thomas Rueckert – piano; Alex Drakos – drums; George Georgiadis – acoustic bass) When Mark Murphy died on October 22, 2015, at age 83, jazz lost one of the most interesting and innovative interpreters of vocal jazz. Unafraid to take chances, Murphy put his dynamic baritone voice to good effect as he ranged over an eclectic array of material that covered the spectrum from ballads to bebop. In this new release taken from a live performance in Greece in April 2008, the Murphy effect is in full flower as he dives and swoops over some well-known numbers that nevertheless still sound fresh. Beginning with “My Funny Valentine” Murphy stakes out his turf as he shows his vocal command by driving the tune through an interpretation that eschews that traditional with an up-tempo rendition that he scats in part with undiminished glee. That Murphy was an unabashed admirer of Miles Davis was well-known and the program presented at this live session was replete was Davis compositions or associated tunes starting with “All Blues”. With words by Oscar […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
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