reviews Archive
“Piano Music of Jack Gallagher” = Frank Huang, piano – Centaur
A swish of the cape reveals another side to this marvelous composer. “Piano Music of Jack Gallagher” = Sonata; Evening Music; Sonatina; Nocturne; Six Bagatelles; Pastoral; Six Pieces for Kelly; Malambo Nouveau; Happy Birthday, April – Frank Huang, piano – Centaur CRC 3522, 78:13 [Distr. by Naxos] *****: I was in quite the anticipatory mode when this disc arrived. Jack Gallagher is one of my favorite contemporary composers, but as of yet I had only been exposed to his orchestral music, much of which is gargantuan, and all of it ravishing. Surely I was to be treated to nearly 8o minutes of Hammerklavier-like sonorities and lengthy, Opus clavicembalisticum type difficulties requiring extraordinary endurance! Wrong! What we get is a veritable flip side of the composer, a recital of sometimes introspective, delicate, and even private utterances, and other times assertive, bold, yet never overbearing piano statements of great conciseness and purity. The piano is not one of Gallagher’s “primary” instruments, by his own admission; yet he loves the tactile feel of the instrument and its immediacy of response. However, as I have found with other composers who did not start out with the piano, the pieces rendered here are very well […]
Editorial Page for February 2017
Our February free drawing is for a four-SACD box set, Piano Works of the Russian Futurist Movement, donated by Cybele Records. Futurism was a movement in which Russian and Italian artists and poets adopted the principles of Filippo Marinetti’s Futurist Manifesto in 1909. The word applied to those who “consciously reject the most elementary traditions and continuity in the relatively narrow sphere of their own art.” elementary traditions and continuity in the relatively narrow sphere of their own art.” These works provide attempts for the composers to express themselves in a new and contemporary language. Thomas Günther is the pianist on all four volumes. All you need to do to enter the drawing is simply to click on Register To Win and fill out all the few fields we request. The lucky winner of the hi-res set will be announced here next month. EDITORIAL AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began as a local program in San Francisco and then in 1985 as a weekly national radio series hosted by John Sunier, and aired for 13½ years on up to 200 public radio and commercial stations. In September 1998 its web site for program listings was expanded to this free Internet publication. February 2017 is […]
Editorial for August 2016
For this August our free drawing is five complete Rossini operas on Blu-ray from Opus Arte: The Italian in Algiers, Il Signor Bruschino, The Silken Ladder, Moses in Egypt and Cyrus in Babylon. Claudio Scimone and Ewa Poldes are among the performers. The Italian in Algiers is considered one of the funniest operas ever written. Here is a link to the Amazon site where the box set is offered. All you need to do is click on the Register To Win banner on the Home Page and fill out our simple form. The winner of our July drawing for the lavish DGG package entitled The Mono Era 1948-57, consisting of 51 CDs, is Alan Craig of Grand Junction, CO. Congrats! (And note that the mono DGGs are considered superior to the later stereo CDs.) EDITORIAL AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began as a local program in San Francisco and then in 1985 as a weekly national radio series hosted by John Sunier, and aired for 13½ years on up to 200 public radio and commercial stations. In September 1998 its web site for program listings was expanded to this free Internet publication. August 2016 is our 209th issue! All disc reviews are added thru the month as […]
Oppo Universal 3D Blu-Ray Player BDP-105D SRP: $1299
Oppo Universal 3D Blu-Ray Player BDP-105D SRP: $1299 Specs: Firmware Version: BDP10X-38-1220 (Jan. 2, 2013) Dimensions: 16.8” W x 12.2” D x 4.8” H Weight: 17.3 pounds Voltage: 120/240 (for use anywhere in the world) Passive Cooling (i.e., no fan) Power Consumption: 55W, .5W (standby) Warranty: 2 years Rating: ***** Full Specs: https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-105/blu-ray-BDP-105D-Overview.aspx Oppo Digital 2629 Terminal Blvd., Suite B Mountain View, CA 9404 (650) 961-1118 (650) 961-1118 https://www.oppodigital.com ——————————————————————— Audiophile Audition has already published an excellent review of the Oppo 105 player. I will be reviewing the 105D version of the player. The main difference is the addition of the Darbee video enhancement chip and the USB asynchronous DAC. I will also give my opinions of the sound and video quality of the unit. For features and special abilities, you should read the above review or go to the Oppo web site above. Oppo is an audio company that has my highest regards. They always produce quality equipment at a very good price. I did my first Oppo review in 2007 on their DVD-970 DVD-based universal player. In some areas it out-performed players costing up thousands of dollars more. Its price was $149. Now you see Oppo players in systems of […]
Editorial Page for March 2016
Our lavish March drawing is for “Opera baroque” – a 39-DVD plus 4-CDs boxed set from Harmonia mundi consisting of over 47 hours of wonderful music, with top soloists and such directors as René Jacobs & William Christie. 17 complete operas are included in the set. This is a set you will treasure for a lifetime. The five lucky winners of the set of two CDs by The Alexander Quartet on Foghorn Classics – our February drawing – are: Charles Volstad, Eden Prairie MN; Will Leben, Emeryville CA; Seth Shapiro, Snohomish WA; Gary Walker, Sanford NC; and Gregory Weis, Aiken OH. EDITORIAL AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began as a local program in San Francisco and then in 1985 as a weekly national radio series hosted by John Sunier, and aired for 13½ years on up to 200 public radio and commercial stations. In September 1998 its web site for program listings was expanded to this free Internet publication. March 2016 is our 204th issue! All disc reviews are added thru the month as written and received, often daily, amounting to nearly 100 a month. The Home Page lists the latest published reviews. Vinyls, Pure Audio Blu-rays and other hi-res formats are included in the SACD/Hi-Res Section, […]
Editorial for November 2015
Our drawing for this November is for four sets of the new 11-CD Complete 15 Symphonies of Shostakovich, on the Naxos label. The conductor is Vasily Petrenko, and Fanfare said this is the the set of all the symphonies that may be the best. Here is our review of the set. In order to register to be one of the four winners of this $77 set, you need only to register using our simple form here. The four winners will be listed below next month. Here are the six winners of the 2-CD set of A Death in the Family from Albany Records, our October drawing. Congratulations to all: Mary Lee Walker, Sanford NC; Elaine Fisher, Champaign IL; Peter Sjogren, Briarcliff Manor NY; Ronald Jernigan, Southfield MI; David Ohberg, Albuquerque NM & Charles Volstad, Eden Prairie MN. EDITORIAL AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began as a local program in San Francisco and then in 1985 as a weekly national radio series hosted by John Sunier, and aired for 13½ years on up to 200 public radio and commercial stations. In September 1998 its web site for program listings was expanded to this free Internet publication. November 2015 is our 200th issue! All disc reviews are added thru […]
Home Page for August 2015
Our August drawing for all visitors here is the 53-CD Vol. 3 of the Mercury Living Presence Collector’s Edition boxed set, which completes the entire series of releases by this pioneering audiophile label. HERE is our review of it, and HERE is the detailed listing of every single CD in the 53-CD reissue package. They have mostly been remastered by Wilma Cozart Fine, using the equipment originally used to master the three-channel original tapes to two channels for LP release. Ten albums are included in the set for the very first time. The 192K/24-bit format was used thruout for the processing of the reissues. To be considered for this month’s free drawing you must register using our simple form HERE. (And please give us your full name and your address or we won’t know where the send your recordings if you are one of the winners.) The winners of last month’s drawing for two 7-CD sets of the Dvorak symphonies conducted by Jose Serebrier are now announced on our Editorial Page, where you will find more details on this month’s drawing.
MOZART: Complete Sonatas for Keyboard and Violin – Rachel Podger, v./ Gary Cooper, fortepiano – Channel Classics (8 CDs)
Brilliant performances of the Mozart Sonatas for Keyboard and Violin suffer a bit in comparison sonically to the SACDs.
Home Page for May 2015
Our drawing for May is the just-released DGG complete set of all the Beethoven Piano Sonatas performed by Maurizio Pollini on 8 CDs. His playing has a heft and muscularity that complement the works perfectly. (The average customer reviews at Amazon for this $32 set were 5 out of 5 stars.) Here is our review of the boxed set. Three AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers who register this month using our simple form will receive the albums. [Please fill it out entirely.] Go to our current Editorial Page for details on this drawing and (soon) the winner of last month’s drawing.
Home Page for April 2015
Born just four years before J.S. Bach George Philip Telemann has always suffered from comparisons with that towering figure of classical music. At the time though he was considered one of the greatest German composers, and he was highly productive – his total output compares well with Bach’s. One 1767 obituary merely stated ‘his name is his eulogy.’ This Brilliant Records set is the most comprehensive selection of his music ever released, consisting of 50 CDs with complete notes. To be eligible for this April drawing, you must register this month on our simple form. More details on the Editorial Page, plus the name of the winner of our March drawing for the Oppo headphones. On April firsts of some years we have done some music humor links. Here is a great list of the 10 Best Videos of classical music comedies and parodies in The Guardian. Have a look and listen!
Home Page for March 2015
For March 2015 we are offering one item for a lucky AUDIOPHILE AUDITION reader: The $699 Oppo PM-2 planar magnetic headphones, which use the same driver and technological breakthrus as the $1100 model PM-1, including a seven-layer diaphragm and double-sided spiraling coils. These reduced-weight headphones are a distillation of Oppo’s acoustic and industrial design features into a more affordable price point. To be eligible, you must register this month on our simple form. More details on the Editorial Page, plus the name of the winner of our February drawing for the 51-CD set.
Home Page for November 2014
Our November drawing is for two 45-CD sets of The Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon by famed conductor Ferenc Fricsay. Here is a complete list of all the selections on this multi-CD boxed set. And here is our review of it. These have been specially remastered for this collector’s set. The Hungarian conductor, who died in 1963, was known for his interpretations of Mozart and Beethoven, as well as works of his teachers Bartok and Kodaly. He was Chief Conductor of the German Symphony Orchestra Berlin for two periods. He conducted without a baton and recorded exclusively for DGG from the 1950s until his death. The two sets will go to two AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers who this month register using our simple form. (Those who don’t completely fill out the form will not be eligible for the drawing, including those who registered in previous months.) The two winners will be listed on our Editorial Page next month, where this month you’ll find more details on the drawing. Here’s our survey of 16 Christmas CDs & SACDs.
Home Page for October 2014
Our October drawing is for six collector edition sets of the complete Harmonia mundi 8-SACD set of the Complete Beethoven String Quartets performed by the world-famous Tokyo String Quartet. This quartet existed from 1969 to 2013 and has 40 landmark recordings in their discography. Their version of this cycle of the Beethoven String Quartets (Nos. 1-16 + the Grosse Fuge) is elegantly packaged as a set of eight multichannel hybrid SACDs which will go to six AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers who this month register using our simple form. Here is our review of the set. (Those who don’t completely fill out the form will not be eligible for the drawing, including those who registered in previous months.) The six lucky winners will be listed on our Editorial Page next month, where this month you’ll find more details on the drawing and the winners of last month’s drawing.
Home Page for September 2014
Our drawing/giveaway for September will be for a pair of special Erato CD collections by two great operatic voices for five AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers. In the first, Stella di Napoli, Joyce DiDonato explores the birth of bel canto in Naples with a selection of rarities and world premiere recordings. The beloved American singer brings her flair, power, intelligence and taste to little-known arias of Mercadante, Carafa, Valentini and Pacini. Three bel canto greats—Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti—are included. The second CD is a special 18-track sampler for the complete 69-CD Maria Callas Remastered Collection, for which all the original studio recordings have been reprocessed at Abbey Road Studio at 96K/24-bit. Here is the TrackList. All you need do to be considered as one of the five winners to be selected is to register using our simple form this month. (Those who don’t completely fill out the form will not be considered for the drawing, including those who have registered previous months.) The five lucky winners will be listed on our Editorial Page next month, where this month you’ll find more details on the drawing.
Home Page for April 1, 2014
Our drawing/giveaway for April is for a dozen of the new Universal/DGG Pure Audio Blu-ray albums of classic symphonic recordings by Karajan, Kleiber and Fricsay. Two Pure Audio Blu-rays each will go out in early May to three AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers who register on our simple form this month, and two others each will go out to three other AUD/AUD readers. Here is our review of one of the four Blu-rays. The six lucky winners will be announced on our Editorial Page next month, where you’ll find more details this month. The 1st is/was April Fools, and if you want some music humor for the day, just enter April Fools in our site search and you’ll be taken to the April Fools specials we did in 2005 and 2010.
Home Page for February 2014
Our drawing for February is for six of the new audiophile vinyl pressings of jazz vocalist Gregory Porter’s 2010 album Water. (His new album Liquid Spirit just won the GRAMMY for Best Jazz Vocal Album of the Year.) The 11 songs are based on themes of love and protest. He’s been said to be stylistically similar to the late Gregory Hines, with phrasing like Stevie Wonder, enunciation like Kurt Elling, and using techniques of singers like Jimmy Witherspoon and Joe Williams. All you need to do (besides owning a turntable system) is to register on our simple form this month; we will not share your email with anyone. The six lucky winners will be announced on our Editorial Page next month and you’ll find more details there this month. Our Best Discs of 2013 are published now.
Editorial for April 2013
Wagner aficionados will want to have this month’s drawing/giveaway. It is for all four Wagner music dramas making up The Ring, on 14 CDs from Opera d’Oro. Clemens Krauss conducts the leading soloists and the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus in 1953, and the set features four newly-translated complete librettos in English, plus a fifth book of essays. The set will go to three AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers who register this month on our simple form and fill out all the fields. The winners will be announced here in May. The two winners of the 50-CD Brilliant set of all 200 Bach Sacred Cantatas—our March drawing—are: Karl Stefan Grenz, Niedersachsen Germany & Marshall Taylor, Radnor PA. Congratulations to both! GUEST EDITORIAL by Mark Waldrip, Ph.D., AIX Records [Reprinted with permission from the AIX newsletter] Just What Is The Sound Of Analog or Digital? Compliment or Criticism? I’m a digital guy when it comes to producing, engineering and releasing recordings these days but I’ve spent most of my career working with analog recording equipment. So it continues to confuse me when a reviewer or other commentator refers to a piece of music as “analog” or “digital”. I’ve heard this pronouncement many times. […]
Home Page for October 2012
Our October drawing/giveaway is directed toward owners of high end analog turntable systems. Original Recordings Group will donate six different luxury 45rpm double vinyl albums to six AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers who register on our simple form. The albums will feature the classical albums Espana and La Fille Mal Gardee as well as Jaco Pastorius, Ben Webster, Astrud Gilberto and Friday Night in San Francisco. Visit our Editorial Page for October for further details. The winners will be announced there next month. See our Guide to Hi-Res Downloading
Audio News for July 17, 2012
Deep Purple’s Jon Lord Dies; 40% of UKers Can’t Recall When They Last Bought a CD; Bose Has Two New VideoWave II Systems; Mobile DTV to Increase TV Viewership
Audio News for May 25, 2012
Opera News Stops Met Opera Reviews, Then Recants; Inventor of TV Remote Control Dies at 96; TiVo Expands Their Set-Top Box
Editorial for March 2012
In order to be one of the four lucky AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers who will receive the Brilliant Classics 31-disc set of The Ultimate Piano Concerto Collection you need to register Here using our simple non-intrusive email-protected form. Brilliant is noted for its many multi-disc boxed sets. In addition to the 30 CDs covering the complete piano concertos of several composers (seven discs just for Mozart), plus the one or two concertos from others, it has a CD-ROM with detailed notes on all the composers and concertos. The winners will be announced here in early April. Here are the two lucky winners of the 50-CD The Decca Sound boxed set, our February Drawing = Yuan Huang, Vaughan Ontario Canada; Patrick Callery, Sandy Hook CT. Congratulations! [audaud-hr] EDITORIAL AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began in 1985 as a weekly national radio series hosted by John Sunier, which aired for 13 1/2 years on up to 200 public radio and commercial stations coast to coast. In September 1998 its web site for programming information was expanded to the present Internet publication. March 2012 is our 156th issue, and features improved navigation and enhanced appearance in Word Press. All disc reviews (131 for February!) are added thru […]
Editorial for August 2011
Welcome to Adobe GoLive 6 To be one of the dozen AUDIOPHILE AUDITION readers during this month who will receive the special 3-CD set of 11 varied works by the late composer Viktor Kalabis, all you need to do is register this month using our simple non-intrusive email-protected form Here. The works range from the sunny and optimistic piano concerto to a darker symphony and a lovely Divertimento for Winds. Performers include keyboardist Suzana Kuzickova and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Vaclav Neumann. Most are recorded premieres in authoritative performances – all digitally remastered. The 12 winners will be announced here in September. Here are the dozen lucky winners of the two Opus 3 SACDs which was our July drawing/giveaway: Randy Hart, Cave Creek AZ; Alan Craig, Grand Junction CO; Richard Rogers, League City, TX; Gary Mintz, Washington DC; Fred Nick, Seattle WA; Michael Durio, Opelousas LA; Alan Norberg, Warwick NY; Larry Rau, Granbury TX; Teresa Goodwin, Reno NV; Roger Yin, Ft. Atkinson WI; Alan Fong, Stockton CA; Leonard Ray, Southgate MI. Congrats to all! ~ Guest Editorial ~ The Vinyl Anachronist, by Marc Phillips Me, Myself and I, the Audio Reviewer Would you believe me if I told […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
