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FRANZ SCHREKER: Orchestral Music from the Operas – Royal Swedish Orch./ Lawrence Renes – BIS

FRANZ SCHREKER: Orchestral Music from the Operas – Royal Swedish Orch./ Lawrence Renes – BIS

by | Nov 19, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

The unfortunately almost forgotten composer Franz Schreker emphasized operas but these instrumental works from them show off his great musical art. FRANZ SCHREKER: Orchestral Music from the Operas [TrackList Follows] – Royal Swedish Orch./ Lawrence Renes – BIS multichannel SACD -2212, 68:30 (10/14/16) [Distr. by Naxos] *****: Franz Schreker was thought to be one of the most eminent composers for the sumptuous sonorities of his operas at his time, early in the 20th century. Schoenberg even called him one of the foremost. However, from the 1930s on, his music was in almost complete oblivion, partly due to the Nazis and his father being of Jewish descent. (This in spite of his operas being greatly influenced by Wagner.) He was also out of step with all avant music developments during the 1920s. Schreker usually wrote the librettos for his own operas, which often had symbolist and erotic subjects. More then other opera composers, the orchestral sections of his operas are often of greater importance when heard in concert. Schreker often intended the instrumental sections for independent concert use, showing off his musical wizardry. He often set his operas in medieval times, and the closing track: Nachtstück (Nocturne) was, in a slightly […]

WAGNER: Das Rheingold (opera) – Soloists/ Hong Kong Philharmonic Orch./ Jaap van Zweden – Naxos

WAGNER: Das Rheingold (opera) – Soloists/ Hong Kong Philharmonic Orch./ Jaap van Zweden – Naxos

by | Oct 26, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

A fine effort from an esoteric source, perhaps a presage of things to come. WAGNER: Das Rheingold (complete opera) – Matthias Goerne (Wotan)/ Kim Begley (Loge)/ Michelle DeYoung (Fricka)/ Deborah Humble (Erda)/ Peter Sidhom (Alberich)/ Anna Samuil (Freia)/ Kwangchul Youn (Fasolt)/ Stephen Milling (Fafner)/ David Cangelosi (Mime)/ Charles Reid (Froh)/ Oleksandr Pushniak (Donner)/ Eri Nakamura (Woglinde)/ Hong Kong Philharmonic Orch./ Jaap van Zweden – Naxos Hi-Ref Blu-ray NBD0049 (PCM 2.0 + DTS-HD 5.1), TT: 2:33:22 [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Though Das Rheingold was the first opera to be written in Wagner’s Ring cycle, it was the last to be completed libretto-wise. Wagner realized the need for a prequel to the Ring, and so it comes as no surprise that the work often serves as a standalone performance in many instances, seeing as how it is the shortest of the cycle and in many ways the simplest in terms of musical references and overall presentation. However, Wagner was not one to waste time on superfluous activity, so the personality development and initial debut of characters is paramount for what was to follow, even if the opera can stand alone. For this reason I can recommend this new surround sound release (especially […]

KLUGHARDT: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor; Drei Stücke ‒ Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau / Antony Hermus ‒ CPO; JUROWSKI: Symphony No. 5; Russian Painters ‒ Norrköping Sym. Orch./ Michail Jurowski ‒ CPO

KLUGHARDT: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor; Drei Stücke ‒ Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau / Antony Hermus ‒ CPO; JUROWSKI: Symphony No. 5; Russian Painters ‒ Norrköping Sym. Orch./ Michail Jurowski ‒ CPO

by | Aug 25, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

AUGUST KLUGHARDT: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 57; Drei Stücke, Op. 87 ‒ Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau / Antony Hermus ‒ CPO 777 740-2; 53:48 (8/14/15) (Distr. by Naxos) ***1/2: VLADIMIR MICHAILOVIC JUROWSKI: Symphony No. 5, Op. 79; Russian Painters ‒ Norrköping Sym. Orch./ Michail Jurowski ‒ CPO 777 875-2; 73:46 (3/11/15) (Distr. by Naxos) ***: Two more worthy composers rescued from obscurity, thanks to CPO. On paper and by just about every other standard, these two recordings have little in common except they both represent the crusading efforts of the CPO label to bring obscure but significant music and their composers to light. Klughardt was a German conductor and composer, an enthusiast of Wagner and Liszt who nonetheless pursued the course of the Romantic Classicists, devoting himself to the symphony and showing affinities to Schumann’s symphonic style. Jurowski was a Ukrainian Soviet composer best known for his film scores and for founding a musical dynasty that includes his conductor son Michail and conductor grandson Vladimir. However, I decided to review their works together because while I find their symphonic arguments somewhat compelling, it’s an interesting coincidence that I’m more attracted to the other works on each program and […]

Home Page for December 2014

Home Page for December 2014

by | Dec 1, 2014 | Home Page

Our December drawing is only for a single AUDIOPHILE AUDITION reader who registers this month using our simple form.  That’s because it is the massive 32 SACDs plus a DVD boxed set of ten of the top Wagner operas, including the Ring Cycle, with some of today’s best interpreters of Wagner and the Rundfunk Symphony and Chorus of Berlin conducted by Marek Janowski on PENTATONE. Never before had a record label recorded Wagner’s operas with the same orchestra, choir, conductor and producer; plus it’s the first time in SACD multichannel surround sound. Put “Wagner Janowski” in our site search to see our reviews of seven of these operas. (Those who fail to completely fill out the simple form will be ineligible.) The winner of the set will be listed on our Editorial Page next month, where this month you’ll find more details on this drawing.  Our survey of 16 Christmas CDs & SACDs is here. And here is our Best Discs of 2014 List.

Audio News for April 16, 2013

by | Apr 16, 2013 | Audio News

Court Decision Makes Selling Digital Music Files Difficult; Increased Consumer Spending Lifts Electronics Sales; Sydney Opera House Partners with Samsung; Problems with Met’s 45-ton Wagner Set; Vudu User Data Stolen; Four Hisense TVs Now on Walmart Shelves