songs Archive

MENDELSSOHN:  Overture & Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Budapest Festival Orchestra/ Ivan Fischer – Channel Classics

MENDELSSOHN:  Overture & Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Budapest Festival Orchestra/ Ivan Fischer – Channel Classics

Faeries and humans may well dance and rejoice in Ivan Fischer’s new reading of Mendelssohn’s classic response to Shakespeare’s magical comedy. MENDELSSOHN: Overture and Incidental Music to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Opp. 21 & 61; F. MENDELSSOHN: May Night, OP. 9, No. 6; Distance, Op. 9, No. 2; Gondola Song, Op. 1, No. 6 – […]

Jean SIBELIUS:  “In the Stream of Life”, Songs – Gerald Finley (bass/bar) / Bergen Phil. Orch. / Edward Gardner – Chandos

Jean SIBELIUS:  “In the Stream of Life”, Songs – Gerald Finley (bass/bar) / Bergen Phil. Orch. / Edward Gardner – Chandos

“In the Stream of Life: Songs by Sibelius” – Gerald Finley, bass-baritone/Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/Edward Gardner – Chandos SACD CHSA5178 [Distr. by Naxos], 78:40, (1/29/2017) [Track list follows] ****: Splendid performances of some lesser known works. Sibelius is not known very widely for his vocal music but what a rich and rewarding collection of his songs […]

Copland Before the LP (1928-1949) = Song and Pieces for Piano, Violin, Cello – Aaron COPLAND, Leo Smit (p.) / Ivor Karman, Jacques Gordon, Louis Kaufman (vln.) / David Freed (c.) / Ethel Luening (sop.) – Parnassus

Copland Before the LP (1928-1949) = Song and Pieces for Piano, Violin, Cello – Aaron COPLAND, Leo Smit (p.) / Ivor Karman, Jacques Gordon, Louis Kaufman (vln.) / David Freed (c.) / Ethel Luening (sop.) – Parnassus

Copland Before the LP (1928-1949) = Le chat et la souris; Piano Variations; Vitebsk; Two Pieces for Violin and Piano; Vocalise; Danzon Cubano; Sonata for Violin and Piano; Two Pieces for Violin and Piano; Four Piano Blues – Aaron Copland, piano/ Leo Smit, piano/ Ivor Karman, violin/ David Freed, cello/ Jacques Gordon, violin/ Ethel Luening, […]

Audio News for April 11, 2017

Hi-Res Streaming on Smartphones, PCs, and Tablets –  Qpbuz Sublime+ will offer hi-res streaming next month for about £300 annually. It will offer 24-bit hi-res streaming of 60,000 albums. Currently the highest Qobuz tier is Sublime, offering CD-quality 16/44.1 audio for £190 per year. If you want to purchase any hi-res album via downloading, there […]

Ole Edvard Antonsen [trumpet] & Wolfgang Plagge [piano] – “Furatus” = Music by GRIEG, KOSAKU YAMADA, SHOSTAKOVICH, TVEITT and NIELSEN – audio-only Blu-ray & SACD

Ole Edvard Antonsen [trumpet] & Wolfgang Plagge [piano] – “Furatus” = Music by GRIEG, KOSAKU YAMADA, SHOSTAKOVICH, TVEITT and NIELSEN – audio-only Blu-ray & SACD

Music for trumpet and piano in sparkling sound. Ole Edvard Antonsen [trumpet] & Wolfgang Plagge [piano] – “Furatus” = Music by GRIEG, KOSAKU YAMADA, SHOSTAKOVICH, TVEITT and NIELSEN – Pure Audio Blu-ray – 5.1 surround + stereo + mShuttle /+ SACD multichannel and stereo – 2L-130, 53:10 ea. (2 discs) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Recorded […]

Donny McCaslin – Beyond Now – Motéma

Donny McCaslin – Beyond Now – Motéma

Now is the time for saxophonist Donny McCaslin. Donny McCaslin – Beyond Now [TrackList follows] – Motéma MTA-CD-211, 62:57 [10/14/16] *****: (Donny McCaslin – tenor saxophone, flute, alto flute, clarinet; Jason Lindner – keyboards; Tim Lefebvre – electric bass; Mark Guiliana – drums; Jeff Taylor – vocals (track 2); David Binney – additional synths, vocals […]

The Complete Songs Of Virgil Thomson = Soloists with 2 pianists & percussion – New World (3 CDs)

The Complete Songs Of Virgil Thomson = Soloists with 2 pianists & percussion – New World (3 CDs)

Absolutely essential listening of a neglected but masterly song composer. The Complete Songs Of Virgil Thomson = Sarah Pelletier, sop./ Lynne McMurtry, contralto/ William Hite, tenor/ Aaron Engebreth, bari./ Alison d’Amato & Linda Osborn, piano/ John McDonald perc. – New World 80775 (3 CDs), 71:20, 76:04, 50:57 [Distr. by Albany] (4/4/16)*****: Any reasonably performed rendition […]

ALEKSANDRA VREBALOV: The Sea Ranch Songs – Kronos Quartet – Cantaloupe CD + DVD

ALEKSANDRA VREBALOV: The Sea Ranch Songs – Kronos Quartet – Cantaloupe CD + DVD

Fitting tribute to this artistically inclined development and to nature itself. ALEKSANDRA VREBALOV: The Sea Ranch Songs – Kronos Quartet – Cantaloupe CD + DVD (16:9 ratio, color, PCM stereo) CA21122, 49:20  [Distr. by Naxos] (9/30/16) ****: Sea Ranch, founded in 1965, is a very ecologically and artistically self-aware community built into the rugged seacoast […]

MAHLER: Das Lied von der Erde – Kathleen Ferrier, mezzo/ Set Svanholm, tenor/ NY Philharmonic/ Bruno Walter – Pristine Audio

MAHLER: Das Lied von der Erde – Kathleen Ferrier, mezzo/ Set Svanholm, tenor/ NY Philharmonic/ Bruno Walter – Pristine Audio

Andrew Rose revives Kathleen Ferrier’s American debut, in her first Bruno Walter-led “Symphony of Songs” by GUSTAV MAHLER. MAHLER: Das Lied von der Erde – Kathleen Ferrier, mezzo-soprano/ Set Svanholm, tenor/ New York Philharmonic/ Bruno Walter – Pristine Audio PACO 137, 58:20 (mono) [avail in var. formats from www.pristineclassical.com] ****: In this, Andrew Rose’s restoration […]

“O Eterne Deus” – Music of HILDEGARD VON BINGEN – Vajra Voices/ Karen Clark – Music & Arts

“O Eterne Deus” – Music of HILDEGARD VON BINGEN – Vajra Voices/ Karen Clark – Music & Arts

Millenium-old music from Hildegard von Bingen, visionary, mystic and polymath, sung by an inspired choir, Vajra Voices. “O Eterne Deus” – Music of HILDEGARD VON BINGEN – Vajra Voices/ Karen Clark – Music & Arts 1291, 50:20 (5/13/16) *****: As a man, I feel it may be inappropriate for me to review this all-female endeavour. […]

TAVERNER: Mater Christi Sanctissima; Missa Mater Christi sanctissima; Mass ‘The Western Wynde’ – Westminster Abbey Choir/ James O’Donnell – Hyperion

TAVERNER: Mater Christi Sanctissima; Missa Mater Christi sanctissima; Mass ‘The Western Wynde’ – Westminster Abbey Choir/ James O’Donnell – Hyperion

Wonderful readings of two standards. TAVERNER: Mater Christi Sanctissima; Missa Mater Christi sanctissima; Mass ‘The Western Wynde’ – Westminster Abbey Choir/ James O’Donnell – Hyperion CDA68147, 58:36 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] *****: John Taverner was one of those transitional composers who straddled the fence from Catholicism to Protestantism, but unlike his confrere William Byrd, his […]

Maureen Forrester – Berlin, 1955-1963 = Vocal music of MAHLER, LOEWE, BRAHMS, SCHUMANN, SCHUBERT, FRANCK, HAYDN, BRITTEN & others – Audite (3 CDs)

Maureen Forrester – Berlin, 1955-1963 = Vocal music of MAHLER, LOEWE, BRAHMS, SCHUMANN, SCHUBERT, FRANCK, HAYDN, BRITTEN & others – Audite (3 CDs)

Audite gathers integral Maureen Forrester performances from RIAS that testify to her colossal range. Maureen Forrester – Berlin, 1955-1963 = MAHLER: Five Songs by Friedrich Rueckert; LOEWE: Four Songs, Op. 9; WAGNER: Gretchen am Spinnrade; Wesendonck Lieder; BRAHMS: 8 Gypsy Songs from Op. 103; SCHUBERT: 11 Songs; SCHUMANN: Five Songs; Gedichte der Koenigin Maria Stuart, […]

“Mit vierzig Jahren” = BRAHMS: Songs – Havard Stensvold, bass-bar./ Tor Espen Aspaas, p. – LAWO Classics

“Mit vierzig Jahren” = BRAHMS: Songs – Havard Stensvold, bass-bar./ Tor Espen Aspaas, p. – LAWO Classics

A rather stingy but worthwhile selection of nicely-rendered songs. “Mit vierzig Jahren” = BRAHMS: Songs – Havard Stensvold, bass-bar./ Tor Espen Aspaas, p. – LAWO Classics LWC1079, 46:13 [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Stensvold has a lyrical, rather light bass-baritone voice that to my mind is perfectly suited to this music. Brahms, by nature, is thick […]

Russell Malone, guitar – All About Melody – HighNote

Russell Malone, guitar – All About Melody – HighNote

Russell Malone – All About Melody – HighNote HCD7287, 50:20 ****: Russell Malone is a guitarist of subtlety and conviction. (Russell Malone – guitar; Rick Germanson – piano; Luke Sellick – bass; Willie Jones III – drums) BRussell Malone is a swinging fleet-fingered guitarist with a sentimental streak. The latest studio session from him entitled […]

WEILL/BRECHT: Die Sieben Todsünden – Gisela May (sop.), Peter Schreier (tenor)/ Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orch. Leipzig – Brilliant Classics

WEILL/BRECHT: Die Sieben Todsünden – Gisela May (sop.), Peter Schreier (tenor)/ Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orch. Leipzig – Brilliant Classics

WEILL/BRECHT: Die Sieben Todsünden – Gisela May (sop.)/ Peter Schreier (tenor)/ Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orch. Leipzig – 95126, 70:33 – Brilliant Classics (Distr. by Naxos) ****½: What a difference the right style makes. A short while ago I listened to the DVD release of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (2007), the performance with Patty […]

Randy Brecker – Randy Pop – Piloo

Randy Brecker – Randy Pop – Piloo

Randy Brecker – Randy Pop – Piloo PR009, 77:54 ****: (Randy Brecker – trumpet, effects, voice; Kenny Werner – piano, keyboards, arrangements; David Sanchez – tenor saxophone; Amanda Brecker – vocals; Adam Rogers – guitar; John Patitucci – bass; Nate Smith – drums) Elite session musician revisits his pop career in a jazzy way! Randy […]

Susie Arioli – Spring – Spectra Musique

Susie Arioli – Spring – Spectra Musique

Susie Arioli – Spring – Spectra Musique SPECD 7854, 46:41 ****: An unpretentious yet slick session from a singer who deserves a wider audience. (Susie Arioli – vocals; Don Thompson – piano, vibes; Terry Clarke – drums; Neil Swainson – bass; Reg Schwager – guitar; Phil Dwyer – tenor sax; Kevin Turcotte – trumpet; Andy […]