title Archive
20th Century Women, Blu-ray (2016)
A well-made feature with a fine achievement from actress Annette Bening. 20th Century Women, Blu-ray (2016) Cast: Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Lucas Jade Zumann, Billy Crudup Director & Writer: Mike Mills Studio: A24/Lionsgate [3/28/17] Video: 180p 2.00:1 for 16:9 screens, HD color Audio: English, DTS-HD MA Subtitles: Spanish, English SDH Extras: Audio Commentary by Mike Mills, “Making 20th Century Women,” Cast of film Length: 118 min. Rating: **** Writer-Director Mike Mills surprised us over six years ago with his Beginners. This one is a character study of five people in the late 1970s. Two young people – Abbie and Jamie – are important parts of the story. Bening plays sad or lonely Dorothea in an excellent job of acting. This film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Dorothea gets some help from the young Abbie, a punk artist boarding in her house, and the teenage neighbor Jamie, as well as from a handyman who also rooms in the house. This makeshift family seems to inspire its members. A thoughful script and good cast make the very realistically portrayed characters all most believable. The title hangs on its portrayal of the various women. Mostly talking heads but what […]
CHOPIN: Works – David Fray, p. – Erato
CHOPIN: Works [TrackList follows] – David Fray, p. – Erato LC 02822, 68:32 (2/3/17) *****: A carefully-designed Chopin recital weighted towards crepuscular reverie. As midnight approached and the crowd sorted itself into the right kind of people receptive to genius, Chopin, (according to the famous account by Berlioz), would make his way to the piano. There he would disappear into his his state of grace while the salon would fall under the spell of his lyrical melancholy. Schumann captured this moment well: “It was an unforgettable picture to see Chopin sitting at the piano like a clairvoyant, lost in his dreams; to see how his vision communicated itself through his playing, and how, at the end of each piece, he had the sad habit of running one finger over the length of the plaintive keyboard, as though to tear himself forcibly away from his dream.” “At the end of each piece,” he says. But what pieces? We would like to have a set list in order to see the connections, the large canvas on which Chopin painted his feeling-world. While once it was common for a recording to serve up, say, all of the Mazurkas or Preludes, the more compelling […]
Lean – Lean – Music Wizards
Lean in and listen: trio music which is loose and lingering. Lean – Lean [TrackList follows] – Music Wizards 712411776534, 57:16 [9/16/16] ****: (Jerome Sabbagh – tenor and soprano saxes; Simon Jermyn – electric bass, effects; Allison Miller – drums, bike, effects) Lean is a New York City-based trio consisting of saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh, bassist Simon Jermyn and drummer Allison Miller. To appreciate what this forward-driving jazz threesome can do, follow the dictates of the trio’s self-titled debut…and lean in. Listen closely. Pay attention. This hour-long album is rich with compositional creation, improvisational imagination and masterful musicianship. Sabbagh is from France but has called NYC home since the early ‘70s. He’s played with Victor Lewis, Bill Stewart, Billy Drummond, and others; and has led or co-led several groups over the years. Jermyn was raised in Ireland and since moving to New York City has been on stage with John Hollenbeck, Tony Malaby, Dan Tepfer, and many more; issued solo records; and is associated with other NYC-area bands. Miller fronts Boom Tic Boom and is a member of Honey Ear Trio; has performed with songwriters Ani DiFranco and Natalie Merchant; and frequently sits in with the house band for late-night talk-show […]
“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 […]
Matt Newton – Within Reach – FTM
A harmonically interesting and stylishly nimble release.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
