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Russian Ballet Transcriptions for 2 Pianos = STRAVINSKY, BORODIN, TCHAIKOVSKY, KHACHATURIAN – Piano 21

Russian Ballet Transcriptions for 2 Pianos = STRAVINSKY, BORODIN, TCHAIKOVSKY, KHACHATURIAN – Piano 21

by | Feb 26, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

Cyrpien Katsaris and Etsuko Hirose provide fingers and firepower to a compilation of Russian ballet favorites. Russian Ballet Transcriptions = STRAVINSKY: The Firebird – Suite No. 2; BORODIN: Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor, Act II; TCHAIKOVSKY: Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66: Adagio; The Nutcracker – Suite, Op. 71a; Swan Lake, Op. 20: 3 Dances; KHACHATURIAN: Gayaneh: Sabre Dance and Lezginka – Cyprien Katsaris and Etsuko Hirose, pianos – Piano 21 P 21 056-N, 76:06 (1/20/17) [www.cyprienkatsaris.net] ****:  Hearing this 2016 performance of Stravinsky’s The Firebird – Suite (1919) in Achilleas Wastor’s 2-piano arrangement, I could well recall director Jan Kounen’s 2010 Stravinsky & Coco Chanel and its dramatized (and apocryphal) evolution of the ballet music for Le Sacre du Printemps. We feel through the excellent ensemble of Katsaris and Hirose – in this world premier recording – the evocation of those colors the orchestra will realize, along with Stravinsky’s use of the 50 Russian Folksongs that aided Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, especially in the latter’s Op. 31 Sinfonietta on Russian Themes. The two keyboards literally purr in the Ronde des princesses and then explode with flatulent fire in the Danse infernale du roi Kastchei. Though I miss the ineffable harp’s entry for […]

“The Clarinet in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries from Solo to Quartet” – Music of ERNESTO CAVALLINI, DOMENICO SCARLATTI & others – Stark Quartet – Tactus

“The Clarinet in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries from Solo to Quartet” – Music of ERNESTO CAVALLINI, DOMENICO SCARLATTI & others – Stark Quartet – Tactus

by | Dec 27, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

“The Clarinet in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries from Solo to Quartet” – Music of ERNESTO CAVALLINI, DOMENICO SCARLATTI & others – Stark Quartet – Tactus TC890001, 62:14 [Distr. by Naxos] (11/11/16) ***: Very nice playing in this collection for the true enthusiast. There is a decent amount of repertoire (well, pretty large actually) for clarinet ensembles. However, most of it lies in the transcriptions category or is to be found in the pre-twentieth century realm. The reasons for this are understandable in that many composers found the advances in clarinet making since the work of Klosé and Buffet quite intriguing. This, combined with the portability of these ensembles, often gave composers an attractive alternative to the standard string quartet sound or the very unique declamatory timbres of brass ensembles, so popular in the late Baroque. This album goes to show that there are some very nice works from the mid-nineteenth century to be sure but also some examples from the early to mid-twentieth century. (The advent of the true virtuoso player and extended techniques playable on very advanced instruments has given rise to more concerti and solo rep than any ensembles like this the past fifty to seventy years, […]

Bronislaw Huberman, v./ Ignaz Friedman, p. in works of BEETHOVEN, BACH, SCHUBERT, ELGAR, CHOPIN, BRAHMS & BRUCH – Pristine Audio

Bronislaw Huberman, v./ Ignaz Friedman, p. in works of BEETHOVEN, BACH, SCHUBERT, ELGAR, CHOPIN, BRAHMS & BRUCH – Pristine Audio

by | Nov 20, 2016 | Classical Reissue Reviews

Mark Obert-Thorn restores the classic recording of the 1930 Kreutzer Sonata by Huberman and Friedman.  BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 “Kreutzer”; BACH: Andante from Solo Sonata No. 2 in a minor, BWV 1003; Sarabande and Double from Solo Partita No. 1 in b minor, BWV 1002; Chorale Prelude: “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland,” BWV 62; Air from Orchestral Suite No. 2 in D, BWV 1068; SCHUBERT: Ave Maria, D. 839; Moment Musical in f minor, D. 780, No. 3; CHOPIN: Waltz in c-sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2; Waltz in G-flat Major, Op. 70, No. 1; Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2; BRAHMS: Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 39, No. 15; BRUCH: Kol Nidrei, Op. 47; ELGAR: La capricieuse, Op. 17 – Bronislaw Huberman, v./ Ignaz Friedman, p. (Beethoven)/ Siegfried Schultze, p. – Pristine Audio PACM 102, 78:06 [avail. in var. formats (incl. a successful ambient stereo) from pristineclassical.com] ****:   The art of violin virtuoso Bronislaw Huberman (1882-1947) remains fascinating and problematic to our ears, unaccustomed to his idiosyncratic style of continuous vibrato and sudden shifts of tempo. But the sincerity and ardent fervor of his performances warrants our attention; and often, […]

Fantasia Andaluza – Petri Kumela & Joonas Widenius – Various works for classical and flamenco guitar – Alba Music

Fantasia Andaluza – Petri Kumela & Joonas Widenius – Various works for classical and flamenco guitar – Alba Music

by | Nov 9, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

Fantasia Andaluza – Petri Kumela & Joonas Widenius – Various works for classical and flamenco guitar  [TrackList follows] – Alba Music multichannel SACD ABCD391, 49:00 (7/29/16) ****: A unique disc that offers Spanish guitar with flamenco guitar. Fantasía Andaluza, the guitar duo record of Kumela and Widenius brings something a bit new to the music world. It’s a mixture of flamenco guitar and Classical guitar. As the liner notes point out, the two instruments have travelled through history side by side, at times very close and at others further apart. The two top Finnish guitarists on this disc mirror their instruments one against the other. The repertoire is based on the traditional Spanish guitar music, but the two guitars together make this a unique listening experience. The mixing of a classical and flamenco guitarist gives the music a rather different sound. Some of the works on this disc were written for guitar, others are transcriptions. This SACD 5.1 recording is very good. Each guitar gets its own channel in front, while the rear channels provide a hint of the recording venue, which was a small chapel in Finland. The contrast between the classical and flamenco guitar are quite striking. The […]

Classical Banjo: The Perfect Southern Art – John Bullard, banjo

Classical Banjo: The Perfect Southern Art – John Bullard, banjo

by | Sep 8, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

The virtuoso of classical works on the banjo. Classical Banjo: The Perfect Southern Art [TrackList follows] – John Bullard, banjo – self TrackList: SCHUMANN: Three Romances for Oboe MARCELLO: Concerto in d TELEMANN: Partita No. 5 in e HANDEL: Trio Sonata in g, Op. 2 No. 8 BACH: Fugue, Sonata No. 1 BACH: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring; Movement Ten from Cantata BWV 147 GRIEG: Lyric pieces As you can see by the track listing, this banjo player has even eclipsed Bela Fleck in handling a variety of classical music on the lowly banjo. Bullard was originally kicked out of Virginia’s Commonwealth Music Program because of his instrument. On this CD (and some earlier ones) he reimagines the banjo altogether, as some other performers have amazingly done lately with the lowly ukelele. Bullard went to the Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention in Virginia and eventually met and recorded Fred Boyce, who played Bach on the banjo. He studied with Boyce, recorded two albums of classical banjo and eventually graduated from VCU’s Dept. of Music. He has also published two books on the classical banjo and his music is featured in two motion pictures. Bullard himself did the transcriptions of some of the […]

SMETANA: Ma Vlast – Evelinde Trenker and Sontraud Speidel, pianos – MD&G Gold

SMETANA: Ma Vlast – Evelinde Trenker and Sontraud Speidel, pianos – MD&G Gold

by | Aug 10, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

SMETANA: Ma Vlast – Evelinde Trenker and Sontraud Speidel, pianos – MD&G Gold Records MD&G 930 1960-6 multi-channel SACD with additional 2+2+2 80:00 (8/5/16) [Distr. by eOne] ****: A unique transcription of the Smetana classic arranged for two pianos. Smetana’s Ma Vlast is a standard part of the concert repertoire. It was the composer’s manifesto of national destiny for Czech listeners and it went on to worldwide acclaim. Smetana debuted the piece in 1882, and by that time the composer was almost completely deaf. In structure, it is similar to Lizst’s symphonic poems. Heard with a full orchestra it’s a thrilling piece. Here we get something a little different, with a performance for duo pianos by Eveline Trencher and Sontraud Speidel. The two virtuosi have toured the world in concert, playing acclaimed transcriptions of Mahler and Bruckner at Lincoln Center and at various venues and festivals around Europe. I can’t say I prefer the Smetana for two pianos, but it is a captivating listen. The use of two pianos provides a tonal depth that one piano would not, and the pianists preserve the emotion and lush dynamics of the piece. It’s a surprisingly good listen. The 5.1 channel SACD is […]

SCHUBERT [arr. MAHLER]: Death and the Maiden; SHOSTAKOVICH [orch. Barshai]: Chamber Symphony in c – Roman Simovic & LSO String Ensemble – LSO Live

SCHUBERT [arr. MAHLER]: Death and the Maiden; SHOSTAKOVICH [orch. Barshai]: Chamber Symphony in c – Roman Simovic & LSO String Ensemble – LSO Live

by | May 20, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

SCHUBERT [arr. MAHLER]: Death and the Maiden; SHOSTAKOVICH [orch. Barshai]: Chamber Symphony in c – Roman Simovic & LSO String Ensemble – LSO Live multichannel 5.1 LSO0786 TT: 66:28 (3/11/16) ****: A stunning performance and recording of these two transcriptions of Schubert and Shostakovich. The LSO Live label offers us an interesting disc of string quartets transcribed for a larger string ensemble, the Schubert by none other than Gustav Mahler, who loved the quartet and wanted to expand its sound. Schubert’s Death and the Maiden Quartet, heard here in Mahler’s arrangement, was passed over in Schubert’s lifetime, the quartet has become a staple of the quartet repertoire.The original Quartet was written soon after Schubert had suffered from a significant period of illness, including syphilis, and some have speculated that it is the composer’s testament to his own death. The piece gains its title from the second movement, which is a set of five variations based on the melody of one of Schubert’s most poignant songs, Death and the Maiden, in which a girl struggles against the terror of impending death, that ‘grisly man of bone’, who casts himself as a welcome friend. Then we get the Shostakovich Chamber Symphony in c, […]