jiminlogansquare Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Roy Heaton Smith: Opening the Door Some ignored or undiscovered music here by a British composer of the 20th Century about whom I, for one, had not heard before (it was pushed out on ClassicsOnline as a new recording of interest). Of particular interest is the fourth track, A Suite of Variations, Op. 37 for viola and piano. This piece should be listened to often and by everyone. The rest of the two-disc set contains a mish-mosh of compositions, some light-weight but pleasant, some too heavy and pretentious. But that Suite of Variations is a real masterpiece. Glad I found it. Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 Latino Ladino: Songs of Exile & Passion Yaniv d'Or, countertenor Amit Tiefenbrunn, viola da gamba & violone Barrocade and Ensemble NAYA Spanish music of the New World and other places that are not Spain; the music of religious exiles. Music that is at turns exhilarating and contemplative, sometimes celebratory and sometimes mournful, but never maudlin. Fantastic singing from countertenor Yaniv d'Or. He's going to be a superstar, if he's not already. Lots to explore and enjoy here. The recording quality is high, as well; expertly balanced, with voice rising just enough above the fray while still sounding like a live performance in a real space. I listened to it streaming in CD quality at ClassicsOnline. Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Bacevicius: Orchestral Music I listened to this last night, fell in love with it, and listened to it again today. What a find! Suggested by ClassicsOnline in their "Discover the Music of the Baltic States" promo that showed up a few days ago. Never heard of this guy? Me either. Here is what the 5-star review at AllMusic has to say, in relevant part: "Vytautas Bacevicius is generally considered a Lithuanian composer, but made his career -- if you can call it that -- in the United States. Bacevicius was concerned with "cosmic music," though not that of outer, but inner space, the cosmos as contained within the spiritual dimension of a person. Bacevicius was an intensely complex person whose impoverished life was spent in obscurity and wholly devoted to his music, the vast majority of which was never heard during his lifetime." And: "Bacevicius: Orchestral Music will knock the socks off listeners who enjoy meaty contemporary music that is neither tame nor too cold and formally arch -- too bad Frank Zappa didn't live to hear this composer." Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Blow: Symphony Anthems St. James' Baroque Players - Robert Quinney Great performances of unusual works. Read the liner notes; John Blow comes across as quite the character, plus it sheds some light on pre-Classical views on what it means to be a composer. Bonus Points: As a former student of the College of William and Mary, the first piece was especially interesting to me. Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Vojaĝo Vulkan Quartett Addictively sophisticated and charming light classical singing and playing make this a perfect Saturday afternoon listen! Streaming at ClassicsOnline and Tidal. Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Touché Amoré Stage Four If you like Pixies, you might like this. Give it a listen. Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted September 29, 2016 Share Posted September 29, 2016 Conversations Beethoven, Schubert & Liszt Enrique Bernaldo de Quirós A new release from PlayClassics, the audiophile label from Spain that has been super accommodating and friendly to us here at CA. Well, this is another winner. Some of the best recorded piano I have heard, with the added benefit of coming from PlayClassics' studio, where they are assiduously developing a "house sound" whereby all their recordings are placed in the same space. It's not the be-all and end-all of recording venues, but it is THEIR recording venue, and the consistency allows one to develop an ear for the sound of the space. Add to that some exciting and expressive playing on this particular release, and you have a winning combination. I downloaded the recording at 24/96 resolution. Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Kühnel: Sei sonate ò partite Les Voix humaines Played with a sort of aggressiveness or assertiveness that is thrilling. Also very well recorded. Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Richard Danielpour: Songs of Solitude and War Songs Thomas Hampson - Giancarlo Guerrero Deeply moving new American songs, written in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Wth the great Thomas Hampson singing and the increasingly important and talented Nashville Symphony Orchestra, this is a real winner. Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 Thanks, this looks promising. Indeed! This album really turns up the excitement quotient for this music. And while I for whatever reason do tend to think of C.P.E. as the "exciting Bach," I also have to say I was somewhat put back in my seat by this recording. I like it, I really do. But listeners to be sure should be prepared for a relatively intense performance with huge dynamics and aggressive lower strings. Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted December 3, 2016 Share Posted December 3, 2016 Refuge from the Flames:The Savonarola Legacy ORA, Suzi Digby 24/96, eClassical; also on Tidal [ATTACH=CONFIG]31228[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]31229[/ATTACH] Recommended. This version of Allegri's Miserere is worth hearing, imo. Booklet link: http://www.eclassical.com/shop/17115/art62/4989362-304103-3149020610329_01.pdf FYI streaming on TIDAL, as well. Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 C.P.E. Bach Organ Sonatas Iain Quinn, Organ No, these are not his father's organ works. But they are great fun to listen to if you don't expect them to rival J.S. The performance and the recording are excellent. I especially enjoy the acoustic of this not-too-grandiose organ in a just-right space (a modern organ built by Paul Fritts in 2000 and located in the Miller Chapel at the Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ). Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 You're welcome. I think comparing who is more of a genius is kind of a moot point. All these composers were trying to make a living. They produced what was in demand. If circumstances were different, who knows? If Bach didn't manage to secure the post of Thomaskantor in Leipzig, what would happen? And don't forget he was third choice for the post. Telemann was first, and Graupner was second. The post was offered to Bach grudgingly after these two declined. How much more of Graupner would we have if he were able to accept instead? We are lucky that works by so many obscured composers are preserved and are being recorded so we can get a taste of them now. As for Locatelli, he's a violinist first and foremost. L'arte del violino is his most well know work. 12 Concertos in 3 movements, fast-slow-fast pattern. What's unusual is the solo caprice near the end of the two outer fast movements. They are effectively written out cadenzas, and they're all very crazy. In fact, they have been extracted out and recorded by themselves as solo violin pieces without the rest of the concertos. And the caprices for concerto no. 12 are particularly insane. That concerto is also known as Il Laberinto Armonico--Labyrinth of Harmony: Easy to enter; difficult to escape... Album of the evening: From A to Z, Vol. 1 Sharon Bezaly I thought it was a shame Sharon Beazaly never completed her ambitious "A to Z" project of solo works for flute. At the time, she was my favorite flutist. Maybe still is! Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I'm quite sure it's the new recording facilities in BSOs hall. I read about it somewhere. The recording really picks up the big hall ambience. Sent from my iPad using Computer Audiophile I am really enjoying this sound, better than any BSO recording I can recall, actually. Good for them. Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 I noticed a rave review of this and took a chance. European Tour - Nordic Brass Ensemble [ATTACH=CONFIG]32859[/ATTACH] 2l is known for there hi-res recordings and one's choices here are numerous. Also available in a SACD and Blu-ray set. Sounds good here... I like this one a lot, too. It deserves the accolades. I've only heard it streaming on Tidal, but the SQ there was excellent. Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted April 14, 2017 Share Posted April 14, 2017 1 hour ago, Melvin said: What a great set. Beautiful and charming performances with just a dab of sly sophistication. A perfect "album of the evening." Melvin 1 Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted April 14, 2017 Share Posted April 14, 2017 17 hours ago, Hauser said: Been listening to Lavinia Meijer playing Philip Glass on harp. Wasn't sure about harp music but this was different and a very nice sound. If you like it, I can also recommend Sally Whitwell's piano effort of Mad Rush The harp is an excellent instrument for Glass's keyboard music, as it turns out. It should have been obvious. Thanks for this recommendation! Link to comment
Popular Post jiminlogansquare Posted July 28, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted July 28, 2017 Letters from Iraq: Oud and string quartet Rahim Alhaj Here is a "fusion" of east-meets-west that has to make no excuses. Not one of those "blue grass banjo superimposed on Persian strings" things, where despite best intentions nothing actually works. This is thoughtful music, thoroughly composed and arranged and performed. The music takes center stage over the politics. And it's very rewarding listening. pvanosta, sphinxsix and BacHolz 3 Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 On 9/4/2017 at 0:00 PM, AnotherSpin said: I would love to hear the arguments of marketing agent who convinced recording label to put a picture of naked lady with pretentious hairdo and vulgar make-up on a cover of Vivaldi album. I think that argument would be something along these lines: "How many people picked up the CD with our photo on it? How many picked up the one with Vivaldi's picture on it? Which one sold more copies? You say it was ours that got picked up and sold more copies of your ancient music that basically nobody alive cares about?" That is what they would argue. And I abhor that argument and hate the circumstances that make it a sound argument (especially considering Vivaldi was something of a feminist with his all-female orchestras). But from the perspective of someone charged with selling as many copies as possible of a Vivaldi recording, it's a winner. Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted December 8, 2017 Share Posted December 8, 2017 My very favorite Pops Christmas album, the Telarc release from 1990. On TIDAL. Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted December 8, 2017 Share Posted December 8, 2017 My potential new favorite Pops Christmas album, also starring Kunzel and the Cincy Pops Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 I am going to add this one with certain reservations. The music is intriguing, fascinating. But the randomly and suddenly inserted rests, some lasting a dozen or more measures, are really annoying. But sometimes it is OK to let art annoy us. Link to comment
jiminlogansquare Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 On 10/27/2018 at 9:38 AM, EuroChamp said: Really great! Qobuz streaming in 24/88 Also availaible on Primephonic. Interesting how some jazz is infiltratiting this "Classical" music source Link to comment
Popular Post jiminlogansquare Posted May 28, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted May 28, 2020 This recording showed up on Qobuz recently and is a joy to listen to. Among the best small vocal ensemble recordings I have heard from an SQ perspective, and the vocal and instrumental performances are also outstanding. I gave it five stars in the Roon rating feature, which is something I just don't often do. accwai and Dave G 1 1 Link to comment
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