by Audiophile Audition | Dec 27, 2019 | Jazz CD Reviews
Mal Waldron Trio – Free At Last Extended Edition – ECM Records ECM 1001 7798632 (1969/2109) 180-gram stereo double vinyl with full-sized 12-page booklet, 69:27 ****1/2:
(Mal Waldron – piano; Isla Eckinger – double bass; Clarence Becton – drums)
In the myriad evolution of 1969 jazz, there was a pioneering moment. A new German label ECM Records was partnering with jazz pianist Mal Waldron in a prestigious debut. Waldron was renowned for being the house arranger, composer and pianist at Prestige Records. He worked with John Coltrane, Jackie McLean, Kenny Burrell, Art Farmer and many others. Waldron was also known for his stint as Billie Holiday’s musical director and accompanist. He was involved with cooperative efforts in poetry and painting. After a life-threatening breakdown in 1963, Waldron joined an elite group of jazz musicians who resumed their careers in Europe. In 1967, he moved to Munich and formed a trio with Swiss double bassist Isla Eckinger and American dummer Clarence Becton. The 1969 album, Free At Last introduced a second phase of Mal Waldron and a trend-setting jazz label.
ECM Records has released an updated 180-gram vinyl of Mal Waldron Trio Free At Last Extended Edition. It is an opportunity to revisit an influential jazz artist in transition. As described by first person in the liner notes, Waldron is experimenting with “free jazz’ conceptual imagery. He bemoans the generally misused context of this genre. In this album, rhythmic pretext is at the core of the music. Side I opens with “Rat Now”. This ten-minute jam exerts a droning pulse with left-hand repeat and right hand chords. It is moody and soulful. There is a shift to an accelerated 3/4 time signature with Waldron adding pulse-driven piano accents, unlike typical jazz solos. Double bassist Isla Eckinger unfurls an extended solo run that maneuvers from prominent licks to hushed tones. Drummer Clarence Becton slides in with deft cymbal work, and eventually incorporates the full drum kit. He adds a funky resonance. Switching gears, “Balladina” is at times, quasi-atonal with an aura of darkness. Waldron’s atmospheric technique involves trills and includes melodic inflection as the trio unite in a loping tempo. Again, the rhythmic commitment (including a two-chord vamp) moves the number. “1-3-234” is grittier and displays a frenetic bebop intensity. Simply put, the trio swings on this one.
Side II is decidedly explosive. “Rock My Soul” is the longest track on the album, and its most scintillating. After a stout repeat left hand, the band surrounds the pianist with bop aesthetics. Waldron’s solo is typical with its punctuated rhythm consisting of left hand chords and right hand notation. The motifs have an exotic feel to them. Eckinger unleashes another hard driving, then toned down solo. Mal returns with syncopated crashing resonance and Becton delivers another memorable drum solo. On the sole cover, “Willow Weep For Me” (from the earlier Billie Holiday collaboration), Waldron adopts a lyrical, eloquent approach. It is bluesy with sophisticated dynamics. The trio lets the melodic interpretation develop without excessive improvisation. In contrast, “Boo” kicks off with a menacing, crisp left-hand vamp. Waldron sets a one note bass and builds off that with style as the trio morphs into an adroit swing break. Sides III and IV have alternative or variations (all lengthier) of four tracks. “1-3-234 (var.)” is just as stirring with more freewheeling attitude. Drum and double bass combine in a dual solo. On “Balldina (var.)”, all of the moodiness is present with subtle changes in direction. The “Boo” variation is hard-charging and compelling in its ferocity. A long version of “Willow Weep For Me” gives the listener an additional two minutes of Waldron’s ethereal fluency.
Mal Waldron Trio Free At Last Expanded Edition is another significant achievement for ECM. The sound quality of the re-mastered vinyl is superb (kudos to original engineer Kurt Rapp and producers Manfred Eicher and Manfred Scheffner). There is a palpable intimacy to the music. The instrumental precision of piano, drums and double bass is rendered with a delicate touch. The overall mix is balanced and the instruments blend organically. The gatefold packaging is lavish, especially the stunning black and white cover by Rufus Vedder.
TrackList:
Side I: Rat Now; Balladina; 1-3-234
Side !!: Rock My Soul; Willow Weep For Me; Boo
Side III: 1-3-234 (variation) Balladina (variation)
Side IV: Boo (variation); Willow Weep For Me (long version)
-Robbie Gerson
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 27, 2019 | Classical CD Reviews
BERLIOZ: Grande Messe des Morts, Op. 5 – Michael Spyres, baritone/ London Philharmonic Choir/ Philharmonia Chorus/ Philharmonia Orchestra/ John Nelson – Erato CD + DVD 0190295430641 81:35 (CD); 88:00 (DVD) (10/11/19) [Distr. by Warner Classics] ****:
Much ink has already been spilled on the virtues – and defects – of the Hector Berlioz sumptuous 1837 Grande Messe des Morts, its magnitude and breadth of conception, and its cavalier, idiosyncratic treatment of the traditional requiem mass. At best a religious skeptic, Berlioz approached the monumental score as an epic contemplation of death, with perhaps the ulterior motive of then glorifying life, expanding the notion of accepted concert space in order to realize the colossal contradictions in human nature: in the words of Omar Khayyam, “You yourself are Heaven and Hell.” Commentators have likened the ten-movement structure to a “Napoleonic” impulse to exalt the French national spirit through bold and audacious orchestration, sheer mass of musical forces, and the composer’s already dazzling combination of harmonic experiment and often disarming economy.
Hector Berlioz
The John Nelson production, recorded live (8 March 2019) at St. Paul’s Cathedral, has the immediate sense of spaciousness that Berlioz requires, that acoustical expanse that wants to include mystery, defiance, and awe at once in its vision of death in its terror and majesty, its place in the cosmology as the human mind and spirit might understand it. The work itself has precedents in Cherubini (Requiem, 1816), Leseur (Symphonic Ode, 1801), and Mozart, whose 1777 Notturno for Four Orchestras, K. 286 projects something of the antiphonal girth of sonority, while the Cherubini and Leseur models supply something of the “archaic” quality of the emotional effect. Nelson confronts the obviously theatrical elements in the score, as in the noisy opening of Rex tremendae, that third part of the extended Dies Irae, which combines the individual’s sense of imminent judgment and personal regret at an eternity of suffering, against the majesty and might of God, who could be disposed to find mercy for the repentant sinner. The immediate dramatic contrast, the Quaerens me, sedisti lassus, comes in the form of the a cappella mediation on the sacrifice upon the cross, as to whether human vanity warrants the sparing of the guilty, morally frail supplicant. Vacillating between three and six-part harmony, the choral forces stand stripped of pretense and ostentation, exposing what the poet deemed “the naked shingles of the world.”
The essence of the coloring of this massive score lies in its textural variety, the sheer vibration of English horn and bassoons (Quid sum miser), consoling cymbals in the Sanctus, convulsive, punishing rhythms and momentum (Lacrymosa), melodic monotony in two notes (Offertorium), spiritual bankruptcy (Hostias), and lyrical humanity and fertility (Sanctus). For the Sanctus, tenor Spyres projects that warm resonance we have had in prior documents from Gedda and Simoneau, the voice against soft cymbal crashes, as if heaven’s wings swaddle the sweet supplicant. The ensuing double fugue on Hosanna seems to confirm the voices of the female chorus, in that salvation and self-acceptance of one’s errors are possible. The Agnus Dei serves as a composite of Hostias, Requiem and Rex tremenae, moving to almost ineffable sense of cosmic relief in G Major. The epic vision in Berlioz has approximated much in Dante and Blake, spiritual kin in their estimation of the human capacity for frightful arrogance and infinite regret. Six “amen” cadences confirm the composer’s reluctant expression of his personal credo, if not faith, given the unorthodoxy of his sensibility. When, o Earth, will thou be ready to receive thy saints?
This recorded performance, in both CD and DVD incarnations, comes highly recommended.
—Gary Lemco
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 26, 2019 | Streams and Podcasts
The Music Treasury for 28 December 2019 — Arturo Toscanini
The Music Treasury closes out 2019 honoring the great Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini. The show airs from 19:00 to 21:00 PST, hosted by Dr Gary Lemco. The following notes adapted from Britannica.
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini, (born March 25, 1867, Parma, Italy—died Jan. 16, 1957, New York City, N.Y., U.S.), Italian conductor, considered one of the great virtuoso conductors of the first half of the 20th century.
Toscanini studied at the conservatories of Parma and Milan, intending to become a cellist. At the age of 19, when playing at the opera house at Rio de Janeiro, he was called upon to fill in for the conductor and performed Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida from memory. He came into prominence as a conductor in Italy and elsewhere and was appointed musical director of La Scala, Milan, in 1898, and of the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, in 1908. He conducted the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra from 1928 to 1936 and appeared with orchestras all over the world, except those of Italy and Germany during the Fascist regimes. From 1937 to 1954 he directed the NBC Symphony, an orchestra sponsored by the U.S. radio network.
Toscanini became principally known for his readings of the operas of Verdi and the symphonies of Beethoven, and he gave remarkable performances of the music of Wagner. His interpretations were notable for detail of phrasing, dynamic intensity, and an essentially classical conception of form. His phenomenal memory stood him in good stead when, suffering from poor eyesight, he was obliged always to conduct from memory. He commanded from the artists who worked under him a devotion that often made them reach something like his own fervor.
“The Music Treasury” chooses Maestro Toscanini to conclude our 2019 broadcasts, given the proximity to Beethoven’s own birthday (December 16) and for the importance of the 1936 Toscanini reading of the Beethoven 7th Symphony, among other distinguished recordings.
Program List:
Beethoven: Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 6:34*
Beethoven: Quartet No. 11 in B-flat Major, Op. 130 – Cavatina 5:31*
Beethoven: Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3 – Fugue 6:55*
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 (NY Philh, 1936) 35:00
Bellini: Norma: Introduction and Druids’ Chorus (2 December 1945) 10:39
Boito: Mefistofele: Prologue (w/N. Moscona 2 December 1945) 21:00
Berlioz: Romeo and Juliet Symphony: Convoi funebre de Juliette (2/16/47) 10:35
Verdi: Te Deum (2 December 1945) 15:16
*26 November 1944
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 24, 2019 | Classical CD Reviews, Classical Reissue Reviews
Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra: The Early Years, Vol. I = LISZT: Les Preludes; SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61; RAVEL: Daphnis et Chloe – Suite No. 2; R. STRAUSS: Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40; MENOTTI: Amelia Goes to the Ball Overture; BARBER: First Essay for Orchestra, Op. 12; HARRIS: Three Pieces for Orchestra; SOUSA Washington Post March; The Stars and Stripes Forever – Philadelphia Orchestra/ Eugene Ormandy – Pristine Audio PASC 578 (2 CDs) 66:34; 69:26 [www.pristineclassical.com] ****:
Conductor Eugene Ormandy (1899-1985) always poses musical problems for me: as the inheritor of one of America’s greatest musical institutions and ensembles – especially as refined as the Philadelphia Orchestra had become under Leopold Stokowski – I find it often infuriating how limited his recorded legacy could be. Moreover, Ormandy prided himself on his musical memory, to the extent that he rarely re-evaluated his prior conception of any piece in order to deepen or extend its possible meaning. Editor and restoration engineer Mark Obert-Thorn informs us that while Ormandy recorded Liszt’s Les Preludes twice in the 78 rpm era, he did not leave an LP document; nor did Ormandy venture into the other twelve symphonic poems of Liszt. And though I find the reading of Les Preludes technically adequate, dramatically it lacks both the poise and plastic dynamism of fellow Hungarian Ferenc Fricsay’s reading or that of the German Wilhelm Furtwaengler. The even earlier record by Willem Mengelberg from 1929 provides a more overt demonstration of sheer orchestral prowess. My general assessment has been and remains that Ormandy embodied the perfect accompanying artist to any capable soloist – Heifetz, Serkin, Kapell, Stern, Piatagorsky, Feuermann – but his readings of the standard orchestral canon soon pale when scrutinized from the vantage point of rival interpreters’ depth perception. Finally, I have never quite forgiven Ormandy for his rather cavalier dismissal of composer Richard Yardumian, then in residence to the orchestra – after some falling out, Ormandy made sure Yardumian’s name did not appear in a commemorative booklet. When I met Ormandy on tour in Atlanta, I found for me the perfect LP for him to sign for my sense of posterity, his recording of Offenbach’s Gaite Parisienne.
The innate lyricism and stylistic sympathy Ormandy elicits for the Schumann C Major Symphony (rec. 1936-37) virtually has my eating my words, so effective are its musical means. I assume Marcel Tabuteau realizes the oboe part in the last movement, pungent and piquant as the playing proves. Unlike the George Szell approach to Schumann and closer to what would be the Bernstein (via Mitropoulos) hallmark in this symphony, Ormandy avoids reducing the work to a series of marches. The marvelous Adagio espressivo third movement has its way of anticipating much of Mahler, whose Resurrection Symphony Ormandy had recorded in Minneapolis. We must lament, as does Obert-Thorn, that Ormandy returned to Schumann only for the Piano Concerto (with Serkin), ignoring his obvious penchant for the composer, having led the D minor Symphony in Minneapolis and this fine C Major here. A special moment does arrive in the form of the Second Suite to Daphnis et Chloe, alternately lushly soaring and incandescently transparent in the textures, especially the strings and winds. The brass work with triangle at the coda of “Daybreak” resonates in a way has not for the many decades this performance lay dormant, only now reissued since its lacquer days. Do we surmise correctly that William Kincaid plays the luxurious solo flute in the “Pantomime”? The Danse generale achieves a blistering tempo and brilliant articulation in winds, tympani, and brass, a real virtuoso orchestra demonstration moment, certainly the equal of the Mengelberg model in Amsterdam.
Ironically, RCA turned to Eugene Ormandy for recordings of the work of Richard Strauss, who in a sarcastic moment, characterized Ormandy as the “perfect conductor of Johann Strauss waltzes.” The violin principal for this 1939 Ein Heldenleben – the first such recording other than that by its dedicatee Willem Mengelberg in Amsterdam – Alexander Hilsberg (1900-1960) had joined the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1935 and would make some prominent recordings, including a Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (as conductor for young Isaac Stern). The Ormandy tempos for the solipsistic portrait of the composer remain fertile and brisk; and until Hilsberg’s intoning of Pauline, “The Hero’s Companion,” we hardly realize how far we’ve come in terms of self-characterization and the brief exposure of the “Adversaries” (in parallel fifths) with whom The Hero will engage in a Battle Royal. The seamless quiet of the 78 rpm transfer here in this episode belies the age of the recording! The call to arms having been announced, Ormandy virtually pounces on the opportunity to showcase his brass and battery sections, along with the full complement of swooping string lines. The pompous elements manage to collide with the “South Seas” caress of the violin part, the polyphony always a variant of the opening motif of the work. A fine serenity imbues “The Hero’s Works of Peace,” with references to Guntram, Don Quixote, Don Juan and Death and Transfiguration. In case we suspect Strauss of humility, the scalar passages from Beethoven’s Eroica that form “The Hero’s Retreat from the World” soon dispel any false modesty.
Gian-Carlo Menotti’s 1937 Amelia Goes to the Ball had its premier by yet another conductor who coveted the Philadelphia Orchestra, Hungarian Fritz Reiner. The charming parody of socialite mentality has its first recording here from Ormandy, who injects a pert, incisive energy into the playful mix, indicative of his commitment to American music. The 1937 First Essay by Samuel Barber marks another premiere on disc, here of a work through-composed, inspecting its opening motif from a variety of viewpoints. The Philadelphia strings open and soon swell with the somber theme, joined by brass and tympani in a resolute statement, in canon, of this musical “essay.” Cast in two sections, the music reveals an idiosyncratic dissonance, but the parts, including the quick scherzando, reveal aspects of the initial motive. The agitation becomes alternately jazzy and disruptive, utilizing the piano as a percussion color. As an innovative exploration of the “essay” form, the work has a tight, lyrically explosive potency, fading out in eerie menace. Roy Harris took two Dance movements from his Folksong Symphony and sandwiched between the outer movements a new movement, Evening Piece. Pristine here revives an otherwise unpublished recording. The opening Dance Tunes bears an Irish lilt or two. The middle movement conveys a nocturne in the true sense, almost hymnal. Dance Tunes for Full Orchestra project a rural, festive spirit, peppy in the brass. Real Americana, the music rings with the same national impetus we associate with Copland and Gould.
Lastly, we have two Sousa marches that announce our having entered into WW II and mark the last RCA sessions for the Philadelphia Orchestra for many years. The bouncy, nationalistic Washington Post March exploits high brass, tuba, and cymbals in a sporting spirit. Stars and Stripes Forever will once more ask William Kincaid to contribute to the gallant hours of American patriotism. The clarity of line truly affects us even now, and the entire restoration has been a marvel of seamless splicing.
—Gary Lemco
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 24, 2019 | Pop/Rock/World CD Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
Boz Scaggs – Atlantic Records SD 19166 (1969)/Speakers Corner Records (2019) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 44:13 *****:
(Boz Scaggs – guitar, vocals; Duane Allman – guitar; Eddie Hinton – guitar; Jimmy Johnson – guitar; Barry Beckett – keyboards; Al Lester – fiddle; David Hood – bass; Roger Hawkins – drums; Jeannie Green, Donna Thatcher, Mary Holiday, Tracy Nelson, Irma Routen, Joyce Dunn – backup vocals; Charles Chalmers – tenor saxophone; Floyd Newman – baritone saxophone; Ben Cauley – trumpet; Gene “Bowlegs” Miller – trumpet, trombone; Joe Arnold – tenor saxophone; James Mitchell – baritone saxophone)
Boz Scaggs became part of the rock music scene in San Francisco as a member of the Steve Miller Band. The two were high school classmates and had an appreciation for blues and roots-based music. Scaggs played on Miller’s first two albums, Children Of The Future and Sailor. He left to pursue a solo career as a songwriter and performer. In 1965, he had released a solo album, Boz which was unsuccessful. Scaggs was neighbors with Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner. Eventually a demo from Scaggs found its way to Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records. With Wenner producing, he traveled to the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama to record Boz Scaggs. With the help of emerging superstar Duane Allman and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, a collection of original songs and covers explored blues, r & b, country and Southern-based music. This 1969 album garnered critical acclaim, but not commercial success. However, the prominence of FM or “underground radio” provided a niche audience for undiscovered rock musicians. The blues cover, “Loan Me A Dime” received significant airplay, despite its twelve-and-a-half minute length. In the mid 70’s Scaggs achieved stardom with the release of 5x platinum Silk Degrees, which included the hits, “Lowdown”, “We’re All Alone” and “Lido Shuffle”.
Speakers Corner Records has released a 180-gram re-mastered vinyl of Boz Scaggs. Although the album was released in 1969, it was re-mixed in 1977 with better results. From the opening notes of “I’m Easy” on Side One, it is apparent that this is a highly polished musical statement. Scaggs is a bona fide purveyor of “blue-eyed soul” and the hook-driven arrangement with soulful vocals, crisp guitar licks and horn chorus is vintage Muscle Shoals. Shifting to 3/4 time, “I’ll Be Long Gone” is quintessential Scaggs. With atmospheric smooth contours, the song morphs from melancholy to affirmation (“I’m gonna get up and make my life shine”). A tenor solo, nimble organ and gospel backup vocals are graceful. In a nod to slowed down Memphis sounds, “Another Day (Another Letter)” has the emotional impact required for an aching reflection of love. Boz’s low-register vocals at the end of this track are catchy. In a distinct change of pace, “Now You’re Gone” is honky tonk country with twangy guitar and fiddle. In a glimpse of future pop largesse, “Finding Her” combines different motifs in evocative waltz-time, showcasing echo-laden guitar. The first cover, “Look What I Got” is a country lament framed by slide guitar. A gospel flourish resonates at the climax.
Side Two resonates with the musical versatility of Boz Scaggs. An excellent version of Jimmy Rodgers’ high-stepping “Waiting For a Train” distills the essence of The “Singling Brakeman”. The good-natured lyrics (“if you got the money, I’ll see that you don’t walk”) is heartwarming. Scaggs throws in some “Rodgers-esque” yodeling for good measure. Amazingly, the signature number on this album, “Loan Me a Dime” is in the middle of the second side. It is difficult to grasp the visceral artistic force of this performance. A blues classic, written by Fenton Robinson, it starts with a hypnotic, moody organ and piano. The exquisite guitar licks and earnest vocal eloquence strikes at the heart of blues (like B.B. King). When Duane Allman enters the jam, it explodes to a new level. The swelling horn shading and continual tempo uptick is nothing short of electric blues perfection. Scaggs’ sultry delivery is a perfect counterpoint. As the intensity modulates, the band creates a spine-tingling, furious jam. The players are in such a lockstep that listeners will want it to go on beyond the 12:30 mark. An original composition, “Sweet Release” seems to begin as a folk song. Then, a trombone is added to soulful backup singing and gospel styling takes over. It is the essence of Boz Scaggs and Muscle Shoals.
Speakers Corner Records has done a masterful job in re-mastering Boz Scaggs to 180-gram vinyl. It captures the muscular layers of horns as well as the searing guitar tones. The harmonic backup voices are glowing. Scaggs’ winsome voice is centered in the mix and is never overwhelmed by the instrumentation.
This vinyl is outstanding and would be a valuable addition to any music collection.
TrackList:
Side One:
I’m Easy
I’ll Be Long Gone
Another Day (Another Letter)
Now You’re Gone
Finding Her
Look What I Got
Side Two:
Waiting For A Train
Loan Me A Dime
Sweet Release
—Robbie Gerson
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 22, 2019 | Streams and Podcasts
The Music Treasury for 22 December 2019 — Raymond Lewenthal, Pianist
The Music Treasury for Sunday evening, December 22, 2019, is 19:00 – 21:00 PST.
In this week’s episode, Dr Gary Lemco is presenting the art and legacy of pianist Raymond Lewenthal. Lewenthal was highly regarded, especially in his research and performance of 19th century chamber music and works for solo piano. He had extensive study of composer Charles-Valentin Alkan did much to revitalize interest in that French composer. The show will be largely based on Lewenthal’s live performances. The following notes adapted from Wikipedia.
Raymond Lewenthal, pianist
Raymond Lewenthal 1923-1988) was an American virtuoso pianist. Among his teachers were Olga Samaroff, who was a pupil of Charles-Valentin Alkan‘s son, Élie-Miriam Delaborde. We celebrate Raymond Lewenthal with guest Francis Romano, former President of the Gyorgy Cziffra Society and an ardent fan of pianists of flamboyant personality.
Lewenthal was born in San Antonio, Texas to Russian–French parents of Jewish origin. His birth date is often given as 1926, but he was actually born three years earlier in 1923 (an examination of his birth certificate has confirmed this). The false birth year was probably an attempt to assist his career as a child actor. After spending several years as a child movie actor in Hollywood, he studied the piano there with Lydia Cherkassky, mother and teacher of the renowned pianist Shura Cherkassky. In 1945 he won all three of the major competitions then being held in California: The Young Artist Competition at UCLA (judged by Bruno Walter), the Young Artist Contest of Occidental College, and the Gainsborough Award in San Francisco. He continued his studies at the Juilliard School as a full scholarship student of Olga Samaroff-Stokowski. Later Lewenthal worked in Europe with Alfred Cortot and Guido Agosti.
Lewenthal made his debut in 1948 with Dimitri Mitropoulos and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The occasion marked the first time a soloist had been invited to play Prokofiev‘s Piano Concerto No. 3 under Mitropoulos’ direction, that being a work the conductor was famous for playing himself. The success of this performance was followed a few weeks later by Lewenthal’s New York recital debut. These events launched his North American career, which flourished until it came to a sudden halt in 1953; while walking through New York’s Central Park, Lewenthal was attacked by a gang of hoodlums and suffered broken bones in his hands and arms. After a slow physical and psychological recovery, Lewenthal moved abroad and withdrew from the concert stage except for occasional touring and recording in Europe and South America. During this time he began his research on the French Romantic composer, Charles-Valentin Alkan, with the intention of writing an exhaustive study of Alkan’s life and music. Lewenthal’s Alkan book remained unpublished at the time of his death.
His first return to the public was through a two-hour broadcast in 1963 for WBAI in New York, on which he played Alkan’s works and discussed his life. The response to this program was overwhelming and brought a request from G. Schirmer to prepare an edition of Alkan’s piano music. Encouraged by the reception, Lewenthal played a recital including Alkan’s music in Town Hall, New York, in September 1964 – his first public appearance there in 12 years. This led to an RCA recording of Alkan’s music that was met with critical raves, and then a three-concert Liszt Cycle in New York and London, among many other performances. Lewenthal came to be considered the leader of the “Romantic Revival”, reintroducing solo and chamber works by many important but neglected 19th-century composers such as Moscheles, Goetz, Herz, Hummel, Henselt, Scharwenka, Rubinstein, Reubke, Field, Dussek and others, as well as reviving overlooked works by famous composers. He also took an active role in such events as the Romantic Festival at Butler University (Indianapolis) and Newport Music Festival. In 1971 he accepted an invitation to a well-received tour of Southern Africa. Lewenthal taught at the Mannes College of Music and The Tanglewood Music Festival, and was a faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music for a number of years beginning in the mid-1970s. Among his doctoral students was Israeli pianist Astrith Baltsan.
Lewenthal’s recordings include releases for Westminster Records, Reader’s Digest, RCA Victor, Columbia Records/CBS, and Angel Records. In addition to his Schirmer edition of selected Alkan piano works, Lewenthal prepared for Schirmer an anthology called Piano Music for One Hand, and another collection of Encores of Famous Pianists, both containing extensive notes and commentary.
After living for many years in a small apartment at 51 East 78th Street in Manhattan, Lewenthal moved to Hudson, New York, where he spent his last years in semi-seclusion, his concert activity significantly reduced owing to a chronic heart condition. He died on November 21, 1988, aged 65. Almost all of tonight’s performances derive from live recitals.
Venue Work
Butler University Gliere-RL Russian Sailor’s Dance 4:32
Frick Schumann Symphonic Studies 25:42
Dallas Rossini-Thalberg Moses Fantasy Op. 33 13:04
Butler Meyerbeer-Liszt Skaters Waltz 11:48
Belfast Alkan Symphony Finale Op. 39 4:05
Studio Alkan Festin de Aesop Op. 39 8:45
Butler Chopin-Godowsky Study #13 Op. 10 No. 6 3:25
Study #36 Op. 25 No. 6 2:25
Belfast Liszt Czardas Macabre 6:00
Mephisto Waltz #3 7:17
Paganini Study #6 1838 Version 5:08
Field Nocturne in E minor 4:00
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 19, 2019 | Classical CD Reviews, Classical Reissue Reviews
Lola Bobesco plays = BACH: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, BWV 1041; VITALE: Chaconne in G minor; VANHAL: Concerto in C Major for Violin, Piano and Orchestra; MOZART: Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat Major, K. 364; Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219 “Turkish”; BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61; SAINT-SAENS: Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61 – Lola Bobesco, violin/ Jacques Genty, piano/ Giusto Cappone, viola/ South German Radio Orchestra/ Hans Mueller-Kray/ Saar Chamber Orchestra/ Karl Ristenpart – SWR Classic SWR 19067CD (3 CDs) 53:26; 59:46; 71:49 (9/13/19) [Distr. by Naxos] *****
Romanian violin virtuoso Lola Bobesco (1921-2003) seldom receives the due that she deserves, given her extraordinary talent and prestigious honors, including having placed seventh in the historic 1937 Eugene Ysaye International Competition in Brussels, in which David Oistrakh placed first, perhaps based on the (Soviet) political situation rather than upon sheer musical talent. This compilation from SWR, Stuttgart embraces performances 1957-1961, when Bobesco had entered a mature, burnished phase of her career, and her long association with pianist Jacques Genty had fused them into a duo as reliable as that of Menuhin and Kentner. Bobesco’s sterling tone first came to my attention via a Philips recording of the Vitale Chaconne with piano accompaniment; and here, from 5 July 1957, she plays the work with Mueller-Kray and orchestra, a performance that rivals my preferred version with Francescatti and De Stoutz.
Disc One opens with a resonant, romantically inclined Bach A minor Concerto with Mueller-Kray, inflected with Bobesco’s generous, broad vibrato. Her tonal warmth quite glows in the Andante, approached with a serene leisure. A vibrant simplicity marks her concluding Allegro assai, which she and Mueller-Kray drive forward with seamless aplomb. After the mesmerizing Vitale, we hear the infrequent charms of music by Bohemian composer Johann Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813), well a contemporary of Haydn and a master of no mean ability. The Concerto for Piano and Violin (12 June 1957) pairs Bobesco and ex-husband and duo partner Getty with Baroque specialist Karl Ristenpart (1900-1967). The entire performance of this high-spirited work enjoys a fertile elan and natural ease of style. The piano entry for the opening Allegro has the plastic joie we associate with Scarlatti and Galuppi. The violin has its own, distinct entry, and then the pair launch into unison scales or antiphonal episodes. The Saar flute adds to the joyous mix, and the tuttis chug at a brisk clip. The work may well, if known to young Mendelssohn, have provided the basis for his own 1823 duo concerto. The affecting Andante proffers a melodic line to be envied by any other master of the period. Genty responds first, evolving a kind of solo sonata line which Bobesco then elaborates. She then has plucked figures and trills to accompany Genty’s ornamented line. At times, the music has the airy quality of a Mozart cassation or Haydn divertimento. The occasional sojourn into minor harmonies cast a Baroque aura into the cantabile moment. The last movement Allegro simply extends the lyrical and fluent spirits, once more with Genty’s frolics with flute just prior to Bobesco’s entry. The two solo instruments may well compete for primacy of exuberant expression.
Disc Two presents all Mozart: the Sinfonia concertante (13 April 1957) has viola master Giusto Cappone in splendid harmony with Bobesco and conductor Ristenpart. If any music “drops from the sky” more miraculously than the soli entries in the Allegro maestoso movement, I challenge anyone to name it. This 1779 masterpiece likely meant to showcase Mozart’s own gifts on the viola – setting the part in D but to be raised scordatura a semitone – though the violin part enjoys its own distinction. The cadenzas for this work, in Mozart’s hand, make the piece that much more significant among his string concertos. The spontaneity and warmth of approach ensure that those who explore will return to this musical moment often. The mesmerizing Andante sets us an extended operatic aria worthy of any moment in Cosi fan tutte. The last movement Presto takes a Lombardic rhythm in 2/4 and manages to so divide the beats that triplets flow forth. Cappone and Bustabo respectively trade entries in the course of the swirling inventions of melody and texture, while Ristenpart’s canny support can seem palpable and invisible, at once. The Turkish Concerto derives from a live broadcast of 20 May 1962, once more with Mueller-Kray. The last of the “official” violin concertos of 1775, this A Major Concerto projects both chastity and nobility entirely unique. Bobesco takes her initial entry very slowly, basking in the music’s serene departure from the music of the opening tutti. The she and conductor Mueller-Kray launch into the Allegro aperto with a singing resolve that will suffuse the performance proper. Despite the lyrical eloquence of the Andante, its dedicatee Gaetano Brunetti, found the music trivial and unrewarding. Bobesco has no such qualms about the innate glories of this dreamy movement, and she and Mueller-Kray send the music aloft to the affective aether. The last movement, well noted for its contrasted personalities of a triple meter dance that suddenly breaks into a duple janissary festival of color, commands our attention to its variety of dynamic detail. The courtly minuet that opens the movement carries Bobesco forward with a galant chic, slickly plying a series of rounded gestures. The Turkish element has the pasha and his train accompanied by col legno strings and dervishly seductive variants from Bobesco’s exotic palette. The minuet returns with ingenuous naivete.
Disc three delivers two of the largest canvases, the 4 July !961 Beethoven Concerto in D and the 6 October 1960 Saint-Saens Third Concerto. Legend has it that when Hans Schmidt-Issersedt originally invited Bobesco to perform the Brahms Concerto in 1960 Berlin, she suffered a degree of stage fright. We detect no such malaise in her expansively persuasive approach to Beethoven, in which Bobesco and Mueller-Kray achieve a sonorous poise throughout, especially in the G Major Concerto in B minor Larghetto. The 6/8 Rondo has throaty verve and wit, and a particularly telling pathos in the G minor episode in which she dialogues with the bassoon. The 1880 of Camille Saint-Saens B minor Concerto provides a dramatic complement to the Beethoven, composed as it had been for Pablo de Sarasate, sporting two outer movements of somber resolve and a middle Andantino quasi allegretto that evokes a summer pastoral or barcarolle, ending with pungent, octave harmonics from Bobesco in tandem with low clarinets. The broad, uncut approach to the Concerto rivals the classic version from Nathan Milstein, with the advantage of a conductor who generates more personality into the orchestral tissue. The first movement gains a fervent intensity in winds and brass while Bobesco spins out the secondary melody in seamless triplets. A stentorian rigor opens the last movement, Molto moderato e maestoso that will highlight the Spanish flair worthy of its dedicate, Sarasate. The music becomes a kind of hymn tune at which Saint-Saens excels, the brass choir having become especially insistent. Always, Bobesco has dug deeply into her strings to project a hearty, visceral passion into works she has long cherished in a fulsome repertorty.
–Gary Lemco
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 19, 2019 | Classical CD Reviews
MENDELSSOHN: Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra in D minor, MWVo3; Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra, MWVo4 – Solomiya Ivakhiv, violin/ Antonio Pompa-Baldi, piano/ Slovak National Symphony Orchestra/ Theodore Kuchar – Brilliant Classics 95733, 66:13 (11/1/19) [Distr. by Naxos] ****
The precocious, youthful Mendelssohn (1809-1847) receives his due in this pair of enthusiastic collaborations (rec. 15-19 November 2017) of his two violin concertos, composed 1822 and 1823. The Concerto in D minor had enjoyed a revival through the efforts of Yehudi Menuhin, who owned the manuscript and instituted recordings for both RCA and EMI in the 1950s. The hybrid style of the work embraces both Baroque and Classical models, mostly in the Gallic style that no less embraces the bravura we know from Viotti. The last movement Allegro in bravura gypsy style delighted many critics of the time, themselves initiates to the charms of this good natured and inventive experiment from a gifted teenager. The last movement, Allegro molto, of the “double” concerto, too, enjoys a tumultuous, gypsy flavor. The writing for the string orchestra evinces the same level of independent confidence that the composer had refined in his string symphonies of the same period.
Felix Mendelssohn,
by James Warren Childe
These works reveal a host of musical influences, among them that of Mendelssohn’s teacher Eduard Rietz, and the melodic contours of Franz Schubert. The D minor Violin Concerto conforms to the Mozart model in three movements; but, after the opening expository materials, the solo herself introduces the lyrical, second subject. The agitated nature of the risoluto theme might suggest the stormy music in Gluck’s Orfeo. The heavy-footed main theme finds constant repetition, while over it solo Ivakhiv weaves any number of ariosi, each more exalted and emotionally impetus than the last. Mendelssohn obviously relies on Mozart’s formulas, but he speaks in his own, ardent voice. The slow, expansive movement, Andante, exposes us to a real composer of song at a tender age. The solo has a brief cadenza moment prior to her rejoining the strings for a spun-out, beautiful lyric in audacious modulations. Later, a second cadenza has a moment before it leans into the tremolando string accompaniment. Attacca, the gypsy finale thrusts forward in a bravura style that bears a hint of Paganini. Ivakhiv has been awaiting this movement’s cadenza, which carries both bite and suave panache
The Concerto for Violin and Piano of 1823 projects a larger, more ambitious canvas. Once more, former influences might point to Haydn, Vanhal, and Hummel. The militant character of the opening Allegro has elements of Mozart and later strategies of the composer himself. The brilliant piano has the first thematic gambit, soon joined by the violin, and both will find their gifts exploited individually as well as in concert. The violin often projects a lovely aria over resonant piano arpeggios. When the musical affect becomes scherzando, the playful joie de vivre of the ensemble deliciously recommends itself to us. The structure of the tutti and solo passages easily suggests Paganini as a model. The orchestra occasionally breaks off, and we have an inflamed sonata foe violin and piano. In the second movement Adagio, Mendelssohn becomes so enamored of this effect almost to forget the orchestra entirely. The last movement Allegro molto easily suggests the later Capriccio and Rondo brilliante of the composer’s burgeoning maturity. The keyboard writing loves rocket figures while the violin basks in high, skipping tessitura. The Slavic main theme has its foil in the “typical” Mendelssohn melodic curve. To hear the evolution of a gifted composer’s style has been the real delight in this aurally audacious combination of concertos, splendidly captured by the recording team of Jaroslav Stransvsky and Da-Hong Seetoo.
–Gary Lemco
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 17, 2019 | Classical CD Reviews
“Christmas with True Concord: Carols in the American Voice” – True Concord Voices and Orchestra/ Eric Holtan – Reference Recordings fresh! FR-734, 60:47 ****
True Concord has been around since 2004, hailing from the Tucson area, and made quite a mark in 2015 with the release of its album of Stephen Paulus music, Far in the Heavens, for which it garnered a Grammy nomination. This is its second album for Reference, and it is a splendid one. Though I might quibble a bit at not having it in the SACD format (Christmas albums rarely are, for some reason), the sound is still quite vibrant, and the performances even more so. The subtitle is Carols in the American Voice, yet the music is a mix of the international tradition in sometimes updated arrangements by Americans (which are excellent) and the newer that have become quite popular. They are all taken from the “Lessons and Carols by Candlelight” series that is presented every December in Tucson.
There are many wonderful choruses out there making seasonal albums, some so superb as to defy description, yet True Concord holds its own with exceptionally lovely singing, terrific phrasing, and a dynamic sense of powerful and radiant presentation that emanates from every bar. If this doesn’t put you into the true Christmas spirit, I can’t imagine what will!
Tracklist:
On Christmas Night (The Sussex Carol) | Trad. English, arr. Gerald Near
Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming | Praetorius, ed. Alice Parker and Robert Shaw
A Somerset Carol | Trad. English, arr. Dale Warland
Away In A Manger | William J. Kirkpatrick, arr. Mack Wilberg
Go, Tell It On The Mountain | Spiritual, harm. J.W. Work, arr. Stacey V. Gibbs
Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine | Trad. German, arr. Peter Rutenberg
Cradle Song | Trad. Welsh, arr. Gerald Near
Wexford Carol | Trad. Irish, arr. Mack Wilberg
O Come, Divine Messiah! | Trad. French, arr. Howard Helvey
Silent Night | Franz Gruber, arr. Stephen Paulus
Sing We Now Of Christmas | Trad. French, arr. Fred Prentice, acc. Carol Barnett
Fourteen Angels | Jeffrey Van
Ding Dong! Merrily On High | Trad. French, arr. C. Wood, descant P. Rutenberg
One Gift | Glenn L. Rudolph
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly | Trad. Polish, arr. Matthew Culloton
Love Came Down At Christmas | Howard Helvey
Midnight Clear | Russell Schulz-Widmar
—Steven Ritter
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 17, 2019 | Classical CD Reviews, Classical Reissue Reviews
SCHUTZ: The Christmas Story; Six Choral pieces – Yale Schola Cantorum/ David Hill – Hyperion CDA68315, 71:13 [Distr. by PIAS] ****:
If Handel is considered a German composing Italian music in England, then certainly Heinrich Schutz is a German composing Italian music in Germany, specifically Dresden, where he spent most of his career. More than that, he, like Handel and Bach, was a staunch Protestant who was absolutely in love with what he called the “true university of music”, Catholic Italy. Though his parents, who were well off, were also dead set against his becoming a musician, Schutz, who believed that God “no doubt singled me out in the womb for the profession of music” found his escape in 1614 to write music for a royal christening in Dresden. That did it; the things he learned in 1609 when a patron sent him to Venice to study with Giovanni Gabrieli were then put to good use, and there was no looking back.
The six choral pieces here are all good examples of the type of expressive text setting that so typifies this composer. Whether the wonderful Magnificat composed about the same time as the Christmas Story, or the Word was made flesh, his use of voices and instruments almost rivals his Venetian mentor.
The Christmas Story, a pseudo-dramatic retelling of the nativity narrative, was initially intended to be part of the vespers service of Christmas day. He employs no fewer than twelve voices, a large contingent of strings, and many wind instruments, all of which add to the color of the work. In addition, his recitatives are of the Italian operatic style that adds to the drama. My favorite recording to this point has been the 30-year-old Andrew Parrott on EMI with Emma Kirkby and Nigel Rogers. I must admit that the solo singing is more stylish on that release than here, where the solos are taken by members of the Yale Schola, though they are very good. But the spirit, enthusiasm, and sound are far superior in this new release, showing that David Hill has brought much of the traditional English artistry to New Haven to excellent effect. This is a wonderful release.
—Steven Ritter
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 14, 2019 | Classical CD Reviews
“A Spanish Nativity” = VICTORIA: O magnum Mysterium; GUERRURO: Beata Dei genitrix Maria; A un nino llorando; LOBO: Missa Beata Dei genetrix Maria; MATEO FLECHA ‘EL VIEJO’: El jubilate; Riu riu chui; PEDRO RIMONTE: De la piel de sus ovejas; MORALES: Cum natus esset Jesus – stile antico – Harmonia mundi HMM 902312, 64:17 [Distr. by PIAS] ****:
This fascinating, extremely well-performed program attempts to present Christmas music from what is considered the golden age of the Spanish Renaissance, the so-called Siglo de Oro. It is remarkable—as you can see from the headnote, these amazingly prolific and fecund composers all overlapped within a generation or two, producing some of the most phenomenal and complex—not to mention beautiful—music of the entire period. But while this is titled “A Spanish Nativity”, the main work here, round which all the other pieces gather, is not from the Christmas season at all, but instead the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Musically it all fits, but I am still a bit perplexed by the choice, as there are a plethora of other genuine Christmas works that could have served equally well for the intentions of this specifically listed Christmas program.
Be that as it may, it is still performed by stile antico, which is enough reason for those in the know to buy it, and certainly anyone sampling this disc will not be disappointed. The aforementioned lynchpin to this outing is the magnificent Missa Beata Dei genetrix Maria by Alonso Lobo, the maestro di capilla at the Toledo Cathedral. This “parody mass”, like so many others of the time, borrows its thematic motives from a motet by the composer’s own mentor, Francisco Guerruro, Beata Dei genetrix Maria. Guerruro of course made his career at the Seville Cathedral, as a singer, assistant, and finally, the maestro. Lobo employs the same scoring as Guerruro’s mass, and the music is extraordinarily wedded to the motet in a way that almost confuses the two composers. Lobo, who based five of his six masses on his mentor’s music, seems as familiar with his master’s muse as his own; one can easily imagine Guerruro himself composing Lobo’s work, were it not for the advances that Lobo makes in the harmonic language of the time, as one following chronologically after the older composer.
This whole program is centered on the Lobo work, with other pieces by the noted artists of the time interspersed among the movements of the mass. A particular inspiration is the inclusion of the villancicos, dance-like and rather unruly songs that used the vernacular and were quite controversial at the time despite their extreme popularity. Many composers “crossed over” in the genre, while others maintained a strictly highbrow approach to church music and regretted the influence. Nevertheless, their inclusion in this program provides a view that perhaps only time can give, and they seem to fit snugly in the overall context of the program.
Sound is clear as a bell, and performances exemplary. This is an easy choice.
—Steven Ritter
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 14, 2019 | Jazz CD Reviews
The Joshua Breakstone Trio – Children Of Art – A Tribute To Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers – Capri Records 74151-2 55:04****
( Joshua Breakstone – guitar, Eliot Zigmund – drums; Martin Wind – bass)
From the very first iteration of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in the 1950s, the band became the epitome of the musical style known as “hard bop”. Additionally, it also was the proving ground for a seemingly endless supply of top notch jazz musicians who went on to have stellar careers in their own right. Some of those names are: Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Benny Golson, Lee Morgan, Walter Davis Jr.,Curtis Fuller, Horace Silver, Cedar Walton, Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis and Keith Jarrett among others.
In this centenary of Art Blakey’s birth, bop oriented guitarist Joshua Breakstone along with drummer Eliot Zigmund and bassist Martin Wind have pulled together a tribute to the Messengers with a selection of tunes written by former members of the band under the title Children Of Art.
The guitar may seem to be an unlikely instrument for compositions that were played by a powerhouse hard bop band, but Breakstone and his cohorts pull it off with panache starting with the Lee Morgan tune “The Witch Doctor”. Breakstone is a guitarist of artful proficiency and with his rigorous touch, he brings a store of musical information at his fingertips thereby exploring the number to its fullest extent.
Breakstone’s collaborators in this recital are drummer Eliot Zigmund who spent several years with pianist Bill Evans, and bassist Martin Wind who has been the go to guy for many artists such as pianist Bill Mays, singer Ann Hampton Callaway, and organist Larry Goldings just to mention a few. Each of them has a terrific understanding of the material and can bring it to life in this small group setting.
A good example of this coordination takes place Cedar Walton’s “Holy Land”. One of Walton’s most popular original compositions, it was written as a minor blues that is much more than the usual 12 bar blues format. The group uses the number’s harmonic coloration upon which Breakstone bases his improvisation, while Zigmund and Wind provide their authoritative support.
Horace Silver’s composition “Lonely Woman” is an evocative ballad, with a nifty three bar bridge. Breakstone fills the number with sensitivity and sophistication, that brings out the luminous beauty of the interpretation.
In the mid 1950s, when Benny Golson was with the Earl Bostic Band, that travelled in and around the Boston area. There was a jazz club in Boston called The Stables where Golson hung out after hours. He was looking for a name for an unusual tune he had written and came up with “Stablemates”. Moving in and out of major and minor keys, the construct of the number was 14 bars, followed by an 8 bar bridge and then a further 14 bars. Breakstone and his cohorts are full measure for this structure as well as offering some playful exchanges between Breakstone and drummer Zigmund.
The final number is the title track “Children Of Art” written by the guitarist Joshua Breakstone. It is an introspective piece done in a refined yet soulful style during which bassist Wind offers a thoughtful solo that is both elegant and curious.
TrackList:
The Witch Doctor
Splendid
Holy Land
El Toro
Lonely Woman
Stablemates
Breakthrough
Children Of Art
—Pierre Giroux
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 14, 2019 | Classical CD Reviews
“The Centenary Service” = A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols – The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge/ Stephen Cleobury – King’s College Cambridge KGS0036 multichannel SACD, 76:44 *****:
December 24, 2018, at three o’clock in the afternoon was witness to the one hundredth service of the Nine Lessons and Carols as performed by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. The last hundred years have certainly been spectacular, as this is surely the most important, and easily the most famous, Christmas Eve service in the world. Last year the choir released a double CD of many carols and commissions from years past, and it is definitely a worthwhile purchase, but this present issue, the live service itself, is equally, if not more, important as a milestone in the choir’s history, and indeed, the worldwide celebration of a truly magnificent achievement.
As you can see from the track listing, there is a goodly mix of carols, mostly of the traditional type, yet enough contemporary (including a new commission by Judith Weir) to add the requisite spice. But it does seem that for this special one-hundred-year service the emphasis is more on what the choir has always done best: singing the favorites with a passion and unequivocally Anglican flavor that so marks this style of performance in the minds of an international audience.
The deluxe hardcover booklet that contains the disc is beautifully done, with a service outline, texts, and many reminiscences of conductors, composers, and choristers associated with the festival over the years. Cleobury, in his final act as conductor before retiring, leads a wonderfully apt and spotless service with his young men and boys singing their hearts out, fully aware of the historical and commemorative nature of the day. The fact that all of this is available in superb multichannel sound makes this release even more remarkable, and something of a necessary acquisition for carol lovers.
Tracklist:
1 Once in royal David’s City: H. J. Gauntlett and A. H. Mann, desc. S. Cleobury
2 The Bidding Prayer, Lord’s Prayer and Benediction
3 Up! good Christen folk Piæ Cantiones: harm. G. R. Woodward
4 First Lesson
5 Adam lay ybounden: Boris Ord
6 Jesus Christ the apple tree: Elizabeth Poston
7 Second Lesson
8 In dulci jubilo: German traditional, arr. Robert Lucas de Pearsall
9 I saw three ships: English traditional, arr. Simon Preston
10 Third Lesson
11 Nowell sing we: Mediæval, ed. Stephen Cleobury
12 Unto us is born a Son: Piæ Cantiones, arr. David Willcocks
13 Fourth Lesson
14 A Spotless Rose: Herbert Howells
15 The Lamb: John Tavener
16 Fifth Lesson
17 Joys Seven: Traditional, arr. Stephen Cleobury
18 Bogoróditse Dyevo: Arvo Pärt
19 Sixth Lesson
20 What sweeter music: John Rutter
21 Stille Nacht: Franz Gruber, arr. Philip Ledger
22 Seventh Lesson
23 In the bleak mid-winter: Harold Darke
24 While shepherds watched their flocks by night: After C. Tye, desc. Stephen Cleobury
25 Eighth Lesson
26 O mercy divine: Judith Weir
27 Sir Christèmas: William Mathias
28 Ninth Lesson
29 O come, all ye faithful: Adeste fideles, desc. David Willcocks
30 Collect and Blessing
31 Hark! the herald angels sing: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, desc. Stephen Cleobury
32 In dulci jubilo, BWV 729: Johann Sebastian Bach
—Steven Ritter
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 14, 2019 | Classical CD Reviews
Christmas – The Gesualdo Six, Owain Park – Hyperion CDA68299, 74:17 [Distr. by PIAS] ****:
The Gesualdo Six was formed in 2014 as an early music ensemble, but quickly morphed into far more than that, even sponsoring several composition competitions. This is their second recording for Hyperion, with whom they signed in 2018. Christmas discs seem to always sell well and obtain a good degree of popularity, and this one proves attractive in many ways.
These carols are probably about twenty-five percent popular and known, with the remainder rather unknown, with a good span of music ranging from the Tudor age to the 21st century. Only Jingle Bells stands out as a bit of an outlier, perhaps lastly listed as a good concert encore. But even here, the remarkable balance, devotional tone, and finely-graded sense of harmonic security makes for an album of truly resplendent sonic grandeur and engrossingly fitting seasonal engagement. Recorded at Trinity College, Cambridge, the engineers have captured a small ensemble in radiantly soft acoustics that more than satisfy the ears and the emotions. High quality, high sonics, and highly recommended.
Tracklist:
Veni Emmanuel Anonymous, arr. Philip Lawson (b.1957)
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland a 6 Michael Praetorius (1571 – 1621)
The Annunciation Jonathan Harvey (1939 – 2012)
Videte Miraculum Thomas Tallis (c.1505 – 1585)
The Promised Light of Life Cheryl Frances-Hoad (b.1980)
Gaudete Trad. arr. Brian Kay (b.1944)
The Truth Sent from Above arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958) & Owain Park (b.1993)
Es Ist ein’ Ros’ Entsprungen Trad., harm. Michael Praetorius
Angelus ad virginem Anon.
Lullay my liking Gustav Holst (1874 – 1934)
There is a flower John Rutter (b.1945)
Canite tuba Jacob Handl (1550 – 1591)
There is no rose Anon.
Verbum caro factum est Hans Leo Hassler (1564 – 1612)
Coventry Carol Anonymous – traditional
On the Infancy of our Saviour Owain Park
Love came down at Christmas Eleanor Daley (b.1955)
In dulci jubilo Praetorius arr. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
The oxen Jonathan Rathbone (b.1957)
Away in a manger – Cradle Song arr. Philip Lawson
Jingle Bells James Lord Pierpont (1822-1893), arr. Gordon Langford (1930-2017)
—Steven Ritter
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 13, 2019 | Classical CD Reviews
“Christmas at St. George’s, Windsor” – Choir of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle/ James Vivian/ Luke Bond, organ – Hyperion CDA68281, 70:23 [Distr. by PIAS] ****:
Looking for a Christmas album with many carols, ancient and modern? Some in arrangements from contemporaries while others are traditional? With a choir and setting and choral makeup that reflects the most eloquent and old-style in the best English manner? Then look no further than this gorgeously presented album from the choir of Henry the Eighth’s burial ground, St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. It is sans sidewalk shopping, sans gaudy decorations, sans any hint of popular Christmas songs, and sans Black Friday/ Cyber Monday grotesqueness. It is instead a humble, beautiful, faithfully sung and straightforward presentation of wonderful music that will take you back to a time long forgotten and in separate need of resurrection in our modern society. Sonics are wonderful and the choir is obviously on top of its game. Sit back, relax, and delve into the mysteries of the season.
Tracklist:
Advent: Creator of the stars of night (anon); Vigilate (Byrd); Saviour of the World (Hoddinott); This is the record of John (Gibbons); Rorate caeli (Rheinberger); Telling (Finnissy); Bogoroditse Devo Rejoice O virgin (Part); A tender shoot (Goldschmidt); Tomorrow shall be my dancing day (Gardner).
Christmas: Puer natus est nobis (anon); Puer natus est nobis (Byrd); Sussex Carol (Ledger); Cantique de Noel (Adam); Carol of the Bells (Leontovych); Watt’s Cradle Song (Madden); I saw three ships (anon arr Ledger); Away in a Manger (Kirkpatrick arr. Briggs); The seven joys of Mary (Whitehead).
Epiphany: Ecce advenit (anon); Ecce advenit (Byrd); This gracious gift (Bullard); A gallery carol (Jacques); Bethlehem Down (Warlock); Nowell we sing (Martin).
—Steven Ritter
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 13, 2019 | Jazz CD Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
La Vern Baker Sings Bessie Smith – Atlantic Records 1281 (1958)/Speakers Corner records (2018) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 41:46 *****:
Bessie Smith was known as the Empress Of The Blues. Her unique grittiness defined her vocal style, but at times held back with her recording career. This rumbling contralto made her stand out and she was eventually signed to Columbia Records. Her repertoire touched on various elements of blues narratives with forceful socio-political contexts like poverty, race relations and sexuality. Despite her untimely death, Smith became the most celebrated female blues vocalist of all time. She collaborated with James P. Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet and Fletcher Henderson. Smith is credited with being a major influence on Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin.
In 1958, R & B singer La Vern Baker had broken through with singles like “Tweedle Dee” and “Jim Dandy” off her sophomore album. Her next endeavor would be ambitious, a tribute to the legendary Bessie Smith. La Vern Baker Sings Bessie Smith. Backed by an all-star “big” band (Buck Clayton, Urbie Green, Paul Quinichette, Vic Dickenson), Baker exhibits the technical and powerful vocals that would eventually culminate in her selection as only the second female solo artist (behind Aretha Franklin) to be inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. More importantly, the availability of a 1958 state-of-the-art recording studio provides a fresh crisp aural landscape. Unfortunately Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey were never able to access this level of technology. Speakers Corner Records has released a re-mastered 180-gram vinyl of La Vern Baker Sings Bessie Smith. From the opening strains of “Gimme A Pigfoot”, it is apparent that meticulous large ensemble arrangements are the order of the day. Baker’s saucy interpretation include anecdotal humor (“Check all your razors and your gun!”) that underscores Smith’s independent attitude. Buck Clayton adds a nimble solo on trumpet. “Baby Doll” is simmering and nasty. Baker’s singing is visceral. Switching to up tempo, “On Revival Day” feels like gospel meets jump swing. Paul Quinichette (tenor saxophone), Sahih Shihah (baritone saxophone) and Vic Dickenson (trombone) provide a fluid complement to Baker’s earthiness. As with all of the tracks, the talented studio musicians execute polished arrangements. On “Money Blues”, Baker converts an often desperate blues lament to a medium-swing comic take. Her “Daddy I need money, now!” petition is terrific. Baker channels Bessie Smith’s fierce independence in the anthemic, “I Ain’t Gonna Play No Second Fiddle” with her own brand of toughness. Punctuated stops, Buck Clayton and a vamp chorus make this one unforgettable. A Bessie Smith original, “Back Water Blues” distills more traditional structure with repeat verse lines and a stride-inspired piano (Nat Pierce). Baker simply becomes the soul of these songs.
Side Two continues to embrace a contemporary representation of blues. “Empty Bed Blues” has slow-burning intensity. Baker’s sultry voice is matched by Clayton’s trumpet. Like all blues music, there is a familiarity that enhances the accessibility. A certain highlight is a pair of 1920’s Americana numbers. The celebratory “There’ll Be A Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight” was a big hit for Smith in 1927. This Dixieland cover is muscular with a horn chorus that includes baritone saxophone. Trumpet and tenor saxophone runs are featured. There is no greater musical symbol of The Great Depression than “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out”. Described as “Vaudeville Blues”, this moderate tempo standard may be Bessie Smith’s cultural touchstone. Baker’s performance is brilliant with a smooth delivery and subtle vocal manipulations. Her rhythmic elocution is impressive and Clayton’s muted trumpet fits perfectly. “After You’re Gone” is a staple of early 20th Century popular music, notably covered by Smith and Sophie Tucker. On this version, a mid-song transition to swing mode resonates. The last two songs are both Smith originals and explore a woman’s perspective (“Young Woman’s Blues”) and search for identity (“Preaching The Blues”).
La Vern Baker Sings Bessie Smith is a wonderful tribute to an American icon. It works because Baker is as gifted a singer as her idol. Speakers Corner Records has done an outstanding job on this 180-gram vinyl. Baker’s phenomenal voice is captured with vibrancy. Both the rawness and mellower tonality shine through. The instrumental texture of the large ensemble is mixed with precision and sounds expansive.
Performing Artists:
La Vern Baker – vocals; Buck Clayton – trumpet; Vic Dickenson – trombone; Paul Quinichette – tenor saxophone; Sahib Shihah – baritone saxophone; Nat Pierce – piano; Danny Barker – guitar; Wendell Marshall – bass; Joe Marshall – drums; Jimmy Cleveland – trombone; Urbie Green – trombone; Jerome Richardson – baritone saxophone
TrackList:
Side One:
Gimme A Pigfoot
Baby Doll
On Revival Day
Money Blues
I Ain’t Gonna Play No Second Fiddle
Back Water Blues
Side Two:
Empty Bed Blues
There’ll Be A Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight
Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
After You’ve Gone
Young Woman’s Blues
Preaching The Blues
—Robbie Gerson
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 13, 2019 | Jazz CD Reviews
Remy Le Boeuf – Light as a Word and Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly of Shadows – [TrackList follows] – Outside in Music and Soundspore OiM 1914 and SS 201901, 54:39; 42:46 [5/24/19 and 11/1/19] ****:
Saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf is known as one of two identical twins who co-lead the Le Boeuf Brothers. During 2019 Le Boeuf issued not one but two solo releases. The 55-minute Light as a Word (on the Outside in Music label) is a quintet project while his 43-minute Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly of Shadows is a large jazz ensemble endeavor on the Soundspore imprint. Light as a Word was recorded in Fall 2017 while Assembly of Shadows was taped in spring 2019. Both albums showcase Le Boeuf’s compositional skills (he wrote all the material except for an Ornette Coleman cover), arranging talent and creative openness.
Light as a Word has Le Boeuf on alto sax alongside tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III (who has half a dozen solo records to his name; and has worked with Terence Blanchard, Christian Scott and Ambrose Akinmusire); guitarist Charles Altura (Blanchard and Akinmusire as well; also, Chick Corea); pianist Aaron Parks (nearly a dozen releases as leader or co-leader; also Blanchard, Scott and Smith); bassist Matt Brewer (credits include Le Boeuf, Steve Lehman and drummer Antonio Sánchez); and drummer Peter Kronreif (he’s toured with Le Boeuf for eight years; he’s also been involved with the Florian Hoefner Group). “My musical values are built around communication,” Le Boeuf says. “I value conversation, interaction, intimacy, authenticity and the ability to capture emotion. I chose this band specifically because they help me achieve that.”
Le Boeuf’s music on Light as a Word has an expressive edge as well as expansive group exchanges. A few pieces include solo intros to lengthier tunes, such as the sax solo “Bloom” which is a prelude to “Full Circle,” a mid-tempo, traditionally-tinted jazz number highlighted by Smith and Le Boeuf’s twinned saxes as well as a rhythmic undertow from piano, drums and bass. There’s another sax improvisation which opens “Union,” a harmonious composition Remy penned for his sister’s wedding. Parks crafts an intro for the elegiac “Vista Hermosa”—a tribute to the gospel-fringed Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band—which includes discourses between the saxes; a Parks extemporization; and Kronreif and Brewer’s rhythmic bonding. Another imaginative track is the modern jazz cut “Imperfect Paradise,” where Altura displays his use of digital effects. Poetic is a word which comes to mind for numerous Le Boeuf compositions, but none is nearer to the truth than “The Melancholy Architecture of Storms,” which Le Boeuf co-wrote with poet Sara Pirkle Hughes, who is also an identical twin and currently a University of Alabama English professor. There are no words heard during this selection but nevertheless it sounds like an instrumental adaption of written verse. Le Boeuf closes Light as a Word with the classically-colored title track, which sparkles with percussive elements, scintillating piano lines, warm acoustic bass and fluid sax.
Le Boeuf’s jazz orchestra venture Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly of Shadows comprises a 20-piece ensemble with Le Boeuf on soprano and alto sax, flute and alto flute; with woodwinds, brass, guitar, bass, piano and Kronreif’s drums. The focus is the five-part “Assembly of Shadows Suite.” The narrative-like suite conveys the experiences of a young girl who runs away into a forest, is soon lost, falls asleep and when she awakens the shadows of the trees come alive and dance with her: some shadows are benign, some frightening, but all of them educate her in one way or another. She later wakes up in her bed and wonders if it was a dreamscape or a real landscape. After a brief overture which heralds the conceptual core and the main theme, the tale begins. During the nine-minute second part, “Assembly of Shadows,” Le Boeuf’s esteem for antecedents such as Maria Schneider, Charles Mingus and Leonard Bernstein can be discerned. There is contrapuntal sophistication, timbral and melodic details and striking features. The 6:32 “Shapeless Dancer” has tinges of darkness which juxtapose with brighter instances such as higher-toned sax soloing. The suite’s fourth movement is the Mingus-esque “Transfiguration,” where Le Boeuf’s alto sax is balanced against Carl Maraghi’s opaque-hued baritone sax. The suite ends with “A Light through the Trees,” which has an Americana undercurrent akin to another Le Boeuf icon, Aaron Copland. Assembly of Shadows also has the seven-minute “Strata,” which also echoes Copland’s populist spirit. This was a 2015 commission which initiated Le Boeuf’s interest in jazz orchestra writing. From another side of the musical spectrum is Le Boeuf’s eight-minute translation of Coleman’s “Honeymooners,” originally a shorter tune found on Ornette Coleman’s 1988 LP Virgin Beauty. Le Boeuf arranged this for a 2018 Coleman tribute concert. Le Boeuf states he “saw a lot of potential for developing its themes.” Le Boeuf’s arrangement is a demonstration of taking one jazz style and shifting into a different but likewise enticing area of jazz. Considering what Le Boeuf has accomplished with his two solo, full-length statements, the future will be a brilliant one for his subsequent undertakings.
Performing Artists (Light as a Word):
Remy Le Boeuf – alto saxophone; Walter Smith III – tenor saxophone; Charles Altura – guitar; Aaron Parks – piano, Rhodes; Matt Brewer – acoustic and electric bass; Peter Kronreif – drums
Performing Artists (Assembly of Shadows):
Remy Le Boeuf – alto and soprano saxophone, flute, alto flute, arranger, co-producer; Gregory Robbins – conductor; Anna Webber – flute (tracks 1, 6); Vito Chiavuzzo – flute, alto saxophone; Ben Kono, John Lowery – tenor saxophone, clarinet; Carl Maraghi – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Alex Goodman – guitar; Martha Kato – piano; Matt Aronoff – bass; Peter Kronreif – drums; James Shipp – percussion; Trumpets: John Lake, Tony Glausi, Philip Dizack, Matt Holman; Trombones: Eric Miller, Natalie Cressman, Isaac Kaplan, Nick Depinna (tracks 2, 4, 7), Jennifer Wharton
TrackList (Light as a Word):
Bloom
Full Circle
The Melancholy Architecture of Storms
Imperfect Paradise
Union Intro
Union
Mirrors in Your Eyes
Vista Hermosa Intro
Vista Hermosa (for Jon and Brian)
Qoo
Traptop
Light as a Word
TrackList (Assembly of Shadows):
Strata
Honeymooners
Assembly of Shadows Suite: I. Introduction; II. Assembly of Shadows; III. Shapeless Dancer; IV: Transfiguration; V. A Light through the Leaves
—Doug Simpson
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 10, 2019 | Jazz CD Reviews
Led Bib – It’s Morning – [TrackList follows] – RareNoise RNR0108, 40:18 [9/27/19] ****:
(Sharron Fortnam, Jack Hues – vocals; Chris Williams – alto saxophone; Pete Grogan – alto and tenor saxophone; Elliot Galvin – keyboards, piano; Liran Donin – bass, backing vocals (track 2); Mark Holub – drums; Susanna Gartmayer – bass clarinet; Irene Kepl – violin; Noid – cello)
English modern jazz group Led Bib has always embraced change. Since their debut, Arboretum (2005), Led Bib has fused exploratory jazz improvisation with heavy rock and prog-rock. 2019 marks another shift in Led Bib’s career trajectory. On Led Bib’s eighth release, the forty-minute, nine-track It’s Morning the core band of saxophonists Pete Grogan and Chris Williams; bassist Liran Donin; drummer Mark Holub; and new keyboardist Elliot Galvin (who replaces Toby McLaren) are joined by a vocalist. Mezzosoprano Sharron Fortnam of the cross-disciplinary music ensemble North Sea Radio Orchestra is front and center. There are guests as well, comprising a bass clarinetist; a cellist; and Wang Chung singer/lyricist Jack Hues, best known for the ‘80s new wave hit “Everybody Have Fun Tonight.” It’s Morning is available as a four-panel CD digipack compact disc; a gatefold 12-inch black, heavyweight vinyl LP; and as high-quality downloads. This review refers to the CD version.
It’s Morning is flanked at the start and end by two short ambient tunes (the numinous “Atom Story” and the atmospheric “Set Sail”) which include Fortnam and edge the narrative-like album, though there is no formal plot, and this is not a conceptual project. You won’t know from listening to the material, but Holub admits Pink Floyd and the Grateful Dead influenced It’s Morning. That’s because it’s not a strict connection. Rather, Holub abides by those groups’ philosophy of following one’s own instincts wherever they may lead. The record picks up steam with the second piece, the grooving “Stratford East,” apparently titled after the large theatre in Stratford in the London borough of Newham. Cello, distorted electric keyboards, Holub’s beating drums and lithe sax comport with Fortnam’s vocals and Hue’s lyrics about a distant future where water envelops everything, akin to the desert landscape which covers former greatness in Percy Bysshe Shelley’s famous poem, “Ozymandias.” The brief :39 title track—also with Hues’ lyrics—acts as a sort of epilogue to “Stratford East,” with imagistic poetry: “Blue line struggles to reach the right side of the screen of light, messages sent now, wait for reply.”
The apex and midpoint is the 11-minute epic, “Fold,” which showcases Led Bib’s modernistic jazz-improv inclinations, as it slowly and inexorably escalates from mild to wild, from gentle to full-on skronk mode. If a specific Led Bib track conjures early Pink Floyd, this one does: think “Interstellar Overdrive.” The Floyd never had anyone with Fortnam’s vocal strengths, though, which come to the fore when the tune decelerates as she sings her enigmatic lyrics about how “time is a haunting memory…one that hides” and “feel free to move the pieces around.” There’s a similar ebb-and-flow arrangement to the reflective “To Dry in the Rain,” where Fortnam sings about putting her loved one’s wings out to dry and if her god-like partner is happier mapping the universe into existence than being with her. As Fortnam repeats the final line, “I know where you are” over and over, Led Bib builds from a whispered sound to a fiery force before receding into plaintive terrain led by Galvin’s lamenting acoustic piano solo outro, which segues into the nostalgic “O,” where Fortnam sings about redirecting one’s doubts and listening to one’s dreams or passions. How many songs reference Edward Bernays, “the father of public relations”? That would be Led Bib’s “Cutting Room Floor,” which uniquely combines Fortnam’s lovely mezzosoprano with Hues’ added spoken word supplements. The album concludes with the rippling, echoing “Flood Warning,” with Fortnam’s intangible verse about rain, cold water, salt water and forgotten umbrellas; and the aforementioned “Set Sail,” which namechecks and alludes to the main character from Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem about the far-ranging traveler Ulysses.
TrackList:
Atom Story
Stratford East
It’s Morning
Fold
Cutting Room Floor
To Dry in the Rain
O
Flood Warning
Set Sail
—Doug Simpson
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 10, 2019 | Jazz CD Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
Newvelle Records – Muri Box Set – 2019 – 180 gm gate fold vinyl – ****
Newvelle Records will begin their fifth year of presenting creative, jazz based, audiophile quality vinyl pressings, on a semi-monthly basis, again in 2020. All six records are recorded and mixed at East Side Sound in New York by Marc Urselli and mastered by Alex DeTurk. The vinyl is pressed at the world-renowned Quality Records Pressings in Salinas Kansas. The acoustics are pristine,and the artists are given free rein to explore their musical visions.
In addition, during the past year, Newvelle has also entered the world of live recording, with Newvelle Muri, a special edition vinyl collection recorded live at Musig im Pflegidach in the alpine village of Muri, Switzerland. These new albums are from artists not quite as well known to mainstream jazz fans, but deserving of entering the upper echelon of critical listening audiences. Muri presents music ranging from piano jazz (Gadi Lehavi); solo drum with electronics (Eric Harland); a drum less trio, Zuperoctave, led by Israeli guitarist, Gilad Hekselman; the jazz/rock fusion group, FORQ, made up of members of Snarky Puppy and Rudder; a duo with brilliant Colombian singer, Marta Gomez, and acoustic bass guitarist, Andres Rotmistrovsky; and lastly, a quintet led by trumpeter, Nadje Noordhuis, that covers a range of genres, all deeply intoxicating, both soothing to the soul and hypnotic.
As you can see, Newvelle Records continues to be at the cutting edge of opening ears of listeners eager to explore a wide palette of musical expression, recorded in top grade studio settings, and now live in chamber hall quality acoustics. The box set features original photography from Marilyn Clark and an essay series in six parts by writer Michel Mettler.
I’ll start with the opening LP and work through the set, with highlights from each album. It was a musical journey with themes both familiar to me, and some new musical experiences, both challenging and sublime.
Gilad Hekselman has been working with his trio, Zuperoctave, for some time now. Each member is a leader on their own behalf, and on Eyes of the World, their work together finds a seamless simpatico communication, bearing fruit due to their tenure as a group. Keyboardist, Aaron Parks, seems to show up everywhere lately both as a leader, and a first call pianist. Here, his Fender Rhodes piano, and spacey keyboards, provide needed bass lines, and help with call and response lines to Gilad’s exemplary electric guitar. For good reason, Hekselman, was voted the Top Rising Guitarist in the 2017 Downbeat Poll. Kendrick Scott, is also a major drum talent, and he lays a foundation for his partners to explore both Americana motifs on Jerry Garcia’s “Eyes to the World,” as well as funky jazz/rock on “Tokyo Cookie.” 1970s fusion is covered on “V Blues” and “The Way There” has just the right amount of intensity vs. comfort.
What can I say about Australian trumpeter, Nadje Noordhuis, that can explain the subliminal trance that her quintet provides on Gullfoss. If you can picture the cinematic orchestral jazz of Maria Schneider, coupled with the affect that the best ambient music brings, led by a beyond warm tone on both trumpet and flugelhorn, from Nadje, then you can begin to understand the power of Noordhuis’ vision. When you add soothing harp from Maeve Gilchrist, string accompaniment from bassist Ike Sturm, and guitarist, Jesse Lewis, and stir-the-pot synthesizer and percussion of James Shipp; then it all comes together. It brings deep contentment and a warm glow, both magisterial, yet still challenging. It inspires like a general leading the troops to victory, and yet it can be be disquieting as well as on “Silverpoint,” where its echo effects and synthesizer add some aggression. Generally, though, tracks like “Migration,” “Indian Pacific,” and “Killarney” provide comfort in these chaotic times…
I approached Eric Harland’s “Supa Nova” with some trepidation as solo drum albums are usually not my cup of tea, as I need some melody to add to the rhythm and percussion that drums bring. Harland provides programmed electronics to flesh out his drumming skills on his album. They help to broaden the palette. The opener, “Transparency, provides mood music, while “Leaving” with its heartbeat-like electronics, is a journey to open space. “Stratum” has steel drums meets bells percussion, and a repetitive riff. “Lost Soul” gave me an ethereal, floating with gravity experience.
FORQ, is a jazz fusion band blending jazz/rock/jam band genres to bring their sonic exploration to listeners. It’s guitar heavy vision, balanced by keyboards that both lighten the vibe, but also provide funkiness to ease the presentation. Reverb and back-beat help broaden their tracks. Guitarist, Chris McQueen, and keyboardist, Henry Hey, are the featured musicians. Their skills are highlighted on “South,” “Crush” and “Gerard.”
The duo of vocalist/guitarist, Marta Gomez, and bassist, Andres Rotmistrovsky, was the most challenging to me as the lyrics are all in Spanish. Not familiar with this language, I had to rely on the emotion that Marta brings to her songs. Her voice is glorious, soaring like an eagle in full flight, circling the sky. Andres plays a semi-hollow Lorita bass guitar, and his warm tone adds to the vocals, a warm, sweet patina. For non-Spanish speakers, you will not understand the words, but the emotional depth comes through loud and clear. The song titles, translated, will give you a strong indication of the power within, such as “Esta Linda La Mar- The Sea is Beautiful,” “El Museo Las Distancias Rotas-The Museum of Broken Distances,” and “Cancion en Sol-Song in Sunshine.” The latter tune is enhanced by glass bowl percussion by Stephan Diethelm, the curator, and source of the Muri series.
The final album in the Muri set is from the Israeli piano prodigy, Gadi Lehavi. Gadi began playing piano at a high level while a pre-teen. He is now 23 years old, and a fully evolved pianist. Backed by Portuguese bassist, Romeu Tristao, and Israeli drummer, Daniel Dor, Gadi’s set is the most mainstream of the entire package. He is clearly inspired by Keith Jarrett, and has a sensitive touch. Lehavi can dig in and explore the blues on “Intro” and show a tender side on the anthemic “Wishes.” Tristao’s skills on bass brings to mind Charlie Haden, with deep and vibrant plucking of the bass.
The outstanding fidelity of the recording is evidenced on “From Silence,” where Dor on the tom-toms and bass drums, is eye-popping, as is Gadi’s upper register response on piano, as his fingers fly. Gadi has a talent that will be worth watching on future releases…
The Muri box set is full of musical treasures to cherish. It would make an excellent Christmas gift for friends who appreciate well recorded vinyl, and have open minds to explore new wide ranging musical genres…
Newvelle Records
Albums:
Gilad Hekselman & Zuperoctave-Eyes of the World:
Side A:
V Blues
Eyes of the World
Tokyo Cookie
Side B:
Stumble
The Way There
Lullaby to Myself
Nadje Noordhuis-Gullfoss
Side A:
Migration
Indian Pacific
Waratah
Silverpoint
Side B:
Killarney
Seven Miles
Laneway
Gullfoss
Eric Harland-Supa Nova
Side A:
Transparency
leaving
Stratum
heART
Unobstructed
Side B:
The Challenger (1986)
Fresno
Lost Soul
BeBox
Mbalax
D.A.R.E
FORQ-Aargau
Side A:
Taizo
635 South
Crush
Side B:
Gerard
Grout
Marta Gomez & Andres Rotmistrovsky- Un Silencio Que Llego De Lejos
Side A:
Tengo el Alma Herida
Lucia
Plegaria Para un Nino Domido
Yo te Espero
El Dia que me Quieras
Side B:
Cancion en Sol
El Museo de las Distancias Rotas
Esta Linda la Mar
Soy Pan, Soy Paz, Soy Mas
Como un Secreto
Gadi Lehavi-Wishes
Side A:
Intro
Wishes
No Vowels Allowed
Side B:
From Silence
Mantra
—Jeff Krow
More information at Newvelle Records:
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 9, 2019 | Jazz CD Reviews
Dave Stryker – Eight Track Christmas – [TrackList follows] – Strikezone 8819, 50:54 [11/1/19] ****:
(Dave Stryker – guitar, arranger, producer; Stefon Harris – vibraphone; Jared Gold – Hammond B-3 organ; McClenty Hunter – drums, percussion; Steve Nelson – vibraphone (track 10))
Tired of ho-ho-ho-hum holiday music? Guitarist Dave Stryker has you ‘covered’. On the 51-minute Eight Track Christmas Stryker and his quartet swing and groove their way through a soulful bunch of perennial pieces, including traditional tunes (“Greensleeves,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “O Tannenbaum”), classic cuts (“Sleigh Ride” and “We Three Kings”), newer numbers (“Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” “Blue Christmas” and “This Christmas”) and more. A bit of back history: in 2014 Stryker issued his first album in his popular all-covers Eight Track series. Eight Track Christmas is the fourth entry in the conceptually-connected projects. Stryker is once again supported by Hammond B-3 organist Jared Gold (who has played with Benny Golson, Bob Mintzer and Ralph Peterson Jr.); vibraphonist Stefon Harris (about eight records as leader; and sideman to Greg Osby, Ry Cooder, Kurt Elling and others); and drummer McClenty Hunter (who has performed with Kenny Garrett, Eddie Henderson, Eric Reed and lots more).
Stryker states, “I think I was able to put my stamp on this batch of holiday favorites and make a pretty hip record.” Stryker certainly has accomplished what he set out to do. Eight Track Christmas has numerous precedents. If anyone looks closely at Stryker’s CD cover they’ll see some of the records which inspired him: James Brown’s Funky Christmas (a 1995 compilation); Jimmy Smith’s Christmas Cookin’ (1966) and the 1982 various artists collection, Christmas Soul Special.
Stryker kicks off with Donny Hathaway’s 1970 song “This Christmas,” which has become an oft -performed end-of-year choice. Previous renditions were done by Harry Connick, Jr., Aretha Franklin, Elling and other artists. During “This Christmas” Stryker’s expressive guitar takes the place of the vocal lines. Mid-tempo drums, comping organ and warm vibraphone bolster the guitar and supply notable solos. Another selection from the same timeframe is John Lennon’s 1971 single “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” which began as a Vietnam War protest song and later evolved into a Christmastime standard frequently recorded by others including Neil Diamond, Diana Ross, Carly Simon and copious other musicians. Stryker never loses Lennon’s lyricism while emphasizing a bluesy treatment highlighted by organ, Hunter’s cymbals and Stryker’s melodic guitar lines. Blues is more pronounced on Stryker’s version of “Blue Christmas,” a venerable and essential piece of Christmas music made famous in the late ‘50s by Elvis Presley. Stryker dispenses with any country inclinations and heads straight into blues territory while Gold and Hunter provide the requisite jazz undercurrent. A blues hue also tinges Stryker’s melancholy translation of Vince Guaraldi’s 1965 tune, “Christmas Time Is Here,” from the animated Peanuts TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. The well-known ditty has a picturesque mannerism and Stryker maintains just the right amount of low-toned anxiety which permeates most interpretations of this track. The CD’s peak is probably “Soulful Frosty,” which combines “Frosty the Snowman” with the Young-Holt Unlimited’s 1968 instrumental hit “Soulful Strut.” When this comes on, forget kissing under the mistletoe, it’ll be time to grab a partner and dance under that leafy plant.
There’s also magic on a spate of traditional cuts. Stryker puts fresh swing into a soul-saturated “Greensleeves.” He and the band get slightly funky during “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” which could have easily been retitled “Get Funky Ye Merry Gentlemen.” Another agreeable gem is a quick-paced “We Three Kings,” where Stryker and Gold trade some stimulating lines and Stryker showcases his six-string sizzle. There’s more swing on the album-closing “O Tannenbaum.” It’s a good bet this tune would increase the zing to any holiday party and add some auditory spice to any eggnog. Guest vibraphonist Steve Nelson helps keep the arrangement grooving, especially when he takes the spotlight. Don’t get stuck listening to the same-old holiday music this season. Strike up some Stryker and your holiday get-together will have some extra oomph.
TrackList:
This Christmas
Greensleeves
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
Soulful Frosty
Christmas Time Is Here
Sleigh Ride
Blue Christmas
We Three Kings
O Tannenbaum
—Doug Simpson
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 6, 2019 | Classical CD Reviews, Classical Reissue Reviews, Pop/Rock/World CD Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
The Sound Of Music – Rodgers And Hammerstein – Mary Martin And The Original Broadway Cast – Columbia Masterworks (1959) Craft Recordings (2019) CR00195 180-gram 45 RPM mono double vinyl *****:
(Featuring Mary Martin, Theodore Bikel and the original Broadway cast; Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frederick Dvonch – musical director; Robert Russell Bennett – orchestration; Trude Rittman – chorale arrangements; Goddard Lieberson – record producer)
It is difficult to fathom the scale of the Broadway musical writing team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. In a storied career, they wrote Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, State Fair, The King And I, Flower Drum Song and The Sound Of Music. Their legacy to stage was creating a score, where musical numbers were integrated into the “book”. Often, controversial subject matter (race relations, domestic abuse, teen pregnancy and ultimately The Third Reich) was paired with memorable songs. In 1959, Maria Augusta Trapp’s memoir (The Trapp Family Singers) was adapted for stage by the Pulitzer prize-winning team (State Of The Union) of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Originally, the concept for The Sound Of Music was to create a play with 2 or 3 songs. They hired Rodgers and Hammerstein II who convinced the show’s producers to make it a complete musical. The rest is Broadway history. With the beloved Mary Martin (South Pacific, Peter Pan) as Maria, The Sound Of Music played for 1443 performances and won five Tonys. This final collaboration of Rodgers And Hammerstein II would achieve even greater success with the motion picture in 1965.
Craft Recordings has released a 180-gram re-mastered double vinyl of The Sound Of Music. Featuring Martin, Theodore Bikel and the original Broadway cast, it is a state-of-the-art, analog update of a classic Broadway musical cast recording from its Golden Age. The story of Maria Von Trapp and her family is set in Germany during WW II. A young postulant (Maria) is sent from her Austrian Abbey to help care for the children of Captain Von Trapp. She fails in love with him and becomes involved with the children. Eventually the family escapes the impending Nazi incursion . As is the case with great musicals, the different emotions, dramatic events and ultimate triumph are rendered in memorable songs. Side A opens with a stunning a cappella “Preludium” which showcases a female choir. It is immediately apparent that the mastering from the original 3-track tapes has produced a vibrant sound. There are two movements to this vocal performance. As the orchestra strings are introduced, Mary Martin’s crystalline vocals take over on the lesser known verse of the title song. When she embraces the sweeping chorus, her modulation is controlled. The precision of her elocution and deft sense of phrasing underscore the innocent yearning of this young woman. Lyrical strings and reeds provide accompaniment with some counterpoint. Whimsy and humor (“late for chapel and sings in the Abbey”) pervade “Maria” as operatic-like vocals (especially by Patricia Neway) infuse a lighter touch with an adroit tempo shift. Harp accents are deftly placed. With a pizzicato intro, Martin returns with crispness and verve on “My Favorite Things”. Her voice is complemented by the lower-register of Neway. All of this is surrounded by an instrumental 3/4 time signature.
More songwriting gravitas is delivered on “Do-Re-Mi”. Martin’s vocal interaction with the young singers is exceptional. The underlying staccato rhythm is enhanced by impish flutes and a pairing of voice and strings. It builds to a resounding apex, before an unexpected very low-register finish by the Broadway legend. In classic old school duet, “I Am Sixteen” is a romantic story (of teenager love) with ballroom aesthetics. Brief interludes indicate dancing. Martin’s extraordinary pitch and overall versatility lights up “The Lonely Goatherd”. Her soaring yodeling and flexible voice inflection is mesmerizing. Supporting actors Marion Marlowe and Kurt Kasznar evoke humorous (“I cannot die for you like Camille) melancholy in the conversational duet, “How Can Love Survive”. The children take the first vocal lead on “The Sound Of Music (Reprise). Bikel is introduced and exchanges with the younger singers in his affable voice. A rare instrumental cut, “Laender” is a German-infused classical waltz with stately oboes, flutes and strings. With endearing charm, “So Long , Farewell” shines a light on the individual personalities of the Von Trapp children as they bid the party goodnight, once with alliteration. Patricia Neway returns for the aspirational, emotive “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”. Her trained voice adds dramatic shading to the composition. “No Way To Stop It” is Rodgers And Hammerstein II songwriting agility at its finest. The subject of foreboding doom is somehow imbued with philosophical (“Cockeyed circle around the sun), almost buoyant commentary. In a warm, intimate exchange, Martin and Bikel muse about marriage (“An Ordinary Couple”), with achingly beautiful string flourishes. A wedding celebration is represented in “Processional” with glowing female chorale and orchestral (brass) pomp. The reprise of “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” changes to maternal advice (Maria, Leisl). Theodore Bikel had established roots in folk music. His rendition of “Edelweiss” is just that, straight forward, earnest with acoustic guitar. The finale (“Climb Ev’ry Mountain/Reprise”) is succinct with a heavenly chorus.
Craft Recordings has done a superb job in re-mastering The Sound Of Music to 180-gram vinyl. The mix is extraordinary. It captures the brashness of the horns as well as the delicacy of reeds and strings. The focused directional sound is prominent with the vocals centered. RTI’s pressing is flawless. The replica of the original gatefold (trend-setting at Columbia at the time) is luxurious and eye-catching. The album is available in digital formats.
A legendary Broadway show gets even better with this release!
TrackList:
Side A:
Preludium;
The Sound Of Music;
Maria;
My Favorite Things
Side B:
Do-Re-Mi;
Sixteen Going On Seventeen;
The Lonely Goatherd;
How Can Love Survive?
Side C:
The Sound Of Music (Reprise);
Laender;
So Long, Farewell;
Climb Ev’ry Mountain;
No Way To Stop It
Side D:
An Ordinary Couple;
Processional;
Sixteen Going On Seventeen (Reprise);
Edelweiss; Climb Ev’ry Mountain (Reprise)
—Robbie Gerson
by Audiophile Audition | Dec 6, 2019 | Classical CD Reviews
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART. Les trois dernières symphonies (K. 543, 550, 551)—Ensemble Appassionato, dir. Mathieu Herzog—naïve V5457—86:00, *****:
Mathieu Herzog’s Ensemble Appassionato makes their debut solo recording with the last three symphonies of Mozart: nos. 39 in E-flat, 40 in G minor, and 41 in C, “Jupiter.” The orchestra already has experience performing in festivals across France, and is known for playing an eclectic survey of music. Through this recording, the liner notes indicate Herzog’s desire to reconcile many different interpretive traditions through an effort to appeal to the modern listener (on modern instruments). Their size appears to be rooted in historical context (18 violins, six violas, four cellos), which is large enough to take advantage of the contrasts in Mozart’s writing.
Having never heard Appassionato, I wasn’t sure what to expect. And nothing in the packaging of this release can adequately prepare you for what’s contained, etched if you will, across the two CDs.
And the novelty of these performances may well be the reason to seek out these new recordings—most will already have at least a few performances of Mozart’s last symphonies. My own journey with Mozart traversed the historically-informed route with John Eliot Gardiner, Christopher Hogwood, and eventually, Trevor Pinnock. More recently I’ve enjoyed performances led by Renée Jacobs and Marc Minkowski. If I were to follow any trend with these historically-informed orchestras, playing historically-accurate instruments, the evolution of performance has embraced faster tempi and tighter control of the ensemble.
And the comparison here with Ensemble Appassionato is worthy because in many ways their sound is not terribly different from a historic instrument ensemble. There is a rawness to their sound. But above all else, they approach these works as athletic challenges almost to the point of shock. These musicians can play fast.
The opening of the E-flat symphony, K. 543, is dominated by the sharp attack of the timpani. This clean sound is mirrored in the tight cohesion from the rest of the orchestra. To our delight, the strings are especially tight in their articulation and there is no smearing of sound that comes from larger, mainstream orchestras. The pace of the Allegro is just a hair shy of fleeting and the dynamic contrasts are quite wide.
In fact, my audio system consists of using Roon software that analyzes the dynamic range of each of my recordings. The software in this case rated this recording with a dynamic range of “18,” which is significantly wider than most of my classical recordings. The recording is also available in higher resolution through streaming services.
In the Menuetto movement of the same symphony, the same big sound that opened the work is present and I find the result to be far more exciting than other performances that relegate the menuet-trio as a sleepy movement. The clarinet and flute are clearly heard with excellent dynamic shaping, not feeling lost somewhere in the back of the ensemble.
Wolfgang Amadeua Mozart
The finale is fast, but the tempo works. It clocks in at 5:37, noticeably faster than many recordings, but closest to the 2013 recording directed by J. Van Immerseel with Anima Eterna orchestra from Brugge. A side-by-side comparison demonstrates for me the superiority of the Herzog recording—with a closer, cleaner sound, and a tighter control of the ensemble.
With speed established as part of their M.O., the opening of Symphony no. 40 might be a surprise: it’s far more gentle and played more slowly than I expected. This ends up being a pleasant type of surprise. Rarely have I heard the opening and resulting development of the movement played so dynamically. And just as that tension builds, we start the sonata-allegro cycle again with restraint. This interpretation made me smile. Most noticeable too is the treat of clarity we enjoy in being able to hear from every section of the ensemble. I have only enjoyed this, personally, from the singular position on the podium.
Herzog pulls us in through a very slow performance of no. 40’s Andante. We all know the piece, for sure, and hearing it this slow is, for me, a novel way of building anticipation for what follows. The Menuetto is all Sturm-und-Drang. The finale loses none of this energy. I find the interpretation fresh. God bless those violins that play with remarkable, solid intensity. The development section, where Mozart keeps passing the theme to different parts of the orchestra, is sublime.
I smiled when the timpani returned in the opening of no. 41. I don’t think a timpani player, at least in Mozart, as ever made me smile so. Hats off to Rodolphe Théry and his dry sticks. The hard attack of the drums warms my historically-informed-minded self. Yet all the energy and joy that is contained within the opening movement of the Jupiter symphony is deflated for me in the Andante cantabile movement. The playing is beautiful but it feels too slow for me. And I already get why. I know what’s in store: what follows will be brisk.
The menuet-trio movement clocks in at 3:21. Minkowski and the Musiciens du Louvre take almost eight minutes. Minkowski takes twenty-one minutes with the finale. Herzog rushes through at 7:31.
Hearing the Finale this fast is interesting. Can the players possibly keep up at this tempo? I think they do but I am not sure any of this speeding is in the interest of the music. If I heard it within a live performance, I think my jaw would have dropped, on edge to see if they could maintain this pace through to the end. What’s lost in some spots is the tight clarity in the strings. This is not to say they get sloppy; but there are limits to the physics of what can be achieved at such a fast tempo.
I would have taken the Andante faster, the Finale, slower. But in this recording, Herzog is in charge and what he achieves is really breathtaking. Overall I think this recording is a breath of fresh air and is most certainly worth a listen. Whether it becomes a new standard I am unsure; but what is achieved here in sonic clarity, through creative interpretation, and through extremes in tempo are enlightening. It forces us to hear Mozart in new ways, perhaps akin to exchanging our ears for someone else’s.
I applaud, yes, another recording of Mozart’s late symphonies. Even with modern instruments. Bravo!
—Sebastian Herrera
The duo of vocalist/guitarist, Marta Gomez, and bassist, Andres Rotmistrovsky, was the most challenging to me as the lyrics are all in Spanish. Not familiar with this language, I had to rely on the emotion that Marta brings to her songs. Her voice is glorious, soaring like an eagle in full flight, circling the sky. Andres plays a semi-hollow Lorita bass guitar, and his warm tone adds to the vocals, a warm, sweet patina. For non-Spanish speakers, you will not understand the words, but the emotional depth comes through loud and clear. The song titles, translated, will give you a strong indication of the power within, such as “Esta Linda La Mar- The Sea is Beautiful,” “El Museo Las Distancias Rotas-The Museum of Broken Distances,” and “Cancion en Sol-Song in Sunshine.” The latter tune is enhanced by glass bowl percussion by Stephan Diethelm, the curator, and source of the Muri series.
