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Mozart:
Three Violin Concertos; No 3 K.216; No. 4 K.218; No 5 K.219.
English Consort; Manze, violin
Harmonia Mundi HMU 807385 Reviewed by RSF
Andrew Manze really shines with these recordings, offering stylish and
earthy performances of several of Mozart’s finest violin concertos.
Remember not too long ago I suggested you look into the Manze/Rachel Podger
collaboration on the Bach Double Concerto also available on Harmonia Mundi?
Well, as it is the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, I can’t
think of a better way to mark the occasion than listening to the magic
that is so admirably delivered on this excellent disc. There is nothing
submissive about these performances and there is nothing overblown or
out of proportion. You snap to immediately with the opening of No. 3 and
you sit transfixed until the closing moments of K. 219, wondering what’s
just happened? What’s just happened is that you’ve heard Mozart
played with real panache and vigor – and without any overly romantic
ripeness. This is one of those rare discs that you put in your player
and hit the ‘repeat’ button and go about your business for
the afternoon. You will soon find yourself humming along, and then you’ll
wind up sitting for a couple of hours, listening and re-listening to the
magic wrought by Manze. Highest recommendation for sure!
Supplier: www.harmoniamundi.com |
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Beethoven:
Piano Sonatas Nos.16,17 and 18
Mari Kodama, piano.
Pentatone Classics PTC 5186 063 Reviewed by RSF
Pentatone Classics is a World leader in hybrid SACD recording and have
an amazingly varied catalogue. You may not be familiar with the name Mari
Kodama, but while she has not been widely recorded, she has been very,
very busy on the international concert circuit. This year she begins the
season with her sister Momo in France. She’s a native of San Francisco,
wife of conductor Kent Nagano and a protégé of Alfred Brendel.
This lady also plays fabulous Beethoven. With an air of authority yet
a delicate touch, Kodama plays with passion and fire. Despite the similarities
between the Sonata in G and the Sonata in E flat, Kodama offers clean
and concise readings played with the air of a great artist. I’ve
been stuck in a couple
of ruts with my fondness for the great Yves Nat and Arthur Schnabel and
whilst I don’t consider Kodama in their league yet, what I hear
on this and the other two releases by Pentatone (PTC 5186 023 and 024,
parts of what I hope will be an entire cycle) show really exciting potential.
Please do check out these releases. The playing is truly excellent and
the sound is absolutely to die for.
Supplier: www.pentatonemusic.com |
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Rachmaninov:
Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27; Vocalise No. 14, Op. 34.
Budapest Festival Orchestra; Ivan Fischer
Channel Classics CCS SA 21604 Reviewed by RSF
This is perhaps Rachmaniov’s most majestic symphony; it’s
definitely my favourite. Speaking as a long time fan of the Previn performance
on EMI (redone by Testament on 180 gm vinyl) I find Fischer’s reading
beautifully balanced. This is one of those pieces where orchestra and
conductor can fall into an overly romantic vein, the work ruined by too
much sentiment. Fischer and company get it just right and Jared Sacks
of Channel shows off his engineering skills, offering us a near perfect
disc – matching the performance with superb sound quality. I must
admit that as I continue to listen to this orchestra (on other discs and
composer’s works) I’m more and more impressed. It was quite
a job for me to get past that Previn reading, but I can assure you that
even a casual listen to this will turn your head. The Largo from the first
movement delivers the familiar thematic melody heard throughout this great
work, and you quickly succumb to the beautiful performance and high-quality
sound. Definitely a World class recording and worthy competition to any
favorite performance.
Highest recommendation.
Supplier: www.channelclassics.com
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Russian
Violin Concertos: Khachaturian, Glazunov and Prokofiev, concerto No. 1
Julia Fischer, Russian NO, Kreizberg
Pentatone Classics PTC 5186 059 Reviewed by RSF
This was Julia Fischer’s first recording for Pentatone, released
in July 2004. She has since released several more and I will cover her
recordings in greater detail in the near future.
Having listened to her Bach Sonatas and Partitas (PTC 5186 072) I am quite
in awe of the talent this woman possesses. Born in Munich in 1983, Ms.
Fischer made her Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 20 and received standing
ovations. We have before us a talent of some considerable depth with skills
far beyond her years. Listening to the Bach helped prepare me for her
sound and style but from the opening bars of the Khachaturian the staccato
scoring soon moves toward the Russian romantic and I became lost in her
playing. For this piece I’ve always looked to Leonid Kogan on RCA,
and while I’m not saying Fischer betters Kogan, she performs with
great insight and a heartfelt romanticism that really captivates and enthrals.
She does equal justice to the Prokoviev 1st while the Glazunov is offered
in a warm, rich and romantic style that
works quite well but doesn’t match the quality of the other two.
Lest I forget, Kreizberg and the Russian National are outstanding partners
on this superb disc.
Supplier: pentatonemusic.com |
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Smetana:
Má Vlást
LSO,Sir Colin Davis
LSO Live, LSO0506 Reviewed by RSF
Probably one of the best-known examples of nationalism in music, Smetana
never heard a performance of what would become his most popular work as
he was struck with deafness in 1874. Má Vlást (My Country)
is a massive work.
Perhaps the most famous of the six tone poems is the portrait of the River
Vitava (The Moldau). This one poem exemplifies the beauty of what Smetana
created; you can actually hear the history, folk music and mythology of
the Czech people in this work. It’s as if he was writing a love
letter to his heritage. There are several outstanding performances available
to the vinyl collector, which have also been released in the digital domain.
‘Must haves’ that immediately spring to mind are Kubelik on
Deutsche Grammophon (this is superior to his earlier Decca SXL two record
set) and Karel Ancerel on Supraphon as well as Berglund on EMI. However,
Sir Colin does an outstanding job leading the LSO. We are treated to a
very moving performance and given that the Barbican is not noted for having
the best acoustics in the world, you will be quite surprised as to how
good this disc sounds. Live performances are especially thrilling and
I think you will be quite delighted with this disc. Add it to the list.
Supplier: www.lso.co.uk |
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Jim Hall
- Concierto
Pure Pleasure Records Reviewed by DDD
Not many records released by CTI in the 1970s hold up that well today,
but Jim Halls’ Concierto managed to survive Creed Taylor’s
production ethos to become one of the best jazz releases of the 1970s.
Hall had already been on the jazz scene for 20 years by the time of this
album, his cool guitar work familiar from classics with Sonny Rollins,
Bill Evans and Paul Desmond, as well as his own recordings. Here, Hall
was joined by Chet Baker on trumpet, Desmond on Alto saxophone, Roland
Hanna on Piano, Ron Carter on bass and Steve Gadd on drums. Hall and Desmond
are a match made in heaven and they make heavenly sounds here. The album
contains a nineteen-minute version of Concierto de Aranjuez that stands
beside Miles Davis’ version as a classic.
Equally impressive is a seven minute rendition of ‘You’d Be
So Nice To Come Home’, a sweet version of Cole Porter’s classic,
featuring the interplay between Hall’s mellow guitar work and Desmond’s
equally laid back alto sound. Pure Pleasure Records has expanded the original
album to two LPs. The original tracks are laid out on one record, with
additional numbers and alternate takes filling up the second. The mastering
job is superb, and immediately noticeable by focusing on the improved
guitar sound. This is a great album and a welcome re-issue.
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Beethoven:
Symphonies No. 3 ‘Eroica’ and No. 8
Minnesota Orch, Vänskä
Bis 1516 Reviewed by RSF
Vänskä’s previous outing with Beethoven’s 4th and
5th Symphonies on Bis 1416 garnered international acclaim from reviewers
and consumers alike. They are stupendous. Now we have a stunning ‘Eroica’
and ‘the little symphony in F major’ and I couldn’t
be more enthusiastic. Vänskä has wonderful onducting skills
and he draws expressive dynamic shading and contrast from the Minnesota
in these dramatic works, easily matching his previous efforts.
His performance of the ‘Erocia’ is a masterpiece, filled with
the excitement and heroic admiration that Beethoven espoused for Napoleon
Bonaparte. This is one of the finest performances I’ve ever heard.
But what’s equally exciting is the performance of the F major. It’s
been brought to new life in a way I’ve ever heard it played before.
While it represents happier times for Beethoven – at least as far
as composition goes – it’s also a wonderfully lyrical piece,
bringing a ‘sonata for orchestra’ and some traditional Austrian
dances together in a seamless blend. This is a joyous and unusual pairing
of works given top-drawer sound quality on a disc you will return to often.
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Eleanor
McEvoy - Out There
Mosco MOSACD303 Reviewed by RG
Eleanor McEvoy hove into audiophile view abreast the first wave of SACD
releases. Yola wasn’t just a great album of fine songs, beautifully
performed, it was a genuine, DSD to disc, pure as they come, hybrid SACD.
And it sounded great. Thus started a love affair that’s endured
across the intervening years and the subsequent release of Early Hours.
As if to put the seal on the romance, both albums found their way onto
vinyl. Now we have Out There, an album that signals both a development
in musical terms and a revision when it comes to technology.
Early Hours saw Eleanor move to a sparser sound and, playing live at least,
a single collaborator in Brian Connor. Out There takes that process a
stage further, with writing, playing, arrangement and production credits
all claimed by the lady herself, the latter in conjunction with partner
Mick O’Gorman, who also sat at the desk on Yola. Perhaps then it
should come as no surprise that, following on from the darker shades and
bleaker tone of Early Hours, Out There returns to the lighter, more upbeat,
more accessible and catchier style of Yola. Ironic then, that in stark
contrast to that SACD pioneer, this is a resolutely analogue recording.
Until you realise that this is just the next step in recognizing the critical
role that technology and storage media play in the recording process,
exactly the concerns that drove Mick O’Gorman to investigate SACD
in the first place. Why the switch from DSD to analogue, especially given
the added costs and complexities involved with a production that layers
overdub on overdub to create its ensemble effect? Part sound concerns
and part circumstance – or opportunity at least.
The initial planning for the Out There sessions coincided with the completion
of the all-analogue Grange Studios, a residential facility owned and operated
by Eleanor’s UK distributor Frontier Promotions. Sound familiar?
It should do because you’ll see their contact details on the bottom
of more than a few Plus music reviews. That, given a positive attitude
to analogue sound in general combined with phase problems encountered
in cutting the DSD masters of Yola to vinyl made it a foregone conclusion
that Out There would be the Grange’s first project in what has since
become a busy schedule. We’ll be telling that story in greater detail
in the next issue, but for now, back to the subject in hand.
Sonically, this is a stupendous recording, combining the detail, transparency
and natural tonality of SACD with the immediacy, warmth and expressive
qualities of a great analogue recording. The sound dovetails perfectly
with a resurgent McEvoy, whose wry humour and subtle hooks are woven into
a compelling musical tapestry. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that
her Irish self is more to the fore than ever, her confidence in her identity
and observations the foundation for this, her most complex and knowing
work to date. The emotional terrain here is familiar, encompassing hope
and loss, deprecation and dissembling. There’s an undercurrent of
betrayal and a lurking sense of horror. But what makes these songs is
their humour and feel for place, abstract yet personal all at once. It’s
a rare quality that ultimately makes them mature songs of lessons learnt
and hard won strengths. Take the best of Yola and the power of Early Hours
and you still won’t get close to Out There. There’s vinyl
on the way, but the SACD is so darn good you should get it now, because
this is one album you don’t want to be waiting for.
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