New Releases

[Wakefield]

This new Brilliant Classics release (series) sounds extraordinarily compelling:



What do you think about, Que? 

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace-Royer-1705-1755-Pieces-de-Clavecin-Heft-1/hnum/2639838

[Opus106]

This new Brilliant Classics release (series) sounds extraordinarily compelling:

I know Pyotr Illyich Harry already has it, so just like when the Böhm release came out, I'm waiting to see what he has to say.

[71 dB]

These two made it into my wishlist. It's nice Naxos is releasing Saint-Saëns' chamber music.

Is Naxos getting rid of the "white cover art concept" for good? I'm not excited about that. These new Naxos CDs look like they are from your averige classical label and Naxos loses one of it's trademarks. I hate it when companies give in to the "demands" of stupid consumers. Just look at that Villa-Lobos discs, how hard it is to read the white text over a pale old photograph. Stupidity!  The Saint-Saëns disc looks better, fortunately.

Thank God there's plenty of older Naxos discs to collect with genuine classic Naxos cover art!

[The new erato]

I think they look much, much better than before, though I agree that they have to be careful with background color when they print in white.

[Daverz]

Is Naxos getting rid of the "white cover art concept"

I never understood why anyone cares about CD artwork.

* CD covers are something like 5.75" X 5.75".
* Fewer and fewer of us have CD shops to browse these covers in anyway.

Anyway, a recording by Christina Ortiz and the Fine Arts Qt. is pretty self-recommending.

Spotted at hmv.co.jp:


A Korean issue.  A harbinger of a future US issue?  It doesn't quite match the current Sony box format.

[not edward]

"Penderecki's Piano Concerto [is] heard here in its 2007 revision first performed by Barry Douglas" (who also performs on the CD)

"Goffredo Petrassi was one of the most important Italian composers of the twentieth century. Beginning with the previously unrecorded Divertimento in C, this release focuses on Petrassi's compositions of the 1930s and 40s. Employing an unusual mix of styles and idioms, as well as brief quotations from Ravel and Stravinsky, the Partita was the first work to win him renown. The eloquent Quattro inni sacri (Four Sacred Hymns), described by the composer as 'music of today for the faithful of today', were intended as an antidote 'to the unctuous and conformist style in use in our churches' but, in reality, are only ever heard in the concert hall. Soon after the start of the Second World War, Petrassi wrote his meditative madrigale drammatico, Coro di Morti (Chorus of the Dead), the composer's first setting of a non-sacred text and perhaps his finest achievement in the field of vocal music."

Good to see both of these, particularly the attention to the seriously underrated Petrassi. Given that Chandos recently released a Petrassi disc under Gianandrea Noseda--which is on my wishlist after his excellent Dallapiccola recordings--I wonder if Naxos and Chandos are splitting the repertoire between the two labels.

[Brian]

Good to see both of these, particularly the attention to the seriously underrated Petrassi. Given that Chandos recently released a Petrassi disc under Gianandrea Noseda--which is on my wishlist after his excellent Dallapiccola recordings--I wonder if Naxos and Chandos are splitting the repertoire between the two labels.

Probably so. As you may know, they agreed to split the Weinberg symphonies, so there is a precedent.

[Mirror Image]

These two made it into my wishlist. It's nice Naxos is releasing Saint-Saëns' chamber music.

Is Naxos getting rid of the "white cover art concept" for good? I'm not excited about that. These new Naxos CDs look like they are from your averige classical label and Naxos loses one of it's trademarks. I hate it when companies give in to the "demands" of stupid consumers. Just look at that Villa-Lobos discs, how hard it is to read the white text over a pale old photograph. Stupidity!  The Saint-Saëns disc looks better, fortunately.

Thank God there's plenty of older Naxos discs to collect with genuine classic Naxos cover art!

Calm down! Everything will be okay! It's not the end of the world!

The Villa-Lobos disc isn't hard to read at all. Check it out:

[asin]B00B28D5TC[/asin]

If you can read it, then it's not hard to read. The end.

[not edward]

Probably so. As you may know, they agreed to split the Weinberg symphonies, so there is a precedent.

Yep. That was my reason for supposing a Petrassi split. (I also imagine Petrassi may be a harder sell than Weinberg, which would make a split even more likely.)

[Mirror Image]

Looks like Hanssler decided to go with a better picture of Deneve after all:



Wise decision.

[Que]

This new Brilliant Classics release (series) sounds extraordinarily compelling:



What do you think about, Que? 

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace-Royer-1705-1755-Pieces-de-Clavecin-Heft-1/hnum/2639838

Doesn't sound bad, not bad at all. But the competition is stiff: Christophe Rousset (2X) and Jean-Patrice Brosse, amongst others.

I revisited Rousset II (Ambroisie) with full satisfaction yesterday. Yago Mahugo turns out to be Spanish (I wouldn't have guessed) and is a student of Robert Hill. Also went to the the Hague conservatory (where else?  ) to study under Rousset, Gilbert and Ogg. Good credentials indeed.

Q

[betterthanfine]

Is Naxos getting rid of the "white cover art concept" for good? I'm not excited about that. These new Naxos CDs look like they are from your averige classical label and Naxos loses one of it's trademarks. I hate it when companies give in to the "demands" of stupid consumers.

Naxos has been releasing cd's with cardboard slipcases over their standard cover art for a couple of years now, so no need to get your panties in a twist. I, for one, really like the slipcases, as I think the regular Naxos covers look incredibly cheap and ugly.

[TheGSMoeller]

Release date of Feb 26th in the US.

[TheGSMoeller]

Looks like Hanssler decided to go with a better picture of Deneve after all:



Wise decision.

I like the combination of sacred and ballet music. A nice panoramic view of Poulenc's style. Have you heard this yet?

[Mirror Image]

I like the combination of sacred and ballet music. A nice panoramic view of Poulenc's style. Have you heard this yet?

I have not, Greg, but it's definitely on my to-buy list once my birthday rolls around in March.

[TheGSMoeller]

I have not, Greg, but it's definitely on my to-buy list once my birthday rolls around in March.

Cool, thanks, John.

[TheGSMoeller]

I have not, Greg, but it's definitely on my to-buy list once my birthday rolls around in March.

Just found it on Spotify, if you want to give it a listen.

[Mirror Image]

Just found it on Spotify, if you want to give it a listen.

Kudos, Greg. I'll check it out maybe tomorrow.

[Octave]

I did not see mention of this yet, though I just ran across it:

[asin]B00ACCQXKM[/asin]
SERGIO FIORENTINO EDITION VOL. 2 - COMPLETE LISZT RECORDINGS (Piano Classics, 6cd)

I've been interested in the previous 10cd set, though I know none of Fiorentino aside from the disc of Bach in that first set.  I wonder if the single disc of Liszt from the first set will be duplicated in this second set?  That would be a little bit odd, but it does say "complete"....

[Wakefield]