New Releases

[Wakefield]

The only thing more annoying than melted ice cream is Lang Lang.

Do you dislike the person or the performer? Or both?

[Brian]

The only thing more annoying than melted ice cream is Lang Lang.

1. Lang Lang's recent Chopin CD was better than I expected, for sure.
2. Melted ice cream is FREAKING AMAZING and I love it. When ice cream melts I drink it up!

[Karl Henning]

Nothing amazing about it, if you leave it out where it cannot remain frozen, it melts.

[Todd]

Coming in the fall, all of Boulez's DG Mahler in one handy box.

[TheGSMoeller]

Coming in the fall, all of Boulez's DG Mahler in one handy box.

Very much worth it, Boulez is who I turn to when I need to reignite my past passion for Mahler.

[NorthNYMark]

Very much worth it, Boulez is who I turn to when I need to reignite my past passion for Mahler.

I've only heard his 4th (via the DG Complete Mahler set), but found it really impressive--he seems to get an almost incandescent sonority from the Cleveland Orchestra that really works well at bringing that particular work across.  I've been curious to sample more of his Mahler.  On the other hand, I really wish it were an "original jacket" type presentation, as this series had some pretty wonderful covers that get lost in the "budget box" format (and I'd say the same for the Kubelik Mahler collection that I'm also considering).

[Brian]

SEPTEMBER on Naxos




The Glass - Francaix - Rutter harpsichord concertos CD comes with an unadvertised bonus track by Maurice Ohana. The Schoenberg is a new recording and Leila Josefowicz is the first violinist. The Bloch is a new release, not a reissue, but amazingly the LSO isn't the most prestigious orchestra in Naxos' catalogue anymore...

OCTOBER on Naxos



The Kungsbacka Trio plays Faure; Hindemith's Kammermusik 2, Konzertmusik, Klaviermuzik, piano concerto, and Four Temperaments with Idil Biret and the Yale SO.



The end of Tianwa Yang's orchestral Sarasate; Shosty 4



"Composed in 1947–48 but unperformed until 1955, Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto is one of the great concertos of the twentieth century. The wide emotional range of its four-movement structure encompasses an opening of brooding, elegiac melancholy, a manic scherzo, a harrowing and deeply felt passacaglia, and a brilliant, concluding burlesque. Wolfgang Rihm has been described as 'one of the most approachable, engaging and profound composers writing music today' (The Guardian). The solo violin in Gesungene Zeit (Time Chant) plays one long fine-spun melody, the work creating a maximum of expression with a minimum of means."

Shostakovich:
Zweden, Jaap van, violin
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Waart, Edo de, Conductor

Rihm:
Zweden, Jaap van, violin
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Pesko, Zoltan, Conductor

Just so you don't miss it: the Royal Concertgebouw has recorded Rihm for Naxos.

And there's no cover art for this last release yet, but Patrick Gallois plays flute music of Peteris Vasks.

[not edward]

Disappointed at the choice of pianist here; I don't think I even knew of the Hindemith piano concerto; and I doubt the performance of the left-hand Klaviermusik is going to be any rival to Fleischer/Eschenbach (which as far as I know is the only recording currently in existence).

Just so you don't miss it: the Royal Concertgebouw has recorded Rihm for Naxos.

Quite something. I'll assume it's probably a live concert recording, but it's a great publicity coup for Naxos.

Gesungene Zeit seems to be about the most played of Rihm's works, but I can't say I've really warmed to it. I'd love it if Naxos could get hold of tapes of the RCO doing Rihm's Vers une symphonie fleuve VI last year, though.

[Todd]

Big Karajan boxes (including an older Japan issue of all his DG recordings); a big Szell box; a big Walter box; a big Reiner box; a big Chung box; and now, a big Solti box!  Who's next? 

Apparently a company named Khiov is responsible for a good portion of the box designs.

[The new erato]

This seems wortwhile:




Shostakovich:

The Execution of Stepan Razin, Op. 119

Shentang (bass-baritone)
Zoya: Suite
Suite on Finnish Themes
Mari Palo (soprano) & Tuomas Katajala (tenor)

State Choir 'Latvija' & Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy

[Opus106]

Big Karajan boxes (including an older Japan issue of all his DG recordings); a big Szell box; a big Walter box; a big Reiner box; a big Chung box; and now, a big Solti box!  Who's next? 

Two of Sawallisch. Both (and the Solti) are part of what Presto has labelled Korea Imports.

[Todd]

Two of Sawallisch.

I've seen those.  That was some pretty fast packaging after Sawallisch's death.  (Of course, they may very well have already been in the planning phase.)  Maybe someone will get the bright idea to package all of Clemens Krauss' Decca recordings in one box, even if it wouldn't be giant.  Or perhaps DG can do Kubelik big box. 

[Opus106]

Or perhaps DG can do Kubelik big box. 

That should be good. Next year is his birth centenary.

[Que]

Quite some interest in Johanna Martzy here recently...



Q

[Todd]

Quite some interest in Johanna Martzy here recently...

What I find most interesting about this set is that it includes EMI and DG recordings.

[Daverz]

I can't find much info on Martzy.  I gather from the brief French wikipedia entry that she stopped concertizing when she married in 1960?

I guess I should just leave at "I can't find much information."

EDIT: I found a bit more info here:

http://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/feature-articles/keepers/477-the-art-of-johanna-martzy

[Mirror Image]

This seems wortwhile:




Shostakovich:

The Execution of Stepan Razin, Op. 119

Shentang (bass-baritone)
Zoya: Suite
Suite on Finnish Themes
Mari Palo (soprano) & Tuomas Katajala (tenor)

State Choir 'Latvija' & Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy

I'm not greatly impressed with Ashkenazy's conducting of Shostakovich (I own his Decca cycle and it's pretty much a dud --- much of it is well-played but there's no fire). Hopefully, someone will report on this one after it's released.

[Daverz]

BTW, the Martzy set comes from an interesting series of Korean imports:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/s/Korean%2BImports

[Todd]

BTW, the Martzy set comes from an interesting series of Korean imports:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/s/Korean%2BImports

Interesting indeed:

[Brian]

Oooh! Forgive me posting the back cover instead of the front: