New Releases

[Mandryka]

Gorgeous, sensual singing and fiddle playing in the first track!

[Mandryka]

Boots on keyboard!

[Mandryka]

Worth hearing. Good notes in booklet.

[Mandryka]

[ShineyMcShineShine]

"What the hell is that thing?"
"I don't know, I found it in the trash."
"Is it some kind of paddle?"
"What do you think those strings are for?"
"Look: it's hollow. Let's smash it open and see what's inside!"

[Mandryka]

The photos in th booklet are very good, very classy and posed.

[Mandryka]

Italian harpsichord tuned 1/4 comma meantone. In the opening tracks (all I've been able to hear so far)  performances have the Wilson trademark: the pulse heavily marked by chords.

[San Antone]

New from Signum records (via Hyperion)



Maurice Duruflé : Complete Choral Works
Houston Chamber Choir, Robert Simpson (conductor)

Samples sound good.

[amw]

May 10. Let me die before I wake and Nebenstück are the two modern works

[prémont]

Italian harpsichord tuned 1/4 comma meantone. In the opening tracks (all I've been able to hear so far)  performances have the Wilson trademark: the pulse heavily marked by chords.

Very common in Attaignant's harpsichord music, particularly the dances.

[Mandryka]

Five years ago the only Attaingnant dedicated recording for was Hopkinson Smith's; now there are three more. I like Hopkinson Smith very much in this music.

[Mandryka]

Released last year but I never noticed.

The Church of Saint-Pierre in Saint- Julien-du-Sault (Burgundy) was begun in 1235. Work continued on the building for centuries, resulting in a variety of architectural styles. By the late sixteenth century, a wooden balcony for the organ was added at the first bay on the north side of the building; the structure extends several feet into the nave, allowing the organist to see down the nave and into the choir. The builder of the organ is unknown, but the removal of ochre paint on the front of the case at the time of the reconstruction revealed an inscription with the date 1568. The in- strument had been altered several times over the centuries, most notably by Julien Tribuot in 1695 and Charles Barker (in- ventor of the Barker machine) in the nine- teenth century. Detective work undertaken by the organ consultant, Eric Brottier, and Helmut Eckhardt of the Atelier Bertrand Cattiaux, revealed that enough of the Renaissance organ survived to per- mit a reconstruction of the original instrument. One remarkable discovery was that the twenty-three front pipes alternate tin and lead, and these originally contained polychrome decorations. While the interior pipework vanished long ago, surviving fragments from the instrument permitted the reconstruction of pipe scales: these included a pipe foot, borings in the old rack-boards, and the extant front pipes. The double-grooved chests for the front pipes revealed the layout of the original wind chest. The raised chest for the cornet (also believed to be original) was intact. One bellows even survived in a local museum, and it was used as the model for new ones. The two metal alloys in the front pipes were analyzed and used for the flutes, principals, and trompette.

I also just discovered this 2014 release which may be of interest



And there's this too for ensemble

[Mirror Image]

Heads-up RVW fans:

[aukhawk]

That illustration is more Ranulph Feinnes than Robert Scott.

[Biffo]

Heads-up RVW fans:

I see it has a narrator - that has put me off already. I don't want to faff around programming out unwanted verbiage.

[Madiel]

I see it has a narrator - that has put me off already. I don't want to faff around programming out unwanted verbiage.

Apparently, as Wikipedia tells me, it's not unheard of to have the quotes in the score at the beginning of each movement spoken aloud. But then it goes on to observe that there's not great evidence that RVW ever intended this to happen.

It's certainly not the only work with a quote written in the score, but I'm not aware of, for example, a practice of reading something before Ravel's Jeux d'eau or each movement of Gaspard de la nuit.

[vandermolen]

Heads-up RVW fans:

Probably won't be able to resist this one! Great cover art. Thanks John.
Interesting that it includes the narration on Sinfonia Antartica. That is unusual these days although, personally, I have no problem with it.

[vandermolen]

That illustration is more Ranulph Feinnes than Robert Scott.

No, Ranulph would be in a heated snow-mobile with aircraft back-up.

[Biffo]

Apparently, as Wikipedia tells me, it's not unheard of to have the quotes in the score at the beginning of each movement spoken aloud. But then it goes on to observe that there's not great evidence that RVW ever intended this to happen.

It's certainly not the only work with a quote written in the score, but I'm not aware of, for example, a practice of reading something before Ravel's Jeux d'eau or each movement of Gaspard de la nuit.

The best evidence that the composer didn't intend it to happen is in the score - movements 3 & 4 are played without a break, something that can't happen with 'furry voiced recitations' (© The Gramophone) interrupting. The world premiere recording (Barbirolli/Halle) didn't have them, it was a 1960s marketing gimmick to have a theatrical knight solemnly intoning.

Yes, I know a lot of people enjoy them, I don't.

[vandermolen]

The best evidence that the composer didn't intend it to happen is in the score - movements 3 & 4 are played without a break, something that can't happen with 'furry voiced recitations' (© The Gramophone) interrupting. The world premiere recording (Barbirolli/Halle) didn't have them, it was a 1960s marketing gimmick to have a theatrical knight solemnly intoning.

Yes, I know a lot of people enjoy them, I don't.

I posted my earlier message before I spotted your one. I don't really have such a strong view on it. I've seen it argued that VW was present at the recording of Sinfonia Antartica (Boult, Decca) so, presumably, must have been aware that it would feature the narration and, as far as I know, did not object to it.