Recordings Of The Month

[Brian]

Interesting one. The sound of the choir is warm. One thing that is hard to judge is the transparency, because the quality of the clips is just too low. Some of the tracks with the organ may also be heavy, but the organ is one of the worst on these types of clips, so I'd have to hear it to make a fair judgment. A lot of the composers are new to me, but the clips were interesting enough for me to wishlist it as well.

I definitely agree on the warmth of the choir - very easy on the ears. BIS is one of those labels where the better the sound equipment, the better the CD: the FLACs I heard on my headphones were virtually flawless. There have been entire BIS CDs I dismissed as "meh" after hearing them played back on crappy speakers, only to find out later that they were really good when played properly.

[stingo]

I definitely agree on the warmth of the choir - very easy on the ears. BIS is one of those labels where the better the sound equipment, the better the CD: the FLACs I heard on my headphones were virtually flawless. There have been entire BIS CDs I dismissed as "meh" after hearing them played back on crappy speakers, only to find out later that they were really good when played properly.

I've picked up a few recordings from eClassical and have been very satisfied with what I heard, particularly with the 24 bit FLACs they sell. The only drawback is not having surround sound files for SACDs.

[TheGSMoeller]

[Brian]

Dang it I really want those Brahms, Schubert, and Dvorak CDs. Definitely gonna be in my first CD order of 2014.

That said, this reminds me of the weirdness of reviewer-speak. The Dvorak "emerge(s) unscathed." What does that mean? Is somebody attacking it? Do they disapprove of the orchestration by another composer so strongly they think it's worth complaining about like that?

[North Star]

Revelatory performances of jarringly juxtaposed repertoire (Saturday, 26 October 2013)

THE STRAD RECOMMENDS

Keller Quartet - Ligeti & Barber

It's hard to know what to admire most about this remarkable new disc – the bravery of the strange but compelling juxtaposition of repertoire; the technical brilliance of the playing; or the profound, considered musicality of the Keller players' performances. Admittedly, they're a bit cool at times, but the power and commitment of their accounts sweep away any niggling concerns.

There's a sense of fantasy and vivid characterisation right from the start of their Ligeti First Quartet (heavily indebted to Bartók), and a glassy purity to their sound that ensures each instrument is heard in individual clarity – helped by ECM's glowingly transparent recording. The work's slow central section has an eerie stillness; the quick waltz is nimble and witty; and the closing web of harmonic glissandos is truly magical.

They rise magnificently to the Second Quartet's weird, sometimes theatrical demands, too, negotiating Ligeti's musical jokes with dry wit. The notorious ticking, irrational rhythms of the pizzicato third movement are just one highlight – crisp, dry and effortlessly precise, they're also lithely shaped to highlight the movement's dramatic arc.

The famous Barber Adagio is deliciously jarring in between the two Ligeti quartets, especially in the Keller's brisk, unsentimental performance, light on vibrato but high on ringing purity. It's as if they've stripped the piece of its mawkishness and returned it to the simple, moving statement that it is. All in all, a disc of revelations.

Clip: Ligeti - String Quartet no.1


David Kettle

A masterclass in Baroque string playing (Tuesday, 24 September 2013)
THE STRAD RECOMMENDS

Volume 3 of the Avison Ensemble's chamber music extravaganza commemorating the 300th anniversary of Corelli's death focuses on the 24 Chamber Sonatas opp.2 and 4. These works demonstrate the full gamut of Corellian gestures which, clichéd though many may seem, occasionally venture beyond the predictable.

Violinists Pavlo Beznosiuk and Caroline Balding give poised, idiomatic and mostly unanimous accounts, matching each other like twins in passages of imitation and dialogue and pliant phrasing. Only occasionally are there hints of untidiness at the beginnings of some correntes. Their tempos are generally well judged and they supply extempore ornamentation in tasteful doses. They revel in the suspensions and harmonic adventure of the preludios and capture the character of these sonatas' relatively conservative range of dances. Highlights for me include the Allemanda of op.2 no.10 with its trumpet-like fanfares, the imitative Corrente of op.4 no.2, the expressive Sarabanda of op.2 no.2, the rousing Gavotta of op.4 no.9 (with its resemblances to the penultimate movement of the composer's Christmas Concerto op.6 no.8_), the Ciaccona of op.2 no.12 and the countless lively gigas. Of those movements not inspired by dance, the intense Adagio of op.2 no.3, played here with only lute accompaniment, and the Grave of op.4 no.9 are especially effective.

Variation of textural colour is provided largely by ringing the continuo changes between the harpsichord, organ and archlute. Occasionally, too, the gamba is tacet or plays without continuo 'filler'. Additional sonority is gained from adoption of late 17th-century Roman pitch (about a tone lower than modern pitch). The church recording has exemplary immediacy and presence.


Clip: Corelli Trio Sonata op.2 no.10: I. Allemanda


ROBIN STOWELL

[TheGSMoeller]

BAM!

[Karl Henning]

I am struck by how "Perhaps the best of Petrenko's much-praised cycle and a strong contender for best in catalogue" is actually measured commendation and arguably the case  0:)

[TheGSMoeller]

[TheGSMoeller]

Gramophone's Recording of the Month for February...


[asin]B00GJ6NQVE[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

You're not keeping this thread up-to-date, Greg! What happened to Recordings of the Month for January?

[TheGSMoeller]

You're not keeping this thread up-to-date, Greg! What happened to Recordings of the Month for January?

I have failed.

I'll update it when I get home, since it probably came out around Christmas time I'm sure it slipped my mind.

Now go buy that Beethoven Cello Sonata disc, John!

[mc ukrneal]

I have failed.

Hilarious! Seriously, out loud hilarious!

[Brian]

Gramophone's Recording of the Month for February...

What a predictable choice. Famous English artists, Gramophone's favorite label, premium musical content...not being disparaging or critical, just saying that this album seems perfectly calculated to be a Gramophone Recording of the Month. I don't suppose their actual review included comparisons to previous HIP recordings of the cello sonatas?

[Mirror Image]

I have failed.

I'll update it when I get home, since it probably came out around Christmas time I'm sure it slipped my mind.

Now go buy that Beethoven Cello Sonata disc, John!

I tend to agree with Brian that the Gramophone's, and BBC Music's for that matter, biased towards British music is just ridiculous. I think BBC Music Magazine has better articles but both magazines ultimately fail at bringing the world of classical music to their readers. Not all readers are British nor do they care about British musicians. I would love for them, for a change, to a do a whole magazine dedicated to nothing but French or Czech composers and the musicianship of those countries. But I'm afraid that would be a cold day in hell before that actually happened.

[Brian]

I tend to agree with Brian that the Gramophone's, and BBC Music's for that matter, biased towards British music is just ridiculous. I think BBC Music Magazine has better articles but both magazines ultimately fail at bringing the world of classical music to their readers. Not all readers are British nor do they care about British musicians. I would love for them, for a change, to a do a whole magazine dedicated to nothing but French or Czech composers and the musicianship of those countries. But I'm afraid that would be a cold day in hell before that actually happened.

They have no problem with foreign composers if a British orchestra/conductor/soloist are involved. But they are from the UK so they are allowed to exhibit that bias, just like most American media covering almost any subject. 

I do remember running some math on the Best of 2012 list from ClassicFM and discovering it was 85% British (almost half EMI and Decca), so they do take the prize for most biased source.

[TheGSMoeller]

Hilarious! Seriously, out loud hilarious!

I'm glad you find humor in my failures.

[TheGSMoeller]

They have no problem with foreign composers if a British orchestra/conductor/soloist are involved. But they are from the UK so they are allowed to exhibit that bias, just like most American media covering almost any subject. 

I do remember running some math on the Best of 2012 list from ClassicFM and discovering it was 85% British (almost half EMI and Decca), so they do take the prize for most biased source.

I do notice this, Gramophone's top choices for Bruckner's 3rd and 6th symphonies is Stuttgart conducted by Sir Uncle Roger on Hanssler. Now I do adore these recordings, but I've never seen them mentioned as top choices.

[Mirror Image]

They have no problem with foreign composers if a British orchestra/conductor/soloist are involved. But they are from the UK so they are allowed to exhibit that bias, just like most American media covering almost any subject. 

I do remember running some math on the Best of 2012 list from ClassicFM and discovering it was 85% British (almost half EMI and Decca), so they do take the prize for most biased source.

Well that bias needs to stop IMHO. It doesn't do anyone any favors.

[Sammy]

I tend to agree with Brian that the Gramophone's, and BBC Music's for that matter, biased towards British music is just ridiculous.

I don't consider it ridiculous; I expect it and keep it in mind when I'm reading these British mags.

[Brian]

Well that bias needs to stop IMHO. It doesn't do anyone any favors.

Maybe that will happen when CNN stops being biased towards news about American celebrities.