A. Scarlatti: Il Pastor Di Corinto / Tredicine, Putelli
Bongiovanni
DVD
$35.99Jan 01, 2009
ALESSANDRO SCARLATTI (1660 – 1725) Il Pastor di Corinto, Opera pastorale in tre atti (1701)
Bruna Tredicine, soprano; Anna Carbonera, soprano; Cristina Cappellini, soprano; Caterina Novak, mezzo; Carlo Putelli, tenor; Roberta De Nicola, soprano buffo; Massimo Di Stefano, bass buffo
Romabarocca Ensemble/Lorenzo Tozzi
Tito Schipa, Jr., stage director Adriana Ruvolo, costumes; Luigi Stefano Cannelli, design
Recorded: Auditorio di San Francesco a Bolsena, August 16 & 17, 2007 NTSC All Region; 16:9; 5.1; Approx. 140 mins. Subtitled in Italian, English
This is the fifth volume of Alessandro Scarlatti's complete works for keybaord series. Francesco Tasini plays the 1836 organ, located in the basilica of S. Maria di Campagna. This unique organ is perfectly suited to the Toccatas, Sonatas and Follias from the great master from Palermo.
Armand-Louis Couperin was the nephew of François Couperin, and part of a family which was the dominant musical dynasty in France for around two hundred and fifty years. The music of the younger Couperin is difficult to categorize, since he was writing at a time between the decorative aesthetic of the high baroque and the beginning of the true classical style. Sophie Yates relishes the music of this period, for to her, contained in the rococo period are the elements of the baroque, classical and even romantic styles in embryo, making, she says, 'a rich and unpredictable mixture of delights.'
Aaron Copland was often referred to as "The Dean of American Music" and his compositional style has come to define what is considered the American sound. For the first time in one collection, and originally on Everest Records, Alto is pleased to release three works conducted performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Aaron Copland himself.
From Sea to Sea' is an a cappella song cycle made up of thirteen musical settings of celebrated Canadian poems. In composing this work, I have selected one poem per province/territory of Canada - each poem written by a writer native to the region - and have set this text to music. Featured poets include such highly regarded and award-winning poets as Gwendolyn MacEwen, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Robert Service, and Shane Koyczan. I have received permission and endorsement from all poets and/or their legal estates. These pieces explore the range and versatility of the human voice and cover a wide range of musical genres ranging from contemporary classical choral, to lively folk melodies - from driving bebop vocalese, to minimalistic soundscapes.
Aaron Rosand Plays Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, Ravel, Lalo, Others
Vox
CD
$29.99Jan 01, 1995
Strange how fashion moves on. It has left any piece for solo instrument and orchestra having the effrontery to call itself anything other than concerto in the wasteland. Such pieces now have a life on CD alone except for the rarest concert exceptions and competitions (and then usually in a version with piano). So be it. Though it is strange that when the public is more easily captivated by the 3 minute sound-byte that these shorter pieces are not more popular in concert.
These bon-bons are dispatched with affectionate zest by Rosand who plays them for every subtle turn and dexterous twist and every gramme of neon excitement. He is in total rapport with his orchestra and conductor. The recordings are all excellent given their twenty years worn lightly except for the harsh Berliox Reverie et Caprice.
The Northern sun and moon play in brilliantly poetic limelight over the Sibelius Humoresques. I learnt these utterly lovable pieces from this recording when it was issued with a recording of Nielsen's Symphony No. 6 on Turnabout LP. These are the distilled quintessence of Sibelian temperament - romance in all its cool lunar intensity. The benign Tchaikovsky Serenade is done with meditative reserve. The brash edge on the solo violin in the Berlioz piece compromises what is otherwise a sentimentally doleful performance. The Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso has been well done by many violinists (Ulf Hoelscher is one of my favourite recordings - EMI). Rosand turns in an exotic performance - accented balletically and not short on crackling energy bursts. In the case of the rather revolutionary Chausson Poème I have recently heard the Vadim Repin version on Teldec and prefer the richer air brought about through the plusher modern EMI recording. The Chausson is a terribly neglected work forward-looking, meditative, with touches of Delius. Hearing the Rosand again I am torn. Rosand seems to put his all into this music and it pays in dividends of eloquence. The Ravel Tzigane I first heard during the early 1970s on a Philips Universo LP played by Arthur Grumiaux - a most affecting performance more effective, I thought, in its fanciful introspection than in the flyaway acrobatics. Rosand is good in both.
The second disc breaks the mould by including a work which calls itself 'concerto'. Saint-Saens' Third is a true warhorse having been much recorded by all and sundry amongst the violinistic brethren. The three Saint-Saens concertos have charm, Beethovenian gravitas (from the violin concerto, that is) and some flashy witchery but they lack the exoticism of the Caprice Andalou (would that Rosand would tackle that work!), the Havanaise, and the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. Rosand matches the requirements of this work most beautifully but I do not find this concerto the most involving of pieces at the best of times lacking the very melodic distinction that marks out his second piano concerto and third symphony. It always strikes me as a work that is going through the romantic motions.
The Havanaise is a different matter altogether and while I have fond memories and great affection for the Leonid Kogan version Rosand is all quiet grace, restful smiles, sprinting brilliance, sparks flying everywhere. Next time Class Fm (or its equivalent elsewhere ) wants to try a soupçon of soothing music which has true character they should reach for this track. A recording and performance to count alongside the best. You will want to play it again and again.
From Havanaise it is a natural progression to move to Lalo's once ubiquitous Symphonie Espagnole. With its glaring Brahmsianisms, stock Spanishry, deep reserve of charm and mercurial mood changes it is a work still capable with small effort of winning friends. I wonder what would have happened if Lalo had just called it a concerto. By the way the Rhapsodie Norvégienne is also well worth seeking out. I remember it being coupled with the Martinon recording of the Namouna suites and making quite a splash. The Repin on Teldec is a richer recording but for the same price you can have Rosand and almost three times as much music as the Teldec offers.
There is some stunning playing on offer here: stunning both in the depths of expression and in spark-striking pyrotechnics. Recommended.
Palestinian-born musician Marwan Abado has resided in Vienna for nearly forty years. The album “Longa Vienna” emerges just before his reflective gaze at these decades. “Longa” denotes an oriental musical form introduced to the Ottoman Empire from Romania by the Roma people around the mid-18th century. Originally a fast-paced dance music signaling the conclusion of a concert, Arab musicians and composers within the Ottoman Empire embraced and further developed this form as a part of the Arab instrumental music tradition. “Longa Vienna” serves as a musical odyssey through Vienna – the cultural crucible of the city becomes audible, resonating with the vibrant life of the urban landscape, imbued with colorful, poetic, and intricately woven musical narratives. The contemporary Viennese sound, as interpreted by Marwan Abado on oud and vocals, Maciej Golebiowski on clarinets, Arnulf Lindner on bass guitar, Peter Rosmanith on percussion, with Syrian singer Dima Orsho as a guest, captivates listeners with its rich tapestry of melodies and rhythms.
ABBA FOREVER: The Winner Takes It All is the multi-Gold Award-winning, definitive up-to-date telling of the ABBA story with all four members of the band in interviews and special sequences filmed with them, rare archive, and a feast of ABBA songs. It starts with their pre-Abba careers, then the inside story of how they conquered Eurovision (first in Swedish, then in English), and then how they've continued to conquer the world several times over. We see them in performance and even going into the sound studio to discover how the ABBA sound was created. We also explore Mamma Mia!, the stage hit, onstage and backstage. With Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Other guests include Bono (in interview and with U2 playing Dancing Queen onstage with Benny and Bjorn), Donny Osmond, Barbara Dickson, Neil Sedaka, ABBA music engineer and wizard Michael Tretow (in interview and at the mixing board!), producer Pete Waterman, broadcaster Paul Gambaccini and more. ABBA and the guests illuminate how the songs came about, how they evolved, and what makes them so incredibly good. Songs include: Mamma Mia! Dancing Queen Super Trouper Waterloo SOS Fernando Ring Ring Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) Does Your Mother Know Knowing Me, Knowing You The Winner Takes It All Thank You For The Music The Day Before You Came I Know Him So Well (from 'Chess') Money Money Money
Abbado Conducts The Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra Of Venezuela
Accentus Music
DVD
$31.99Nov 16, 2010
CLAUDIO ABBADO and the SIMÓN BOLÍVAR YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF VENEZUELA LUCERNE FESTIVAL AT EASTER 2010
Sergey Prokofiev: Scythian Suite, Op. 20
Alban Berg: Lulu-Suite
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, Act II: Ach! Ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, "Pathetique"
Anna Prohaska, soprano Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela Claudio Abbado, conductor
Recorded live at the Concert Hall of the Culture and Convention Center, Lucerne, 18-19 March 2010.
Five years after first conducting the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra in their Venezuelan home, Claudio Abbado continues his commitment to this stunning ensemble in this first joint audiovisual concert recording. Prokofiev’s extrovert Scythian Suite is a gift for the boundless energy of these young players, while the intricacy and anguish of Berg’s Lulu-Suite are an Abbado speciality, with soprano Anna Prohaska, in her Lucerne Festival debut, singing the heroine’s dazzling statement of self-justification. The concert ends with an impassioned account of Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique, his final symphony, one of the most moving works in music history.
"Abbado ... draws everything from this orchestra - and everything this marvel requires is there." -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
"...a sound that, even in the dazzling glare of the brass, kept its razor-sharp edge and precise outlines. And so left room for incredible colours to emerge..." -- Zentralschweiz am Sonntag
Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Sound format: PCM Stereo / Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1 Region code: 0 (worldwide) Running time: 112 mins No. of DVDs: 1
Abbey Lincoln - "Abbey Is Blue" Abbey Is Blue is the fourth album by American jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln, featuring tracks recorded in 1959 for Riverside Records. A breakout performance for the jazz legend - this album displays Lincoln perfectly poised between jazz for show and jazz with a purpose. The album features an all-star lineup that includes Kenny Dorham, Stanley Turrentine, Wynton Kelly, Sam Jones, Philly Joe Jones and Max Roach. 180G LP. Single Tip-On Jacket. Vinyl LP pressing. 1959 album from the acclaimed jazz vocalist.
