Reference Classics: First Sampling

The Utah Symphony, celebrating its 75th anniversary in the 2015-2016 season, is one of America’s major symphony orchestras and a leading cultural organization in the Inter-mountain West. It is recognized internationally for its distinctive performances, commitment to music education programs, and recording legacy. Reference Recordings is pleased to announce the release of this new and fresh performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. This work was performed as part of the orchestra’s two-year Mahler Symphony Cycle.

Reviews:

This recording celebrates 75 years of superb orchestral work from the Utah Symphony and it is nice to see them back on record. It’s also nice to see an SACD from that bastion of audio excellence, Reference Recordings… Young conductor Thierry Fischer also proves himself a fine Mahlerian…this is a very competitive issue done by superb partners on each side of the microphone, and is easily recommended.

– Audiophile Audition ( Steven Ritter)

It is tempting to dismiss yet another Mahler First entering a crowded market as simply not needed. In this case it would be a mistake because this does offer something special in several respects. First and most important, a reminder that the Utah Symphony Orchestra is clearly still a splendid band for whom this complex work, with which they have a long recorded history, offers no terrors. Conducted briskly by their well established Music Director Thierry Fischer, these players respond with as rhythmically vital a performance as you could wish to hear. Tempi are a little faster than the norm but compared with some of the great Mahlerians like Abbado, Walter and Bernstein, Fischer is little different in terms of timings. He is different in approach, encouraging a dance-like quality from music where we are used to more pauses for introspection. One could support his upbeat view by reference to Mahler's own programmes but since the composer admitted these were often written after the music as a means for audiences to access it more easily, we will avoid such quotation. For whatever reason, Mahler's 'Titan' is often presented as positive. For example, the first movement has lots of characterful and very rhythmic woodwind playing, a sort of Mahlerian jam-session. It is a perfectly valid view. The second movement is in any case rhythmic, here it becomes more so, encouraged by Fischer's brisk tempi. It is an exciting virtuoso display. I have one small but significant criticism of the third movement. The double-bass solo is much too well played. There is none of the straining that Mahler must have expected. He could not have predicted how good modern players would become. As a result the theme gets a rather too sophisticated presentation. The explosive opening of the finale, helped by a very present bass drum and gong, pins one back in one's seat just as it should. The mystery and angst others find in this music is replaced by a lively and confident traversal through Mahler's teeming ideas ending with an eruption of sound that must have stimulated loud cheers from the Utah audiences but which the engineers have excluded for the home listener. Since the hall resonance has time to fade away this is either a 'patch' job, or the audience were asked for restraint.

The recording level is quite high but with digital media this doesn't matter. The Soundmirror engineers, long famous for their skill, have captured a convincing concert hall acoustic and though extra microphones were used beyond the five main ones, it does have a feeling of reality not often captured. Finally the notes are well written, detailed, extensive, give historic context and, thank you notes editor, printed in a readable size font.

– MusicWeb International (Dave Billinge)

Fiesta!

BACH Fantasia and Fugue in g, BWV 542. Sheep May Safely Graze. Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue in C, BWV 564. St. Matthew Passion: Finale. Prelude and Fugue in a, BWV 543. Air on a G String. Prelude and Fugue in D, BWV 532. I Call to Thee, Lord Jesus Christ • Virgil Fox (org) • REFERENCE 107 (66:19) Live: San Francisco 9/1976


From Professor Keith Johnson, the man committed to producing state-of-the-art vinyl recordings, who once claimed his company would never succumb to the siren call of CDs, comes this 24-bit HDCD transfer of a live recital given by Virgil Fox on the Ruffatti pipe organ and the Rodgers “Royal V” touring organ in San Francisco’s St. Mary’s Cathedral.


Virgil Fox remains a controversial figure in serious organ circles. Often looked upon as the Liberace of organists, Fox was noted for his flamboyant style and an approach to his craft that often put theatrics above respect for the composers whose music he played. The story, quite possibly apocryphal, is told of a visit Fox paid to the Wurlitzer electric organ factory. VIP that he was, he was conducted on a tour of the facility by the president of the company himself. At tour’s end, Fox was escorted into a sealed, temperature-controlled room that contained a pipe from an actual pipe organ. The president proudly announced that the pipe was used as a standard against which Wurlitzer’s organs were measured. To which Fox replied, “Fancy that, a real organ pipe in an electric organ factory! That’s like finding bird poop in a cuckoo clock!”


Not that Fox ever showed much discernment for the instruments he played on. His was a phenomenal technique often wedded in equal proportion to excess and lack of taste. His last years in particular, devoted to his “Heavy Organ” concerts and psychedelic light shows, were especially sad; though in his defense it could be said that he exposed many young people of that generation (the late 1960s and early 1970s)—even if it was through a haze of pot smoke—to the world of classical music.


This will not be a CD for those who take a serious view of the organ in general or of Bach’s masterpieces for the instrument in particular. But no one can take away from Fox his virtuosity or his showmanship. Nor can anyone take away from this recording its astonishing presence and stunning sound. For an organ spectacular to impress friends and alienate neighbors, recommended.


FANFARE: Jerry Dubins

Portland, Oregon roots artist Lloyd Jones has recorded six critically acclaimed albums, toured internationally, and racked up dozens of major awards and accolades. Many roots heavyweights, not to mention legions of CD-buying fans, sing his praises. Jones is a master of the soulful understatement, the raw growl, and the groove. From his roots in muddy Oregon soil, he’s forged a 30-plus-year career as an impassioned singer and fierce guitar slinger, a clever and soulful songwriter, bandleader, record producer, and an almost strident torchbearer for all that’s true and good about America’s music.

Reference Recordings is pleased to present the second release in the series from the PaTRAM Institute, rising stars whose debut album on our label, Chesnokov: Teach Me Thy Statutes, has recently garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Choral Performance. The music performed on this new recording of Russian Orthodox choral music in the English language was written by Dr. Kurt Sander. Conductor Peter Jermihov writes: “The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom by Kurt Sander is unique in several respects. Within the body of repertoire contained in the Russian-based jurisdictions of North America, it is the first and only complete setting of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in English. Rooted in the 19th Century Russian models of such masters as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Gretchaninoff, and others, Sander’s Liturgy grows out of the monumental choral edifices of these masters and rightfully belongs in their midst.”

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REVIEW:

Within the body of repertoire contained in the Russian-based jurisdictions of North America, it is the first and only complete setting of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in English. Rooted in the 19th Century Russian models of such masters as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Gretchaninoff, and others, Sander’s Liturgy grows out of the monumental choral edifices of these masters and rightfully belongs in their midst.

– WFMT-FM (98.7 FM), Chicago, IL (Lisa Flynn)

"This selection is a High Definition Compatible Digital (HDCD) recording.

Arnold, as a lapsed trumpet player, seems a natural for the brass band. And so it proves here in a collection that some may have wondered about simply because of the US origin of the performers. Point 1: this is a stunning performance and is recorded to match: lots of bass extension and raspberry ripe tone for the blatant moments and plenty of subtlety for the poetry. Point 2: if any music is to survive and succeed internationally it needs to find acceptance amongst the best in other countries and so it proves here.
This is a generous collection and is well worth adding to your Arnold collection. Those who love the symphonies and the film music need not feel short-changed or put off. The music is played not for brass band specialists (this is after all for wind symphony anyway!) but for lovers of good music and especially of Arnold's gorgeous tunesmithery."
Rob Barnett, MusicWeb International

What do Freddie Hubbard, Stan Getz, Elvin Jones, Lee Konitz, Stanley Clarke, Eddie Daniels, Joe Farrell, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, Gwen Stefani, Seal, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Martha Reeves (to name a few) have in common? The answer is, Mike Garson has played with them all!.

These have been called “The fastest fingers in jazz.” David Bowie, for whom Garson has long been music director, says, “He’s the best rock & roll pianist I know.” Recording group Free Flight took advantage of his classical training, and Hollywood calls when it needs a virtuoso assoluto. In short, Mike Garson is a phenomenon, able to mimic Bill Evans or Liberace on command, or to soothe an audience with New Age hypnotics. But he’s at his very best wearing his “jazz hat.”

Supported by a stellar cast of Brian Bromberg (acoustic bass), Ralph Humphries (drums) and Eric Marienthal (alto saxophone), Garson turns in a memorable set of originals and imaginative arrangements of standards. Most tracks were previously available on RR-53-—long out of print—plus, for this re-release, we’ve added Garson’s “take no prisoners” improvisation on Gershwin themes—also long out of print. The package is graced by his own computer art. Is there no limit to Garson’s talent?

Everyone at RR thinks this is one of our finest jazz productions. Recorded acoustically at the Oxnard, California, Civic Auditorium, Mike Garson’s Jazz Hat was captured in three-dimensional, high-resolution HDCD sound by RR’s resident guru, “Prof.” Keith Johnson, recipient of seven GRAMMY® nominations for engineering.

First, you need to play this recording at a higher than normal level because it's got a very realistic dynamic range--which means that the opening's soft string chirpings won't register fully at a low level. But then, watch out (I said it's a realistic dynamic range): when the orchestra rips, you'll be abruptly transported to Minneapolis' Orchestra Hall. Okay, so what's all this state of the art 24-bit digital technology bringing to us? Namely one of the best Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances on disc! The playing by the Minnesota Orchestra is simply stupendous: tremendously unified ensemble, immaculate balances that let you hear all the important lines, and a palpable sense of enjoyment from the players (those trumpets rule!).


Eiji Oue sets an ideal tempo for the first movement and employs perfectly timed rubato in its lyrical central section. The second movement flags a bit, lacking the snarling sexuality of Jansons with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, which remains the most gripping performance of recent years; but with the finale Oue gears up again for a blockbuster reading of tremendous excitement and bracing virtuosity. And yes, he lets the final tam-tam stroke reverberate uninterrupted, as (confusingly) indicated in the score.


A gently passionate performance of the ubiquitous Vocalise functions as an interlude (with serenely singing strings) before the Études-tableaux, where Oue again exploits his orchestra's radiant sonorities to fully flesh out Respighi's brilliant orchestrations of these mysterious, sensuous, and evocative pieces. Reference's recording renders all the music's color, irony, and drama in true high fidelity. An excellent conclusion to an excellent disc, one you are wholeheartedly urged to investigate.
--Victor Carr Jr., ClassicsToday.com

Includes liner notes by Frederick Fennell.
This selection is a High Definition Compatible Digital (HDCD) recording.

Reference Recordings is proud to present True Concord's newest album, A Dream So Bright, featuring two world premiere recordings of works by Jake Runestad. His EMMY-winning choral/orchestral work, Earth Symphony, with poetry of Todd Boss, was commissioned and premiered by True Concord in 2022. Dreams of the Fallen, Runestad's prize-winning work for solo piano, chorus & orchestra, features pianist Jeffrey Biegel and includes texts of the poet Brian Turner, a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan war. Turner states: "When the music lifts to it's peak, when the choir sings into the high cathedral of the human experience-the hairs on the back of my neck take notice, my own heart takes notice, and I am moved once again by the fusion of sound and story. "Dreams of the Fallen" is a compassionate, emotionally-layered, elegant, and poignant work of art that I am proud to be a part of. " A Dream So Bright was recorded in outstanding fidelity by engineer John Polito, and produced by GRAMMY�-award winner Peter Rutenberg of Los Angeles. Recorded May 24-26, 2023 at Camelback Bible Church, Paradise Valley, Arizona

Reference Recordings proudly presents Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7, in a new interpretation from conductor Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. It is coupled with the first recording of Mason Bates' Resurrexit, which was composed in 2018 on a commission from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the sixtieth birthday of Maestro Honeck. This album was recorded live in 2022 in beautiful and historic Heinz Hall, home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, in superb audiophile sound.

Grammy® nominated classical guitarist, performer and educator Marc Regnier has won the attention and respect of musicians, producers and critics for over three decades, having been variously described as “a master of his instrument” and “a musician of intelligence, lyricism and subtlety.” On Tempo do Brasil, an album showcasing a fine variety of modern Brazilian music and his first Reference Recordings release, Mr. Regnier is joined by Marco Sartor, guitar, Volodymyr Vynnytsky, piano, Natalia Khoma, cello and Tacy Edwards, flute, all world-class musicians and dear friends of the guitarist.

This release marks the beginning of a series organized around the nationalities of the composers in the Segovia Archive. The pieces recovered from the archive were dedicated to Sergovia or commissioned by him, involving composers from eight countries. The Spanish composers recorded here are to be followed soon by an album of French composers.

The genesis for this unique project is a collection of pieces recovered in 2001 at Andrés Segovia's home in Spain. +The works, dedicated to or commissioned by him, were subsequently published as “The Segovia Archive Series”. +Guitarist Roberto Moronn Pérez researched the works and found pieces never before recorded or handicapped by poor marketplace visibility. +This realization birthed an opportunity: a series of recordings organized around the nationalities of the composers in the Segovia Archive.

New to RR’s Fresh! Series is Portland, OR based jazz vocalist, composer, trumpet and harmonica player Robert Moore. + He has evolved a sound uniquely his own, mixing his Southern roots - influences of soul and gospel - into his own distinct bebop and swinging jazz interpretations. + Outta My Soul showcases six originals and six compositions from diverse writers including Frank Loesser, Sting, Gene Ammons and King Pleasure - one instrumental and eleven vocals from delicate to scat to blues proclamation. + There’s even a Ken Nordine-esque spoken ‘word jazz’ number.

Brasileiro Soul

The Forward Look (Live)

Bach & Rameau

Bolero!: Orchestral Fireworks

John Mackey is one of today's most popular and sought- after composers of contemporary classical music, with an emphasis on wind band and orchestral music. His music runs the gamut of human emotion, from the sublime to the ridiculous. One minute he offers the sound of ripping metal, then suddenly gives you a melody that's achingly beautiful. John always writes with a purpose, be it jostling you through the wildest Manhattan cab ride ever, or painting that ethereal hour just before sunset. Brilliant performances by THE DALLAS WINDS have been captured in superb audiophile sound by Reference Recordings' award- winning engineering team: Keith O. Johnson and Sean Martin. Special guest artist on ASPHALT COCKTAIL is Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic, Christopher Martin.

The Great Organ at St. Mary's Cathedral, San Francisco

These new works for piano, chamber instruments and electronics were composed in celebration of a newly transformed world, for the new 5,125 year cycle of the Mayan Calendar- inspired by the happy fact that the world did NOT end on Dec. 21, 2012 at the end of the previous Mayan Calendar cycle! All the pieces touch on themes of transformation, of resonances across time, of cycles of rebirth. Pianist Nadia Shpachenko-Gottesman is currently Assoc. Prof. of Music, Cal. State Poly Univ, Pomona. She has performed in solo recitals and with orchestras across North America, Europe and Asia.

Crazed Women

Nojima Plays Ravel