Of all the new Mozart opera recordings that have come my way this bicentenary year, this one gets my vote for best conducting. Davis has been presiding over performances of Figaro for, I'd guess, thirty years now, and he knows exactly how the score should go. He “plays“ his Bavarian Radio Symphony the way a great Lieder accompanist plays the piano, bringing out inner voices at will, underlining every shift in mood, never overpowering the vocal line. His orchestra often seems to be singing along with the voices, sometimes in unison, sometimes in counterpoint, always enhancing the import of the text. There's a world of sadness, for instance, in the sighing of the strings as they introduce the Countess's “Porgi amor,“ just as, by contrast, there's fury and indignation in the music of the Count's aria. There are innumerable small expressive details as well. When Figaro tersely reprises his “Se vuol ballare“ in act II, he sounds more determined, more minatory, simply because of the way Davis uses the double basses to reinforce his words. Every new episode in the great act II finale, every twist in plot, is gleefully seconded by the orchestral voices, yet there's never any hint of exaggeration. Dynamics ebb and flow easily, tempos are always just, and it all sounds so perfectly sane and natural that you may have to refer to recordings led by lesser conductors to appreciate Davis's extraordinary skill. His previous Figaro for Philips, first issued in 1971, is fiercer in spots and always dramatically telling, if less smooth overall and less rich in detail. It was a good job, but the new account is altogether more masterly. I'd rank Davis's achievement in Figaro with that of Giulini or Erich Kleiber. Among contemporary conductors, I don't think anyone can touch him—at least not until some record company coaxes a Figaro out of the younger Kleiber (Carlos), who shares Davis's uncanny ability to make an opera orchestra sing.

...[Varady]'s a serious, long-suffering Countess who's out of place among these conniving people, a Ruth amid the alien corn, and all the more poignant because of it. Her arias are beautifully, dolorously sung, though she's a bit short of breath in “Dove sono“... [Titus is] believable as both the feisty lover and the quick-witted schemer. I don't think he's done anything better on records... [T]his latest Figaro has a theatrical vitality that's hard to resist.

-- Ralph V. Lucano, FANFARE [11/1991]
reviewing the complete Figaro recording, RCA 60440

Personnel includes: Duke Ellington, Count Basie (piano); Ray Nance (vocals, trumpet, violin); Jimmy Rushing (vocals); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Paul Gonsalves, Ben Webster, Buddy Tate (tenor saxophone); Harry Carney (baritone saxophone); Harry "Sweets" Edison, Taft Jordan, Emmett Berry, Cat Anderson, "Cootie" Williams (trumpet); Rex Stewart (cornet); "Tricky Sam" Nanton, George Matthews, Lawrence Brown, Ted Donnelly, Dicky Wells (trombone); Jimmy Hamilton, Barney Bigard (clarinet); Oscar Pettiford (bass).

Includes liner notes by Loren Schoenberg.

Digitally remastered by Jay Newland (1997, BMG, New York, New York).

This is part of RCA Victor's Battle Of The Bands series.

Personnel: Count Basie (piano); Ray Nance (vocals, violin, trumpet); Jimmy Rushing (vocals); Jimmy Hamilton, Barney Bigard (clarinet); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Paul Gonsalves, Ben Webster, Buddy Tate (tenor saxophone); Harry Carney (baritone saxophone); Rex Stewart (trumpet, cornet); Cootie Williams, Emmett Berry, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Taft Jordan, Cat Anderson (trumpet); Dicky Wells, Ted Donnelly, Lawrence Brown , George Matthews (trombone).

Liner Note Author: Loren Schoenberg.

Recording information: Chicago, IL (03/15/1940-12/12/1947); Hollywood, CA (03/15/1940-12/12/1947); New York, NY (03/15/1940-12/12/1947).

Photographer: Corbis Bettman.

This is not a real Battle of the Bands--an early century concert staple where two popular orchestras would try to outperform one another in front of a live audience--but rather a collection of studio tracks recorded between 1940 and 1947 alternating performances by Ellington and Basie. BATTLE OF THE BANDS nonetheless showcases what are possibly the two finest big bands ever at their respective peaks.

Ellington was in the long run most likely a better composer than Basie, but the songs chosen here focus on the blues, Basie's lifelong specialty. Both bands have exceptional soloists, including Ellington's Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster and Cootie Williams and Basie's Jimmy Rushing, Paul Gonsalves and Harry Edison, all of whom do exceptional work on some of their classic tunes, including Basie's "Swingin' the Blues" and "St. Louis Boogie" and Ellington's "C Jam Blues" and the definitive "Take the A Train." In the end, the battle is a draw.

It may be true that memory believes before knowing remembers, as Faulkner wrote, but in some cases they both come to the same conclusion: After hearing dozens of recorded performances of Aida over the years, it was somehow necessary to return to the first I’d ever heard, recorded in 1955, a classic even by the time I heard it, many years later.

The triumverate of Milanov-Björling-Warren was and remains unbeatable. Jussi Björling always had a phonogenic voice, but here he is at his absolutely most brilliant and attentive: the tone remains pure silver, the phrasing immaculate, the use of mezza voce natural and beautiful, and the heroic outpourings, despite a voice that was not heroic, have such placement and presence that compared to him The Three Tenors sound like, well, three tenors.

Zinka Milanov exhibits all of her strengths and only occasionally a weakness—a matronly attack can show up among the gorgeously placed phrases, but then there’s her impeccable sense of line, unflagging grandeur, and, of course, lovely pianissimos. Leonard Warren’s gigantic sound always was a surprise when he sang quietly; his Amonasro is towering whether bullying or insinuating. Fedora Barbieri’s Amneris is positively top drawer, the voice is in fine shape from top to bottom, and the attention to line and text to be appreciated. Boris Christoff’s Ramfis impresses despite the less-than-idiomatic quality of his sound. Kudos to the leadership of Jonel Perlea, whose no-nonsense approach manages to give his great singers leeway without sacrificing any of Verdi’s great art. The mono sound is remarkable for its time. This is the Desert Island Aida.

-- Robert Levine, ClassicsToday.com

Ned Rorem's 'More Than A Day' is an orchestral song cycle dedicated to James Bridges. Based on nine poems by Jack Larson, Bridges' life companion, the music is neo-impressionistic, calling to mind Debussy, Copland, and Milhaud. Though they are love songs, they are not always delicate, and cover a wide range of complicated emotional terrain. Rorem's highly pictorial orchestration clearly evokes the imagery of Larson's text.
Rorem wrote 'Water Music' for Robert Hughes' Youth Orchestra in 1966. The music features a challenging virtuosic duet for violin and clarinet, consciously set against less challenging music that surrounds it, the latter composed with consideration for the limitations of a student orchestra. 'From An Unknown Past' is Rorem's orchestrated solo vocal setting of his 1951 work for unaccompanied chorus based on various seventeenth-century poems.
Brian Asawa is one of the pre-eminent young operatic countertenors of our time. His striking vocal clarity has won him several awards and an impressive array of performance credits, including the San Francisco Opera, the Seattle Opera, Royal Opera at Covent Garden, Opera de Lyon and recently, the Metropolitan Opera. He is the perfect choice for Rorem's music: while 'More than A Day' may be nearly 50 years old, Asawa claims the music as his own.

This collection brilliantly showcases Rosza's strengths, which ranged from historical pageants like Ivanhoe, fantasy epics like Knights of the Round Table, The Thief of Baghdad, and The Jungle Book, and of course, those dark, brooding "film noir" classics typified by The Lost Weekend (represented by an extended suite). Remarkably, Rosza's personality shines through all of this music just as it does for Korngold and Waxman. Much of the music has a distinctly Hungarian inflection that is here universalized to produce a moody, passionate, and often exotic idiom (witness The Thief of Baghdad) quite different from the work of the Viennese film composers active in Hollywood at the same time. As with other releases in this series, the performances are stupendously vivid, the sonics brilliant and lush. Available "on demand" from Arkivmusic.com, this is another mandatory acquisition for film music buffs.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

The Songs of West Side Story

This disc received a 1996 Grammy nomination for "Classical Producer Of The
Year."

BRASS BUSTERS! TINTNER, CANAD

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Track Listing
1. This Is My Lucky Day
2. Marie
3. I Can't Get Started
4. It's Been So Long
5. Did I Remember?
6. Someday You'll Be Sorry
7. There's Something in My Mind
8. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
9. Song Is Ended But the Melody Lingers On
10. Give My Regards to Broadway
11. I'm Comin' Virginia
12. Willow Weep For Me
13. Yesterdays

This Bluebird CD reissue brings back seven of the nine selections that trumpeter Ruby Braff recorded with an impressive octet that also included trombonist Benny Morton, clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, tenor-saxophonist Dick Hafer and a rhythm section led by pianist Nat Pierce. The material, superior swing standards highlighted by "It's Been So Long," "I'm Comin' Virginia" and "Did I Remember," features several tributes to the great Bunny Berigan, putting the emphasis on Braff's passionate horn although Russell gets in some of his unique licks. The remainder of this CD reissues half of an earlier LP, the complete session of Aug. 19, 1957. Braff is matched with fellow trumpeter Roy Eldridge for an interesting but slightly inhibited affair; there are few of the expected fireworks between these normally fiery players. Despite the excess of mutual respect, there are quite a few strong moments, particularly on "Give My Regards to Broadway," "This Is My Lucky Day" and "The Song Is Ended."

Track Listing
1. Song After Sundown - Stan Getz/Arthur Fiedler
2. Bridge, The - Sonny Rollins
3. Runnin' Wild - Benny Goodman Quartet
4. Evans - Art Blakey
5. Blood Count - Duke Ellington
6. Ill Wind - Paul Desmond
7. Salt Peanuts - Bud Powell
8. Figurine - Johnny Hodges
9. Swinging 'Till the Girls Come - Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan
10. Sweetheart of Sigmund Freud - Shorty Rogers
11. Stratusphunk - J.J. Johnson
12. As You Make Your Bed - The Sextet of Orchestra U.S.A.
13. Tijuana Gift Shop - Charles Mingus
14. Just a Mood - Red Norvo

A good cross-section of material, but only for those who wouldn't normally purchase any solo releases or boxed sets. ~ Ron Wynn

This recording combines Dowland lute selections with poetry of Shakespeare.

ELGAR: THE KINGDOM LEONARD SL

It really is a problem, choosing between these two recordings. (Giordano: Andrea Chénier / Pavarotti, Caballé, Chailly) It might seem sensible to start with the tenor in the title-role, and here my strong inclination would be to plump for RCA and Domingo: he is in splendid voice, with a touch of nobility to his manner that makes for a convincing portrayal of a poet. Pavarotti (for Chailly on Decca) begins with a rather leather-lunged Improvviso, but he later finds poetry in the role as well, especially when responding to his soprano, Caballe who is rather stretched by the more exhausting reaches of her role and sounds audibly grateful for the occasional opportunities he gives her to float rather than belt a high-lying phrase. And besides, Pavarotti is an Italian tenor, and his Italianate sense of line adds 1 per cent or so of elegance to some phrases that even Domingo cannot match. Caballe does many things beautifully, and her fine-spun pianissimos and subtle shadings only occasionally sound mannered, but the role is undeniably half-a-size too big for her. So it is for Scotto, you might say, and a hint of strain is audible once or twice, in her timbre rather than her phrasing. It is her phrasing, indeed, that tips the balance back to RCA: Scotto is as subtle a vocalist as Caballe, but she gives meaning and eloquence to every phrase without ever breaking the long line, which one cannot always say of the Spanish soprano. Matters are about even as far as the baritones are concerned: Milnes acts admirably, but refrains from over-acting, and the voice is rich and characterful. Nucci for Chailly is a bit less compelling dramatically, but the voice strikes me as more integrated, more even, than Milnes's, and thus, again, is more Italianate in its line. Decca field a sumptuous supporting cast (Astrid Varnay, worn of voice but full of character as the Countess, Christa Ludwig, no less, in the ten lines of Madelon's part, Tom Krause as a fine Roucher, Giorgio Tadeo an implacable Mathieu), but RCA's striking Bersi, vividly characterized Irtcredibile, and their Roucher, too, are not outmatched (only their Madelon, both fruity and acid—a grapefruit of a voice—is disappointing). A lot of people will enjoy the huge energy and bustle of Levine's direction. It is vividly characterful, but to my taste a shade exhausting and over-assertive. The flow of the music seems more natural in Chailly's hands, and orchestral detail is clearer. The Decca recording, too, is warmer than the RCA, which has a slight edge to it. Even so, for Scotto's sake and to a slightly lesser extent for Domingo's, I think I would choose RCA, but that would mean rejecting Chailly, Pavarotti and the Decca recording … As I say, it is really a problem.

-- Michael Oliver, Gramophone [9/1989]

WILLIAM KAPELL PLAYS CHOPIN: T