This is a DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording

LA TRAVIATA

Includes work(s) by Edgar Meyer. Soloist: Edgar Meyer.

1965 CARNEGIE LIVE UNEDITED

This is a DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording

This selection is a Super Audio CD; it is playable on both regular and Super Audio players.

This very fine Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto will come as a surprise to those who view Arcadi Volodos merely as a barn-storming virtuoso with few ideas and even less subtlety. His attack on the opening chords is big and bold, to be sure, but he never bangs, and once the first movement proper gets going he's noteworthy for the smoothness and flow that characterizes the first subject, and the very relaxed wistfulness with which he shapes the work's more reflective moments. In truth, Volodos and Ozawa have a tendency to let the tension sag a little in the movement's later stages, particularly just before the coda, but only very slightly.


The second movement has an exquisite, gossamer delicacy that's quite entrancing, aided in no small degree by some very sensitive wind playing from the Berlin Philharmonic and a middle section that moves with quicksilver abandon. Lightness and rhythmic point also characterize Volodos' view of the finale, so much so that the extremely fierce orchestral contributions from Ozawa (reputedly a wimp in this department) come as something of a shock. It's a reading of high contrasts, and when Volodos finally cuts loose just before the reprise of the big tune, the effect is overwhelmingly exciting. In short, in a crowded field, there's plenty here to stake this reading's claim to your attention.


The Rachmaninov encores also are impressive, particularly the Moment Musical Op. 16 No. 2, in which Volodos throws up huge geysers of notes with effortless fluency. His own Concert Paraphrase on the Polka italienne is lots of fun as well, an uninhibited romp that closes the program in very satisfying fashion. The live recording of the concerto reveals microphones a bit too close to the piano (we really don't need to hear Volodos' fingernails clicking on the keys), though with little sacrifice in clarity even if the orchestral tuttis sound a bit harsh. Still, the excitement of what must have been a thrilling live event comes over vividly, and that's what matters. A very enjoyable release.
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

This soundtrack was composed by Academy Award winning composer Rachel Portman.

MERCURIO A White Rose. 1 Desiderio. 2 Daydream. 3 Good-Night. 1 Paternita. 4 Song in Chaos. 5 Serenade for Tenor and Orchestra 6 • Steven Mercurio, cond; Sumi Jo (sop); 1 Andrea Bocelli (ten); 2 Gino Quilico (bar); 3 Marcello Giordani (ten); 4 Ana Maria Martinez (sop); 5 Rolando Villazón (ten); 6 Prague Philharmonia • SONY 87227 (48:12 & )


Steven Mercurio is an American conductor whose career and reputation have been growing over much of the past decade. While he has specialized in a wide range of operatic repertoire, the symphonic side of his work has been increasing lately as well. What I was not aware of until this disc is his talent for composition.


Mercurio writes in a populist idiom—these are tuneful works written for some of the operatic stars with whom he has worked, and they are designed to have immediate audience appeal. The orchestrations are colorful and skillfully done, mostly meant to be supportive of the voice and the melody line.


It would be easy to look down one’s nose at this material—it makes few demands on the listener, and there is a school of thought that the music being written today should somehow stretch our boundaries, challenge us. But in truth the musical experience is much broader than that, and there is room for music that entertains at a high level. Any listener who enjoys Neapolitan songs or a good collection of operatic arias is going to enjoy Mercurio’s songs—which have memorable tunes and which are perfectly written for the voices singing them here.


One surprise for me here was Andrea Bocelli. He sings with more commitment and with greater variety of color and intensity in Mercurio’s Desiderio than in almost anything else I’ve ever heard him do. Another is Gino Quilico’s gorgeously phrased, impassioned performance of Daydream —sung with an intimate sensitivity that communicates genuine tenderness.


The prevailing mood here is that of the bittersweet, a feeling of longing and/or yearning. There is little in this music of triumph, and if one were to complain about anything it might be that lack of variety, as well as the short duration of the disc. But in the end, I found that hearing it from start to finish provided sufficient pleasure to outweigh the similarity of mood.


A word is in order about the Serenade , phenomenally sung by Rolando Villazón. This 21-minute piece is the most extended work, and it is deeply touching, recalling a failed love affair. In it, Mercurio shows an ability to develop and extend material that is less present in the shorter songs—and the result maintains our interest over its considerable length.


All the performances are lovely, the recorded sound is natural and warm, the balances just about perfect, and Mercurio’s own notes are provided along with full texts. The notes are written in the same warm-hearted style as the music—and like the music, they invite the listener in to an intimate, pleasurable world. Those listeners who react positively to Neapolitan songs, or to Canteloube’s setting of Songs of the Auvergne , or to some of the Scandinavian ballads of Stenhammar and Alfvén, are likely to find this disc, with its title “Many Voices,” very attractive.


FANFARE: Henry Fogel

MAHLER Symphony No. 4 • James Levine, cond; Judith Blegen (sop); Chicago SO • RCA 59413 (57:58)


Gustav Mahler’s symphonies can work with so many different approaches (unlike the symphonies of most composers) that to pick any one recording of any of the symphonies and call it a “classic” is inviting argument and trouble, yet this specific recording of this particular symphony certainly qualifies in my book. Made in 1976, it has withstood not only the challenges of virtually every recording that came after it but has superceded most of its predecessors.


It took me several decades to realize that James Levine took his inspiration for this performance from the very odd recording of this symphony by Willem Mengelberg and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Mengelberg slows down certain passages, especially in the first movement, so much that the motor rhythm practically stops, and this has been heavily criticized over the years, but he also imbued the music with an almost demonic intensity that took it away from the placid overview of the symphony as “a child’s view of heaven” and placed it into another realm. Levine borrowed the intense aspects of Mengelberg’s vision, but played the symphony in tempos much closer to those prescribed by Mahler, with the result being this classic of the phonograph.


Judith Blegen, though a fine and very musical soprano, does not have the finest voice for this music (that honor goes to Kathleen Battle, in her CBS recording with Lorin Maazel), yet she is quite good, and the overall impact of this recording is such that all subsequent interpretations are compared to it. That, in itself, qualifies this recording as Hall of Fame material.


FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley

This celebrated recording of the almost-complete Gayne finally makes it to CD, and it's as fresh and exciting as you may remember. About 75 percent of the total score is here, as much as anyone really needs, arranged in optimal sequence for home listening. This makes perfect sense in a ballet whose plot hinges on the heroine ratting out her drunkard husband for sabotage of the collective farming effort (as if it needed any help to fail). There's also a thrilling sub-plot about a blind hunter who miraculously regains his sight in time to participate once again in the creation of the people's utopia.


Of course, the nicest thing about Khachaturian's music is that none of it pays the slightest heed to the above scenario: it's straight Romantic nationalism, and all of your favorite numbers, including the Saber Dance and the Lezghinka, come off brilliantly in impactful but somewhat glassy sonics. Loris Tjeknavorian and the National Philharmonic pick-up orchestra clearly are having a terrific time. The excerpts from Spartacus (Danse with Crotales, Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia, Bacchanale, Spartacus' Victory) and the Masquerade Suite have just as much oomph, and are even better engineered. Major league fun!
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Sony Music announces the release of ARCTIC (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by Joseph Trapanese (The Greatest Showman, Tron: Legacy, Straight Outta Compton) - available everywhere February 1. Originally premiering at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Joe Penna's Arctic is a dramatic tale of survival and makes it's debut in theatres on February 1, 2019. "Director Joe Penna was a wonderful creative partner in helping me invent a unique soundtrack for ARCTIC. We used choirs of bass flutes, Wagner tubas, and low strings to evoke the power of the landscape, and explored electronic techniques like convolution, re-amplification, and tape varispeed to bring organic, familiar sounds into the frozen environment of the film. We're incredibly proud of this distinct film and soundtrack, and excited to share it with you" says Joseph Trapanese. Arctic is the story of a man stranded in the wake of an airplane crash who must decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown in hopes of making it out alive.

I'm in Haydn heaven. This is the most remarkable set of "Paris" Symphonies since Bernstein's, and without question the new reference by which all others will be judged. I say this fully cognizant of the excellence of some of the competition, from the surprisingly robust Karajan (DG) to the thrillingly exciting Thomas Fey (Hänssler, which contains 4 out of 6 of the symphonies). But none of those previous sets comes as close as this one to realizing perhaps the most singular quality of the music: it's inexhaustible variety and range of emotional expression, both between the various works as well as within them. Recorded back in 2001 and 2002 in glorious, state-of-the-art sonics that give the music the dynamic range and "bigness" of scale that it requires, we can only be thankful that RCA and dhm picked up Harnoncourt's contract when Warner dropped him. The thought of this set not seeing the light of day is too horrible to contemplate.


Few moments in listening to new interpretations of well-loved classics (for me anyway) are more rewarding than hearing something totally different and personal, only to realize that what the conductor has done is simply realize the composer's clear intentions by playing what sits in plain view on the printed page. Let me share with you three examples. In the first movement of Symphony No. 85 ("La Reine"), every performance since the dawn of time that observes the exposition repeat returns to the beginning of the allegro. Harnoncourt goes all the way back to the beginning of the symphony, including the introduction. This so shocked me that I hastened to my score (Landon edition, and so a good scholarly text), and sure enough, there is no repeat sign bracketing the beginning of the allegro. Moreover, in the other two symphonies with introductions (Nos. 84 and 86), you will find those repeat signs in the expected place. So Harnoncourt probably is the first conductor in history, on disc at least, to play what Haydn actually wrote.


Does this matter? Maybe not all that much, but including the introduction emphasizes the movement's hommage to the baroque French overture, and it's entirely in keeping with Haydn's love of formal variety and freedom from routine. It sounds "right". Another example: listen to the forcefulness with which Harnoncourt attacks the sforzandos in the development section of Symphony No. 83's ("La Poule") finale. Once again it's exactly what Haydn wrote, and the effect is electrifying. But Harnoncourt's eye for detail and ear for sonority are not limited exclusively to loud special effects. He can be subtle too, as when he lets us hear the long-held viola note supporting the whimsical second subject in the finale of the Symphony No. 86--a striking jet of color. Anywhere you might care to mention, from the vigorous dotted rhythms that open Symphony No. 85, to the ideal tempos that Harnoncourt finds in the variation slow movements in Symphonies Nos. 82, 84, and 85, to the delicious vignettes that he makes out of the trios in all six (thankfully lively) minuets--try No. 84--you can hear the notes leap off the page with all the freshness of a premiere performance, but with none of the uncertainty.


Harnoncourt honors all suggested repeats, including the second halves of the outer movements--and this also matters, because Haydn writes his endings with the expectation that the repeats will be observed, adding an additional element of surprise and drama. They are anything but perfunctory. In fact, the timing of the second-half repeat is different in every single finale: one and a half 2/4 bars in Symphony No. 82; three quarters of a 12/8 bar in No. 83; one eighth-note in a 2/4 bar in No. 84; half a 2/4 bar in No. 85; three quarters of a 4/4 bar in No. 86; one and a quarter 2/2 bars (plus fermata) in No. 87. Observing the repeats, and understanding what they mean, not only gives the music more substance by allowing listeners to follow the argument in greater detail the second time around, but it further emphasizes Haydn's individuality in each work, making us care about his imaginative approach to form. The result is more than three hours of music--on three discs priced as two--that never feels overlong. Just the opposite.


Finally, the playing of the Concentus Musicus Wien is extraordinary. The woodwinds are particularly gorgeous, whether in the lovely writing for the whole section in select slow movements--try Symphony No. 87, and the variation with pizzicato accompaniment in No. 84--or in solos such as the witty oboe that represents the hen in No. 83 and launches the allegro of No. 85. Harnoncourt even makes something special out of the string articulation in the repeated notes running through the first movement of No. 87 (and he's the first conductor since Bernstein to give the bass lines at the beginning of that symphony their full measure of weight and character). The trumpets and drums in Symphonies Nos. 82 and 86 play vigorously and always cut through the texture with clarity and festive brilliance, while the "dancing bear" finale of No. 82 is both exciting and rustic, the bagpipe imitations milked for all that they're worth, but never at the expense of the music's onrushing energy. You'll love the horns: rich-toned, but with plenty of bite where necessary.

I could go on, but instead let me urge you to buy this set as soon as possible and hear it for yourself. You'll be dazzled, even awed. It sets a new standard in Haydn performance--and trust me, you won't be able to stop listening. [4/28/2005]
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

This is a DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording

Valley of the Boom explores the dot-com era during Silicon Valley's unprecedented tech boom of the 1990s and subsequent bust. The six-part limited series tells the wildly true stories of the epic browser wars and the companies that shaped the internet. Starring Bradley Whitford, Steve Zahn, Lamorne Morris, John Karna, Dakota Shapiro, Oliver Cooper and John Murphy

Here we present the long awaited release of Paavo Järvi’s first recording of Sibelius’ complete symphonies. Since his professional conducting debut in 1985 when he conducted Sibelius’ First Symphony, Järvi has conducted seven symphonies by Sibelius throughout his long and worldwide conducting career. He has recorded albums of Sibelius including an album of collection of Cantatas which won a Grammy Award. During Järvi’s tenure as the music director of Orchestre de Paris (2010-2016), he opened his tenure with Kullervo, and subsequently performed several works of Sibelius including thee seven symphonies and for this outstanding work in France, he received Sibelius medal in 2015. This album was recorded live at Salle Pleyel and Philharmonie de Paris, and the recordings were edited from multiple performances and takes with Järvi’s supervision. This will be the first-ever recoding of Sibelius’ complete symphonies by a French orchestra, and will be the first recording by the Orchestre de Paris for RCA Red Seal.



REVIEW:

From the clarinet solo that opens No 1 to the unforgettable C major scale launching No 7, intensity and idiomatic intelligence abound. No 7 is magnificent, and aptly follows No 6 (they’re related) in this achronological sequence. The mutation of No 5’s first movement into a scherzo is effortless.

– Sunday Times (UK)