Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 4 & Rhapsody on a Them

The parade of aspirants to the title "Next Great Tenor" has, at times, seemed endless. But no one had been able to reach up and firmly grasp the brass ring, until Salvatore Licitra entered the fray armed with extraordinary natural ability and an impressive list of credentials. Trained by the venerable Carlo Bergonzi, the young singer has already established a considerable reputation through triumphs at La Scala and the Arena of Verona, and his Metropolitan Opera debut could become the stuff of legend. Called upon at the eleventh hour to fill in for an ailing Luciano Pavarotti, he was whisked to New York via Concorde with barely enough time to unpack a toothbrush before he wowed audience and critics alike. But the proof is in the singing, and his maiden recital disc offers that proof in abundance. Licitra, steeped in the Italian tenor tradition, wisely plays to his strengths and devotes the album solely to arias by Puccini and Verdi. He moves through these masterworks with poise and confidence, displaying a powerful vocal style and a sure sense of musicianship. It may be premature to anoint him just yet, but this auspicious debut augurs well for a bright future.

This is Terence's 1st album of pure jazz for a small ensemble in nearly 5 years, in which he's joined by guest artists Branford Marsalis and Dave Holland.

This is a DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording

16 tracks from one of the greats of the musical theater! Includes a Parade in Town from Anyone Can Whistle; It's Today from Mame; Kiss Her Now from Dear World; Small World from Gypsy; the Worst Pies in London from Sweeney Todd, and more.

The word 'luminous' might have been coined simply to describe Barbara Cook - a LEGEND OF BROADWAY whose golden voice, eloquent soul and irresistible charm have set the standard in making Broadway song an exuberant art form.

Dutch composer/producer and musical jack-of-all-trades Jan Kisjes was one of the millions of people whose heart and soul were touched by Dan Brown's international best-selling novel the Da Vinci Code and it's underlying themes. As he was reading and re-reading the book, an endless stream of melodies formed in his head. When he finally turned the last page, The Da Vinci Project was ready to be recorded.

This package includes 1 CD and a DVD.

"Both the symphony and the quintet display a gift for drama and for lyricism, expressed in sophisticated colors and textures. There’s verve in the rhythms and invention in the harmonies; the tunes catch the ear. Movement by movement and start to finish, the architecture has a sturdy logic that does not preclude surprise. It’s an impressive debut. And Mr. Greenberg is just 14." -- Matthew Gurewitsch, The New York Times

Includes arroro. Ensemble: Orchestra. Soloists: Marilyn Horne, Martin Katz.
Includes work(s) by various composers. Ensemble: Orchestra. Soloists: Marilyn Horne, Martin Katz.

Zino Francescatti recorded Mendelssohn’s and Tchaikovsky’s concertos twice, possibly to take advantage the second time of stereophonic sound: the first recording of each with Mitropoulos and the New York Philharmonic in 1954 (both reissued in Sony’s Masterworks Heritage series, 62339—which regrettably seems no longer to be available). He made his second recording of Mendelssohn’s Concerto in 1961 in Severance Hall and his second of Tchaikovsky in 1965 at the Manhattan Center; they appeared together on LP as Columbia ML 6158 and its stereo twin, MS 6758.

Natty Francescatti seemed ideally suited to Mendelssohn’s Concerto. His tone possessed the bright and edgy individuality to highlight the flashing pyrotechnics in a personal way; and without pressing the tempos unduly, he could strike sparks in the cadenza’s off-the-string passagework and in the elfin finale. The uniqueness of his approach seems clearest, however, in the slow movement, to which he brings a fresh, chaste ardor to the familiar soaring lines, and in the lyrical episode in the finale, which he plays as though he had written it. And Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra (billed as “members of the Cleveland Orchestra in the original LP release), provided genial support.

Henry Roth didn’t consider Francescatti’s way with Tchaikovsky sufficiently urgent; in fact, the very qualities that enhanced Francescatti’s reading of Mendelssohn’s Concerto might seem diametrically opposed to those Tchaikovsky’s Concerto required. Francescatti certainly didn’t play with the propulsive intensity of Auer’s students, Jascha Heifetz and Nathan Milstein, nor with the glowing warmth of David Oistrakh, any of whom might almost have claimed the Concerto as his own. Yet it’s hard to think of just what it might be that Francescatti’s performance lacks. While remaining his dapper self, he soars in the Concerto’s frequent lyrical passages, plays with commanding brilliance in the first movement’s cadenza (into which he inserts Auer’s famous—or infamous—but nevertheless electrifying thirds), and generates overwhelming virtuoso excitement in the movement’s coda. The slow movement, taken deliberately, smolders with exotic Slavic hues, a showcase for Francescatti’s distinctive tone production, even though muted. And he realizes the excitement of the finale, both in its pounding first theme and in the moody episodes, anticipated piquantly in the introduction. The original engineers reproduced clearly the clearer orchestral textures and gave body to Schippers’s and the orchestra’s explosive tuttis.

Those who admire Francescatti should find here a compendium of his art spanning colossally the range of expressive possibilities and mastered with Sony’s DSD and SBM techniques. Urgently recommended, of course, to Francescatti enthusiasts, but with equal enthusiasm to general listeners as well.

FANFARE: Robert Maxham

Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Richard Wilbur, with additional lyrics by John Latouche, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim.

Principal cast includes: Lewis J. Stadlen (Voltaire/Dr. Pangloss/Governor), Mark Baker (Candide), Maureen Brennan (Cunegonde), June Gable (Old Lady), Sam Freed (Maximillian), and Deborah St. Darr (Paquette).

Remastered 2006.

Because of its wonderful score, Candide was a Broadway flop that refused to be consigned to the dustbin of history. While attempts to get it right continued for decades, the show had its greatest commercial success with Hal Prince's 1974 revival, where the original book by Lillian Hellman was replaced with Hugh Wheeler's more irreverent version, bringing the show's spirit closer to the Voltaire novel.

The cast album, available for the first time on CD, presents the show complete. Although better singing can be found in other versions (some featuring opera singers), this cast does a good job of keeping the proceedings lively and humorous, avoiding the ponderousness that has plagued other productions.

This is a DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording

This album received the 2006 Grammy Award for "Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra)."
All tracks have been digitally mastered using 24-bit technology.

VIOLIN CONCERTO