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April 17, 2002
A lot of people seem to be focussed on comparing Joshua Bell to Hilary Hahn because of their contemporaneous recordings of the Barber. I don't know why we feel that one has to "win" this debate- they are both extraordinary violinists. I've already commented on this at length in my review of Hilary's CD. Short version- both are wonderful, just different flavours, but I give an edge to Hilary for her superb rendition of the last movement. The Barber aside, we also have the Bloch and Walton on this CD. The Bloch is steeped in Hebrew angst and joy and Joshua gives it his all in an passionate tour de force performance. No one could ever accuse him of being a sterile player.
The Walton is the real jewel of this CD for me. This little played concerto was written for Heifetz and has suffered from undeserved neglect ever since as it is not really the type of flashy concerto that many virtuosi love to dazzle their audiences with. It is however a lush and beautiful lyric masterpiece and Joshua brings out the concerto's soul in exemplary fashion. It is not without it flashy passages either and he negotiates their difficulties with apparent ease. But it is the love song like quality of the first and third movements which stand out for me and Joshua's lyric gifts are heard to great advantage here as they are throughout this excellent CD
Highly recommended..
April 11, 2002
This budget collection contains selections from various popular British composers ranging from Clarke (Trumpet Voluntary) to Malcom Arnold. This is the kind of music that would (and often is) played on BBC "light" classical radio. Many of the pieces are familiar but the inclusion of Bridge's "The Sea" is a happy exception. The performances and sound are uniformly good and at this price you can't really go wrong. I enjoyed these musical bon-bons and unless you're looking for deep and serious works, I suspect that you will too.
Recommended.
April 10, 2002
Bell and Bernstein seem made for each other as one can hear in this wonderful recording. Bell's playing somehow is absolutely "right" in it's evocation of Bernstein's spirit and no more so than in the "West Side Story" suite. Special mention should go to Brohn (the arranger on this record) for raising the often disparaged technique of "mere" arranging to high art indeed! More than just a medley of tunes, Brohn creates a virtual violin concerto out of Bernstein's unforgettable melodies all without distortion of the source material. The transitions between the sections are astonishing in terms of sheer invention while retaining absolute fidelity to the composer- a remarkable feat! Joshua's playing soars and exalts and his no-holds barred romantic approach cannot fail to connect emotionally with the listener. The hair on the back of my neck stood up during the "Tonight" section both times I heard it. The rest of the CD is very good too. This CD manages the rare trick of creating a commercially succesful offering that is a real and satisying work of art.
Absolutely terrific!
April 10, 2002
This album is a must for any classical music fan and for any Britten fan in particular. Rattle brings to these great pieces a vibrancy and energy that Britten would surely have enthusiastically approved . Aside from some of the more familiar works of Britten's such as the powerful and touching "Sinfonia da Requiem", we are treated to the less familiar "The Building of the House" written for the re-opening of the concert hall at Snape-Maltings which had previously burned down. This shows Britten at his inventive best in a rare orchestral work from his late period. Also included is "Suite on English Folk Songs" which was one of the last things he wrote before his premature death and shows that tragically, he was struck down at the height of his powers. Also we get to hear two recently unearthed pieces that had been apparently forgotten by Britten himself-"Occasional Overture" and one of my favorites from this collection, the wonderful "American Overture". All in all, a wonderful selection of Britten's work with performances worthy of the material. At the two-for-one price here, this is a collection you can't afford not to have.
Highly recommended!
April 10, 2002
A lot of people seem to love this guy and I just don't see why. I find it dull, intellectual (in the most pejorative sense) and defines what's wrong with a lot of "post-modernism" in music today. This guy doesn't write tunes as much as he writes concepts of tunes. The music fails to connect on an emotional level and fails to be interesting enough in purely intellectual terms to compensate for it's emotional hollowness. His craft seems a bit lacking too- filled with the trappings of minimalism without the basic musical values such as memorable melodies, logical harmony and innovative form that make a composer such as John Adams worth listening to. His often odd choices of orchestration tend to strike one as merely grotesque rather than imaginative. I'm afraid that Michael Nyman is a musical poseur and it's a shame that so many people have bought into his brand of soulless artifice.
Not recommended.
April 9, 2002
This album absolutely floored me. It's hard to believe anyone could play at the incredible level of intensity and virtuosity as displayed on this recording. It surpassed what I had thought even MO themselves were capable of. Sure, the extended compositions ramble in a few places and the sound is adequate but not first rate. But the playing!? Holy cow!!! The duet between McLaughlin and Cobham during "Dream" will make your jaw drop, as will many other incredible moments on this CD. If you have other MO albums and debating whether this one is worth having, then wonder no more. If you are new to MO this is the one record of theirs you *must* have. ("Birds of Fire" comes a close second). "Between Nothingness and Eternity" is unmatched for sheer intensity, power and masterful playing by any band on any record at any time in history. A very bold statement, yes, but true nonetheless-hear for yourself.
Highest recommendation!
April 9, 2002
Apparently this album wasn't released when recorded because they(MO) decided it wasn't good enough.This album appears to have its detractors but I heard this record without knowing any of this and I thought it was just great. The Mahavishnu Orchestra was and remains one of the best ( maybe *the* best?) fusion bands to date. Even on their worst day they were incredible and they are on this recording too. We have precious little enough on record from this band and "The Lost Trident" sessions are a very welcome addition. And if you didn't know who Mahavishnu Orchestra was and you heard this CD you would say "Holy mackerel! (or something) what an incredible kick ... band!"
I wish I could have bad days like these guys!
Recommended
April 9, 2002
There has never been, and may well never be, a funkier jazz group than Herbie's band as recorded on "Thrust". Alas, as time went on, it seems to me that Herbie's commercial albums (Of which this was the second after "Headhunters") gradually became more watered down in terms of musical interest. Here, however, the band smokes and grooves like there's no tomorrow. The real jewel of this CD is "Actual Proof". This very complex piece (I defy you to define the metrical scheme) is tossed off so effortlessly by these guys that it is positively staggering. Herbie's solo is one of his most incredible on record and he builds tension to the breaking point. Mike Clark and Paul Jackson also [rock] throughout this piece as well as on the rest of the CD. The laid-back "Butterfly" is also very good with another fine solo from Herbie. Slighty less interesting are "Palm Grease" and "Spank-a-lee" which although they feature killer grooves, do not aspire to the improvisational heights of the other pieces. Once again as in the case of "Headhunters", for me the only disappointment on this record is Bennie Maupin who seems like a fish out of water in this group- I get the impression that Herbie kept him on from his Mwandishi group (in which he did fit in very well) for personal rather than musical reasons.
All in all this recording is worth owning simply for the mind bending version of "Actual Proof"
Highly recommended.
April 8, 2002
I don't know how he does it: another masterful album of wonderful compositions played by first rate musicians. Chief among them of course is Egberto himself on guitar and piano. This trio recording does not include the cello that graces the other recordings of this band i.e. "Infancia" but it's hardly missed. The bassist and the other guitarist/synth player on the CD are no slouches either. The music and playing are inspired, imaginative, moody, joyful, knotty at times but always superb.
Highly recommended!
April 8, 2002
This is a fantastic recording of Egberto's music. Ranging from abstract "free" jazz to hothouse Brazilian samba inspired rhythms to meditative guitar ruminations this CD is astounding for the level of playing and interplay from all the musicians, the quality of the compositions and freshness of concept. The quartet side in particular stands out. The four musicians play with white-hot intensity on Gismonti's challenging pieces with nary a cliche in sight. It's hard to know what aspect of EG to be most impressed with: his astounding guitar playing, his virtuostic and fresh approach to the piano or his unique and powerful compositions. This is one of my all time favorite Jazz (if you can call it that!) recordings and I urge you to get it.
Highest Recommendation!
April 8, 2002
This concert has some truly magical moments in it and represents a pinnacle of "free" jazz played by four great masters of that style. Barry Altschul never sounded better, turning in some astonishing solos and playing as if he has musical ESP. Dave Holland's technique and invention have to be heard to be believed. Chick Corea plays in his most "outside" style in a breathtakingly virtuostic fashion. The only fly in the ointment is Braxton who although imaginative and convincing in the abstract pieces such as the duet with Chick, "Toy Room" and his own "Kelvin" but sounds like a kid who needs sax lessons when he attempts the more straight-ahead pieces such as "Nefertiti" and "There is no Greater Love". Still, one comes away from this music much impressed with the skill, imagination and wonderful sense of interplay between these fantastic musicians.
Highly recommended!
April 8, 2002
If you loved the film (I personally hated it) then you probably loved this pretentious claptrap from Michael Nyman and my comments will anger you. But really, even aside from the absurdly anachronistic relationship of the musical style to the time period depicted in the film, this music has little to recommend it. New-agey fluff, harmonically and melodically pointless, this quasi-improvisatory doodling conjures up images of Keith Jarrett ( no offense to that great keyboard master) recovering from a frontal lobotomy. The chord progressions don't make sense and the "melodies" wander aimlessly and end arbitrarily. If you just like the sound of a piano but don't care what actual notes are played, you might be able to stand this.Otherwise, give it a wide berth.
Not recommended, even to my enemies.
April 7, 2002
This is Pat Metheny pared down to his jazz essence in a classic trio format. No synths (well almost ), no elaborate arrangements just great, inspired playing in the tradition of Jim Hall and Wes Montgomery. The level of interaction between Haynes, Holland and Metheny deserves praise as well- often amazingly telepathic, and at all times each player is mindful of the others. Every cut is excellent but personally, I loved the beautiful ballad, Pat's "Never Too Far Away"- I instantly added it to my trio repertoire.
Highly Recommended!
April 7, 2002
These pieces from Takemitsu's maturity represent the pinnacle of achievement for this gifted composer. Without regard to trends and fashion in contemporary music has has created his own sound universe. A peaceful, yet oddly non-somnolent, serenity informs virtually every bar of these wonderful pieces. The music is beautiful, lush and imaginative at every turn and despite strong ties to the French impressionists it is creative and unique and infused with Takemitsu's personal stamp and his nature-mystical aesthetic. The sound and the performances are first rate and Oliver Knussen must be congratulated on doing such a fine job in bringing these excellent pieces to life. If you love Takemitsu, you will love this CD. If you are new to Takemitsu, this is a wonderful introduction to one of the 20th century's finest composers.
Recommended without reservation.
April 6, 2002
If this were by any other artist or the only PMG CD I'd ever heard, I'd give this five stars. As it is, it gets a lesser rating only because PM himself set the bar so high. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this CD which features great tunes and great playing from all involved. The trouble is that most of this music sounds like stuff you've heard on earlier CD's- i.e "Letter from Home" , "Still Life (Talking)" etc. As someone who has consistently displayed impressive diversity and imagination -think of the range between "Question and Answer" "Imaginary Day", "American Garage" "Offramp" etc.etc- this creatively disappointing CD strikes one more as a "Contractual Obligation" album than as a bold new adventure. Still, as I said the tunes are good, particularly the epic-like "The Gathering Sky" and the playing is, of course, uniformly excellent. So if you've never heard PMG before this album is as good a place as any to start. But if you're a PMG veteran looking for something fresh you might want to wait for the next PMG album.
Recommended with reservations.
Once again John Williams shows why he is the most sought after composer in Hollywood. A.I. is another strong and creative effort. Although some of this music shows that he can digest and regurgitate virtually any classical composer's style (in this case John Adams, Richard Strauss, Samuel Barber, Dimitri Shostakovich et al), he also manages to break new ground. Case in point is "Hide and Seek" which manages to be childlike, futuristic and unsettlingly creepy all at the same time-exactly what the scene called for. The haunting "Blue Fairy" theme by contrast sounds familiar but a specific reference fails to come to mind (vaguely like Mozart's music that was used in "Elvira Madigan"-but that's not quite right)
The uncredited orchestra sounds wonderful as does the recording which sounds incredibly sumptous and rich. If I have any quibble, it is the minor complaint that the recycling of the "Blue Fairy" music- which, although beautiful in all the 4 or 5 versions heard here, might have made room for some other music from the film that didn't make the soundtrack album.
This music makes a powerful and lasting impression even away from the film, which is not something you can say about every film score. All in all, one of John Williams' best recent scores.
April 4, 2002
Hilary's recording of the Barber may well become the standard by which others are judged in the years to come. As a matter of fact , it seems that the comparisons are already well underway judging from the Bell-Hahn debate already raging in this review section. It's a shame that such fine performers are pitted against each other as they are both wonderful musicians and both have something unique to say with the Barber. However, if one could only afford to own one recording of ths wonderful concerto, I would have to give the edge to Hilary. Her playing is close to flawless-and not a cold precision as others would lead you to believe, but a very musical and heartfelt precision. I was completely won over in the last movement of the Barber where Hahn delivers an absolutely electric performance of a piece once deemed "unplayable" Play it she does and with a sense of poised conviction in some of the most hair raising and challenging passages ever written for the instrument- Joshua's recording, though also well executed ,lacks the visceral excitement of Hilary's version. Both the orchestral performance and the recording quality are superior to Joshua's recording.
As far as the Meyer piece goes, as a composition I'm afraid it suffers in such close proximity to Barber's tautly constructed masterpiece. A lack of memorable themes, a rather loose structure. and a lack of convincing development reduce the the listening experience to a few pleasant episodes amid great many more tedious passages. Hilary gives it the old college try but the piece remains ultimately unconvincing.
5 stars for the Barber as a piece, 5 stars for Hilary's playing, 2.5 stars for the weaker Meyer Concerto
March 30, 2002
Herbie disbanded his sextet shortly after this recording to form 'Headhunters". Though I'm a big fan of his funk quartet it's a shame that this line of thought wasn't continued. He himself said that there was nowhere else to go with this music and perhaps he's right. However, Sextant stands as a powerful milestone in the post "Bitch's Brew" world. Innovative in just about every respect; instrumentation, composition, use of synthesizers and incredible solos from Herbie and Eddie Henderson et al. Though this is unquestionably avant-garde the earthy (and unearthly) grooves makes it accessible to anyone with an open ear and mind. Though recorded in the early seventies this music is still fresh and futuristic. A wonderful artistic highpoint for Herbie Hancock in a career not lacking in creative highpoints.
My highest recommendation!
March 30, 2002
Edgar's first album is still one of his best. His extraordinary voice, his energetic sax and keyboard playing are all heard to great advantage here. The strong jazz infuence may come as a surprise to those who only know him from "Free Ride" and later but it's a style that he is obviously quite at home in. The best part of this record is remarkable compositional talent that Edgar displayed at such a young age. Everything about this record is first rate and even though I'm a fan of most everything he's done, this is still my favorite Edgar Winter recording of all time.
Just buy it!
March 30, 2002
These pieces by MacMillan confirm the impression that he is emerging as one of the vital composers of the 21st century. As with with Ades and Corigliano, his style is far ranging and eclectic, abstract and difficult at times, but always delivered with conviction and imagination. Some of the material, particularly in the trumpet concerto, makes demands upon the listener but as the title of this review indicates, he produces the goods. Other sections such as the second movement of the clarinet piece instantly draw the listener into a world of strange familiarity, beautiful and utterly fresh. At other times one delights at his wonderful sense of humour (as in the "klezmer" passages), something all to often absent from contemporary classical music.
A few minor performance problems in these difficult to perform works are the only barriers to a five star rating.
Hearing this music gives one faith that contemporary music is in able hands and that genius is far from being the exclusive product of earlier times.
March 24, 2002
This is some of the most beautiful vocal music I have ever heard (and I have heard a lot!). Actually, I should remove the qualifiier: this is some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. I was surprised by this CD as I had only previously been aware of MacMillan as the composer of some thorny, albeit interesting, instrumental works. There remains some evidence of his more challenging modernistic aspect especially in some of the organ parts but this music is ageless/timeless in its spirit and character. MacMillan manages to use familiar elements: plainsong, common chords and grounded tonality to achieve wonderfully fresh effects and textures-no easy feat in this day and age when this approach has been "picked over" by many lesser composers. No less an achievment is MacMillan's ability to use very modern quasi-atonal elements and blend them convincingly with "older", more familiar musical elements. In short, this is a stunning triumph of vision and imagination and a wonderful fusion of ancient and modern.
The religious underpinnings of these pieces should not dissuade you from buying and enjoying this CD. The music certainly has a very strong and sincere spiritual quality but one can enjoy this music on its purely musical terms: imagination, craft, beauty of sound, inspiration and ability to connect emotionally with the listener.
Kudos are also in order for the performers. The Westminster Choir sounds absolutely wonderful as does the organist. Hats off to their director for pulling this challenging music (from a performance standpoint) in a seemingly effortless manner. The recording also gets high marks as does absolutely everything about this CD.
Music of the highest order-my highest recommendation!
March 16, 2002
This is the first complete work of Tavener's I have heard other than a few brief excerpts from some choral works. I approached this work with heady anticipation after learning that Tavener is currently the world's most performed contemporary classical composer. Let me get straight to the point: the piece is boring, tedious, insipid, pretentious and often ridiculous (I involuntarily burst out laughing at the "Apple" section with its absurd and tortured staccato glottal utterances). Tavener's success is deeply perplexing to me (not to mention, disturbing) as he seems to lack both imagination and craft, ingredients I previously thought were necessary for success as a composer.
As far as imagination goes, what little thematic material that makes up this sprawling 75 minute extravaganza is frightfully banal. Even a composer that I detest, Andrew Lloyd Webber, has way more melodic fluency than this guy. The presenter on the DVD solemnly informs us of how much the self imposed mathematical complexities of the "Chaos" section so taxed poor Mr. Tavener that it took him a month to write each page (!) The result? Five minutes of seemingly random quasi-aleatoric noodling by the entire orchestra that tries one's patience almost as much one's credulity that it took him so long to write it. What little imagination that is in evidence seems to be primarily in the non-musical arena: theatricality i.e. lighting, the ersatz medieval aesthetic and the choice of the inspirational setting of St.Paul's Cathedral in London. A few musical moments did catch my ear in the "Logos" section but these few morsels of interest failed to buoy the bloated and flaccid corpse that is the remainder of this work.
As for craft, there is precious little of that too. As one other reviewer mentioned, Tavener tends to substitute repetition for development and, I would add, atmosphere for melodic and harmonic invention. In one interview segment he loftily decries development as a "secular" activity while in another interview segment he takes pains to impress the interviewer with a few childish variations he manages to wring from his malnourished Ney Flute "theme". His amatuerish handling of the orchestra and criminal abuse of the singers makes one wonder if he has had any training in orchestration whatsoever. As infuriating as I found his music, the disparaging comments he makes about Bach and Beethoven really frosted me. He implies that whereas he channels the "Creative Imagination of Christ" that those great Masters were "secular" dilettantes bound by their earthly limitations. For a supposedly religious man he seems to suffer greatly from the sins of arrogance and pride in his unilateral denunciation of their divine inspiration as being inauthentic. It hard not to conclude that he dismisses their genius in order to cover his own apparent lack of it.
In short, I hated this music (and the arrogance of the man), and I am disturbed to live in a world where this poverty stricken excuse for profundity has found such a wide audience at the expense of many deserving yet lesser performed composers. The DVD wasn't a total loss however: St.Paul's looks very impressive and well worth a visit on a future trip to London.
March 1, 2002
Brilliant, challenging, intellectually self indulgent on occasion, experimental, ravishingly beautiful at times as in the string quartet and the choral piece; innovative, fresh, assured and completely astonishing from one so young. It's very hard to determine where Ades is ultimately heading, musically speaking, but these works written on the way to that destination stand on their own as fascinating examples of a truly creative imagination. Although I enjoyed "Living Toys" it was my least favorite piece. The aforementioned Quartet and Choral pieces were the standout. "Origin" was interesting for the wonderful sonorities and textures conjured up from a truly odd ensemble and the "Sonata" made me laugh out loud with it's fun-house mirror view of Baroque music.
Highly recommended to the open minded.
March 1, 2002
Short answer- Pearls. As a composer myself I feel qualified to say that "Asyla" is indeed inspiring evidence of genius as are most of the pieces on this CD. I find it odd that so many seem to be so deeply polarized by his music. Unaware at the time of the controversy surrounding Ades, I listened to Asyla and was immediately aware that a superior talent was here at work. Ades' music has yet to settle down stylistically- one is conscious of a restless exploratory quality- as one would expect given his age, but it's clear to me that he will be one of the major voices of our time. All the pieces are interesting and only the "Concerto Conciso" left me wanting a bit. "Asyla" and "But all shall be well" were the highlights for me.
May 23, 2001
It's difficult to measure my disappointment with this recording (Book I - I won't listen to Book II). I am a pianist that feels equally at home in the Jazz and Classical worlds and for years Jarrett has been my Jazz idol. Knowing that he is a deep thinking pianist with a formidable technique I approached these recordings with enthusiasm only to have my hopes dashed, trampled and spat upon. I'm afraid the beauty of Bach's masterpiece appears to be lost on Mr. Jarrett. His interpretation is at various times murky, uninspired, pedestrian, rhythmically impaired, blind and deaf to the riches he glosses over and therefore dumb in its failed attempt to speak with the voice of the old Master.
Jarrett's contrapuntal facility seems to be limited to bringing out the soprano voice to the detriment of the singing lines below. He indulges in questionable pedaling (and no, I have no objection to judiciously applied pedal in Bach) which smears the lines at times. He adds phrasing characteristics not present in the Urtext all the while proclaiming hypocritically in the notes that he went to great lengths not the "color" the music. Here and there he plays inaccurately as in the E Major and D major Preludes and his sense of pulse, while one of his most awe inspiring attributes as a Jazz pianist, veers queasily in passages here and there that make one wish he could be pulled over for a drunk driving while operating a musical instrument.
The notes include such pompous declarations as "This music needs no help from me" and other arrogant pronouncements seemingly designed to defend his bloodless yet idiosyncratic interpretation. Well Mr. Jarrett I'm afraid I disagree: The music could use some help escaping from your soulless clutches.
Don't buy this unless you really want to appreciate just how good Glenn Gould and Murray Perahia really are.
October 27, 2000
Yeah, the album suffers from some poor editing, but it's worth having anyway just it to hear Miles play at his peak (for the music of this period). He plays with superb passion, power, attitude, soul and stunning imagination. The band is no slouch either.
Just get it.
October 26, 2000
One of the best fruits of the post electric Miles band. The level of group interaction and improvisation combined with unique electric/acoustic textures makes this a must-have for any serious jazz collection. This album opened areas of exploration that have remained practically unexploited to this day. Standout among the entire brilliant collection of compositions is Joe Zawinul's "Orange Lady" a soulful journey through sounds and emotions that are deeply familiar and strange at the same time.
Music at its highest level!
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