Steve Reich: City Life; Proverb; Nagoya Marimbas

Smart, topical, edgy, and full of New York rhythm and acoustical snap, Reich's "City Life" (1995) evokes all of New York, --from the Bronx to Brooklyn-- and not just Manhattan's upper East side and the unresolved existential anxieties of a hand-full of successful intellectuals. The upbeat and vibrant snapshot soon turns grim, however, as Reich's heavy hand delves deeper into the city's dense, sordid, psychic slush. Only the silence at the close of the work brings relief. "Proverb" (1995-1996) - for six voices and percussion - takes its inspiration from 12th century French organa while "Nagoya Marimbas" (1994) is a rich and virtuoso instrumental work that harks back to Reich's work a few decades earlier, and is often reminiscent of the work of Ghanaian composer Nana Danso Abiam. Excellent notes by the composer.

Joseph E. Romero

Back to the CD list

La Harpe Royale: Musical Portraits, Dances and Laments from the Court of Louis XIV

The seventeenth century triple harp measured some two meters high and produced a sound similiar to the baroque guitar or lute. This program features works written for the French court by Louis and François Couperin, Robert de Visée, Francesco Corbetta and Johann Jakob Froberger. Andrew Lawrence-King's playing is wonderfully articulate and attempts to convey the spirit and refinement of the court of Versailles.

Joseph E. Romero

Back to the CD list

David Oistrakh Edition:
Franck, Bartok, Shostakovich, Brahms, Sibelius, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky among others

It would take the savvy of a Wall Street investment bank and a brigade of English sollicitors to unravel the commercial history of the international distribution of Melodyia, the custodian of the recorded archives of the ex-Soviet Empire. That said, BMG, the current Western distributor, has now made available a 5 CD set devoted to violinist David Oistrakh (1908 - 1974). The Melodyia recordings span the period 1946 - 1972 and are but the tip of the iceberg of the great violinist's Soviet recordings. Despite the excellent recordings already available on Le Chant du Monde, Philips, Deutsche Gramophon, Testament and EMI, the value of the Soviet recordings is self-evident. David Oistrakh was one of the most emminent musicians of the Soviet era and while this or that performance of a given work may differ in degree of interpretative significance, his unequalled "cantabile" tone and profound musicality were sufficiently unique during each performance to justify yet another purchase of Oistrakh in some of these works. Moreover, pianist Sviatoslav Richter's death last Friday of a heart attack at the age of 82 gives even more poignant value to volumes 4 and 5 where Oistrakh and his compatriot deliver some of the most rivetting "live" performances of not only the Brahms' violin and piano sontas Nos. 2 & 3, the Franck sonata and the Bartok Violin Sonata No 1 (Sz. 75) available on disc, but also a recording of the first public performance on 3 May 1969 - in Moscow - of Shostakovich's Sonata for Violin and Piano op. 134 composed a year earlier for Oistrakh. Unpublished performances include pieces for violin and piano by Debussy, Falla, Glazunov, Gluck, Rachmaninoff, and Schumannn. It is important to note that some of this material hails back to the days of 78s and since Melodyia was never known for its engineering prowess or quality control, sound quality varies from "Soviet Union" to very good.

Joseph E. Romero

Back to the CD list

Les Premieres Polyphonies Francaises: Organa et troupes du XIeme siecle
Early French polyphony 11th-century organa and tropes
Fruehe Mehrstimmigkeit aus Frankreich Organa und Tropen des 11. Jahrhunderts.

This is an exquisite release and an excellent introduction to medieval French organa, a term referring to the creation of polyphony through the addition of a second unwritten and improvised voice-part. French organa and the sounds of medieval religious celebration have been a source of inspiration for contemporary composers such as Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt, among others.

Joseph E. Romero

Back to the CD list

Bartok: Works for piano solo, Vol. IV

Zoltan Kocsis continues his distinguished survey of Bartok's complete works for piano solo. The Hungarian pianist's brisk intellect and playful virtuosity have produced a rhythmically vivid and fully characterised interpretation of the piano sonata (Sz 80). Moreover, his rendering of the rather offbeat character pieces and the abstract nature pieces which complete the disc is both learned and acoustically imaginative. Musicians should note that Kocsis is still at work on the Bela Bartok Complete Critical Edition.

Joseph E. Romero

Back to the CD list

Les Introuvables de Walter Legge:
Lieder, Voices, Instruments, Orchestral

The musicians heard on this 4 CD mono set are all well-documented elsewhere and in some instances - Walter Gieseking, Arthur Grumiaux, Artur Schnabel, Albert Schweitzer, or the disc- allergic iconoclast conductor Sergiu Celibidache - to much better advantage. That said, pianist Egon Petri in Liszt's "Fantasie sur les ruines d'Athenes" and a few early lieder and aria recordings by Hans Hotter and Kathleen Ferrier are memorable here. Therefore, if you are a committed discophile and record historian looking for rarities, or have a particular interest in the contraversial British record producer, Walter Legge (1906-1979), and his impact on the post-war classical recording industry and its standards, then some of the gems unearthed from the EMI vaults will appeal to you. Otherwise, this could hardly be considered an essential acquisition. There are no printed texts for the lieder and arias which will make it difficult for some listeners to assess such rarely heard as those by composer Yryö Kilpinen (1892-1959), here interpreted by baritone Gerhard Hüsch.

Joseph E. Romero

Back to the CD list

Schumann: Bunte Blätter; Nachtstücke; 3 Romanzen

Volume 7 of Ashkenazy's recording of Schumann's piano works is essentially a combination of muddled playing, poorly-delineated phrasing and an absence of rhythmic drive. It offers what could only be considered a pale vision of what this artist was capable in the past.

Joseph E. Romero

Back to the CD list

Haydn: 29 Name Symphonies

Consistently splendid interpretations and excellent value for money make this set of Haydn's "Name" symphonies (Bear, Clock, Military, Hen, London, Philosopher, etc.) an essential acquisition, especially if you have neither the time to explore all 104 Haydn symphonies, nor the desire to take a position on such issues as the use of authentic instruments and the various obediences of the historically-informed performance practice movement. Sir Neville Marriner offers well-judged tempos and top-drawer performances by members of his band in the more concertante symphonies, and his musicians never cease to draw our attention to the beautiful proportions, exuberance, humour, dramatic skill, and impertinence of Haydn's visionary accoustical experimentations. Dapper outer mouvements are shrewdly balanced by elegant and supple slow movements. The Symphony in D minor, Hob. I:26 "Lamentatione" and the Symphony in G Major, Hob. I:47 "The Palindrome" are of a different provenance, namely Raymond Leppard and the English Chamber Orchestra. All 10 CDs fit neatly into a sturdy, well-designed box thinner than most 2 CD opera sets.

Joseph E. Romero

Back to the CD list

Richard Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder; Orchesterlieder; Rosenkavalier Suite

Christoph Eschenbach's transition from pianist to conductor may not always have been convincing in the past, but perhaps he has found the perfect muse in soprano Renee Fleming. Luxuriousness of sound without an excess of dramatic gesture and Eschenbach's ability to lead his Texans from delicacy to eloquence are some of the immediate qualities heard in all three works. Renee Fleming is ravishing. Her interpretation of the lieder are splendidly achieved and deeply affecting throughout.

Joseph E. Romero

Back to the CD list

Musicians of the Globe

Philipp Pickett and his musicians have started a new series for Philips Classics, of which these are the first two releases. Shakespeare's Musick is subtitled "A selection of music for lute, ensemble and Keyboard by Byrd, Dowland, Holborne, Morley, Robert Johnson and other contemporaries of Shakespeare", and that is exactly what it is, an effective alternation of ensemble and solo pieces, interspersed with vocal numbers. There is little chance for boredom to set in other than in the almost ten-minute setting of the Willow Song, inexpressively rendered by soprano Meredith Hall. The Masque of Oberon is marginally more coherent, having been conceived as an entertainment for New Year's Day, 1611. In addition to the existing music by Alfonso Ferrabosco II and Robert Johnson and others, Peter Holman and Peter Downey had their say with reconstructions, editions and in a few instances composition. The wider range of sound that results from the more extensive instrumental ensembles makes The Masque a more interesting introduction to this period for neophytes. Both titles come with a sampler for the series, another five discs to come ranging from Purcell up to Thomas Linley.

Joel Kasow

Back to the CD list