| Fiddler on the Roof | | Posted Saturday, September 02, 2006 2:11:44 PM by BlogJeeves Team | | This new version of the Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack coincides with the movie's 30th anniversary (which is also celebrated by a special edition DVD). The CD is notable for several instrumental tracks by John Williams, as well as for "Any Day Now," a previously unreleased song performed by Perchik/Paul Michael Glaser (better known for his starring role in TV's Starsky and Hutch). The soundtrack is often compared unfavorably with the original 1964 cast album, in which Zero Mostel played the part of Tevye (here performed by Topol, who had been in the 1967 London production). But this CD has a lot going for it, including glossy remastering and, of course, Isaac Stern as the fiddler. In the end, whatever version you decide to pick up, Fiddler remains one of the most enduring musicals of all time. --Elisabeth Vincentelli... | |
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| | | Tchaikovsky: Concerto No. 1/Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 2 | | Posted Thursday, August 31, 2006 2:12:07 AM by BlogJeeves Team | | What a story there is behind this recording! When Van Cliburn won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War with his playing of this concerto, it created an international sensation. The recording followed immediately thereafter, and Cliburn was launched on an international career of unprecedented celebrity for a classical musician. Perhaps the attention was too much, too soon, given his subsequent burn-out and retirement from public life. Fortunately, we have these unique recordings to document what was, by all accounts, a genuine phenomenon. This is the disc "heard 'round the world." --David Hurwitz... | |
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| | | Symphony 5: Quintet for Strings (Hybrid) (Hybr) | | Posted Monday, August 28, 2006 2:11:34 PM by BlogJeeves Team | | What can one say about a 15-year-old composer, after listening to his Fifth Symphony or his string quintet, that won't be either of the "precocious genius" type or the "for his age" type? Don't expect Mahler and don't expect Mozart. Just judge the music by itself: Greenberg is an adept composer. His music is both good to listen to and interesting. A composer now for many years (he began playing cello at three), Greenberg's influences and derivations are clear--here's a bit of Shostakovich, here's some Bartok---but he also is developing a voice of his own and has the technique to do it. Greenberg can write a good fugato, his melodies linger, he knows how to get the oboe's plaintive side into focus, and his climaxes are built up and effective. He writes a good, somewhat sullen waltz (the Symphony begins with it). The Quintet uses two cellos (he seems to like the lower strings) and, in all, is the more engaging of the two works. José Srebrier leads the LSO with sensitivity and the Juilliard Quartet is, as ever, superb. Is this "great" music? It's hard to say--but you can be sure it's strong enough to be taken seriously and programmed at a concert hall near you. --Robert Levine... | |
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| | | Bach: Cantatas BWV 82 and 199 | | Posted Saturday, August 26, 2006 2:11:41 AM by BlogJeeves Team | | Lorraine Hunt Lieberson has been scantily represented on CD, and that makes this gorgeous, deeply felt release all the more valuable. Here she sings two Bach cantatas composed for solo voice. Her mezzo is not particularly heavy, but it can darken or lighten expressively, and she uses its dusky qualities handsomely. Ich habe genug was originally written for solo bass, but Bach revised it a few years later. The way the voice works with and around a solo oboe (amid the accompanying strings) is beautiful. Of particular note are the aria "Schlummert ein"--a lullaby which Lieberson sings with a long, sustained, hushed tone--and the final aria, in which the singer looks forward to her death and eternal peace; the latter is remarkable for its joyful, flowery vocal line, as upbeat as the lullaby is serene. Lieberson catches the mood, and her rhythmic accuracy, leaning on the beat, brings out the joy in the singer's religious fervor. The second cantata, similarly scored with a prominent solo oboe, begins with a recitative ("My heart swims in blood") and is a confession of guilt; by its close the tone has again turned vivacious, as the sinner looks forward to salvation. Lieberson's voice is capable of level upon level of dynamics, her soft singing is as impressive as her more outgoing expressions. This is a beautiful disc from an important singer. --Robert Levine... | |
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| | | The Very Best of Yanni | | Posted Wednesday, August 23, 2006 2:11:56 PM by BlogJeeves Team | | Here's the scoop on this disc: it is a fine and satisfying survey of the years that Yanni spent while under contract to a major record conglomerate, BMG. It evenly samples different stages of the keyboardist's work from 1986 to 1994 (his thunderous early phase and his romantic-icon period of the early 1990s) and attractively groups some of his most memorable works in a single package (though by shifting back and forth between eras, the pacing at times is uneven). For a Yanni newcomer, this is a good introductory sampler of a major and worthwhile New Age artist. Just realize this: Yanni had nothing to do with this compilation. Nor has he had any involvement with any of the additional five samplers the company has rushed to market since Yanni jumped to another label in 1997. --Terry Wood... | |
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| | | Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters | | Posted Monday, August 21, 2006 2:13:11 AM by BlogJeeves Team | | Hawaiian slack-key guitar began evolving in the 1830s, when Spanish and Mexican cowboys brought guitars to the cattle ranches of the Big Island. It became a recognizable style around the turn of the century. The term refers to the practice of slacking some strings from standard tunings to create open tunings; the thumb provides the bass line while the other fingers play melody and improvise. It might thus remind some listeners of the fingerpicking of a country master like Doc Watson, but the style has a wind-blown, wide-open quality all its own. Traditionally an accompanying instrument in a group setting, slack key has recently moved out front, and this all-instrumentals CD shows why. From the light touch of Moses Kahumoku or Leonard Kwan to the bluesiness of George Keo or Ray Kane to the pop feel of Keola Beamer, it offers the best possible introduction to the music. --John Morthland... | |
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| | | Crazy for You (1992 Original Broadway Cast) | | Posted Friday, August 18, 2006 2:12:04 PM by BlogJeeves Team | | If you're looking for one do-it-all Gershwin cast recording, Crazy for You fits the bill. Touted as "the new Gershwin musical comedy" when it hit Broadway in 1992, it's actually a substantial reworking of the Gershwins' Girl Crazy, the story of a New York song-and-dance man who conquers the West (and a fair maid there) by putting on a show. (The original 1934 cast featured Ginger Rogers and a Broadway novice named Ethel Merman.) Crazy for You preserves the best of the songs from the original (including "Embraceable You," "I Got Rhythm," and "But Not for Me") and adds a number of later songs from Fred Astaire films as well as some undiscovered gems, resulting in an embarrassment of riches. Harry Groener and Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid) are in strong voice (and they danced too!). The only shortcoming of this recording is that it couldn't capture Susan Stroman's dazzling choreography. The booklet includes a synopsis, full lyrics, and a historical perspective. Not an innovative show, but a rollicking good time. --David Horiuchi... | |
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| | | Great Recordings Of The Century - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Sings Operetta / Ackermann | | Posted Friday, August 11, 2006 12:12:00 AM by BlogJeeves Team | | This most serious and studious of German sopranos has a grand time--with no hint of condescension--in this collection of Viennese operetta arias, treating them with a meticulous musicality they rarely receive. In fact, lots of this music written by now-obscure names such as Heuberger, Zeller and Millocker isn't heard at all. But these isolated arias are marvelously lyrical and ingratiating with some deliciously comic counterpoint. One highpoint is the Nuns Chorus from Casanova, in which Elisabeth Schwarzkopf's voice soars above her fellow nuns, longing for her lover to rescue her from the cloister. It's some of the most unbuttoned singing of her career. --David Patrick Stearns ... | |
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| | | Tchaikovsky: Symphonies no 4, 5, & 6 / Karajan, Berlin PO | | Posted Tuesday, August 08, 2006 10:12:11 AM by BlogJeeves Team | | This moderately priced package gives you the best of Herbert von Karajan's Tchaikovsky performances, and when he was "on" with this composer, he was very impressive indeed. These are exceptionally well played, exciting, even noble versions of the composer's three most popular symphonies, and although Karajan recorded each of them four or five times, this least expensive edition is still the one to get. --David Hurwitz... | |
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| | | Bach for Babies | | Posted Saturday, August 05, 2006 10:11:53 PM by BlogJeeves Team | | Programmed similarly to the Beethoven for Babies collection, this set of Bach compositions runs the emotional gamut, from the gently eye opening to the jumpy arm raising, collecting each set of pieces under a thematic header. The first several selections ("Waking Up") feature solo piano works that come directly from Bach's more pedagogic works, compositions intended for students to use as exercises to loosen their touch. Played superbly by pianist Sviatoslav Richter, as well as the Romero brothers (Pepe and Celedonio) on warm guitar, these compositions urge the ear to open. And then you come the pieces gathered under the "Playtime" heading: jazz pianist John Lewis picks up a couple pieces, as do the folks in Canadian Brass. Then the mood shift heads back to the sleepyhead state with "Winding Down" and "And So to Bed," each of which slows the tempo and quiets the passion to a doze. This is a fine set of Bach works. --Andrew Bartlett ... | |
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