Music News

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Music News 05/17/2012

Jeremy Denk

 

NEW CLASSICAL: HEAR AND SEE

Jeremy Denk, Ligeti/Beethoven (Nonesuch, $17.98) – Lately, it seems pianist Jeremy Denk has been playing and writing non-stop. He’s followed his splendid Ives Piano Sonatas CD, looking forward and backward with the music of György Ligeti (his Piano Études: Book One & Two) and Ludwig van Beethoven (Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111). Denk has also written an article on tackling Ives for the New Yorker; on the Goldberg Variations for the NPR Music site, and continues his wonderful blog, Think Denk ( http://jeremydenk.net/blog/ ). And, of course, there’s a long essay in his new recording, connecting the work of the two composers: “Beethoven’s vast timeless canvas and Ligeti’s bite-size bits of infinity.”

NOTE: On Saturday, May 19, Jeremy Denk will be performing at 6th & I Synagogue. He will play Ligeti’s Études: Book One, as well as works by Mozart, Liszt, and Brahms.

NOTE: Tonight, Thursday, May 17, at the Atlas Arts Center, the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) will perform the music of John Cage, Steve Reich,

Mario Diaz de Leon, Phyllis Chen, plus Nathan Davis’s “H Street Bells,” for winds, percussion and many bells (with the help of the audience’s cell phones), a site-specific piece that ICE first performed at Lincoln Center last season.

 

Music

NEW

Best Coast, The Only Place (Mexican Summer Records, $12.98) – Bethany Cosentino made a great summer pop record in 2010, Crazy for You. She’s back—a little less sunny, but the songs are still full of pop hooks, catchy tunes, and big choruses.

Paolo Pandolfo, Mr. De Machy: Pièces de Violle (Glossa, $21.98) – One of the masters of the viola da gamba, Mr. Pandolfo keeps finding worthy repertoire. Here he plays four of the Suites de Danses, from Monsieur De Machy’s Pièces de Violle, published in Paris, 1685.

Music News 05/10/2012

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Music

MORE VOICES

The Hilliard Ensemble, Gesualdo: Quinto Libro di Madrigali (ECM, $18.98) – The Hilliards return to Gesualdo’s Madrigals. The five vocalists of the Ensemble (two tenors, two countertenors and baritone) are joined by soprano Monika Mauch.

Magdelana Kožená, Love and Longing (DG, $18.98) – For me, mezzo-soprano Magdelana Kožená has one of the most beautiful voices on the scene today, whether she’s singing classical or Baroque repertoire. On this live recording, she sings Dvořák’s Biblical Songs; Ravel’s Shéhérazade; and Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder, with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Simon Rattle.

Mark Padmore, Britten & Finzi (Harmonia Mundi, $18.98) – Tenor Mark Padmore is producing some of the most interesting vocal programs around. After his recent Schubert recordings, he returns to the music of Britten. The Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings is the centerpiece here, along with Gerald Finzi’s Dies Natalis, and Britten’s Nocturne. Mr. Padmore is accompanied by the Britten Sinfonia, directed by Jacqueline Shave.

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Vladimir Hvorostovsky, Rachmaninov Romances (Ondine, $16.99) and Markusz Kwiecien, Slavic Heroes (Harmonia Mundi, $18.98) – Anthony Tommasini raved about these two recordings by baritones singing in their native Russian and Polish, respectively (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/arts/music/dmitri-hvorostovsky-and-mariusz-kwiecien-have-new-albums.html ).

John Pizzarelli, Double Exposure (Telarc, $18.98) – Guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli brings a keen arranger’s touch to his latest. He combines songs by the “Great American Songbook” writers with those of the pop era in which he grew up. Clever mashups include putting Tom Waits with Billy Strayhorn, and the Allman Brothers with Wes Montgomery. There are also arrangements of songs by Joni Mitchell, Lennon-McCartney, Donald Fagen, and Neil Young, among others.

Note: John Pizzarelli is playing tonight, Thursday, May 10, at Strathmore, sharing a bill with vocalist Kurt Elling.

Marley: The Original Soundtrack (Island, 2 CDs, $20.98) – Director Kevin Macdonald’s compelling documentary, Marley, is playing at the E Street Cinema. He thoroughly explores the life and music of Bob Marley. On the soundtrack, there are full performances (instead of the snippets of songs in the film): from pre-Wailers recordings to the instantly-recognized anthems and live performances of his years as the international superstar of reggae.

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MARVIN GAYE: 40 YEARS AGO

Last weekend, John Legend and the National Symphony Orchestra commemorated the 40th anniversary of Marvin Gaye’s live performance at the Kennedy Center (on May 1, 1972) of the entire What’s Going On album. Gaye’s rare performance was recorded and finally released on the bonus disc of the What’s Going On: Deluxe Edition (Motown, 2 CDs, $29.98).


  • András Goldinger

Music News 05/03/2012

MusicLOUIS ARMSTRONG AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB

Louis Armstrong gave one of his final performances on January 29, 1971, at a National Press Club gala honoring incoming Club president, fellow Louisianan Vernon Louviere. The performance was recorded and 300 limited-edition copies were pressed for NPC members in 1972. Now, Red Beans and Rice-ly Yours: Satchmo at the National Press Club (Smithsonian Folkways Special Series, $16.98) is available to all. Mr. Armstrong sings the seldom performed “Boy from New Orleans,” “Rockin’ Chair,” Hello Dolly,” and more. Performances by longtime band-mates, trombonist Tyree Glenn and clarinetist and vibes player Tommy Gwaltney fill out the album.

A booklet with thirty of Louis’s favorite New Orleans recipes is included.

 

 

Music

 

VOICES

Norah Jones, Little Broken Hearts (Blue Note, $17.98) – Norah Jones’s sultry voice, and laid-back phrasing are at the forefront of the bluesy and moody production of Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton. Ms Jones wrote the break-up songs, and delivers them with feeling.

Rufus Wainwright, Out of the Game (Decca, $13.98) – The long fluid melodic lines, the beautiful legato singing, the clever and heartfelt lyrics, the lush production—they are all here, in an album that ranks at the top of Rufus Wainwright’s work.

Sandrine Piau, Le Triomphe de L’Amour (Naïve, $16.99) – Soprano Sandrine Piau is a formidable presence in Baroque music, as well as in more modern repertoire. Her new album concentrates on French opera from the 17th and 18th century: Lully, Favart, Campra, Rameau, and others.

Carmen (Decca DVD, $29.98) – A few weeks ago, New York and Washington audiences had the privilege of hearing a rare recital by Anna Caterina Antonacci. She has not recorded much, but one of her greatest performances is available on DVD. She sings the role of Carmen, with Jonas Kaufmann as Don José. The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House is conducted by Antonio Pappano. Francesca Zambello, recently appointed the

Artistic Advisor of the Washington National Opera, directed this production.

 

GEORGE HARRISON

MusicMartin Scorsese, George Harrison: Living in the Material World (UMe, DVD, $24.98) – Martin Scorsese’s movies are suffused with music, and he has a long history making music documentaries—helping to edit Woodstock, and directing films on the Band, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan. Scorsese unearths some great footage for this three-and-a-half-hour film, along with a sizable list of musical talking heads commenting on George, the quiet Beatle.

George Harrison, Early Takes Volume 1 (UMe, $14.98) – Demos mostly from the period of his post-Beatles classic, All Things Must Pass (“My Sweet Lord”, “Awaiting On You All”) plus very tender renditions of Dylan’s “Mama You’ve Been On My Mind” and “Let It Be Me,” made famous by the Everly Brothers. You’ll hear many snippets of these songs on the Scorsese documentary.


  • András Goldinger