Samoa Wilson reminds me a little of the Occaquan Inn in Virginia, one of my favorite restaurants in the world. The Occaquan Inn, which is located right on the bank of the Potomac, has a reputation for being haunted by a Native American spirit who dwells in the upstairs ladies’ room and loves to come out and knock all the butter knives off the tables. That’s cool in and of itself, but my fondest memory of the Occaquan is the Victrola near the entry which was always playing 78 rpm records during the dinner service. That detail alone created an indelible impression–especially when they played Depression-era recordings of hot Parisian jazz. On I Just Want to Be Horizontal, singer Samoa Wilson has partnered with guitarist Jim Kweskin to pay tribute to the type of music that might be played on that old Victrola, especially the recordings Teddy Wilson made with Billie Holliday back in the 1930s when she was still relatively unknown. The two have been working on this sound for a decade, and it’s a mature and thorough result. Wilson has that ’30s voice down pat, pure and simple with a measured yet generous vibrato. Kweskin, who sings along […]
Tag Archives: Music
Publisher’s note: Spoiler alert.
The brilliance of today’s film producers is thoroughly demonstrated in the 2019 Netflix Original movie, The King. Except for a few passing scenes during the Battle of Agincourt, camera movements are fluidic and never disruptive, well composed and choreographed, and eminently enjoyable to watch. Director David Michod is to be praised also for a movie watching experience resplendent with not loud and bashing sound effects but an audiophile-grade, musical and unusually creative score by composer Nicholas Britell.
The Shakespearean play of Henry V is fantastical and elusive compared to the one in the Brad Pitt co-produced, new Netflix Original movie. Breaking from common conception, The King portrays the newly crowned protagonist as somber and cautious, his demeanor forged from trappings and misgivings throughout his juvenile years, not the least for being in contentious strives with his tyrannical father, Henry IV, and his younger brother, Thomas of Lancaster. Thus set the tone and background of the movie, insomuch devout Shakespeareans may be disillusioned to witness a movie aiming for a less poetic or fantastical but a grittier depiction of history.
For one, while the character of Sir John Falstaff remains in the movie, he is completely unlike the Shakespearean character and even goes on and leads the Battle of Agincourt! Forget the timeless “We happy few” St. Crispin’s Day Speech by Henry V, for in its place is a script that beckons one to fight as if he was England itself. And then there is the slaying of William Gascoigne, who the history never recorded as having accompanied the king at Agincourt, or died by the hand of the king. Note that Falstaff’s calling Henry V “Hal” is an invention of Shakespeare’s, curiously adopted by the film’s producers.
In spite of the artistic license aforementioned, The King is a dramatically rousing and choreographically stunning work, not the least of all the visceral and haunting soundtrack by Britell.
Played through the 6-feet tall, 35 inches wide curved electrostatic panels of the Sound Lab Majestic 645 as driven by the Pass Laboratories XA200.8 pure Class A monoblocks, sourcing from the new Esoteric K-01XD SACD player, the rambling bottom-end of the synthesizer accompanied richly textured tuba is captivating.
It matters not the position and station one possesses in life, misery exists in all. It is self provoked and never-ending, refuses to be annulled by health and wealth. It is a condition of existence of humans as old as there has been recorded history, as long as we are dissatisfied with where we are and what we have. The King depicts that amply. The Nicholas Britell score is sympathetic to the quandaries faced by the newly crowned Henry V. It trudges along the many scenes of internal struggles of the king, who despite his extraordinary intellect is nonetheless inexperienced, thus easily coerced by self-serving, treacherous politicians.
It is, thus, a moment of genius as the producers take us, the audience, along on an up note in turn of events as war declaration is made and the country is beckoned towards the path of war. The score remains sonorous and communicative, according us insights into the king’s mental state. It takes the vantage point of history and not insomuch of the actions or characters themselves. History views the Battle of Agincourt as calamitous though England prevailed, and the score reminds one of it.
In most cases, a historically correct production of a Shakespeare play always makes a minor noise during its release and is promptly cast aside in perpetuity. This version of Henry V is too well made to be forgotten.
For the Shakespearean enthusiasts, Kenneth Branagh’s 1989 movie with the stirring score by Patrick Doyle, performed by the then lesser known City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Simon Rattle at the podium is indispensable. The Netflix version, then, is the new pole bearer for the history buff and has no peers. It is a beautiful thing that director David Michod’s vision for the film includes a high deference for the Britell score and maintains the serene and majestic music audible and clear during and above all scenes.
The soundtrack is epic and merits being experienced and enjoyed on its own. Tidal streams it, and it can be purchased as 24-bit, 48KHz high-resolution downloads from websites such as HDtracks and Presto Classical.
Review system:
PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 20 AC regenerator
Acoustic Sciences Corporation TubeTraps
Audio Reference Technology Analysts EVO interconnects, power cable
Audio Reference Technology Analysts SE interconnects, power cables
Audio Reference Technology Super SE interconnects, power cables
Stealth Audio Cables Helios phono cable
Esoteric K-01XD SACD player
Pass Laboratories Xs Preamp
Pass Laboratories XA200.8 pure class A monoblocks
Bricasti Design M28 class AB monoblocks
Margules Audio u-280SC Black ultralinear tube monoblocks
Sound Lab Majestic 645 electrostatic panels
The post The King – Original score from the Netflix film appeared first on Dagogo.
Sometimes great recordings fall through the cracks here at Vinyl Anachronist World Headquarters, and Enrique Haneine and his new album Unlayered was almost one of those casualties. I received this a few months ago, listened to it once, loved it and then promptly forgot about it until last week. Its second chance came in the form of buzz, that this “modern jazz” recording was succinct at representing the state of jazz in 2020, the vanguard. A lot of people are talking about Unlayered right now, so it’s time for me to do the same. Over the last few years I’ve heard a lot of this so-called modern jazz, occasionally referred to as free jazz, and my approach always involved finding the structure in the chaos. Enrique Haneine doesn’t hide his musical structures in noise or epiphany–it’s laid out for all to see, melodies and themes and all the things you expect and want from music. His themes resemble an edgy pastiche of noir and world music, perhaps culled from an old film about foreign agents in exotic locations. Enrique Haneine was born in Mexico City from Lebanese descent, so he borrows liberally from those cultural touchstones. He’s a drummer and […]
Herein the latest from our goodly colleague, John Marks, editor of The Tannhauser Gate, his worthy and informative blog site. He points us to a male soprano whose voice would delight the angels. O! Can he sing! Dr. David W. Robinson, Ye Olde Editor “Well, the Welsh do sing, do they not?” I murmured to myself, upon… Read More »
The post Cai Thomas and the Bourne Ensemble: "Lascia ch'io pianga" (Handel) appeared first on Positive Feedback.
Thankfully, Hit It from the BK Trio sounds quite different from the seemingly countless jazz trio recordings coming out this spring. Much of that comes from guitarist Brian Kooken, the BK in BK Trio, who leads his organ trio through a blistering set with loose undercurrents of rock and the blues. That’s not to say he sounds like a rock guitarist who wandered into the wrong room, but when you learn Kooken was born in the ’60s and openly declares his love for David Gilmour’s playing, the same as me, you hear it in his music. BK Trio is indeed an organ trio, an ensemble always welcome in my house. Organ trios continue to intrigue me because they can be so down and earthy and full of the sound of air moving slowly. Since the bass is usually played with the organ’s foot pedals, something I used to call the Ray Manzarek syndrome, there’s a greater simplicity at work here. Greg Hatza‘s Hammond B-3 is locked in a foot race with Kooken’s guitar–they play together and they play fast, matched by the swift drumming work from Robert Shahid. This is indeed one of the quickest and liveliest organ trios […]
The contemporary jazz scene is almost evenly divided between original compositions and covers from the Great American Songbook. When something falls outside of those two groups, what does that music sound like? I feel like there’s more to this nebulous group than applying jazz fundamentals to songs from other musical genres, but when that happens–for example, in the new Wayne Alpern album Standard Deviation–it immediately stands out from the crowd. Wayne Alpern, a composer and arranger, has tackled this concept before. His first album Skeleton took pop, rock and even country tunes and stripped them down to their bones. From there they were rebuilt into jazz standards in a way that makes you question whether these were ever anything but jazz standards, played and revered for decades and decades. Need some examples from Standard Deviation? Wayne Alpern applies his magic touch to songs from Michael Jackson (nothing less than “Thriller”), and other songs such as “Ode to Billie Joe,” “She’s Not There” and even Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.”) Alpern has gathered a large cast of performers–including vocalists–to create a flexibility that allows these familiar tunes to survive these transformations. “My music is neither radical nor experimental,” Wayne Alpern explains. “Its […]
Ye Olde Editor in the midst of holy smoke and fine drink… (portrait by John Robinson) Time for a quick shout-out for two recordings from HDTT: one, a wonderful Quad DSD (DSD256) recording that you should be aware of, while the other is of a remarkable Double DSD (DSD128) album. Both belong in your DSD… Read More »
The post Brief Impressions: High Definition Tape Transfer’s DSD256 of Bernstein Conducts and the DSD128 of Bernstein's Stravinsky/Debussy appeared first on Positive Feedback.
Press Release: Pro-Ject Records releases the Vienna Philharmonic and Herbert von Karajan LP
Tracks:
Side A: Don Juan, Op. 20
Side B: Tod und Verklarung, Op. 24
Side C & D: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (1-7)
- Prelude (Sonnenaufgang)
- Von den Hinterweltlern
- Von der grossen Sehnsucht
- Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften
- Das Grablied
- Von der Wissenschaft
- Der Genesende (Teil 1)
- Der Genesende (Teil 2)
- Das Tanzlied
- Das Nachtwandlerlied
- A Pro-Ject Records Exclusive Release
- 180g Premium Quality Vinyl Double LP
- AAA Production – Pure Analogue Recording, Mixing & Mastering
- Remastered from the Original Master Tapes! Pressed at Pallas
Hallmark Recordings of the Vienna Philharmonic re-issued by Pro-Ject Audio Systems: “Analogue only” sets the Standard of Sound Quality.
The Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan had been closely associated with two orchestras predominantly throughout his life, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic. He loved both orchestras, noting famously that, “If I tell the Berliners to step forward, they do it. If I tell the Viennese to step forward, they do it. But then they ask why.” A pseudo paternal relationship between Karajan and the VP would ensue and it was with this ensemble that he made his last recording, the Bruckner Symphony No. 7, three months before his death in April 1989 at the ripe old age of 81. This notable event closed a cycle in the conductor’s life, for thirty years prior it was with the Vienna Philharmonic that the conductor made his first recording of the Richard Strauss tone poem, Also Sprach Zarathustra, the subject of this review.
The year was 1959. A young, fifty-one years old Herbert von Karajan had just signed on with Decca and made the seminal Strauss tone poem his first recording with the record label (LXT 5524 mono, SXL 2154 stereo). Decca had only one prior recording of the work, from 1950, with Clemens Krauss conducting. In Karajan’s lifetime, he would have authorized the release of two additional recordings of the piece, in 1974 and 1984, both with the Berlin Philharmonic and under the Deutsche Grammophon label.
My favorite of the three has been the powerful 1984 digital recording, the last of the maestro’s, remastered and re-issued in the nineties posthumously in the Karajan Gold edition. It runs for 35 minutes, contains the fullest- and most modern-sounding orchestration of the maestro’s recordings, and represents the most penetrating and definitive reading of the tone poem. The level of understanding and presentation of the music, especially in track 4, “Of Joy and Passion,” is priceless and peerless. Still, in energy and liveliness, the conductor’s 28-minute, 1959 rendition may reign supreme. Faster readings under many other conductors’ direction are hollow exercises in general, providing minimal emotion, and are little more than a misdirected and futile attempt in excitement induction. Then, there is Karajan.
Karajan had mellowed and slowed down noticeably in his later (digital) recordings, which is not necessarily a bad thing for us. But many can also appreciate the unrelenting insights his music generates even in his faster early days. For the energy of youth is certainly not lost even on the Karajan’s person. Known for his calculated, caring and meticulous approach, the maestro nonetheless revealed a rare flamboyance of youth expertly captured via the period’s archival technology and techniques. But the Vienna Philharmonic of 1959 didn’t necessarily or predominantly comprise only young musicians, and the playing demonstrated a level of mature confidence and proficiency none has surpassed to date.
The 1984 digital recording comes with a side billing, Don Juan, Op. 20, which again is slower at 18:02 against the 17:11 duration of the 1959 reading of the same piece, which is part of this 2LP set. The earlier recording has greater tonal contrast and higher drama, accounting for a very engaging listening, and it is now my default Don Juan. On top of that, the Pro-Ject double LP-set includes another gem of late-romantic classical music, the 23:55 reading of the composer’s Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24. It is also faster than Karajan’s 1983 digital reading of 25:33.
For readers preferring the fuller sounding orchestration, the digital recording cannot be beaten, and it is the maestro and the Berliners at their highest form. Play the LP version on the Clearaudio turntable with Koetsu Jade Platinum cartridge and it sounds even more impressive. But there will be Karajan fans preferring the more energetic 1959 reading. This is the only other Death and Transfiguration under the Karajan baton that I know of, and one worth multiple listenings in single sessions.
The sound of this new 2020 Pro-Ject re-release is softer than the later DG recordings, slightly less detailed but extraordinarily full-bodied, so I dial the volume way up. This LP is perfect for higher level playback, and the fun I have with this recording via the big Sound Lab panels is epic. I am fond of the oil paintings featured on many Deutsche Grammophon album covers from the sixties and seventies and the cover art of this Decca-original, Pro-Ject double-LP set is an 1856 Karl Millner oil painting. Nicely rendered, beautiful as ever. Only 2,000 of this set will be released and despite being early in the queue, mine is already number 763/2,000. And I’m getting a second set for the day when the current set is worn out and I am sent a new flagship cartridge to review.
Copy editor: Dan Rubin
System:
PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 20 AC regenerator
Acoustic Sciences Corporation TubeTraps
Audio Reference Technology Analysts EVO interconnects, power cable
Audio Reference Technology Analysts SE interconnects, power cables
Audio Reference Technology Super SE interconnects, power cables
Stealth Audio Cables Helios phono cable
Clearaudio Master Innovation turntable
AMG 12J2 tonearm
Koetsu Jade Platinum moving coil cartridge
Top Wing Suzaku coreless straight-flux cartridge
Pass Laboratories Xs Phono
Pass Laboratories Xs Preamp
Pass Laboratories XA200.8 pure class A monoblocks
Bricasti Design M28 class AB monoblocks
Margules Audio u-280SC Black ultralinear tube monoblocks
Sound Lab Majestic 645 electrostatic panels
The post Pro-Ject Records Richard Strauss Don Juan, Tod und Verklarung, Also Sprach Zarathustra 180g Import 2LP Review appeared first on Dagogo.
Music@Menlo Live, 2019 (available at https://musicatmenlo.org/live/) Year in, year out the Music@Menlo music education program issues its Music@Menlo Live series of recordings with music performed by the program’s instructors. The cast has changed since the series began in 2002, though a few of the originals are still in evidence: program directors pianist Wu Han and… Read More »
The post Notes of an Amatuer: Music@Menlo, Haydn Concertos, Vivaldi Cello Concertos, Adès (2), Debussy/Rameau, Paul Desmond appeared first on Positive Feedback.
In 1983 at the height of digital recording craze, Philips issued a digital recording of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt incidental music to the 1867 play by the composer’s countryman, Henrik Ibsen. Philips had also started marketing its first-generation CD100 CD player the same year. Two elements of this recording stood out instantly at the time of its release.
The recording was notable for its very unique billing of “excerpts” and not of a choice of either of the two official suites penned by the composer himself. A complete recording of Opus 23 would contain 26 movements and 90 minutes of music, but Grieg later grouped it into two Suites, namely the Suite No. 1, Op. 46 and Suite No. 2, Op. 55, each containing 4 movements. The very popular melodies of “In the hall of the mountain king” and “Prelude to Act IV (Morning Mood)” are well known far and wide and are in Suite No. 1.
Here the San Francisco Symphony circa 1983, rather obscure on the international scene and having freshly settled into the spanking new home of the Davies Symphony Hall three years prior, embarked upon a journey under the baton of a very young Edo de Waart in his forties that unbeknownst to both would culminate in a classic of ages. Instead of using the Suites, de Waart decided to use both Suites and then add:
- Prelude to Act I
- Dance of the Mountain King’s Daugther
- Song of the Church-goers
- Solveig’s Lullaby
Albeit that the SFS’s performance of the whole recording is spirited and yet measured, “Prelude to Act I,” the opener to the whole disc is a particular treat for it is a rarity to be included. Hearing it, one questions how music so delightful could be omitted in the Suites and will proceed to cherish the experience. On its heel is “Prelude to Act II,” a piece using the same motif but taking on a deeper, more focused sensibility. No other orchestra played it as caringly and urgently as the SFS in recent memory. This music takes me to another place consistently, a place ancient, undisturbed and full of light.
“In the hall of the mountain king” is the showpiece here, and it might as well be the standard for all to be judged. The San Francisco Chorus, founded in 1972 and already brandishing its might, is completely alluring and convincing. But it is the caliber of the recording that provided a superior separation of the beautiful chorus from the orchestra, yet symbiotically integrated into a vast whole. I have not heard anyone else doing it more beautifully and proficiently than the SFS and SFC.
“Prelude to Act IV (Morning Mood)” is rendered with beauty of sound and flowing momentum. Not being an audiophile, de Waart brought out the double bass audiophile labels would die for. Readers with large and powerful woofers take note. The bottom-end in this music is not the rumbling nonsensical mess in some music; instead, the double bass burrows deep into our spine of its musical message via subtle and surefooted messaging. One just can’t help but keep playing the track over and over just to experience that beautiful rendition.
Readers in search of epical performance of soprano, chorus and orchestra need go no further than “Arabian Dance.” In sound and performance, this piece is only next to the “Christmas Song” in the LIM K2 HD Proprius Cantate Domino CD. Play it loud and be in awe.
The rest of the Peer Gynt selections is musically relevant and sonically resplendent. The original LP was played to death and I am now on the second one. The Esoteric SACD is semi-divine. Long has there not been a Peer Gynt played with more care and intensity since this release, and after. We haven’t had many Peer Gynt suites performances that comprise the seminal segments contained in this “excerpt” recording. San Francisco and Chorus had not sounded better until the Michael Tilson Thomas era of post-1995 with the new house-label SACD recordings.
Kudos to Esoteric for the remastering and reissuance of this recording!
If this is all the music in this reissue, it’d worth the money many times over. But Esoteric saw to it that a noted recording of another of the composer’s suites, the Holberg Suite, would serve as filler. And the music is performed by none other than the St. Martin in the Fields under Neville Marriner (he was not a Sir yet). As it is, this SACD is worth having.
System:
PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 20 AC regenerator
Acoustic Sciences Corporation TubeTraps
Audio Reference Technology Analyts EVO interconnects, power cable
Audio Reference Technology Analyts SE interconnects, power cables
Audio Reference Technology Super SE interconnects, power cables
Stealth Audio Cables Helios phono cable
Esoteric K-01XD SACD player
Clearaudio Master Innovation turntable
AMG 12J2 tonearm
Koetsu Jade Platinum moving coil cartridge
Top Wing Suzaku coreless straight-flux cartridge
Pass Laboratories Xs Phono
Pass Laboratories Xs Preamp
Pass Laboratories XA200.8 pure class A monoblocks
Bricast Design M28 class AB monoblocks
Margules Audio u-280SC Black ultralinear tube monoblocks
Sound Lab Majestic 645 electrostatic panels
The post Esoteric Grieg “Peer Gynt” Excerpts SACD appeared first on Dagogo.