Tag Archives: CD

New from Toblach Ausgabe: ‘Gesualdo Renaissance’

Crossposted from Urlicht AudioVisual:

If you are a fan of Stravinsky, Varèse, and/or the Second Viennese school – Webern, Berg, and in particular Arnold Schoenberg – you likely recognize the name Robert Craft, a conductor best known as a champion of that esteemed group of composers. You may not be aware that he was also profoundly interested in renaissance- and baroque-era polyphony, particularly the music of Carlo Gesualdo.
Craft’s first pioneering recording of the Italian master’s madrigals, made before his long-term partnership with Columbia Masterworks, was made with a handful of Hollywood’s most gifted singers – including the young Marilyn Horne. The result of these independent studio sessions proved an important catalyst in the revival of interest in Gesualdo’s unique and revolutionary oeuvre, and a landmark recording at the dawn of “historically informed” early music performance practice.
Unavailable for over six decades, this recording has been restored and remastered by Urlicht AudioVisual and will be available on our sister label Toblach Ausgabe for streaming, sale on CD, and download in HD formats on February 18.
You can download the liner notes in .pdf here.





My favorite recordings of 2017

For once in a long while, my picks are in sync with the dreaded critical consensus.

BEST REISSUE: Glenn Gould – The Goldberg Variations: The Complete Unreleased Recording Sessions June 1955 (Sony 88843014882)

This particular release is admittedly not for everybody, but is highly recommended to fans of Gould, musicians (particularly those who make recordings), and lovers of recorded music — for the opportunity to be a fly on the wall and hear how the metaphorical sausage is made. Perfectionist Glenn Gould found an ideal producer in John McClure, whose subtle ability to act as coach, psychologist, and cheerleader was a major factor in the success of this recording. This was Gould’s first commercial recording, with practically all of his previous studio work having been recorded direct to acetate discs by the CBC. It should therefore come as no surprise that most of the variations chosen for the final master recording were full takes with no edits, but at a few moments you can hear the wheels turning in Gould’s head concerning the possibilities opened by tape editing.

The set includes a vinyl LP replicating the original artwork in significantly better sound than the original, and is accompanied by a beautifully-printed book of several hundred pages packed not only with enormously informative multilingual text but photographs and documentation, including information on the final edit that listeners to the entire sequence of sessions will find enormously helpful.

BEST NEW RELEASE: “Crazy Girl Crazy” (alpha 293)
Berio: Sequenza III for woman’s voice
Berg: Lulu-Suite, five symphonic pieces) for soprano and orchestra
Gershwin (arr. Bill Elliott and Barbara Hannigan): Girl Crazy Suite
BONUS DVD: “Music is Music” — a film directed by Mathieu Amalric
Barbara Hannigan (soprano and conductor), Ludwig Orchestra

Barbara Hannigan is a musical “triple threat”: brilliant new music singer, compelling opera star, and conductor — one of the less-than-half-dozen best women to grace the podium in my not so humble opinion (the others being Susanna Mälkki, Nathalie Stutzmann, and Sybille Werner — sorry, Mirga, you’re terrific but not quite there [yet]).

So it is no surprise that a bit of all three facets of Hannigan’s music-making can be found in this adventurous and thoroughly satisfying recording from one of the best indie labels in the world, Alpha. I won’t go into too much analytical detail other than to say this recording grabs you from the first note and doesn’t let go until the last note of Gershwin fades to silence, leaving you hungry for more (which will, according to one of my French spies, be a collaboration with Reinbert de Leeuw slated for 2018 release). The Ludwig Orchestra plays with idiomatic character, and the sound quality is detailed, excellently balanced, and “up front.” It eclipses everything else new I’ve heard this year. Just get it. But get the physical edition – the download, sadly, does not include the must-see video bonus.

Best Classical Releases of the Year 2011 — With Podcast

You knew I’d weigh in.

{enclose 20111213.bestofyr.mp3}

The full list of my picks for best classical CDs and downloads of 2011 is below the break.

Continue reading Best Classical Releases of the Year 2011 — With Podcast

The Podcast: Miranda Cuckson

Violinist Miranda Cuckson took some time recently to talk to us about her interest in new music, her artistic collaboration with composer Michael Hersch, and the experience of preparing and performing contemporary works for concert and the recording studio. You can find out more about Miranda here, and information on The Wreckage of Flowers, recently released on CD by Musical Concepts, here.

Miranda Cuckson: The Synaphai Podcast (14:09, mp3, 20.4Mb)

{enclose cuckson.podcast.full.edit.mp3}

Luxury Karr

I am still in the process of sorting through a pile of product samples, swag, and tchotchkes which I brought back from MIDEM over a month ago (which goes to show you how busy things are at Casa Gaudette), and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a number that are well worth some comment. So this is the first in four installments of new product worth tracking down.

Continue reading Luxury Karr

The kids are alright — okay, they’re stupendous!

Just over a month ago, amidst a wave of upheaval that had disrupted (and continues to wreak small waves of havoc with) my life and work, I received a package containing a couple of CDs and a cover letter.

Continue reading The kids are alright — okay, they’re stupendous!

Cheap Thrills: Outstanding Recent Budget CDs

I know, I know — the market for music recordings is in flux if not chaos, and there are growing indications that downloads are finally starting to hit the head of a “tipping point” among the non-teen-and-college-age demographic. And yes, a growing share of my own acquisitions are file downloads. But for the most part I remain an unreconstructed consumer knuckledragger who orders finished product online, bids on scarce audio gratification in disc formaat on eBay, and frequents the handful of well-stocked “record stores” left in Manhattan.

Continue reading Cheap Thrills: Outstanding Recent Budget CDs