9 11 2002

Evgeny Kissin has made brave choices in selecting this program. Schumann's Sonata No. 1 is a huge, sprawling piece, difficult to play and to hold together and therefore not very popular. Carnaval is one of Schumann's acknowledged masterpieces and has been recorded by a wide variety of pianists, providing plenty of competition. In the Sonata, Kissin's performance is a complete success. He has the largeness of spirit, powers of organization, and huge technique to make the music convincing and hold the listener's interest for more than half an hour.

Steve Reich - WTC 9/11, Mallet Quartet, Dance Patterns - Kronos Quartet (2011) {CD+DVD Nonesuch 528236-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 151 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 87 Mb
DVD5 -> 996 Mb | All Regions | NTSC 16:9 | ~16 m | LinearPCM, 2 ch | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 13 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2011 Nonesuch Records / Warner | 528236-2
Classical / Chamber Music / Electronic / Avant-Garde / Classical Crossover / Minimalism

Nonesuch releases Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Steve Reich’s WTC 9/11 on September 20, 2011. The album marks the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, which is the subject of Reich’s piece. Commissioned for and recorded by Kronos Quartet, WTC 9/11 is scored for three string quartets and pre-recorded voices. The album also includes Reich’s Mallet Quartet, performed by Sō Percussion, and Dance Patterns, featuring members of Steve Reich and Musicians, as well as a DVD with a live performance of Mallet Quartet by Sō Percussion.

While the availability of programs devoted to the chamber music of François Couperin have been relatively constant throughout the CD era, fans of the composer will find much to enjoy in rehearing these familiar works on this new Channel Classics offering. What immediately impresses is the recording's sumptuous, remarkably illusionistic sound, with Mieneke van der Velden's viols (a Pardessus de viole, the highest instrument in the gamba family, was chosen for the Onzieme [11th] concert from Les Goûts-Réunies) ideally complementing the scale of Glen Wilson's harpsichord.