Montreal Bslakirev

After three years and four albums, the '80s incarnation of King Crimson, featuring Adrian Belew (guitar/vocals/drums), Bill Bruford (drums/percussion), Robert Fripp (guitar) and Tony Levin (bass/stick/synth/vocal) wrapped up their initial collaborative efforts at the conclusion of their 1984 North American tour. Absent Lovers (1998) presents the July 11, 1984 parting performance at the Spectrum in Montreal, Quebec in its entirety. As the show was simulcast on FM radio, decent sounding copies have been traded amongst the faithful for years, although not in such stunning fidelity or completeness. While the contents draw primarily from the Discipline (1981), Beat (1982) and Three of a Perfect Pair (1984) long-players, the quartet likewise dip into the vintage Krim catalog…

In their very first recording together, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin render Frédéric Chopin’s concertos for piano and orchestra, two vibrant and poetic works that the composer wrote in his early 20s.

In volume four of the Charlie Haden concerts at the 1989 Montreal Festival, Montreal Tapes with Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Paul Motian returns as the drummer, but this time, the piano chair is occupied by the then-little-known Haden discovery, Cuban Gonzalo Rubalcaba, who proceeds to dazzle the audience with his mind-boggling speed. Rubalcaba's irresistible momentum drives this session whenever he solos; all the others can do is hang onto the whirlwind. The music-making in general, though, is more tied to the mainstream than that of the companion Montreal trio album with Geri Allen, and this group doesn't have quite the same internal compatibility as that of the Allen trio.

Johann Sebastian Bach - "For the feast of St.John the baptist", Cantates BWV 30, 7, 167
Montreal Baroque - Eric Milnes
EAC+LOG+CUE | APE: 346 MB | Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Atma # SACD2 2400 | Country/Year: Canada 2005
Genre: Classical | Style: Baroque

…The performances, sung without a chorus but played with a string complement numbering 4-4-2-2-1, are, if not overwhelming, entirely convincing. The four soloists manage their roles admirably, and the recorded sound is excellent. (…) Incidentally, buried in the notes is an eye-popping statement that Montréal Baroque “has undertaken Bach’s complete cantatas in a pared-down version, with a one-per-part choir, as was the practice in Lutheran Germany of the time.” That would be a first, since all of the other complete and on-going series employ small choirs. There was no mention of boy sopranos.

Johann Sebastian Bach - "Saint Michel", Cantates BWV 130, 19, 149
Montreal Baroque - Eric Milnes
EAC+LOG+CUE | APE: 227 MB | Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: ATMA # SACD2 2401 | Country/Year: Canada 2005
Genre: Classical | Style: Baroque

… In general, however, the liner materials do a good job of introducing Bach's world, and the spacious but temperate SACD sound design of the disc is top-notch. For listeners convinced on the issue of one-voice-per-part performance – and Canada's Atma label obviously is, for they're planning to devote 15 years to this series – this Canadian release will be welcome news.