None Rapt

Gardiner’s interpretation of Schubert’s great, often visionary A flat Mass, the work that absorbed him longer than any other, stands somewhere between the generously moulded, romantically inclined Sawallisch and the fresh, guileless reading from Bruno Weil using an all-male choir and boy soloists. Where Gardiner immediately scores is in the sheer poise and refinement of his performance: neither of the other choirs sings with such effortless blend, such perfect dynamic control or such precise intonation – a crucial advantage in, say, the tortuous chromaticism of the ‘Crucifixus’. Equally predictably, the orchestral playing is superb, with a ravishing contribution from the woodwind, who throughout the Mass are favoured with some of Schubert’s most poetic writing.

Destined to become one of the ultimate reference recordings of Stravinsky’s iconic work, Teodor Currentzis and MusicAeterna give the Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) the authentic Russian treatment - stripping back the Western European symphonic traditions of the past century, to return to the intended Russian folk origins of the piece. The musicians used scatting and singing in order to practice the rhythms and phrasing of the folk tunes entailed in Le Sacre. Le Sacre du Printemps is also a landmark piece in Currentzis’ professional career, having had his first success in Russia with the work in 2002 in Moscow.

Enthusiasts have long clamoured for a Bax symphony cycle under the baton of the composer’s doughtiest champion, but even they could hardly have imagined that it would appear in one fell swoop – and from the same company that has already given us a sumptuous, if admittedly uneven, series under Bryden Thomson. Hats off, then, to the BBC Manchester Music Department (and executive producer Brian Pidgeon, in particular, for pushing the project through) and to Chandos for its foresight, courage and sheer enterprise.

British progressive pioneers Henry Cow was the leading group of the Rock In Opposition movement, initiated by their drummer Chris Cutler. All members of Henry Cow have been involved in collaborations with Canterbury groups and artists at one point or another, and most of them still are. The 5 full-length discs in Box 1 cover Henry Cow's career from the pre-Virgin Records days up to roughly 1975. These are all previously unreleased recordings, some live, some demo, some studio, all sonically enhanced by Bob Drake's painstaking re-mastering. We are treated to everything from early BBC sessions to somewhat later live improvisations, alternate recordings with Robert Wyatt, to the full 18 minute version of "With the Yellow Moon And Half Star"; (The Bacchae)…

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On - Live (2019) {Motown Records 00602577874864 rec 1972}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 444 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 153 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 14 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1972, 2019 Tamla / Motown Records / UMe | 00602577874864
R&B / Soul / Motown / Smooth Soul

Lost somewhat in the bounty of previously unreleased material distributed across the deluxe editions of Marvin Gaye's 1971-1981 studio albums, this performance appeared in totality on the second disc for What's Going On. Eighteen years later, newly mixed by John Morales, it gets an appropriate separate release with in-depth contextualization from Gaye biographer David Ritz. Context here is crucial, and there is a lot of it. For starters, the occasion was Washington, D.C.'s Marvin Gaye Day, the events of which culminated in the reluctantly present singer's first concert in four years.

It seems that Gary Bertini, like Gustav Mahler, is destined to be better remembered after his death than he was known during his life. When he passed away in 2005, he was little known outside Israel, Japan and continental Europe and nowhere near as widely recognised as the glamour conductors who appear on the пїЅmajorпїЅ labels. His recordings were few and hard to find. A year after his passing, Capriccio has launched a Gary Bertini Edition (see, for example, review) featuring live recordings drawn from the archives of the KпїЅlner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, and EMI has re-released his Mahler cycle.

Goose has announced the coming release of their first official live album, Alive and Well. The album is comprised of recordings from various 2019 performances.

After Franck, Debussy and Strauss, Mikko Franck and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France here continue their collaboration with Alpha Classics, this time with the spotlight on Igor Stravinsky. The programme begins with two pieces from his so-called ‘neo-classic’ period: his Capriccio and Octet. In the first, in which Stravinsky sets up a dialogue between piano and orchestra, the soloist is one of the great stars of the new generation, the French pianist Nathalia Milstein. Then the mood darkens, with the primitive rhythms and ferocious chordal attack of The Rite of Spring, a work that Mikko Franck has long since wanted to immortalize on CD: a major masterpiece of the 20th century and an essential milestone for every orchestra.

This is the musical equivalent of a box of assorted high-end chocolates: loads of treats in bite-size pieces, with something for everybody. Barber’s Adagio, heard here in its original string-quartet version, is the one everyone will be reaching for and the Modigliani don’t disappoint, giving us playing of poise and rapt intensity. Miniatures by composers from Mozart to Leroy Anderson—whose “Plink, Plank, Plunk!” is suitably madcap—via Mendelssohn, Korngold, and many others show off playing of charm, humor, and great panache.

NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman's latest is a thrilling free jazz outing featuring the boundless soprano saxophonist in the company of four modern musical masters: Peter Evans, Leo Genovese, John Hébert and Tyshawn Sorey.