Opera Now – December 2015

Roger Waters The Wall is the second theatrical film adapted from Pink Floyd's 1979 concept album The Wall, which makes this 2015 soundtrack the fourth official full-length rendition of Roger Waters' rock opera to be released. Surprisingly, Alan Parker's 1982 film never had an accompanying soundtrack – its one original song, "When the Tigers Broke Free," appeared as a 7" but never made its way into live shows; as it happens, the 1982 film only existed because an attempted concert film fell apart (Is There Anybody Out There?, a 2000 double CD, excavated live recordings from 1980-1981) – but that movie loomed nearly as large in the legend of The Wall as the original double album, crystallizing it as an anthem of angst.

This 31 CD box set is being released to celebrate what would have been her 100th birthday in December 2015. The set contains all the recital programmes of song, opera and operetta tha t she recorded for EMI between 1952 and 1974, and also included two live recitals. All the recordings have been newly remasteredto the highest standards by various studios including Abbey Road. A reigning soprano of her era, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (1915-2006) remains renowned for her vocal beauty and elegance and for her acute interpretative insight – above all in the music of Mozart, Wolf and Strauss.

An all-star cast featuring Deutsche Grammophon artist Anna Netrebko, Bryn Terfel and Anna Prohaska, delivers a sensational new recording of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, conducted by Daniel Barenboim at the start of his inaugural season as Music Director of La Scala. Recorded live at the opening of the 2011-12 La Scala season, Don Giovanni is now set to be released in time for Bryn Terfel’s 50th birthday on 9 November 2015. It also ties in with the traditional opening of the new season at La Scala – 7 December, the feast-day of St Ambrose, patron saint of Milan.

Khatsaturjan is a present Finnish Progressive rock band whose name is a tribute to the most famous classical composer of the Soviet Union. The musicians making-up this non-standard band are all talented multi-instrumentalists, singing and performing keyboards, on top of their main device (Bass, drums, guitar & cello). Released in 2006 by the Musea label, "Aramed Forces Of Simantipak" is their first official album. This is a rock symphony of 70 minutes, no less! And this is similar to the best albums of the like that were recorded in the Seventies, as far as fusion between classical music and rock is concerned. Even if its style can evoke that of Genesis, Yes or Gentle Giant for the complexity of the vocal parts, this symphony reveals especially an outstanding musical identity…

As more ensembles perform and record Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians, its status as a minimalist masterpiece is increasingly affirmed. Ensemble Signal's 2015 release on Harmonia Mundi is one of several amazing performances that have matched Reich's original ECM New Series recording in technical brilliance and expressivity, and it has even earned the composer's approval for being, "…fast moving, spot on, and emotionally charged." Under the direction of Brad Lubman, Ensemble Signal maintains a relentlessly steady pulse and articulates the interlocking patterns with absolute precision, though the shifting tone colors are perhaps a little clearer in this performance than in other recordings. The microphone placement is not so close that individual instruments stand out, but there is enough separation of parts to allow some sense of direction and the orientation of the smaller sub-groups of pianos, xylophones, marimbas, strings, clarinets, and voices. This is a mesmerizing performance that will transfix listeners, and the music is so compelling that it will linger on well after the CD stops. Highly recommended.

This is concept album that tells the story about the adventures of Merlin the Wizard. The album is an Italian production but the lyrics are all in English. Italian multi-instrumentalist and composer FABIO ZUFFANTI is a well know name for those with a keen interest in Italian progressive rock. After starting out as a musician in 1994, he's worked with and been a member of a score of bands: Aries, Finisterre, Höstsonaten, laZona, Maschera Di Cera, Quadraphonic, Rohmer and R.u.g.h.e….

The Modern Jazz Quartet And The Oscar Peterson Trio At The Opera House (1957) {2013 Japan Jazz The Best Series 24-bit Remaster UCCU-9945}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 151 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 94 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 109 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster | Mono
© 1957, 2013 Verve / Universal Japan | UCCU-9945
Jazz / Bop / Cool / Third Stream

The Modern Jazz Quartet make a rare appearance on Verve Records in the 50s – splitting half the album here with the classic Oscar Peterson Trio! The live performance was recorded in Chicago, and definitely has the MJQ working in a looser vibe than on some of their late 50s recordings for Atlantic – a bit more open and swinging, in a Verve mode – with some of the bop inspiration that first showed up on their early Prestige recordings – as you'll hear on the cuts "Now's The Time", "Round Midnight", and "D&E Blues". The second half of the record features live material from Oscar Peterson's hip group with Herb Ellis on guitar and Ray Brown on bass – that great drum-less lineup that really lets Oscar take off on piano – on tunes that include "Big Fat Mama", "Should I Love You", "Indiana", and "Elevation".