Ori And The

Night in The Vapor Jungle (1999). With this follow-up to his first release Mysterious Motions of Memory, visionary artist John Flomer returns to his magical palette to draw forth deep, introspective, at times almost dangerous, ineffable melodies beckoning the listener to the resting place of scattered passions and forgotten ideals, waiting to be rediscovered and set free. Dark and moody piano textures enchant, ethereal symphonies of sound envelop, and pulses of rhythmic vibrations conjure patterns like constellations of stars in yet another ingenious and creative work by a composer unlike any other today…

Longstanding partners Sandrine Piau and Christophe Rousset have frequently performed the Stabat Mater, an emblematic work of the eighteenth-century Neapolitan repertory, both together and with other musicians. It was therefore a natural step for them to record this supreme masterpiece of sacred music. They are joined here by a relative newcomer to Les Talens Lyriques who has also become a regular partner with the ensemble, the American countertenor Christopher Lowrey (already heard on an Alpha disc devoted to Monteverdi, Alpha 216).

While it would be ridiculous to say that Henry Mancini produced no better score than this one, it's certainly true that his collaborations with writer/director Blake Edwards generated some of Mancini's greatest compositions. Victor/Victoria is merely a wonderful score, with fun performances from Julie Andrews and Robert Preston. [An expanded edition by GNP/Crescendo offered some newly released material, mostly sweetly jazzy instrumental material, although there's one very real gem as well – Robert Preston's show-stopping performance of "The Shady Dame from Seville," the peak point of the movie itself, and now certainly the peak point of this charming and delightful reissue.]

Miles Davis - Miles Ahead (1957) {2006 DSD Japan Mini LP Edition Analog Collection SICP 1202}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 223 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 90 Mb | Full Artwork
© 1957, 2006 Sony Music Japan / Columbia | SICP 1202 | DSD | HQD High Quality Disc
Jazz / Cool / Experimental Big Band / Modern Creative / Trumpet

This album is perhaps most significant for the process it set in motion – the collaboration between Gil Evans and Miles Davis that would produce Porgy and Bess and Sketches of Spain, two of Davis' best albums. That said, this album is a miracle in itself, the result of a big gamble on the part of Columbia Records, who put together Evans and Davis, who hadn't worked together since recording the critically admired but commercially unsuccessful sides that would later be issued as The Birth of the Cool. Columbia also allowed Evans to assemble a 19-piece band for the recordings, at a time when big bands were far out of fashion and also at a time when the resulting recordings could not be released until two years in the future (because of Davis' contractual obligations with Prestige).

Oorlogswinter (Winter in Wartime) is a Dutch film directed by Martin Koolhoven, based on the book by Jan Terlouw. The story takes place near the end of World War II in the Netherlands. We follow a 14th years old boy named Michiel who's desperately searching for some adventure and wants to join the resistance. His father, and mayor of the town, is annoyed by his son's behaviour, because he wants nothing else than to preserve the peace. When Michiel suddenly gets an assignment from the resistance, he's determined to carry it out. Pino Donaggio has written a masterpiece of a score and one of the best Dutch and Donaggio scores ever.

This Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack release is worth extended attention. The album is pulsingly rhythmic from the start, beginning with syncopation driven by whipcrack percussion and a clock-precise digital synthesizer pulse, on which Goldsmith builds ascending orchestra chords that sneakily reference Mars from Holst's The Planets without utterly aping the piece; this builds to a climax and changes, softening before managing to indicate menace without using the easy escape of minor chords. For once, despite the inevitable digital synthesizers and distinctive electronic percussion, Goldsmith has fashioned a score that's primarily driven by the orchestra, rather than being primarily dependent on electronic keyboards. To that extent, it's a rather old-fashioned action/suspense score, building and releasing tension in many varied ways.