Penderecki In Memoriam Janiak

On Soli, Tamsin Waley-Cohen's 2015 release on Signum Classics, the violinist explores modernist repertoire composed between 1944 and 2005. Because these solo violin pieces by Béla Bartók, George Benjamin, Krzysztof Penderecki, Elliott Carter, and György Kurtág are challenging for both the player and the listener, one should approach this CD with some awareness that they reflect different phases of the avant-garde movement that dominated music in the last half of the 20th century.

Alfred Schnittke - In Memoriam and Viola Concerto (1989) {BIS Schnittke Edition, BIS-447} (Item #4)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 177 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 150 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 41 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1989 Grammofon AB BIS | BIS-CD-447
Classical / Contemporary Classical / Orchestral

In Memoriam is the orchestral version of the Quintet with piano. It was G. Rozhdestvenski who asked Schnittke for an orchestration, the density of the expression being rich enough to support such a transfer (in this, I cannot help but think of the orchestrations of certain Shostakovich quartets by Barshai, the two composers sometimes having common traits). The piano part will be shared between winds and percussion. The strings would suffer little arrangement. The overall transcription remains literal, the instrumentation rich and colorful. This work, whose origin is the death of the composer's mother, is marked by great sadness and continuous darkness. The 5 movements are linked fairly quickly, the first and last are both moderato.

Penderecki’s first opera “The Devils of Loudun” had its world premiere in 1969 at the Hamburg State Opera. This film adoption, recorded in the same year shortly after the premiere, reunified the original cast of this premiere – e.g. Tatiana Troyanos with an amazing and breathtaking interpretation of the humpy non Jeanne. Because of her sexual visions a priest, who doesn’t know her, burns at the stake. The expressive music and the intensive camera shots result in a mix which is not for faint-hearted people. So it’s no surprise that film director William Friedkin used the music by Penderecki in his movie “The Exorcist”. If you like this movie, you will love this DVD!

Alfred Schnittke - Chamber Music: Prelude in memoriam Dmitri Shostakovich (1995) {BIS Schnittke Edition, BIS-697} (Item #20)
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 322 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 188 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 28 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1995 Grammofon AB BIS | BIS-CD-697
Classical / Contemporary Classical / 20th Century

Alfred Schnittke’s work has won wide acceptance in recent years, particularly since political changes in the former Soviet Union. His early studies in Vienna were followed by formal training at the Moscow Conservatory, where he later taught. His musical language is eclectic, combining a number of styles, contemporary and traditional.

This is a 3 CD box of three different shows (2 in '83 and 1 in '84). Complete King Biscuit Flower Hour material, superb sound. Disc 1: Ripley's Music Hall, Philadelphia, Pa. - October 20, 1983. Disc 2: The Spectrum, Montreal, Canada - August 17, 1984. Disc 3: Montreal, Canada - August 17, 1984. This beautifully packaged 3 cd set has the King Bisquit flower hour shows from 83 and 84, but they are more complete than the radio broadcasts. The Montreal 84 show is complete. The other show may be (as Stevie often played 2 shows per night at that venue, as short show is a definite possibility).The best thing (besides Stevie and the band's playing) is that the discs were recorded using the master tapes, NOT a tape of an FM broadcast. So, there is not FM compression and the frequency range of these discs is unparalleled. You can hear the bass and drums like you have never heard them before on a Sony release. Great stuff.