Reid Anderson Quartet Dirty Sh

Ernestine Anderson's first official Concord recording (which was predated by part of Live From Concord to London) launched her "comeback" after years of neglect (and a decade off of records). Accompanied by pianist Hank Jones, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jimmie Smith, Anderson mixes together veteran standards (such as "Yes Sir That's My Baby," "It Don't Mean a Thing" and "Tain't Nobody's Bizness") with more recent songs from Johnny Mandel, Stevie Wonder ("Bird of Beauty"), Ray Brown ("Soft Shoe") and even "Send In the Clowns" on this CD reissue. The singer's enthusiasm comes across throughout this fine studio set.

Ernestine Anderson's first official Concord recording (which was predated by part of Live From Concord to London) launched her "comeback" after years of neglect (and a decade off of records). Accompanied by pianist Hank Jones, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jimmie Smith, Anderson mixes together veteran standards (such as "Yes Sir That's My Baby," "It Don't Mean a Thing" and "Tain't Nobody's Bizness") with more recent songs from Johnny Mandel, Stevie Wonder ("Bird of Beauty"), Ray Brown ("Soft Shoe") and even "Send In the Clowns" on this CD reissue. The singer's enthusiasm comes across throughout this fine studio set.

The Rosebud String Quartet was formed in 2013 at the inaugural Rosebud Chamber Music Festival, an annual summer chamber music showcase in rural Alberta. Comprised of principal players from the Edmonton Symphony and the orchestras of the Canadian Opera Company and National Ballet of Canada, the RSQ is one of Canada’s most dynamic ensembles with a unique voice and a deep love for the music of Haydn.

If this premiere recording of Stephen Hough’s String Quartet No 1 may be regarded as definitive—the work is dedicated to the Takács Quartet—those of the quartets by Ravel and Dutilleux are no less distinguished.

Never mind the Symphonie espagnole and Le roi d’Ys, Edouard Lalo is the last of the great unknowns in 19th-century French music. His mature instrumental works combine the wisdom drawn from his professional playing experience with the familiar flair for rhythm and colour. They are likely to transform any opinion you may hold: it isn’t often that the inspiration of Beethoven was so well digested in France. The first two trios don’t really count as mature, and although they contain fine things, especially in the scherzos, their characteristic soul, sweep and dash are often clumsily handled. With No. 3, form and feeling are as one, the first movement’s surges integral to its progress to a hushed end, while the slow movement builds a powerful span from a sustained melody. Between them comes the irresistible piece better known in Lalo’s later arrangement as a Scherzo for orchestra. These performances have the necessary robustness without stinting on delicacy.