Saint Anything

With Sarah Chang's celebrity as a child prodigy somewhat faded and her musicianship matured, she can forgo recording encore albums and at last get to work on some serious material. That she does, and quite brilliantly, on this EMI album of violin sonatas by Franck, Saint-Saëns, and Ravel. With the solid support of her accompanist Lars Vogt, Chang delves into these French masterpieces with confidence and intense feeling, and the two performers imbue the works with spontaneity, excitement, and lifelike presence.

When I first put this disc in the player, I wondered if I would really enjoy it. I had just listened to a performance of the Tchaikovsky played by Sviatoslav Richter accompanied by the Leningrad Philharmonic under Evgeny Mravinsky. Obviously, the first characteristic was a vast improvement in the recording quality over the mono Russian recording (Leningrad, 1957). As the new disc got underway I was very pleasantly surprised, as André Watts, although not Richter, gave a very proficient and exciting reading.

Mickey Newbury - An American Trilogy (2011) {4CD Set, Saint Cecilia Knows CEC001R rec 1969-1973}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 903 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 388 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 101 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1969-73, 2011 Saint Cecilia Knows / Mountain Retreat | CEC001R
Country / Progressive Country / Singer-Songwriter / Outlaw Country

During his lifetime, Mickey Newbury was always regarded more as a songwriter than as a singer or recording artist. Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Linda Ronstadt, Charlie Rich, Tammy Wynette, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, and Joan Baez all recorded his songs. That said, Saint Cecilia Knows (the Newbury estate's label) and Drag City are seeking to change that impression with An American Trilogy. It's a deluxe, limited-edition, four-disc box set collects the albums Looks Like Rain (1969), 'Frisco Mabel Joy (1971), Heaven Help the Child (1973), and a disc of rarities; it contains a poster lyric sheet/map and a 100-page booklet, with Newbury quotes, interviews, and more.