Stack Models Pictorial Issue No.3, 2014

In his final performances with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in August 2013, Claudio Abbado conducted Anton Bruckner's unfinished Symphony No. 9 in D minor, and this recording is drawn from the best takes from those concerts. Considering that this rendition came near the end of Abbado's life and stands as a worthy testament to his achievements, it's easy to read too much into the interpretation, and to view it as a mystical or transcendent reading because of the circumstances. On the one hand, Abbado's understanding of this symphony was as thorough as any conductor's, and the Lucerne musicians played with seriousness and dedication, offering a version that has impressive power and expressive depth. On the other hand, there are many competitive recordings that either match Abbado's for strength and feeling, or surpass it in purely technical terms of sound quality and reproduction. Certainly the sound is exceptional, according to Deutsche Grammophon's high standards, and this stereo recording is exceptionally clean and noise-free.

Sonny Rollins - Road Shows, Volume 3 (2014) {Doxy Records 88843049982}
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© 2014 Doxy Records / OKeh / Sony Music | 0602527749723
Jazz / Post Bop / Saxophone

Over the span of his storied and still-unfolding 65-year career, Sonny Rollins has established himself as one of the giants of jazz — a towering influence, a trailblazer, a powerfully creative force in the music. From his earliest masterpieces, such as Saxophone Colossus and Freedom Suite, to his Road Shows archival series of live performances for his Doxy label in the 2000s, Rollins has presented his peerless music without compromise — and to consistent international acclaim. The new CD contains six tracks recorded between 2001 and 2012 in Saitama, Japan; Toulouse, Marseille, and Marciac, France; and St. Louis. “Patanjali,” a striking new Rollins composition, is given its debut recording.

The instrumental concerto occupies a very prominent place in the music of Krzysztof Penderecki. This fact is related to the great life force exhibited by this genre in twentieth century and in contemporary music. It is stimulated by commissions from virtuosos and by audience expectations; also favourable is the composers’ flexibility in approaching the form, whose chief idea continues to be the juxtaposition of the solo instrument and the orchestra. The violin and viola works presented on this CD are not only interesting, concrete realizations of the concertare idea in Penderecki’s music, but also examples of this composer’s sonic language and style in the period of his creativity which Mieczyslaw Tomaszewski called a "time of dialogue with the regained past".

Popper was not only one of the most outstanding cellists of his time, but also contributed a number of superb compositions to cello literature. On this new release for CPO, Wen-Sinn Yang masters the challenging playing technique to the highest level.

Explodes with fresh, inspired takes on lowdown juke joint romps, gut-wrenching blues, tear-jerking soul and modern blues rock. Birchwood’s raw, urgent vocals and sparkling guitar and lap steel playing drive the music, and the songs are simultaneously fun and thought-provoking. "Don’t Call No Ambulance is the remarkable debut album by young guitarist/singer Birchwood. He is a powerhouse player and emotive performer whose work respects blues tradition but could not be more contemporary. His band, his material, and both his skilled guitaring and soulful vocals are the essence of fully-formed; Birchwood is a major player.

Theodor W. Adorno regarded Mahlers Symphony No. 9 as the first work of modern music. Adornos teacher, Alban Berg, saw in it the expression of a tremendous love for this world, a longing to live in peace and to savor Nature to its depths before the arrival of Death. For it will inevitably come. This live recording of the composers last completed symphony is part of an ongoing Leipzig cycle of Mahlers symphonies. It confirms once more the Gewandhaus Orchestras reputation as an exemplary ensemble for the performance of Mahlers music. The highest level of performance culture combined with a sharply contoured, transparent, polished, and detailed manner of playing, plus infectious verve and an unmistakable sound characterized by a darkly golden color these are qualities responsible for the Gewandhaus Orchestras international reputation. Since the time of Bruno Walter, the orchestra has developed over the years a deep understanding of the works of Gustav Mahler, which in their collaboration with Riccardo Chailly has been continued.

Nach begeisterter Zustimmung für ihre beiden Einspielungen mit den »Preußischen Quartetten 4-9« legt das Pleyel Quartett Köln nun die Streichquartette 1-3 von Ignaz Pleyel vor. Diese »Preußischen Quartette« erfreuten sich zu seinen Lebzeiten einer besonders großen Beliebtheit und vermitteln ein deutliches Bild der Vielseitigkeit des Komponisten auf kammermusikalischem Sektor. Konzertante Episoden – verteilt in einem vernünftigen Gleichgewicht auf die vier Instrumente – spielten für Pleyel die dominante Rolle, worin sich die Neigung zu einem deutlicher an Italien orientierten Idiom spiegelte. Diese Impulskraft entstammt der Eigenständigkeit seiner Art zu komponieren, gerade auch seinem Lehrer Haydn gegenüber.