Dresden 2006

What makes Live at the Roundhouse London, the Dresden Dolls' second foray into the world of live DVDs really stand out is the story behind it. In 2006, the owners of legendary London venue Roundhouse approached the duo of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione to be the first rock act to perform in the venue after a two-year period of restoration…

This set of recordings from the vaults of the Decca and Philips labels has an advantage over other samplers of the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in that it gives listeners complete multimovement works, not just a single movement or an excerpt of a movement. On the other hand, because of this, the number of works presented is by necessity much smaller than other compilations. Rest assured, though, that the producers selected the best of the best of Mozart's compositions. The symphonies are represented by No. 40 and No. 41 on the first disc of the set, with Georg Solti conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Depending on who you ask, the Ditty Bops are either eight or 80 years too late. Made up of former model Amanda Barrett and tomboy guitarist Abby Dewald, the Ditty Bops are a vaudevillian vocal duo that may cite Kate Bush and the Talking Heads as influences but actually sound just like the Andrews Sisters. They might have gone over like gangbusters in the retro revival at the end of the last century, but the group’s glee and effortlessness set them apart from their predecessors. Swing groups like the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and Brian Setzer Orchestra’s pastiche was an awkward assault, mixing tattoos with zoot suits and playing the Warped Tour; the Ditty Bops have no agenda other than to look and sound fabulous…

It is wonderful that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is experiencing a surge of support in 2006, the 250th anniversary of his birth. For many listeners, it is a matter of embracing what is already out there in terms of Mozart's music, certainly not all of the 800-plus compositions that have come down from his prodigious pen, but generally of the 25 or so works that constitute his "hits." Nevertheless, these pieces are so prevalent that one cannot be blamed for wondering what is "new" that Mozart has to offer. One could dig into his canons, opera aria inserts, and other obscurities in search of undiscovered jewels, and truly, there are some remarkable and fulfilling items to be found there.

Founded in 1991 by French choral director Laurence Equilbey, the 32-member Choeur de Chambre Accentus' 1996 Virgin recording of a cappella songs and ballads by Brahms and Schumann is as clear and lovely as a cloud-flecked sky in early October. Composed during his early years in Hamburg, Brahms' Gesänge, Op. 42, are robustly romantic, while his Gesänge, Op. 104, composed during his late maturity in Vienna, are autumnally nostalgic. Composed primarily in Dresden, Schumann wrote his Romanzen und Ballades about the same time he started his long, slow decline into madness. But in these performances by the Accentus Chamber Choir, all the music – early, mature, or melancholy – sounds crisp, alert, and strong.