Ring 2000

None of these reconstructions are included in Teldec’s Bach 2000, although the better-known ‘originals’ obviously are. The real newcomer is the Sinfonia, BWV1045 (5'34'') ‘to an unknown cantata’ which – as befits a BWV number that immediately precedes the First Brandenburg Concerto – is rumbustious, festive and thematically likeable. Time and again I could sense allusions to other Bach instrumental pieces, though the soloist’s ceaseless arpeggiating is sometimes a distraction. We’re told it’s authentic (the manuscript source suggests a violin concerto in the making) but something about its harmonic language doesn’t quite ring true, though that reaction might well be due to lack of familiarity.

I t was said that George Szell was a perfectionist and this CD proves it! These performances are probably as excellent as any your going to hear. Although the recordings are dated, they actually sound better than many modern digital recordings. His “Das Rheingold” is a sonic masterpiece and is possibly the best version ever recorded! Very powerful and brilliant, and it closely resembles a thunderstorm!

Patrick Gowers' score for the Grenada Television series about A. Conan Doyle's consulting detective has become almost as closely linked to Sherlock Holmes in the minds of fans as star Jeremy Brett (1933-1995). But those with no interest in Holmes can also enjoy this recording. Gowers' musical eloquence is richly displayed in these widely diverse, yet cohesive, tracks. Gowers begins the recording with "221B Baker Street," the vivacious theme (performed on Holmes' instrument, the violin, by Kenneth Sillito) that brings to mind Holmes' classic alarm call, "Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot. Not a word!" The cohesiveness of the album comes from Gowers' variations on this theme found throughout the rest of the recording. But the diversity within this cohesiveness is what is remarkable.

Wiener Oktett - Schubert: Octet in F / Spohr: Octet in E
EAC+LOG+CUE | WV: 396 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Decca "Legends" # 466 580-2 | Country/Year: Europe 2000, 1958
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic

…The performance itself is a delight. This is team playing at the highest level and coming from where it does - no doubt a Viennese claim would be made for it as definitive (missing repeats apart). The sound of the group is warm and pleasant to the ear and apart from some lack of definition from the recording the blend of woodwind and strings is exemplary…

Eclipse - by Bartabas Zingaro (2004). Repost

Bartabas, maestro of his own Zingaro equestrian theater, calls his 60-minute video ''Eclipse'' after the 100-minute theater work that just ended a New York run under the auspices of the Brooklyn Academy of Music. For all its concentration on black-and-white themes, in costuming, horse coloring and racially mixed cast, this ''horse opera'' might just as aptly be called ''Black and White in Color.''