Tone Report 2015

Engegard Quartet - Edvard Grieg, Jean Sibelius, Olav Anton Thommessen: String Quartets (2015)

Engegård Quartet - Edvard Grieg, Jean Sibelius, Olav Anton Thommessen (2015)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 327 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 172 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: BIS | # BIS-SACD-2101 | Time: 01:12:23

A string quartet was among the very first works that Edvard Grieg presented after completing his studies in 1861, but the Quartet in G minor, Op. 27, was the only such work to be published in his lifetime. In 1878, while composing it, Grieg wrote that ‘it aims at breadth, to soar, and, above all, at vigorous sound’, and the amplitude of the sound is indeed striking: the generous use of double-stops creates an almost orchestral effect, unusual for the genre. This caused some reviewers to criticize the quartet as being unidiomatic, while others, including Liszt, greeted it with enthusiasm. Some thirty years later, when Jean Sibelius composed his D minor quartet Op. 56, he too had previous experience of writing for the medium, but Op. 56 is the only quartet among his mature works. The often used 'nickname' Voces intimae is often taken to refer to the intimate interchange between the four voices in a quartet, but is probably a more specific allusion to a brief passage in the third movement: Sibelius wrote the remark into a score some time after the work had been published.
Woody Shaw - With Tone Jansa Quartet (1985) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}

Woody Shaw - With Tone Jansa Quartet (1985) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 257 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 97 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 258 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1985, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6359
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Trumpet / Saxophone

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. One of our favorite Woody Shaw albums from his later years – and an album that's got the same joyous spirit and free soaring feel of his best 70s work! The core group on the album is the Tone Jansa Quartet – led by European reedman Jansa, and working in a space that's quite similar to that of Shaw's backing groups on previous sessions. Jansa wrote all the tunes on the set, and gave them a soaring feel that we really love – just the right mix of introspection and exploration found on classic Shaw sessions like Little Red's Fantasy or Lovedance. Titles include "Midi", "Boland", "Call Mobility", "River", and "May".
Tone Janša Quartet feat. Woody Shaw - Dr. Chi (1986) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}

Tone Janša Quartet feat. Woody Shaw - Dr. Chi (1986) {2015 Japan Timeless Jazz Master Collection Complete Series}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 365 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 134 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 269 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1986, 2015 Timeless Records / Solid Records Japan / Ultra-Vibe | CDSOL-6390
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Saxophone / Trumpet

Reissue with the latest remastering. Features original cover artwork. Probably recorded in the mid-'80s, this delightful collaboration between American trumpeter Woody Shaw and the Tone Janša Quartet works on nearly every level. Janša shares the front line with the trumpeter, and is a perfect foil for Shaw on each of Janša's instruments, tenor and soprano saxophones and flute. Janša's fluid, driving lines fit beautifully with Shaw's concepts. Even more importantly, Shaw is in great form, and there is an electricity in the air that infuses each track.
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Choir, Mariss Jansons - Antonin Dvorak: Stabat Mater (2015)

Antonín Dvořák - Stabat Mater (2015)
Erin Wall, soprano; Mihoko Fujimura, mezzo; Christian Elsner, tenor; Liang Li, bass
Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Mariss Jansons, conductor

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 315 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 181 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical, Choral | Label: BR Klassik | # 900142 | 01:17:55

Antonín Dvorák's Stabat Mater, Op. 58, written in the aftermath of the deaths of three of his children, is a sober and powerful work, inexplicably neglected and unlike any other work of choral music from the 19th century. Perhaps most performances don't capture its full weight, but this live recording from the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Mariss Jansons, does so. There are many deep pleasures here. The orchestra's choir is extraordinary: rich yet without a hint of wobble and utterly clear in its sense of the text. Jansons keeps things at a deliberate pace that lets the music breathe and the currents of personal experience rise to the surface. The soloists, none terribly well known, are fine in their individual numbers, but absolutely transcendent in ensembles, nowhere more so that in the sublime "Quando corpus morietur" finale (track 10); there are a couple of other strong recordings of this work, but it seems likely that no one has ever matched this conclusion. The live recording from the Herkulessaal in Munich is impressively transparent and faithful to the spontaneity of the event. A superb Dvorák release.
John Lee Hooker - The Country Blues Of John Lee Hooker (1959) {Remastered & Expanded rel 2015}

John Lee Hooker - The Country Blues Of John Lee Hooker (1959) {Remastered & Expanded rel 2015}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 358 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 159 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 54 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24bit remastered
© 1959, 2015 Riverside / Soul Jam Records | 600869
Blues / Country Blues / Delta Blues / Acoustic Blues / Detroit Blues

In 1959, John Lee Hooker signed a one-off deal with the Riverside label to record an acoustic session of the country blues. It was a key change from his earlier recordings, most of which had featured Hooker on an electric guitar with his trademark reverb and stomping foot. Folk purists of the day were delighted with COUNTRY BLUES, believing Hooker had returned to his roots, leaving the "glitzy commercialism" of R&B behind. But some Hooker fans considered COUNTRY BLUES a "betrayal" of his true sound. The truth is probably somewhere in-between. Remember, John Lee Hooker is always John Lee Hooker, regardless of the format. If you like Hooker, or acoustic blues, buy this album. It is an intimate session featuring standards like "How Long", "Bottle Up and Go", as well as Hooker's first recorded take on "Tupelo", one of his all-time classics.

Pigeondust - Moon, Wisdom & Slackness (2015)  Music

Posted by aasana at June 18, 2019
Pigeondust - Moon, Wisdom & Slackness (2015)

Pigeondust - Moon, Wisdom & Slackness (2015)
EAC Rip | FLAC (tracks+.cue) | 00:39:46 | 249,78 MB
trip-hop, downtempo, abstract hip-hop, instrumental hip-hop, psychedelic | Label: Cold Busted

Simplicity goes along when perfected, and Pigeondust’s album is centralized around simple beats.
The collection of creamy beats starts off with the track “1995,” paying obvious homage to a classic feel that emerged in hip-hop from the 80s-90s, and defined that genre. The starting track defines the whole tone of the set yet to come, and this track isn’t excessive in it’s flow at all, yet contains a valuable hook to get one’s head nodding and wanting more. It slows down with the same tone as the previous track into a loop entitled, “Loop.” Genius.
Gurzenich-Orchester Koln, Markus Stenz, Soloists - Arnold Schoenberg: Gurre-Lieder (2015) 2CDs

Arnold Schoenberg - Gurre-Lieder (2015) 2CDs
Barbara Haveman (soprano), Claudia Mahnke (mezzo), Brandon Jovanovich (tenor)
Gerhard Siegel (tenor), Thomas Bauer (baritone), Johannes Martin Kränzle (speaker)
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, conducted by Markus Stenz

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 545 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 251 Mb | Artwork included
Genre: Classical, Choral | Label: Hyperion | # CDA68081/2 | Time: 01:48:01

Markus Stenz and the Gürzenich Orchestra Köln have demonstrated a special aptitude for performing large scale post-Romantic works, notably the symphonies of Gustav Mahler, which they recorded for Oehms Classics as a series of hybrid SACDs. They have followed that impressive cycle with what is probably the most Mahlerian work Arnold Schoenberg ever composed, the massive Gurrelieder for solo voices, multiple choruses, and large orchestra. This 2015 Hyperion release is impressive in its crisp details, vibrant tone colors, and startling clarity, all of which are evident in the opening instrumental passages in the Prelude, and which continue through the nearly operatic vocal parts, which have remarkable presence in the face of an orchestra that exceeds Wagnerian proportions. The recording is presented on two CDs that offer extraordinary sound for digital stereo, and the only disappointment is that this wasn't released as a multichannel recording. Listeners who find Schoenberg's modernist music difficult may be more receptive to this cantata, which is his most openly Romantic score and strongly reminiscent of Wagner's music dramas. Highly recommended.
Hawkwind - This Is Yöür Cäptåin Speäking... Yöür Øåptåin Is Dea̋d: The Albums And Singles 1970-1974 (2015)

Hawkwind - This Is Yöür Cäptåin Speäking… Yöür Øåptåin Is Dea̋d: The Albums And Singles 1970-1974 (2015)
EAC | Flac(Image) + Cue + Log & MP3 CBR 320Kbps
11CD | Parlophone, 0825646172979 / HAWKS 9 | ~ 3119 or 1216 Mb | Scans(png) -> 612 Mb
Space Rock / Psychedelic Rock / Prog Rock | Box Art(png) -> 60 Mb

The following albums are included: Hawkwind, In Search of Space, Greasy Truckers’ Party (2CD) Doremi Fasol Latido, The Space Ritual Alive in Liverpool and London (2CD), Hall of the Mountain Grill, The 1999 Party (2CD) and this set also comes with a bonus disc collecting rare single mixes called Of Time and Stars – The Singles…
Elias String Quartet - Ludwig van Beethoven: The Complete String Quartets, Vol.1 (2015) 2 CDs [Re-Up]

Elias String Quartet - Ludwig van Beethoven: The Complete String Quartets, Vol.1 (2015)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 484 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 262 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: Wigmore Hall Live | # WHL0073/2 | Time: 01:53:30

At the heart of Beethoven’s life’s statement as a composer lies the cycle of sixteen string quartets, which, to this day, has retained a special status and reverence. Since 2012, the Elias String Quartet has been immersed in its Beethoven Project, performing all Beethoven’s string quartets at venues throughout the UK. In this live recording, the ensemble captures both the intimacy and grandeur of the works. With an ever-expanding recording catalogue that has been met with widespread critical acclaim, the quartet is delighted to release this disc, the first volume of its complete Beethoven cycle to be recorded live at Wigmore Hall over the coming Seasons.
Gurzenich-Orchester Cologne, Cologne Opera Chorus, Dmitrij Kitajenko - P.I. Tchaikovsky: Iolanta (2015) 2CDs

Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowsky: Jolanthe (2015) 2CDs
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Chor der Oper Köln; Dmitrij Kitajenko, conductor

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 469 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 250 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: OEHMS | # OC963 | Time: 01:47:27

The world premieres of Iolanta and The Nutcracker took place on 18 December 1892 at St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre. “The execution of both,” wrote the composer to his brother Anatoly the next day, “was magnificent, and that of the ballet perhaps too magnificent – its brilliance made one’s eyes tired.” Gustav Mahler conducted the first performance of the one-act opera outside Russia on 3 January 1893 in Hamburg and also directed the Viennese premiere of Iolanta on 22 March 1900.