The Music of Elliott Carter, Volume Four Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Music of Elliott Carter, Volume Four? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Music of Elliott Carter, Volume Four. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Music of Elliott Carter, Volume Four ReviewThere is certainly no accounting for taste. Unlike the preceeding reviewer, the piece on this recording that really impressed me is "Eight Pieces For Four Tympani." All the other pieces are quite good as well, but the tympani piece is superb. Daniel Druckman is indeed a tympani vituoso. However, the typani piece is not simply virtuosity for the sake of virtuosity. There is genuine creativity and musical entertainment going on here, both in composition and interpretation. It's fun, fascinating and completely satisfying from beginning to end. Is the tympani piece worth the price of admission? I absolutely think so. Five stars for the tympani piece and 4 1/2 for the others.The Music of Elliott Carter, Volume Four OverviewWith this release Bridge continues its award winning series devoted to the music of Elliot Carter.This volume contain the premiere recordings of two recent Carter scores- the highly inventive Luimen and the stunning song style on Italian poetry, Tempo e Tempi.Performing on this CD are members of Speculum Musicae- the ensemble that has been most closely associated with Carter's music during the past 30 years.The disc opens with Shard, performed by the work's dedicatee, guitarist David Starobin.Shard is the second solo guitar work Carter has composed for Starobin, and is a brief, but highly volatile opener.Shard in its entirety was incorporated into Carter's next work- the shimmering Luimen.Speculum's performance of Luimen shows all the traits that have made Carter's recent music so intriguing- great rhythmic freedom and superb control of form in combination with high spirits and good humor.Tempo e Tempi is a set of eight songs based on poems by Eugenio Montale, Salvatore Quasimodo, and Giuseppe Ungaretti.Called by annotator Malcolm McDonald, "one of the most beautiful song-cycles of recent times," Susan Narucki's radiant performance captures these songs to perfection.Finishing this program is Eight Pieces for Four Timpani in its first complete performance on CD.It is performed by Speculum and New York Philharmonic percussion virtuoso Daniel Druckman, son of the late, great American composer Jacob Druckman.

Want to learn more information about The Music of Elliott Carter, Volume Four?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Conducts Webern Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Conducts Webern? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Conducts Webern. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Conducts Webern Review
Boulez' masterful readings of Webern's early chamber and choral works are well worth adding to his complete survey of the composer's opus. All works are performed by the finest musicians including the pianist P-L Aimard renowned for his Debussy and Ravel recordings, two outstanding sopranos with pure-toned voice and BBC singers, each performance totally captivating and very imaginative. Beautifully recorded with details and realistic sound image.Conducts Webern Overview

Want to learn more information about Conducts Webern?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Anton Webern: Complete Works, Opp. 1-31 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Anton Webern: Complete Works, Opp. 1-31? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Anton Webern: Complete Works, Opp. 1-31. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Anton Webern: Complete Works, Opp. 1-31 ReviewAll 31 works that Webern gave official Opus numbers on 3 discs, conducted by Boulez (not Kolbe!), with the Juilliard Quartet and the London Symphony Orchestra, and a superb booklet with commentary and lyrics -- so why only 4 stars? My objection is the strictly chronological presentation, and the fact that I am not won over by Webern's vocal works -- I would vastly prefer grouping the music by form. Everything is brilliantly performed, and Charles Rosen, who accompanies sopranos on piano on several pieces, plays with sparkling luminosity. But the reason I sought out this collection is because I wanted to hear Boulez's versions of Webern's masterpieces, the "Symphony (Op. 21)" and "Variations for Orchestra (Op. 30)," as well as the string trios and quartets. Here these instrumental works are mixed among the lieders, Webern's many vocal works, and I find this frustrating. I prefer hearing the instrumental pieces grouped together, as on the Dohnanyi or Sinopoli discs of orchestral works (see my reviews of both), or the Schoenberg or Emerson Quartet's discs of the string trios and quartets (see my reviews of both). Unfortunately there is not a Boulez disc comparable to the Dohnanyi (on London) or Sinopoli (on Teldec). So it's either this Sony box or the several more recently recorded discs on DG, unless of course you are a total Webern fanatic and want the Ultra-Complete box with all the numbered AND un-numbered pieces...
It's really hard to fault this excellent Webern collection. Obviously if you have a more catholic appreciation of Webern's music than I (including the vocal works), my criticism is irrelevant. If you are a completist on a budget, this is a clear choice over the more expensive box. But if you are looking for an introduction to Webern's music, the best of which is some of the best of the 20th century in my opinion, I suggest that you begin with 1) Dohnanyi and the Cleveland Orchestra, and 2) the Schoenberg Quartet.
[There is a mistake on the site. Pierre Boulez is the conductor, not Helmuth Kolbe. Careful inspection of the box reveals that Kolbe was the engineer...]Anton Webern: Complete Works, Opp. 1-31 Overview

Want to learn more information about Anton Webern: Complete Works, Opp. 1-31?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...