Narrow my search:
From
HI-RES$16.59
CD$14.39
Letter(s) to Erik Satie
Bertrand Chamayou
Classical - Released September 1, 2023 | Warner Classics
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Diapason d'or -
Choc de Classica
John Cage's admiration for the music of Erik Satie is well known; Cage organized a Satie festival early in his career, and even casual listeners will detect a spirit of experimentation and a certain irreverence common to the two. Perhaps no one has explored the relationship in greater detail than pianist Bertrand Chamayou on this 2023 release, which hit classical best-seller lists in the autumn of that year. There are several real finds here. One is a rare Cage piece, All Sides of the Small Stone, that was actually dedicated to Satie's memory, and another is a work by Satie specialist James Tenney, Three Pages in the Shape of a Pear (In Celebration of Erik Satie), which suggests lines along which this compositional axis might be extended. In the main body of the program, Chamayou balances Satie and Cage nicely, picking some Cage works that sound quite a bit like Satie and tying the development of the prepared piano closely to these. This is a fresh interpretation. The overall effect has both charm and humor, qualities that aren't always associated with Cage. However, after hearing this album, listeners will feel that maybe they should be. Chamayou has, up to now, been better known for mainstream French and German repertory, but this release reveals him as a talented interpreter of 20th century music as well.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$15.69
CD$12.55
Top Boy (Score from the Original Series)
Brian Eno
Film Soundtracks - Released September 1, 2023 | Netflix Music
Hi-Res
Janáček & Haas: String Quartets
Escher String Quartet
Chamber Music - Released May 19, 2023 | BIS
Booklet
Download not available
The two string quartets of Leoš Janáček are major works of the 20th century chamber repertory, with many strong recordings available. This one, however, stands out. The Escher String Quartet devises a unique program of three works that lie on the edge between program music and realms of individual psychology, and the music gains a cumulative effect as it proceeds. The album would be worth the listener's time and money just for the String Quartet No. 2, Op. 7, of Pavel Haas, who was killed by the Nazis in 1944. Subtitled "From the Monkey Mountains" (a name for the Moravian Highlands in Brno lingo), the work has programmatic titles, but Haas insisted that it was not to be taken as representational; rather, the movements were about the states of mind the region inspired. The main attraction is the finale, "A Wild Night," which adds percussionist Collin Currie. It is a riotous piece that incorporates rollicking syncopations. As the annotations point out, Janáček's String Quartet No. 1 ("The Kreutzer Sonata") is unique in the musical literature in being a composition based on a literary work (a novella by Tolstoy) that was itself based on another piece of music, the Violin Sonata No. 9 in A minor, Op. 47 ("Kreutzer") of Beethoven. Both the Janáček sonatas have lurking erotic content. Tolstoy's tale is a right-wing Christian work whose religious position is undermined by the author's sheer literary talent, while the String Quartet No. 2 ("Intimate Letters") was an extended love letter to the composer's young mistress. The entire program is absorbing, and the Escher String Quartet brings the proper intensity without losing accuracy. Ideally, intimate sound from Potton Hall in Suffolk complements all the ideas here in one of the strongest chamber recordings of 2023.© James Manheim /TiVo
The two string quartets of Leoš Janáček are major works of the 20th century chamber repertory, with many strong recordings available. This one, however, stands out. The Escher String Quartet devises a unique program of three works that lie on the edge between program music and realms of individual psychology, and the music gains a cumulative effect as it proceeds. The album would be worth the listener's time and money just for the String Quartet No. 2, Op. 7, of Pavel Haas, who was killed by the Nazis in 1944. Subtitled "From the Monkey Mountains" (a name for the Moravian Highlands in Brno lingo), the work has programmatic titles, but Haas insisted that it was not to be taken as representational; rather, the movements were about the states of mind the region inspired. The main attraction is the finale, "A Wild Night," which adds percussionist Collin Currie. It is a riotous piece that incorporates rollicking syncopations. As the annotations point out, Janáček's String Quartet No. 1 ("The Kreutzer Sonata") is unique in the musical literature in being a composition based on a literary work (a novella by Tolstoy) that was itself based on another piece of music, the Violin Sonata No. 9 in A minor, Op. 47 ("Kreutzer") of Beethoven. Both the Janáček sonatas have lurking erotic content. Tolstoy's tale is a right-wing Christian work whose religious position is undermined by the author's sheer literary talent, while the String Quartet No. 2 ("Intimate Letters") was an extended love letter to the composer's young mistress. The entire program is absorbing, and the Escher String Quartet brings the proper intensity without losing accuracy. Ideally, intimate sound from Potton Hall in Suffolk complements all the ideas here in one of the strongest chamber recordings of 2023.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$24.59
CD$21.09
Facing You
Keith Jarrett
Jazz - Released March 1, 1972 | ECM
Hi-Res
Booklet
Facing You is one of the most important recordings in contemporary jazz for several reasons, aside from being beautifully conceived and executed by pianist Keith Jarrett. It is a hallmark recording of solo piano in any discipline, a signature piece in the early ECM label discography, a distinct departure from mainstream jazz, a breakthrough for Jarrett, and a studio prelude for his most famous solo project to follow, The Köln Concert. Often meditative, richly melodic, inventive, and introspective beyond compare, Jarrett expresses his soul in tailored tones that set standards for not only this kind of jazz, but music that would serve him and his fans in good stead onward. In this program of all originals, which sound spontaneously improvised with certain pretexts and motifs as springboards, the rhapsodic "Ritooria," 4/4 love/spirit song "Lalene," and song for family and life "My Lady; My Child" firmly establish Jarrett's heartfelt and thoughtful approach. "Vapallia" cements the thematic, seemingly effortless, lighter -- but never tame -- aesthetic. "Starbright" is an easy-paced two-step tune signifying fully Jarrett's personalized stance. Straddling a more jagged, angular, and free edge, the pianist evokes the influence of Paul Bley during "Semblence" (sic). But it is the opening selection, an extended ten-minute opus titled "In Front," that truly showcases Jarrett at his playful best -- a timeless, modal, direct, and bright delight. A remarkable effort that reveals more and more with each listen, this recording has stood the test of time, and is unquestionably a Top Three recording in Keith Jarrett's long and storied career.© Michael G. Nastos /TiVo
From
CD$13.99
Memoryhouse
Max Richter
Miscellaneous - Released May 27, 2002 | Studio Richter
Memoryhouse may be Max Richter's debut album, but he had been developing his unique mix of contemporary classical and electronics for years before it was released. He co-founded the Piano Circus ensemble, who commissioned and performed works by Arvo Pärt, Brian Eno, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich (all of whom were influential on Richter's own music), and used live sampling. He also collaborated with Roni Size and Future Sound of London on their groundbreaking 1996 album Dead Cities. Yet Memoryhouse, which is performed by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Rumon Gumba, doesn't feel derivative of any of Richter's previous projects; the album's pieces are rigorously composed but also highly emotive, seamlessly blending into a whole that feels like, well, a memory. Tracks such as "Europe, After the Rain" and "Maria, the Poet" exemplify the album's mix of Glass-style minimalism fused with evocative samples and field recordings, territory Richter covered even more brilliantly on his next album, The Blue Notebooks. The main melody on "Europe, After the Rain" surfaces here and there on Memoryhouse, taking different forms like "Untitled (Figures)"' delicate electronics and "Garden (1973)/Interior"'s drifting harpsichords and spoken word. "Sarajevo" and "The Twins (Prague)" underscore the album's Eastern European leanings, while pieces with short but descriptive song titles like "Landscape with Figure (1922)" and "Arbenita (11 years)" add to the feeling that they could soundtrack diary entries or captions on old photos. More dramatic tracks such as "Last Days" complement the intimacy of "Embers" and "Andras" nicely, and show the scope of Richter's abilities. An homage to Europe and the haunting power of memories, Memoryhouse is a stunning first album that announced Max Richter as a major talent.© Heather Phares /TiVo
From
CD$20.29
Construction Time Again (Deluxe)
Depeche Mode
Rock - Released August 22, 1983 | Columbia
The full addition of Alan Wilder to Depeche Mode's lineup created a perfect troika that would last another 11 years, as the combination of Martin Gore's songwriting, Wilder's arranging, and David Gahan's singing and live star power resulted in an ever more compelling series of albums and singles. Construction Time Again, the new lineup's first full effort, is a bit hit and miss nonetheless, but when it does hit, it does so perfectly. Right from the album's first song, "Love, In Itself," something is clearly up; Depeche never sounded quite so thick with its sound before, with synths arranged into a mini-orchestra/horn section and real piano and acoustic guitar spliced in at strategic points. Two tracks later, "Pipeline" offers the first clear hint of an increasing industrial influence (the bandmembers were early fans of Einstürzende Neubauten), with clattering metal samples and oddly chain gang-like lyrics and vocals. The album's clear highlight has to be "Everything Counts," a live staple for years, combining a deceptively simple, ironic lyric about the music business with a perfectly catchy but unusually arranged blending of more metallic scraping samples and melodica amid even more forceful funk/hip-hop beats. Elsewhere, on "Shame" and "Told You So," Gore's lyrics start taking on more of the obsessive personal relationship studies that would soon dominate his writing. Wilder's own songwriting contributions are fine musically, but lyrically, "preachy" puts it mildly, especially the environment-friendly "The Landscape Is Changing."© Ned Raggett /TiVo
From
CD$71.59
Landscape a Go-Go (The Story of Landscape 1977-83)
Landscape
Electronic - Released July 21, 2023 | Cooking Vinyl Limited
From
HI-RES$11.49
CD$9.19
Home
Søren Bebe Trio
Jazz - Released November 1, 2016 | From Out Here Music
Hi-Res
From
HI-RES$24.59
CD$21.09
Morton Feldman : Rothko Chapel (+ Satie & Cage)
Kim Kashkashian
Classical - Released October 2, 2015 | ECM New Series
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
5 de Diapason -
4 étoiles Classica
This is a marvelous release, equally perfect in conception, execution, and engineering. The program locates the intellectual origins of the American avant-garde composers Morton Feldman and John Cage not in postwar European developments, but in the music of Erik Satie, who with each decade seems a more pioneering figure. Feldman and Cage here seem not modernists, but postmodernists. Front and center at the beginning is Feldman's masterpiece Rothko Chapel (1967), a chamber-ensemble-and-chorus evocation of the Houston, Texas, chapel adorned with paintings by, and partly designed by, the Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko. The album thus reflects local roots for the Houston Chamber Choir, hitherto a solid regional ensemble but hardly suspected capable of the heights they achieve here. The implications of the Feldman are spun out in works by Cage -- the choral realizations of the works entitled Four2 and Five are quite unusual -- and retrospectively connected to Satie, the latter played with a full sense of their significance by pianist Sarah Rothenberg. Rothko Chapel was meant to be performed in the actual chapel, but it's hard to fault ECM for choosing a pair of Texas auditoria instead: the results are sonically stunning. The explosive surprises in Satie's pieces, which do indeed link them to the shocks Cage would later offer, come through with incredible intensity; auditioned on an inexpensive stereo the sonics are gripping, and it's hard to imagine what joys await the possessor of equipment truly capable of realizing ECM's engineering work. Very highly recommended.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$18.19
CD$15.79
The Wonderful World Of Antonio Carlos Jobim
Antonio Carlos Jobim
Pop - Released February 5, 2008 | Rhino - Warner Records
Hi-Res
From
HI-RES$17.59
CD$15.09
Storm Damage
Ben Watt
Alternative & Indie - Released January 31, 2020 | Unmade Road
Hi-Res
Like Fever Dream before it, Storm Damage was born of personal anguish -- it was written after the loss of Ben Watt's half-brother and in the midst of the sociopolitical turmoil of the late 2010s -- but the album sounds and feels different than its predecessor. Chalk that up to Watt's decision to create Storm Damage with what he calls "a future-retro trio," a combo consisting of a piano, double bass, and drums, supplemented by various synths and found sounds. The result is a hushed yet an intense affair, an album whose conflicted emotions are apparent but presented in a fashion that's so subdued, it's nearly soothing. The soft, subtle tension between the deeply felt songs and the smooth, sophistication of the execution is quite rewarding, since the album can alternately play like a plea or a balm, depending on mood or timing.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
From
CD$5.09
Janáček & Haas: String Quartets
Colin Currie, Pavel Haas Quartet
Chamber Music - Released April 11, 2006 | Supraphon a.s.
This premiere recording by the Pavel Haas Quartet has quite a bit going for it. For starters, the programming is intelligent -- something that's always appreciated. Here are two string quartets written by teacher (Janácek) and student (Haas); in fact, both works were given their premiere by the same ensemble (the Moravian Quartet). The liner notes do a nice job of pointing out these and other connections as well as describing the programmatic content of the two works. The ensemble is filled with youthful energy and passion, which is reflected in the music.
For the Janácek, however, the performance is not entirely convincing. There are instances in the first and third movements where the repetitive nature of the inner voices seems to make the music stagnate. The first violin occasionally crosses the line between aggressive playing and attacking her instrument in second movement. Intonation is not always as precise as it could be. Another release of this piece by the Pacifica Quartet offers a more enjoyable performance.
In the Haas Second Quartet, the quartet offers what to memory is the most successful rendition of this work. The performance here is much more evocative of the program that the composer had laid out. The decision to use the percussion in the fourth movement is somewhat questionable. There may be good reason why the Moravian Quartet chose to drop this optional part from its performances following the premiere.
© TiVo
From
HI-RES$18.09
CD$15.69
The Landscape of the Polyphonists
Huelgas Ensemble
Classical - Released March 25, 2022 | deutsche harmonia mundi
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Choc de Classica
From
HI-RES$15.69
CD$12.55
Keeper of the Shepherd
Hannah Frances
Folk/Americana - Released March 1, 2024 | Ruination Record Co.
Hi-Res
Distinctions
Pitchfork: Best New Music
From
HI-RES$15.69
CD$12.55
The Art Of Change
Droeloe
Alternative & Indie - Released September 15, 2023 | DROELOE
Hi-Res
From
HI-RES$26.29
CD$22.59
Coleridge-Taylor
Chineke! Orchestra
Classical - Released September 30, 2022 | Decca Music Group Ltd.
Hi-Res
This album marks the debut of the minority-oriented Chineke! Orchestra on the Decca label, and it is quite a promising beginning indeed. Perhaps the African-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a natural choice for the group, but even with his 21st century revival, it seems to be the same few pieces that are played and recorded over and over, focusing on the traces of African-American music and African music in his work. Hearing a lot of his music together in one place is something of a revelation, for his melodic gift seems inexhaustible. Sample the Romance for violin, Op. 39, and one will see why some of Coleridge-Taylor's contemporaries dubbed him "the Black Dvořák"; it is a much better moniker than the "African Mahler" nickname bestowed during his U.S. tour. Indeed, even in the African Suite, Op. 35 (an arrangement of a piano work), the African element, though it is there, is minimal. Another big attraction here, and the explanation for the nonspecific Coleridge-Taylor title, is the presence of the tone poem Sussex Landscape, Op. 27, by Coleridge-Taylor's daughter Avril, dating from the mid-'30s. Though not on the cutting edge of British music, it is a fine, evocative work with a plangent English horn part. The young orchestra plays with not only enthusiasm but also precision in live as well as studio tracks, and the group seems to be offering not only a mission but musical value.
© James Manheim /TiVo
Suppose you have a more precise idea of what you want. If you are searching for the album "Bad" by Michael Jackson, type michael jackson bad. The album in question will be displayed at the top, as it is the most relevant.
By default, search results are sorted in order of relevance. The drop-down menu to the right of "Sort by" allows you to display the results in the desired order.