For readers, our annual "Records To Die For" extravaganza, in which each writer chooses two discs for which he or she might or might not be bitten in half, is (hopefully) a fun feature that clues you in to forgotten masterworks or gives you something obscure to lust after in record stores.…
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One of the benefits of being music editor of Stereophile---after, of course, unimaginable wealth, unquestioned power, and hot and cold running editorial groupies---is that every year in February I get to write about death. That, and the rather odd personality traits of the Stereophile writing staff.
Paul L. Althouse
BRAHMS: Double Concerto
BEETHOVEN: Triple Concerto
Pinchas Zukerman, violin; Ralph Kirshbaum, cello; John Browning, piano; Christoph Eschenbach, London Symphony Orchestra
RCA 68964-2 (CD). 1998. Philip Traugott, prod.; Simon Rhodes, eng. DDD. TT: 70:54 May I recommend half a disc? The Double Concerto, Brahms' last orchestral work, will never match the appeal of the composer's earlier works because it is too tinged with melancholy and relies more on reflection than on virtuosity. It is, nonetheless, a work of penetrating beauty realized through Brahms'…
BRAHMS: Double Concerto
BEETHOVEN: Triple Concerto
Pinchas Zukerman, violin; Ralph Kirshbaum, cello; John Browning, piano; Christoph Eschenbach, London Symphony Orchestra
RCA 68964-2 (CD). 1998. Philip Traugott, prod.; Simon Rhodes, eng. DDD. TT: 70:54 May I recommend half a disc? The Double Concerto, Brahms' last orchestral work, will never match the appeal of the composer's earlier works because it is too tinged with melancholy and relies more on reflection than on virtuosity. It is, nonetheless, a work of penetrating beauty realized through Brahms'…
John Atkinson
WAYNE MARSHALL: Bach, Liszt, Brahms
Bach: Fantasia & Fugue in g. Liszt: Fantasia & Fugue on "Ad nos, as salutarem undam." Brahms: Fugue in a-flat. Bruno: Fugue, Fantasy, & Chorale
Wayne Marshall, the organ of St. Mary's Church, Southampton, England
BBC Music Magazine MM71 (CD-Extra, with liner notes and CD-player software, Windows 3.1 & Windows 95 only). 1998. John Hadden, prod.; Malcolm Bruno, exec. prod. DDD. TT: 59:46 Available only from BBC Music's back-issue department---(800) 234-6706---this astonishing recording was included free with that…
WAYNE MARSHALL: Bach, Liszt, Brahms
Bach: Fantasia & Fugue in g. Liszt: Fantasia & Fugue on "Ad nos, as salutarem undam." Brahms: Fugue in a-flat. Bruno: Fugue, Fantasy, & Chorale
Wayne Marshall, the organ of St. Mary's Church, Southampton, England
BBC Music Magazine MM71 (CD-Extra, with liner notes and CD-player software, Windows 3.1 & Windows 95 only). 1998. John Hadden, prod.; Malcolm Bruno, exec. prod. DDD. TT: 59:46 Available only from BBC Music's back-issue department---(800) 234-6706---this astonishing recording was included free with that…
Howard Blumenthal
BENNY CARTER: 'Live and Well in Japan!
Original Jazz Classics OJC 736 (CD). 1978, 1992. Benny Carter, prod. AAD. TT: 42:00 A good old-fashioned jazz album, handsomely recorded at Tokyo's Kosei Nenkin Hall. This is visceral, smiling jazz, a taste of swing and big-band, some improvisation, and always attentive trading of ideas between alto saxman Carter and his cronies, notably Budd Johnson (tenor and soprano sax). The 10-piece band performs just four numbers, reaching out to the crowd and making a deep impression. Best is the Louis Armstrong medley, with Carter…
BENNY CARTER: 'Live and Well in Japan!
Original Jazz Classics OJC 736 (CD). 1978, 1992. Benny Carter, prod. AAD. TT: 42:00 A good old-fashioned jazz album, handsomely recorded at Tokyo's Kosei Nenkin Hall. This is visceral, smiling jazz, a taste of swing and big-band, some improvisation, and always attentive trading of ideas between alto saxman Carter and his cronies, notably Budd Johnson (tenor and soprano sax). The 10-piece band performs just four numbers, reaching out to the crowd and making a deep impression. Best is the Louis Armstrong medley, with Carter…
Bob Cannon
POCO: Pickin' Up the Pieces
Epic/Legacy EK 66227 (CD). 1969/1995. Jim Messina, prod.; Terry Donovan, eng. AAD? TT: 43:15 Few bands could match the chops of Poco's original lineup, which featured ex-Buffalo Springfields Richie Furay and Jim Messina, future Eagle Randy Meisner, and pedal-steel god Rusty Young. On their debut album Furay was at a creative peak, with his bouncy title tune, the exhilarating "What a Day," and the bittersweet ballad "First Love." His gorgeous tenor never failed to produce goosebumps. Meisner and drummer George Grantham added crystalline…
POCO: Pickin' Up the Pieces
Epic/Legacy EK 66227 (CD). 1969/1995. Jim Messina, prod.; Terry Donovan, eng. AAD? TT: 43:15 Few bands could match the chops of Poco's original lineup, which featured ex-Buffalo Springfields Richie Furay and Jim Messina, future Eagle Randy Meisner, and pedal-steel god Rusty Young. On their debut album Furay was at a creative peak, with his bouncy title tune, the exhilarating "What a Day," and the bittersweet ballad "First Love." His gorgeous tenor never failed to produce goosebumps. Meisner and drummer George Grantham added crystalline…
Robert Deutsch
COMPANY: Original Broadway Cast
Music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Harold Hastings, cond.
Columbia Masterworks SK 65283 (CD). 1970/1998. Thomas Z. Shepard, orig. & reissue prod.; Fred Plaut, Robert Waller, Ted Brosnan, John Guerriere, orig. engs.; Darcy M. Proper, remix, mastering. ADD? TT: 62:06 This will earn me no points with the Sondheim-is-God folks, but I seldom listen to recordings of shows for which Sondheim wrote both music and lyrics. It's not that I don't respect or admire his scores—I just don't particularly enjoy them. The one exception is…
COMPANY: Original Broadway Cast
Music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Harold Hastings, cond.
Columbia Masterworks SK 65283 (CD). 1970/1998. Thomas Z. Shepard, orig. & reissue prod.; Fred Plaut, Robert Waller, Ted Brosnan, John Guerriere, orig. engs.; Darcy M. Proper, remix, mastering. ADD? TT: 62:06 This will earn me no points with the Sondheim-is-God folks, but I seldom listen to recordings of shows for which Sondheim wrote both music and lyrics. It's not that I don't respect or admire his scores—I just don't particularly enjoy them. The one exception is…
Mortimer H. Frank
MOZART: Symphonies 25, 29, 38, 40
Benjamin Britten, English Chamber Orchestra
London 444 323-2 (2 CDs). 1969-71/1998. David Harvey, Ray Munshill, prods.; Kenneth Wilkinson, Gordon Parry, engs. ADD. TT: 2:12:06 This reissue is a reminder of Britten's exceptional gifts as a conductor of music other than his own. Everything is neatly ordered but never rigid or bland, the rhythm being supple, the texture transparent, the pacing animated. This recording of Symphony 40 was, I believe, the first to include all of the score's six major repeats, extending its length…
MOZART: Symphonies 25, 29, 38, 40
Benjamin Britten, English Chamber Orchestra
London 444 323-2 (2 CDs). 1969-71/1998. David Harvey, Ray Munshill, prods.; Kenneth Wilkinson, Gordon Parry, engs. ADD. TT: 2:12:06 This reissue is a reminder of Britten's exceptional gifts as a conductor of music other than his own. Everything is neatly ordered but never rigid or bland, the rhythm being supple, the texture transparent, the pacing animated. This recording of Symphony 40 was, I believe, the first to include all of the score's six major repeats, extending its length…
Bob Gulla
THE INTERPRETERS: Back in the USSA
RCA 67753-2 (CD). 1998. Ron A. Shaffer, The Interpreters, prods., engs. AAD? TT: 40:35 This English trio thumbs its nose at current trends, choosing to pattern itself after the blustery melodic punk of bands like the Buzzcocks and Stiff Little Fingers, as well as angular cynics like the Jam and Gang of Four. On their American debut, the Interpreters' attack comes complete with harmony vocalizing, vaguely political lyrics, and enough raspy guitars to put a smile on the face of any early Who fan. If the current crop of British bands has you…
THE INTERPRETERS: Back in the USSA
RCA 67753-2 (CD). 1998. Ron A. Shaffer, The Interpreters, prods., engs. AAD? TT: 40:35 This English trio thumbs its nose at current trends, choosing to pattern itself after the blustery melodic punk of bands like the Buzzcocks and Stiff Little Fingers, as well as angular cynics like the Jam and Gang of Four. On their American debut, the Interpreters' attack comes complete with harmony vocalizing, vaguely political lyrics, and enough raspy guitars to put a smile on the face of any early Who fan. If the current crop of British bands has you…
Hyperion Knight
ERNST LEVY: Forgotten Genius
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 29 & 32. Liszt: Sonata in b, Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude, Spasolizio, Hungarian Rhapsody No.12. Levy: Pieces for Piano
Ernst Levy, piano
Marston 52007-2 (2 CDs). 1998. Scott Kessler, prod.; Ward Marston, eng. ADD. TT: 2:33:55 The little-known Swiss pianist Ernst Levy will finally receive the recognition he deserves thanks to the efforts of Ward Marston and Marston Records, the new label devoted exclusively to Marston's exquisite remasterings of vintage recordings. Like those of most listeners…
ERNST LEVY: Forgotten Genius
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 29 & 32. Liszt: Sonata in b, Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude, Spasolizio, Hungarian Rhapsody No.12. Levy: Pieces for Piano
Ernst Levy, piano
Marston 52007-2 (2 CDs). 1998. Scott Kessler, prod.; Ward Marston, eng. ADD. TT: 2:33:55 The little-known Swiss pianist Ernst Levy will finally receive the recognition he deserves thanks to the efforts of Ward Marston and Marston Records, the new label devoted exclusively to Marston's exquisite remasterings of vintage recordings. Like those of most listeners…
Michael Metzger
TOM WAITS: The Heart of Saturday Night
Asylum 1015-2 (CD). 1974. Bones Howe, prod., eng. AAD. TT: 41:27 Tom Waits' second album is a deeply romantic work full of vividly poetic images, drawn in minute detail, of life in the hard lane. It's been too easily described as a Beat Generation takeoff, though it's understandable how that dismissal can be made—Waits' affection and admiration for Bukowski and Kerouac are well documented, and they resonate here. But there's so much more than nostalgia happening on The Heart of Saturday Night. Waits creates song-stories out of…
TOM WAITS: The Heart of Saturday Night
Asylum 1015-2 (CD). 1974. Bones Howe, prod., eng. AAD. TT: 41:27 Tom Waits' second album is a deeply romantic work full of vividly poetic images, drawn in minute detail, of life in the hard lane. It's been too easily described as a Beat Generation takeoff, though it's understandable how that dismissal can be made—Waits' affection and admiration for Bukowski and Kerouac are well documented, and they resonate here. But there's so much more than nostalgia happening on The Heart of Saturday Night. Waits creates song-stories out of…