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2 weeks ago | 
stereophile.com | Jason Victor Serinus |Stephen Francis Vasta
György Ligeti: Violin, Piano & Românesc ConcertosIsabelle Faust, violin; Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, piano; Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth, cond. Harmonia Mundi HMM905382 (CD; reviewed as 24/96 WAV). 2025. Jiri Heger, prod. and eng. Performance *****Sonics ****½Equally defiant of the Nazis and the Stalinists, Ligeti was a twice-burned iconoclast whose life and music defied convention.
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1 month ago | 
stereophile.com | Jason Victor Serinus |Stephen Francis Vasta
Bryce Dessner, David Chalmin: Electric FieldsBarbara Hannigan, soprano; Katia and Marielle Labèque, pianos; David Chalmin, synths and electronicsAlpha 980 (reviewed as 24/96 WAV). 2025. David Chalmin, prod.; Chalmin and Guido Tichelman, engs. Performance ****Sonics ****½What is this? That question is reasonable to ask after hearing Alpha's new concept album, Electric Fields. The plans for this recording began with the Labèque sisters.
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2 months ago | 
stereophile.com | Jason Victor Serinus |Stephen Francis Vasta
John Zorn: The Complete String QuartetsJACK QuartetTzadik 9318-2 (reviewed as 24/96 WAV). 2025. JACK Quartet, Ryan Streber, prods.; Streber, Scott Hull, engs. Performance *****Sonics ****½For one of the wildest and most unpredictable rides you may ever take, skip the Ferris wheel and racetrack and take John Zorn's eight string quartets for a spin.
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Mar 14, 2025 | 
stereophile.com | Jason Victor Serinus |Stephen Francis Vasta
Franck: Symphony In D MinorFauré: Pelléas et MélisandeBerlin Philharmonic/Daniel BarenboimDG 486 6008 (CD). 2024. Marco Buttgereit, prod.; Gregor Schweiger, eng. Performance **Sonics ****½I was rather hoping, given the Berlin Philharmonic, that this might improve on Barenboim's earlier Franck recording with the erratic Orchestre de Paris, which was afflicted by his faux-Furtwängler mannerisms.
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Feb 11, 2025 | 
stereophile.com | Robert Baird |Jason Victor Serinus |Stephen Francis Vasta
Caroline Shaw: Leonardo Da Vinci (soundtrack)Attacca Quartet, Sō Percussion, Roomful of Teeth, John PatitucciNonesuch 075597898408 (LP). 2024. Jennifer Dunnington, David McMahon, and Caroline Shaw, prods; Alex Venguer, others, engs. Performance ****Sonics ****½Film soundtracks are a broad canvas that can open many new possibilities as well as challenges for modern composers.
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Jan 13, 2025 | 
positive-feedback.com | Stephen Francis Vasta
Passos Brasileiros, Toomai String Quintet, with assisting artists. Tocanta Media (CD). 53 minutes. Pascoal: Garrote. Villa-Lobos: Saudades das Selvas Brasilieras 1-2; Chôros 5 ("Alma Brasileira"). Gonzaga: Passos no Choro. Freire: Mamulengo; Espiral; Turbulenta; Pintou um Grilo. Nascimento: Cais. Gil: Domingo no Parque. Nogueira: Bachianinha 1. Lara: Força da Imaginação/Sonho Meu.
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Jan 10, 2025 | 
stereophile.com | Jason Victor Serinus |Stephen Francis Vasta
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos.19 & 23Kristian Bezuidenhout, fortepiano; Freiburger BarockorchesterHarmonia Mundi HMM 902334 (CD, 24/96). 2024. Martin Sauer, prod.; Julian Schwenkner, eng.
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Nov 1, 2024 | 
positive-feedback.com | Stephen Francis Vasta
Schumann Symphony 4 (orig. vers.); Manfred Overture. Yun: Cello Concerto. Jaemin Han, cello; Korean National Symphony Orchestra/David Reiland. Decca Records (Korea). Downloads and streams: music.apple.com; plixid.net (FLAC 24/96); qobuz.com (16/44.1); spotify.com; uk.7digital.com (M4A, MP3, FLAC)Universal, the current parent company of Decca and Deutsche Grammophon, has been unusually unforthcoming about this particular production.
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Oct 11, 2024 | 
stereophile.com | Jason Victor Serinus |Stephen Francis Vasta
Mozart: Symphonies 29 & 33, Clarinet ConcertoAkademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Bernhard Forck, concertmaster; Ernst Schlader, bass clarinetPentatone PTC5187208 (auditioned as 24/96 FLAC). 2024. Michael Havenstein, prod., Teldex Studio, Berlin, eng. Performance ****½Sonics ****½If you turn to this recording for Mozart's beloved Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K.622, you will likely end up happy.
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Sep 9, 2024 | 
positive-feedback.com | Stephen Francis Vasta
Mahler: Symphony 4. Netania Davrath, soprano; Utah Symphony/Maurice Abravanel. Vanguard Classics SVC-24 (CD, 1995, orig. rec. 1968). TT: 52.14Downloads: archive.org (processed from LP); ca.7digital.com (Canada only); us.7digital.com (U.S. only)The charismatic Leonard Bernstein, with his equally prodigious gifts for music and self-promotion, has been accepted unquestioningly in many quarters as the great Mahler pioneer, but the truth is more complicated.
