http://www.audaud.com DVD Reviews, CD Reviews, SACD Reviews - Audiophile Audition en-us http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4462 Peter Yellin - How Long Has This Been Going On? - Jazzed Media JM 1037, 56:29  ****: (Peter Yellin, alto and soprano sax; Bob Mintzer, tenor sax; Renee Rosnes, piano; Dwayne Burno, bass, Winard Harper, drums - Special guests: Harvey S., bass; Peter Leitch, guitar; Bill Hart, drums; Michael Wolfe, piano; Sheila Jordan, vocal on track 8) It’s been nearly 10 years since veteran Peter Yellin has had a recording date. Thank goodness, Graham Carter’s Jazzed Media label recognizes neglected ... 07/08/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4461 The Carl Saunders Exploration - The Lost Bill Holman Charts - MAMA 103, 54:32  ****1/2: (Carl Saunders, trumpet and flugelhorn; Pete Christlieb, tenor sax; Andy Martin, trombone; Bob Efford, baritone sax; Christian Jacob, piano; Kevin Axt, bass; Santo Savino, drums -Special guest: Sam Most, flute and baritone sax) Carl Saunders is thought by many to be the supreme trumpeter on the West Coast. Based out of Los Angeles, and quite active in Las Vegas, Saunders is a brilliant lead trumpet... 07/08/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4460 Pioneer Develops 400 GB Blu-ray Discs -  By pushing the storage capacity of the Blu-ray disc from a present 50 GB up to 400 GB, Pioneer feels that the number of discs to be used could be greatly reduced and contribute to the conservation of resources.  You could have the entire Godfather series on a single disc! The new technology is compatible with current BD discs but uses 16 layers on one disc vs. the present two layers. Sony had noted previously that Blu-ray could be scaleable up t... 07/08/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4459 Logitech® Harmony® One Advanced Universal Remote SRP: $249.99     Features: Large Internet-based component database Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP or Mac OS X with Safari 1.0 2 Megabytes Non-volatile flash memory Backlit LCD 84 x 48 pixels 56 top mounted hard buttons Infrared sensor USB Interface Speaker Package Contents Harmony® One remote control Charging station USB cable AC adapter Lithium-ion battery Installation CD Installation guide 1-year limited hardware wa... 07/07/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4458 Rudolf Firkusny, piano = SCHUBERT: Three Pieces, D. 946; MARTINU: Fantasia et Toccata; MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition; CHOPIN: Mazurka , Op. 63, No. 3; SMETANA: Furiant; Concert Etude BBC Legends BBCL 4238-2, 75:54 [Distr. by Koch] ****: The Queen Elizabeth Hall, London recital 21 February 1980 by esteemed Czech virtuoso Rudolf Firkusny (1912-1994) grants us some delights previously unavailable in the Firkusny record catalogue, including the 1940 Fantasia et Toccata by his good frie... 07/07/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4457 RACHMANINOV: Symphony No. 2 in E minor Op. 27; RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Capriccio Espagnol Op. 34 - Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra/Edo de Waart - PentaTone Multichannel (4.0) RQR SACD PTC 5186 153, 70:35 *** [Distr. by Naxos]: This is a popular symphony from the great Russian composer who lived until 1943.  Today we may forget that during his career his standing as a composer surprisingly fluctuated frequently and he made his mark more as a pianist and conductor.  His richly colorful soun... 07/07/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4456 Benjamin Herman Plays Jaki Byard - A Records (Challenge) Multichannel SACD SAAL 75120, 50:36 **** [Distr. by Allegro]: (Benjamin Herman, saxophones; Pierre Christophe, piano; Jas Machtel, doublebass; Joost van Schalk, drums) I wasn’t familiar with saxist Herman.  He began playing the sax at age 12, made a name for himself while a teenager, and is today regarded as one of the most original and productive jazz musicians in the Netherlands.  Like many  Dutch musicians, he likes... 07/07/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4455 “Shakespeare’s Tempest” - SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN: Incidental music for The Tempest; JEAN SIBELIUS: Prelude & Suites #2 & #1 from Incidental music for The Tempest - Kansas City Symphony/ Michael Stern - Reference Recordings HDCD RR-115, 68:40 ***** [Distr. by Allegro]: I haven’t included HDCD-encoded standard CDs in our Hi-Res section before, but I feel this one is a cut above the normal CD sonically, in the same way some xrcds and the K2 HD discs of F.I.M. are - even though they all must... 07/07/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4454 TCHAIKOVSKY: The Tragic Life of a Musical Genius (1996) Starring: Ed Stoppard, William Mannerling, Alice Glover, Gyuri Sarossey Studio: BBC Video 3000015766 [Distr. by Warner Home Video] Video: Enhanced for 16:9, color Audio: PCM Stereo Extras: Featurette "Who Killed Tchaikovsky?" Length: 116 mins. Rating: ****   This two-part docu-drama was produced for British television by Suzy Klein, who also wrote the script. Conductor Charles Hazlewood acts a commentator and tour-guide, le... 07/07/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4453 Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau = MAHLER: Kindertotenlieder; Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (two performances) - Dietrich Fiscer-Dieskau, baritone/NWDR Sinfonieorcheter/Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt/Cologne Radio-Symphony Orchestra/Otto Ackermann/Orchestre National de France/Carl Schuricht Tahra Les Grands Interpretes TAH 646, 56:47 [Distrib. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Except for the collaboration on the Songs of a Wayfarer with Carl Schuricht (9 September 1957) from Besancon which appeared on the pirat... 07/07/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4452 Mon Oncle Antoine (1971) Director: Claude Jutra Studio: National Film Board of Canada/The Criterion Collection 438 [Release date: July 8, 08] Video: 1.66:1 enhanced for 16:9, color Audio: French or dubbed English, DD mono (center chan. or L & R channels) Subtitles: English Extras: Theatrical trailer, “On Screen! “Mon oncle Antoine” (2007 documentary), “Claude Jutra: An Unfinished Story (2002 documentary), “A Chairy Tale” (1957 pixelated short codirected by Jutra and Norman McLaren, I... 07/06/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4451 The Moody Blues Live: Lovely to See You (2005), Blu-ray Studio: Image Entertainment Video: 1.78 Enhanced for 16:9 widescreen, color, 1080p HD Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, PCM stereo Extras: Interview with The Moody Blues Length: 105 minutes Rating: **** Since we reviewed the original DVD of this two-and-one-half years ago, I’ll just paste that here to save you having to use our site search and at the end add my Blu-ray comments: The original Moodys have been doi... 07/06/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4450 SCHUBERT: String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D. 810 “Death and the Maiden” (arr. Lieberman); BARTOK: String Quartet No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 7 (arr. Lieberman) - The American String Project - MSR Classics 1269, 69:41 [Distr. by Albany] ***: The America String Project (founded 9-11-01) is a conductorless orchestra on the pattern of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra; and like that group, the ensemble shifts the leadership position of concertmaster around, so that, respectively, Ani Kavafian and Jorja F... 07/06/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4449 J.S. BACH: The Six French Suites, BWV 812-817 - Evgeni Koroliov, pian - Tacet 161, (2 CDs) 53:41; 55:06 [www.tacet.de] **: Prior to having auditioned this set of French Suites, I had not known--except perhaps in passing of his prize at the 1973 Van Cliburn Competition--the artistry of Moscow-born Egveni Korliov (b. 1949), whose catalogue for Tacet embraces composers as diverse as Schumann, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, and Prokofiev. His is a fine cantabile style, certainly a soft palette t... 07/06/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4448 Jumper, Blu-ray (2008) Starring: Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Diane Lane  Directed by: Doug Liman Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Video: 2.35:1 anamorphic/enhanced for 16:9, 1080p HD Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Lossless Audio; French or Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean Supplements: Audio commentary with Director Doug Liman, Writer/Producer Simon Kinberg and Producer L... 07/05/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4447 RICHARD WAGNER: Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) Performers: Bengt Rundgren, Catarina Ligendza, Hermann Winkler, Ruth Hesse, Harald Ek, Donald McIntyre Bavarian State Opera, conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch Adapted and directed by Vaclav Kaslik Set design: Gerd Krauss and Herbert Strabel Studio: Deutsche Grammophon [Distr. by Universal] Video: 4:3 color; no region code Audio: German PCM stereo, DTS 5.1 Subtitles: German, English, French, Spanish, and Chinese Time: 117 mi... 07/05/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4446 McCoy Tyner Quartet - New York Reunion - Chesky Multichannel SACD 334, 74:37 ****: (with Joe Henderson, tenor sax; Ron Carter, bass; Al Foster, drums) This excellent Chesky release first saw the light of day as a new CD release in 1991.  Then in 2001 it was reissued as a stereo SACD and below is basically the review of that one with added surround comments: I'm not a big fan of Tyner, but I am of both Henderson and Carter, and find this eight-tune session a gem both for their contr... 07/05/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4445 “Stardust Melody” - Beloved and Rare Songs of Hoagy Carmichael - A Records (Challenge) Multichannel SACD SAAL 75103, 71:35 ***** [Distr. by Allegro]: (Barbara Lea, vocals; Bob Dorough, piano & vocals; Jon Ferguson, bass & vocals; Dick Sudhalter, trumpet & Fluegelhorn; Dan Levinson, clarinet & C-melody/tenor saxes; Tom Artin, trombone; Ben Aronov, piano; Howard Alden, guitar; Joe Cocuzzo, drums; Sy Johnson & Keith Nichols, arrangements) Don’t know how I missed this delig... 07/05/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4444 Karrin Allyson - Imagina (Songs of Brasil) - Concord Jazz 30428, 1 hour *****: (Karrin Allyson, vocals & piano;  Rod Fleeman, acoustic guitar; Gil Goldstein, piano & accordion; Steve Nelson, marimba & vibes; David Finck, acoustic bass; Todd Strait, drums; Michael Spiro, percussion) What a fine contribution to this second wave of bossa nova Karrin Allyson is offering!  She delivers the lyrics in Portuguese, sounding like a real carioca, and she combines them within the... 07/05/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4443 Wilhelm Furtwangler Conducts = BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92; J. STRAUSS: Emperor Waltz; WEBER: Oberon Overture; MENDELSSOHN: Fingal’s Cave Overture, Op. 36; WAGNER: Die Meistersinger: Prelude, Act I - Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Wilhelm Furtwaengler Opus Kura OPK 2068, 77:48 [Distr. by Albany] ****: More, even much-trod Furtwaengler postwar materials, 1949-1950, for which Opus Kura has decided to transfer the 78rpm shellac sources rather than transcribe the tape original... 07/04/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4442 ALLEN SHAWN: The Music Teacher – Sarah Wolfson (Aeola)/ Jeffrey Picon (Alcimedes)/ Jason Forbach (Chronilos)/ Rebecca Robbins (vocalist)/ Elisa Cordova, Kristin Knutson, Lauren Jelencovich (Servant Girls and Students)/ Derek Basthemer, Ross Benoliel, Stefanie Nava, Kristina Valada-Vlars (Students)/ Parker Posey (Jane)/ Wallace Shawn (Mr. Smith)/ Halley Wegryn Gross (Student)/ Elizabeth Berkley (Stewardess)/ Bart Feller, flute/ Steven D. Hartman, clarinet/ Lino Gomez, sax/ Whitney LaGrange, violi... 07/04/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4441 Radical Changes in the Record Industry - A new survey from the British record industry body, the BPI, shows that the big music firms in the UK are earning increasing monies from activities other than selling CDs and digital downloads. Licensing songs, merchandising and tours are some of the new deals which have accounted for over 11% of firms’ income. Digital formats made up 85% of Top 20 singles sales and 8.6% of total record sales in the UK. Since online music outlets began offering downloads ... 07/04/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4440 The David Hazeltine Trio - The Jobim Songbook in New York - Chesky Records Multichannel SACD 328, 1 hour ****: (David Hazeltine, piano; Nat Reeves, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums) Pianist Hazeltine keeps busy performing and recording in New York City, comes from with both classical and jazz chops, and according to the liner notes “seems never to have met a song he couldn’t rearrange.”  That’s what he did here with 11 songs by Brazilian  master composer Antonio Carlos Jobim.  Ha... 07/03/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4439 ANONYMOUS: Estampies & Danses Royales: Le Manuscrit du Roi - Arranged and performed by Jordi Savall and Hespèrion XXI - Alia Vox AVSA 857 Multichannel SACD, 72 minutes. ***** [Distr. by Harmonia mundi]: How does Jordi Savall come by these ancient manuscripts? This latest one, a collection of French dances (estampies) from the 13th century Le Manuscrit du Roi, was discovered in 1907 by French musicologist Pierre Aubry. For the last hundred years bits and pieces of it were adapted by variou... 07/03/2008 http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=4438 Bernstein Conducts SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 9; SCHUMANN: Manfred Overture (1987/1985) Performers: Leonard Bernstein conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony in the Congress Hall of the German Museum in Munich (Schubert) and the Musikvereinsaal  in Vienna (Schumann) Studio: EuroArts/ Medici Arts 2072168 [Distr. by Naxos] Video: 4:3 color Audio: DTS 5.1; DD 5.1; PCM Stereo No Region Coding Length: 77 minutes Rating: ***** The Schubert Ninth was a specialty of Leonard Bernstein, and he w... 07/03/2008