Baden-Baden

Baden-Baden

Track Listings

1. Brautlied

2. Straße

3. Panorama

4. Verkehr

5. Ignaz Guenther House

6. Baden-Baden

7. Song for Europe

Tracks:

Berimbau
Garota De Ipanema
Deve Ser Amor
Samba Triste
Jesus Alegria Dos Homens
Folha Morta
Formosa
Vou Deitar E Rolar
Dora
Ingenuo
Pai
Maritima
Choro Para Metronomo
Mais Ne Rigole Pas

Tracks:

Xango
Samba Do Aviao
A Primeira Vez
Eu Vim Da Bahia
Feitinha Pro Poeta
Canto De Ossanha
Saudades De Marcia
Round About Midnight
Asa Branca
Samba Em Preludio
Samba Do Pintinho
Coisa N.1
Discussao
Amelia
Samba Da Bencao

Customer Reviews:

Stunning musicianship, must-have album .......2007-04-01

I admit I haven't heard much of Baden Powell apart from this album, but I find it hard to imagine there can be anything better. For an introduction to BP, this is the one to get.

BP is absolutely scintillating on these 2 CDs. All are French recordings, the 1st CD from his Barclay work, the 2nd from Festival. There is a huge variety of music considering it all comes from the one artist.

Perhaps I'm biased, but after many listens I have to say every track is a masterpiece. This is wonderful guitar playing from start to finish, and if I had to try to categorise (impossible!) then the closest I could get would be Bossa meets Bach meets The Boss BP!

MOST IMPACTFUL ALBUM TO ME IN 2004.......2005-05-26

I had not known Baden Powell, and can thank DJ Ann Porotti's "All That Jazz" on WTJUfm in Charlottesville, VA (UVA) for introducing me. Having now listened to this album many, many times, particularly the second disc, which I prefer (altho both are great) - I can say that this album, more than any other in 2004, really impacted me and opened my ears to another area of listening.

Powell swings, picks, vocalizes background, and this music can serve as background or mood music - the album is just great. I do not know the language, and don't relate to the track titles, so I listen to his album as I do opera, for the pure sound. It's terrific guitar playing, and great overall music.

Essential listening for guitar enthusiasts.......2004-05-15

This is a great distillation of the European recordings of Baden Powell.

The theme selection and the quality of the sound is superb. I say this up front because these should be the top priorities in releasing recorded music.

The rest of the production, however, seems a bit rushed (at least on the unit that I own). The graphic design is lovely, and the photos are great, but the copy is in two languages: English is used for the general notes and the technical data on each track, but the individual track notes are in portuguese. Fortunately, I can read both languages. The individual track notes are short, so if you aren't bilingual, don't worry. You won't be missing a whole lot.

Also, on disc 1, track number 6 is labeled "Folha Morta", but it really is "Valsa de Euridice". The confusion may have arisen because it is taken from a live show and you can hear Baden warming up with "Folha Morta" for a few seconds before breaking into "Euridice".

All in all, this is a great way to add some essential Baden Powell tracks to your collection without breaking the bank (Baden went through a frenzy of releases in the 60's and 70's, so there is a *LOT* of material out there).

Brilliant!!!.......2004-02-09

thank God for cable music channels...i was surfing one night, and heard baden powell playing his rendition of the classic "round midnight"...

Tracks:

Carmen Fantasy
Zigeunerweisen
Malaguena
Habanero
Romanza Andaluza
Jota Navarra
Playera
Zapateado
No. 7, Op. 26
No. 8, Op.26
Navarra Op.33
Caprice Basque, Op. 24

Amazon.com

Aaron Rosand is one of our greatest violinists, whether you know him or not. Listening to him dig into these showpieces, you hear phenomenal facility, tremendous tonal quality and variety, and the musical impulse to make the lightweight music come alive. It's all quite exciting, especially if you have my taste for these delightful Spanish tidbits, some of the best violin encores ever composed. I'm pleased that this bargain reissue restores the correct name of Eileen Flissler, Rosand's late wife, who appeared under a pseudonym on the original LP issue because Vox didn't want Sarasate played by a female pianist. Figure that one out! --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Something New.......2007-06-01

I don't have much to say other than that this recording by master Rosand is the absolute definition of what "Art" really is. This great violinst is an artist of supreme ability and profound insight musically. I personally(and other people as well) believe that his recording of Carmen Fantasy is most likely one of his absolute greatest life-time achievements. I have purchased his wonderful set of Bach sonatas, and the only thing that is greater in my opinon is the recording of the Carmen Fantasy. There is so much feeling and emotion throughout the recording of that peice, that I am always moved and inspired by the sounds he manages to produce, and the feelings expressed in those sounds. This violinists abilities are on or past the level of the legendary Heifetz and all of the other great artists of the famed Auer lineage of Violin playing.

The only negative thing I have to say about it, is that I truly feel sorry for anyone who has not heard this disc, and the art that this great artist shares with us.

Thanks so Much, Mr. Rosand. Your the best!

Stars are not enough.......2007-03-06

I really surprised that some reviewers have given less than 5 stars to this recording. What is expected actually? Is there a better Sarasate recording? Is there man / woman on earth, playing Sarasate better?
Listening Aaron Rosand playing Sarasate is a joy. For me, it is an opportunity to appreciate the quality and the boundries of the instrument that we call violin.

Wonderful expressiveness.......2004-06-25

Rosand is a superb musician. He's a honest , convinced and meticulously artist.
I could watch his craft twice in Caracas in 1978 and 1980 and I saw in Paganini No. 1 and Sibelius . I must confess his presence is very far to be arrogant; and gifted with charisma.
His Sarasate reading is overwhelming. He knows how to get the perfect balance in every little piece. His Gipsy airs with Fodor version are the best in the market . The golden pieces are the Basque caprice , Navarra , Zapateao and Malagueña.
Acquire this album because despite the miniathurist composer who Sarasate was, the rapture feeling given by Rosand deserves for you the effort.
You'll be amazed if you still haven't had the chance to listen this great artist.

Technical exercise vs. musical composition.......2002-11-15

Firstly, Aaron Rosand is rivaled by a mere few regarding virtuosity. Having said that, this disc is simply an expressive compilation of technical showmanship rather than musical enlightenment. Glissando! For the sake of all that is pure and Holy. Cat fights have no place in the repertoire of any violinist! Excessive vibrato, rubato and other "tricks of the trade" pervade this disc like locusts descending on the crops of the Heartland. Mr. Rosand knows (and has demonstrated through numerous recordings) the sweetness and emotional content of the instrument better than most. Only he will ever know why he recorded the disturbing content of the disc.

eh, its okay.......2002-02-25

...I was expecting more. He is technically pretty good. No mistakes anywhere, so its probably good for a student wanting to learn the piece, and needing a good role model or something. I think The recording is just sort of lackluster, and is devoid of the passion that a violinist should exhibit when playing any of sarasate's showpieces. THe pieces sort of serve as skeletons upon which substance should really be added. I sort of regret not holding out for a more passionate violinist (*cough* vengerov *cough*) to release the sarasate spanish dances. Oh well, another cd of mine that will do nothing but collect dust.

Dvorák: Symphonies Nos. 1-9; In Nature; Serenade for Winds; Serenade for Strings, etc.

Average customer rating:

Great value!

Dvorák: Symphonies Nos. 1-9; In Nature; Serenade for Winds; Serenade for Strings, etc.

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Sibelius: The 7 Symphonies; Finlandia; Kullervo; etc.
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Ludwig van Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies - Arturo Toscanini / NBC Symphony Orchestra

ASIN: B000A6T2KI
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Customer Reviews:

Great value!.......2007-06-01

I think this 7 cd set is totally worth the low price.
I can't find any review of this set of CDs online, so I did some research after I bought it.
It is the first CD release of Sir Andrew Davis's complete Dvorak's symphonies.
These recordings were made between 1978-1982 by CBS. (ADD/DDD)
SONY DSD remaster eliminated most of the early digital sound problems.
PO players produced warm and dramatic sounds.
The still young Andrew Davis did a great job adding his personal reading of the scores. I like his slower tempo treatment of Symphony No. 9.
Symphony no.1,3 and the Carnival overture are also great.
Only down side is the linear notes is too short, and lack of detail.
Dvorak's music always bring me the love for life. I hope you will enjoy it too.

More of the Most Relaxing Guitar Music in the Universe

Average customer rating:

I rate this a perfect 10 **********

More of the Most Relaxing Guitar Music in the Universe

Manufacturer: Savoy Jazz
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000AQ69OU
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

Introduction Et Variation Sur L'Air 'Que Ne Suis-Je FougereI' Op.26 - Sor
Cinq Preludes Pour Guitare No.4 - Villa-Lobos
Variations Sur Un Theme De Django Reinhardt - Brouwer
Die Post - Schubert
Cinq Preludes Pour Guitare No.2 - Villa-Lobos
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Pavanas - Sanz
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Studio In A Major, Op.6 No.12 Andante - Sor
Lagrima - Tarrega
Granada, Op.47 No.1 - Albeniz
Danza - Moreno-Torroba
Baden Jazz Suite 'Hommage A Baden Powell' III. Berceuse - Jirmal
When The Fire Burns Low - Towner
A Song Of Early Spring - Arr. Takemitsu

Tracks:

Danza Espanola - Granados
Douze Etudes Pour Guitare No.8 Modere - Villa-Lobos
Reverie, Op.53 No.1 Andante Sostenuto - Coste
Lecon In E Major, Op.31 No.23 Mouvment De Priere Religieuse - Sor
Cinq PreludesPour Guitare No.1 - Villa-Lobos
Andante Extrait De La Fantasie Symphonique De L'Auteur, Op.38 - Coste
Nocturno - Moreno-Torroba
7 Diferenias Sobre 'Guardame Las Vacas' - Narvaez
Cinq Preludes Pour Guitare No.5 - Villa-Lobos
Quartet No.1 In A Minor II. Andantino For Violin, Cello & Guitar - Paganini
El Testmento D' Amelia - Folksong Of Catalan/Arr. Lobet
Terzetto In D Major 1. Allegro For Violin, Cell & Guitar - Paganini
Valse In E Major - Sor
Cinq Preludes Pour Guitare Ne.3 - Villa-Lobos
Londonderry Air - Arr. Takemitsu

Customer Reviews:

I rate this a perfect 10 **********.......2006-02-25

A Classical guitarist and collector of the genre, I can only rave about this cd. I purchased several of these cd's for my close friends and family. The two Paganini pieces are awsome.
Hopefully, Denon will produce more of the same. This time they supply the names of their artists. Well Done! Bravo!

Average customer rating:

Muy Triste (Very Sad)
Magnificent
Baden Powell is splendid
Beyond human comprehension!!!
Perfection

Personalidade
Baden Powell
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000046MR
Release Date: 1993-02-23

Tracks:

Viagem
Das Rosas
Apelo
Chao De Estrelas
Consolacao
Carinhoso
Garota De Ipanema
Euridice
Samba Triste
Lamento
E De Lei
Tempo Feliz
A Lenda Do Abaete
Deixa

Customer Reviews:

Muy Triste (Very Sad).......2006-10-25

Oh, I love this CD...that is why I kick myself everytime I think about how I lent it out, "Oh, don't worry dude, I just wanna burn a copy and then I'll give it right back. Honest. I swear..."

Well, I don't even have to tell you what happened, do I? I haven't seen that person or that CD in months, but I remember when I did have this CD, it was like Love at First Listen and that is unusual for a CD to take that strong of a hold on me on the first take. Usually I listen to an album three or four times and I "swirl" each song in my head and decide whether or not I like it, but with this one, I was able to unwrap the CD, put it in the stereo, sit back, and melt. I've never heard such gorgeous music in my whole life.

I don't know what genre this is classified as. Latin? Jazz? Latin Jazz? I really can't nor do I want to "peg" this recording. It almost seems kind of unfair to brand it and put it into a category. Let's just say that if you did manage to listen to all the samples without taking out your credit card and giving amazon your information, you're a pretty strong individual because I knew even before I had the CD in my hands that I had to have it.

And now it's gone and now I'm sad, but like with former lovers, sometimes the parting is just bittersweet. Yeah, I know I'm being melodramatic, but hey, this is my drama, okay?

Geesh.

So if you're reading this Mr. Sticky Fingers, and you know who you are, I hope you know that you brought a 6'1", 205lb man to tears. Just leave it on my doorstep and I won't ask any questions....

Sigh...

I'm gonna have to buy this again, huh?

Oh, well....

Peace & Blessings.

Peace

Magnificent.......2004-11-05

Baden Powell was a genius, a magician, a wizard . . . the shaman of the acoustic guitar. This is not "classical guitar" playing. No matter how many "classical guitarists" you have heard, you have no idea how much passion can be conveyed through this instrument unless you have listened to Baden Powell. Only Roland Dyens among living guitarists comes close. It is my personal theory that Dyens was inspired by Powell, who was living and touring in France and Germany while Dyens was a teenager. I have over 5,000 recordings of all kinds of music. If I had to save 5 or 6 cd's from a fire, Baden Powell's "Personalidade" and "Seresta Brasileira" would be among them. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about this music. The first 3 tracks here, "Viagem", "Das Rosas" (by Dori Caymmi), and the awe-inspiring "Apelo" I listen to almost every day. No musician I have ever heard communicates from the heart like Baden Powell . . . love, passion, longing, nostalgia, romance, heartbreak, fragile beauty. I thank God that he played guitar, the instrument of poetry. Perhaps Baden came to us from the planet "Guitar", to which he has now returned to play eternal duets with fellow native Joe Pass. In heaven, if I make it, I will spend my evenings sitting next to Jobim and listening to Baden, Joe and Roland, who undoubtedly will have shown up at the gig by then, improvising on "Round Midnight" and "Manha de Carnaval".

Baden Powell is splendid.......2001-07-30

Baden Powell was probably the most important and brilliant brazilian guitarrist ever. He's absolutely original, passionate, intense, aggressive yet sweet and melancolic some times. He was one of the most renowned and influential guitarrists in the world during the 70's, while he was living in Europe, most of time in Germany and France. However, for some strange reason, after he came back to Brazil in the 80's, his name started loosing fame and prestige. This CD has a very interesting selection of some of his most important songs. Some tracks are especially important: "Lenda do Abaete" shows one of his most amazing guitar techniques: Baden had a special and unique kind of rasgueado (very different from Spanish Flamenco, though) and he was able to play melodies that way, resulting in a very vigorous and unbelievable playing. "Viagem", by its turn, shows a very romantic and sweet Baden Powell playing with an orchestra. "Samba Triste" is absolutely incredible in terms of harmony and beauty. Baden has released over 35 discs from 1963 through 2001, when we lost him. Don't miss this CD, as well as "The Frankfurt Opera Concert" (absolutely amazing), "Os Afro-Sambas", "Brazil Guitar Magic" (compilation with Laurindo Almeida) and "Suite Afro-Consolacao".

Beyond human comprehension!!!.......1999-05-01

If you have ears, you must buy this record! It is an incredible, topographal overview of a little-known genius' work over 40 years. Let me preface, by first saying, there are no words, I repeat, nothing you can say, to communicate what goes on in this man, that is *precisely* why what comes out of him through that guitar will open a whole new world to you. I am a new Powell fan after hearing the incredible percussionist, Cyro Baptista praise him on a PBS World Music Special in the fall of 1998. Cyro said Baden gave the fast samba, and the complex playing style, definition, and there is much more to him than samba rythym. The things I heard in a 15 second clip of a 60's concert eminating from Powell, concerned me enough that there were things in music, so far beyond normal composition, above the shelf of everyday music, and so overlooked by the world in general, I had to buy it. The insane chords, rythyms, layerings, counterparts within his 3 piece! How could the world, especially musicians, for so long have ignored this mad-man?!?!? He can take a beautiful, airy, classical quote, say a Debussy-ish line, imply a tight pocketted samba rythym that may or may not actually exist or be audible, and make you cry and at the same time, be lost in a state of awe and wonder, probably much like the first time you took breath. I say it again, there are no words to describe the feelings that come from his brain through his fingers, out of that guitar. I cannot plead to you enough, if you take interest in music at all, regardless of the age, flavor or your attitude, you must listen to this man's work and use it to expand your own. Amazon is the first resource at all, for Baden that I have found, other than fan web site's listing LPs out of print. I have looked for 7 month's in major music stores, only to find this album, and one or two others. I have called major music catalogs, they haven't even heard of him. Amazon has easily over 15 recordings of this mystery man. For the very reason you loved music in the first place, check this man out.

Perfection.......1998-11-26

Mission: impossible. To put together the best of Baden Powell we would probably need the largest/longest CD ever. Dweller of the girl from Ipanema days, Baden joined the bossa-nova headquarters in its early years. A virtuose of the guitar, jazz, pop and afro-sambas with Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, repeated successful tours around Europe and USA, a forty years old musical career and a strong devotion to perfection lifts him up to the top level of cool. The album is definitly a must listen and the guys putting that compilation together were extremely fortunate.

Xenakis: Orchestral Works & Chamber Music

Average customer rating:

Promise unfulfilled
THE introduction to Xenakis
Xenakis! Yeah Baby, That's What I'm Talking About!
"N'Shima", "Metastaseis", and "Jonchaies" are highlights
A strong disc that showcases Xenakis' remarkable style

Xenakis: Orchestral Works & Chamber Music
Iannis Xenakis , Safir , Swf So Baden-Baden , and Rosbaud
Manufacturer: Col Legno
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004SZVO
Release Date: 2000-04-15

Customer Reviews:

Promise unfulfilled.......2007-06-05

The composer Xenakis brings most to mind is George Antheil. Both composers made a huge initial splash. But repeated listening to these pieces reveals that they are little more than empty effect. Although dates of the pieces here span two or three decades, all of the music is rooted firmly in the sixties. There are many composers who experimented with similar textures during this period. But for the best of breed, this kind of music became an important part--but only a part--of a larger toolkit. Without this experimentalism, we'd have never had Ligeti's "San Francisco Polyphony" or Lutoslawski's mighty "Third Symphony". But Xenakis appears to feel that the effect is the thing. There's not much in this music beyond theatricality.

This has often been considered to be groundbreaking music. But it's important to build something after breaking ground. Xenakis has left us an empty lot.

THE introduction to Xenakis.......2007-02-11

The Col legno label's "Orchestral works and chamber music" discs are usually overpriced and contain second-rate material. But on this collection of the music of Iannis Xenakis, we get several excellent pieces in historical performances, with surprising good sound quality.

Just for this recording of "Metastasis" alone the disc is worth for the price. This work, written for large orchestra between 1953 and 1954, was Xenakis' first mature effort. Of great proportions indeed, "Metastasis" has 61 instrumentalists playing 61 different parts. The opening is stunning, gradually each of the strings enters sustaining a single note, creating a massive wall of sound before some strings go astray via glissandi to other notes and pizzicato playing and the rest of the orchestra shows up. Closely related to the composer's design of the Couvent de la Tourette near Lyons, much of the dynamics of this first portion is based on the Fibonacci sequence, with nearly every decision in the work, from the structures of intervals to the length of dynamics and tones. The second section is more traditional, as the bulk of the orchestral forces remain silent with some strings playing a contrapuntal passage with drumrolls in the background and the occasional spotting of brass. This recording documents the world-premiere at the 1955 Donaueschinger Musiktage, where the SWF Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Rosbaud perform. While slightly lesser in sound-quality than the other two widely-available recordings, this one was considered to be the best by Xenakis, and even in 1950s mono sound it packs a tremendous punch.

Almost two decades passed between "Metastasis" and the next piece here. "Charisma" (1971) is written for clarinet, here Hans Deinzer, and cello, here the great Siegfried Palm. Unlike the wild energy typical of much of Xenakis' work, this duo consists of long-held sonorities and pregnant silences. Alone of the pieces here, it tends toward the forgettable, but some of the weird, noise-like sounds evoked unusual attacks on the instruments are quite interesting.

"N'Shima" (1975) is the only work here to include voices, and is also the smallest piece for ensemble. Two female voices, singing from a Hebrew text, are combined with two horns, two trombones, and a cello. The piece was rigorously constructed with the aid of a computer to create melodic patterns from probabilities, but the result, far from seeming inhuman or lifeless, is immensely elegant. Throughout each of the piece's six sections, a particular combination of instruments is explored, starting with voice and horns, the cello paired with breath sounds, and so forth. A strong effort, and this performance by Les Jeunes Solistes conducted by Rachid Safir, recorded at a 1991 festival in Metz, is admirably clear and confident.

In "Jonchaies" (1977) Xenakis returns to the massively large orchestra of "Metastasis", with 109 musicians, quadruple winds, six percussionists, and an extra-large string section. The piece is one of his late masterpieces, and it's got it all. The opening is for string alone, starting off with repetitive bowing reminiscent of the PSYCHO shower scene, then falling into some of Xenakis' most straightfowardly melodical writing. Gamelan-like sonorities appear in a long string continuum. Then, the piece launches into a series of rhythmic pulsations, with bouncy writing on drums and low strings similar to Per Norgard's much later piece "Terrains Vagues". The energy never lets up, even with most of the orchestra occasionally drops out to highlight one group. Gilbert Amy leads the Nouvel Orchesre Philharmonique in a splendid performance.

"Ata" (1987) similarly opens with a passage for string alone, but its main facet is not rhythm but texture. Overall it's one of the least "strange" pieces Xenakis wrote, resembling some of the work of Magnus Lindberg like "Fresco" or "Arena". I would have started the disc with "Metastasis" to show the fury that Xenakis is all about, but Col legno did well by putting this piece early to help new listeners gently acclimate to the composer's soundworld. This recording is from the premiere at the 1988 Donaueschinger Musiktage, with Michael Gielen leading the SWF Symphony.

"Ioolkos" (1996) was another piece premiered at Donaueschingen, and this recording is of that performance by the SWF Symphony Orchestra led by Kwame Ryan. In its numerous clusters and strong counterpoint, it looks back to "Metastasis", which appeared forty-one years earlier by the same orchestra at the same festival. However, it is much slower and a bit shorter, taking the gentle soundworld of "Ata" a bit further.

Xenakis was a notoriously inconsistent composer, and a few of his works are even well-nigh unlistenable. However, the material collected here is of a very high standard indeed. Unfortunately, the liner notes here, amounting to a single small paragraph on each work, are among the most unsubstantial I've ever seen. Fans of the composer would do best to seek out James Harley's excellent guide XENAKIS (Routledge, 2004) which covers the composer's entire oeuvre--don't worry, it doesn't assume that one can read music.

Xenakis! Yeah Baby, That's What I'm Talking About! .......2006-09-09

Initially I was hesitant in buying this CD. Primarily I wanted to hear the relatively famous "Metastaseis". This was it's premiere performance and recording under conductor Hans Rosbaud, it dates from 1955. I was suspicious that the sound wouldn't be great, how wrong was I to worry! The sound is unbelievable, better than many modern digital recordings in fact. The great strength of this piece is still well apparent even after the dilution of this type of musical idiom by other avant-garde composers not to mention the constant borrowings of Hollywood film musicians.

However fine "Metastaseis" is, there are plenty of other experimental works to be found here. For instance, track 2 called "N'Shima" (1975) has some truly wacked out vocal work, perfect background music for people who like to get drunk or high? Ha!

Another surprise was track 6, titled "Jonchaies" (1977). Is the opening an overt tongue-in-cheek jab at movie composer Bernard Herrmann? I know that Herrmann was certainly influenced by the avant-garde movements during the mid-century and incorporated it's ideas into his own film scores, Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" being one of them. So was Xenakis consciously trying to quote the score of "Psycho" so as to get back at Herrmann's continual lifting of ideas from avant-gardists like Xenakis himself in the first place? Can it all be just a coincidence? Who knows?

You'll have plenty of musical fun with this disc I assure you, the later featured Xenakis works are not as persuasive as Metastaseis but it's good to have such a well rounded 67 minute collage of his music on one CD. A definite buy.

"N'Shima", "Metastaseis", and "Jonchaies" are highlights.......2005-05-31

These works are amazing. They are hostile, forbidding, and occasionally terrifying visions of distant, extraterrestrial landscapes.

A strong disc that showcases Xenakis' remarkable style.......2003-12-18

The life of the Greek composer Iannis Xenakis is amongst the most interesting of all 20th century composers: injured and left for dead while fighting as a left-wing partisan against the Nazi occupation of Greece, escaping to France to avoid the death sentence pronounced upon him, teaching himself music and architecture, becoming a major name in both, and pioneering computer-aided composition. This disc in Col Legno's Collage series includes live performances of six works from the 1950s to the 1990s, allowing us to see that Xenakis' musical output is as interesting as his life itself.

The disc opens with the 1987 composition Ata, for large orchestra. This is a typical work in Xenakis' late style, with an overall tempo much slower than the surface activity might suggest and long sequences of atonal block chords overlaid with more dynamic material. The music is tense and energetic throughout, with vibrantly rhythmic, percussive passages keeping the music flowing. This is an excellent piece, superbly performed by the SWF Symphony under the predictably excellent Michael Gielen.

N'Shima, written in 1975, is for an unusual amplified ensemble: two mezzo-sopranos, two horns, two trombones and a cello. It has an intensely ritualistic feel to it, in part because much of the writing is in the same register. At times, this work reminded me of the 1970s music of Giacinto Scelsi, particularly in the incantatory nature of the vocal lines.

Next up is a recording with great historical significance, the 1955 Donaueschingen premiere of Xenakis' then-new Metastaseis. This work must have seemed quite outré to those expecting imitations of the pointillism of Boulez or Stockhausen at that time; with its wailing strings, siren-like brass, hushed percussion effects, glissandi and tone clusters this music now seems far more radical than, say, Le Marteau sans maitre. It is still disturbing listening even today--though it should be: Xenakis said it was in part drawn from his memories of watching crowds scatter under gunfire.

The next two works are less impressive. Ioolkos, written in 1996 and one of Xenakis' last works, might be considered an attempt to revisit the world of Metastaseis from a "late-Xenakis" vantage point. Its slow progress and rather curdled sounds do not appeal to me. Charisma, written in 1971, is a brief and rather fractured duet for cello and clarinet.

The disc closes as it began, with a hyper-energetic work for large orchestra. Jonchaies, written in 1977, is a bona-fide Xenakis classic, emerging from long string glissandi, travelling through more and more intensely rhythmic sections to a large climax before fading out in the sounds of piccolos and tiny bells. This is arguably the strongest work on the whole disc, but, unfortunately, this performance, with the Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique under the French composer Gilbert Amy, has been superseded by a more recent recording on Timpani that has better orchestral playing and a generally higher level of tension (though there is one percussive passage that comes off better in this recording).

Overall, this recording is well-worth considering, particularly for those who have not heard Xenakis' music before. The recording of Ata should be considered as close to definitive as we're likely to get, and only Ioolkos and Charisma--the two shortest works on the disc--are weak. Xenakis' music may not be for everyone, but it has a potential audience much larger than many of the other avant-garde composers (and yes, you could mosh to Ata or to Jonchaies!)

Elliott Carter: Piano Concerto; Concerto for Orchestra; Concerto for Orchestra; Three Occasions
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Amazing performance of an extremely difficult piece

Two interesting but thoroughly ugly concertos, followed by a display of colour

Ugly Ugliness

A classic Carter recording reissued

worth having for the piano concerto-one of EC's best pieces

Elliott Carter: Piano Concerto; Concerto for Orchestra; Concerto for Orchestra; Three Occasions

Manufacturer: Arte Nova Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Music of Elliott Carter Vol. 7; Boston Concerto, Cello Concerto, ASKO Concerto, Dialogues

Elliot Carter: String Quartets 1-4; Elegy

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Elliott Carter: Symphonia: Sum Fluxae Pretium Spei (1993-96) / Clarinet Concerto (1996) (20/21 series) - Oliver Knussen

ASIN: B0009ML2N8
Release Date: 2005-06-14

Tracks:

I
II
Concerto For Orchestra
A Celebration Of 100 x 150 Notes
Remembrance
Anniversary

Customer Reviews:

Amazing performance of an extremely difficult piece.......2007-03-01

I cannot understate the difficulty of the Piano Concerto by Carter which by all measures is difficult. It sways back and forth like the tides of the ocean. The opening is rivetting with its intense rhythmicity.

Two interesting but thoroughly ugly concertos, followed by a display of colour.......2006-10-25

I discovered the ever-controversial composer Elliott Carter through his recent works like the "Symphonia" and the Cello Concerto. "What's the big deal," I thought, "he's no more out there than Lutoslawski or Lindberg, so why the public rage against him?" Well, on this Arte Nova release, a reissue of a 1992 disc, I got an answer. Michael Gielen leads the SWF Symphony Orchestra, with Ursula Oppens as piano soloist.

The two-movement "Piano Concerto" (1964-1965) is notable for its overt dramatic arc. The piano is a lone individual against the orchestral mob, and their interaction is violent. The piano is surrounded by a small ensemble of seven players who seem to support the piano, but are ultimately false comforters to the piano's Job, as Carter puts it. This form has been used successfully in Lutoslawski's cello concerto and Schnittke's viola concerto, and here it holds interest. And as ever, there are delightful experiments with varying rhythms. But there's a major problem with Carter here: his music is totally void of colour. I listen exclusively to modern repertoire, so I've no fear of the atonal, but you'd think an orchestra has more sonorities to offer then the same drab thumps that characterize this piece.

The same problem plagues the single-movement "Concerto for Orchestra" (1969). Still, one can admire the virtuosity present in the writing of all orchestral parts, and the way in which the spotlight is passed from each of the four instrumental groups to another is somewhat elegant. But in addition to Carter's monochromatic palette, the recording of these first two pieces is not ideal, it sounds as if the entire orchestra were playing inside a clown car.

With the "Three Occasions for Orchestra" (1986-1989), Carter has mellowed, and colour is definitely present. These three pieces were composed at different times and merely collected together for convenience. The first, "A Celebration of 100 x 150 Notes" was writen for the Houston Symphony to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Texas. It's a fanfare lasting exactly 150 bars that, for has its uncomprising modernism, has some downright charming writing for brass. "Remembrace" was written as a memorial for Paul Fromm, its sad expanses foretell the middle movement of his "Symphonia". "Anniversary" was written on the occasion of his fiftieth wedding anniversary to his wife Helen Carter, it's an airy piece, though feels somewhat fluffy and insubstantial after a few listens.

The disc comes with liner notes amounting to two pages. These lack any analysis of the pieces, giving instead mere context on when they were written. For more in-depth coverage of the music, I'd recommend David Schiff's THE MUSIC OF ELLIOTT CARTER (Cornell University Press, 1998).

For listening for mere idle pleasure, the recent Carter serves much better. These pieces here have some fascinating rhythmic and programmatic features, which does provide a reason to buy the disc for Carter fans, but the two concertos are pretty ugly music.

Ugly Ugliness.......2006-06-23

and dull....there are pieces that are Beautiful Ugly like Beethoven's Grosse Fugue or Varese's Arcana - but the music on this CD is just Ugly Ugly - Carter knows instruments, but his palette is soooooooooooooooo dull - this is the Concerto for Orchestra - to describe the work as busy music would be an understatement - only the beginning and end of a Carter work is mildly ear-catching - in between you have an unsustainable music - this is no exception - and with a lot of music after WW2, the more organized a work is on paper, the more chaotic it seems when heard - no exception there, either - the Concerto for Orchestra is a work which a dedicated conductor and orchestra should perform without anyone actually hearing it -

Some have mentioned how Carter differentiates musics by using specific instruments and intervals - so what? and what about the resulting music? The Piano Concerto uses the soloist and a chamber group to distinguish itself from the rest of the orchestra - ah yes, if they were in two different cities, perhaps - The most interesting thing about the Piano Concerto for me, aside from its two-movement form (borrowing from Berg's fiddle concerto), is the ugliest bass clarinet solo ever conceived this side of a mouthpiece - a more hideous creation could not be immagined -

The Three Occasions is good if you drop the last two, which leaves you One - at just over three minutes, it has somes nice fifths, which would be appropriate for a fanfare (except for the blips at the end) - Less is more -

A classic Carter recording reissued.......2006-03-04

This budget-price recording, featuring two Elliott Carter specialists, the pianist Ursula Oppens and the conductor Michael Gielen, has long been a highlight of the composer's discography. Now reissued in rather more attractive packaging, it remains an essential disc for those who know and love Carter's highly complex, densely atonal music.

The 1965 Piano Concerto is one of the composer's most difficult--yet most rewarding--pieces. It's written in two movements, and to add to the complexity of the music, there's a small sub-orchestra that acts as an intermediary between the soloist and the full orchestra. (No wonder that Carter now says he could never again write works like the Piano Concerto--they'd just take up too much time.) It's a highly dramatic work, with the piano constantly at odds with the orchestra, and the sub-orchestra attempting to bring about some kind of rapprochement between the soloist and orchestra. In the end, this fails, and in a truly terrifying climax the pounding drums finally silence the soloist--only for her to start up again in a slow, quiet coda.

Of the three recordings--all very good--that I've heard of this concerto, this is the strongest. Mark Wait's on Naxos lacks the truly apocalyptic resonances of the climax, and Oppens' earlier New World recording, to my mind, operates on a slightly lower level of tension than the present reading.

The Concerto for Orchestra was written soon after the Piano Concerto, and is a similarly dramatic work, if slightly less fierce. It has an openly literary program, being inspired by St John Perse's poem "Vents," which depicts the destruction and renewal of America through violent windstorms. After an opening tutti, the work evokes the winds of the four seasons by focusing on a different section of the orchestra for each season, before reaching a violent climax and fading away.

Of the easily available rivals to this recording, Oliver Knussen's recording with the London Sinfonietta is the most competitive. It features somewhat better playing and clearer detail, though it doesn't quite have the dramatic sweep of the present recording. Leonard Bernstein's Sony recording, while dramatic, disqualifies itself as a first choice through the many inaccuracies in the playing.

The disc closes with a less ambitious, more recent piece, the Three Occasions for Orchestra. Compared to the two earlier works, this one shows the slimming down of style that has been prominent in Carter's work over the last 20 years, to my mind, with mixed results--though the textures are clearer, more joyous, something of the dramatic sweep and intensity has been lost. The work begins with a complex fanfare, continues with a bleak elegy and concludes with a celebratory last movement. While not major Carter, it can perhaps be considered significant as it forms a sort of miniature prototype of his key 1990s work, Symphonia.

Knussen's London Sinfonietta recording is, again, the competitor here. It is technically superior, but I find Gielen has a warmth that Knussen doesn't quite match.

Overall, this is an essential disc for any Carter enthusiast, though, due to the highly complex nature of the two concertos, it may not be the ideal place for a newcomer to start (I'd still direct such people to the Elektra Nonesuch disc of the Double Concerto, the Cello Sonata and the Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello and Harpsichord).

worth having for the piano concerto-one of EC's best pieces.......2005-09-26

The Piano concerto is one of Carter's finest achievements.
Initially, seeming like the hermetic norm one assosciates with this composer it slowly emerges as a piece with a real sense of passion and fantasy.On this rare occasion unleashed from his Nadia Boulanger heritage,there's something very likeable about the way the piano weaves it's way through an unwieldy orchestral mass.The melodic writing(most notably a bass clarinet solo)is also surprisingly engaging.A bleak piece-composed in Berlin amidst the height Cold War tensions-but strangely compelling.

Concerto for Orchestra remains a tough nut to crack.Maybe i need to hear the Knussen recording but it's hard to fathom the continuity and allure of this piece.It seems to have been composed by the page,without the fierce sense of urgency which are the hallmarks of equally dense orchestral works of Xenakis and Stockhausen.
Still,there are interesting features.Most notably,the way in which the orchestral piano almost takes on a heroic,soloistic role.

The three occasions might veer slightly in the direction of dryness but atleast no.1 has a splendidly visceral climax 1.5 minutes in! Rather dreary trombone line in no.2,but things improve in no.3 where Lulu-like string lines are accompanied by spasmodic yet urgent ticking motifs.

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Solitude on Guitar
Soothing, Peaceful, Emotional Music

Solitude on Guitar
Baden Powell
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Seresta Brasileira
Canto on Guitar
Tristeza on Guitar
Le Monde Musical de Baden Powell
Personalidade

ASIN: B00005BF2A
Release Date: 2002-09-18

Tracks:

Introdu Ao Poema Dos Olhos da Amada - Baden Powell
Char Joaquim Henriques, Baden Powell
Se Todos Fossem Iguais a Voc Baden Powell
Marcia, Eu Te Amo - Joaquim Henriques, Baden Powell
Na Gafieira Do Vidigal - Joaquim Henriques, Baden Powell
Komnt Ein Vogel Geflogen - Baden Powell
Fim da Linha (End of the Line) - Joaquim Henriques, Baden Powell
Shadow of Your Smile - Baden Powell
Brasiliana - Baden Powell
Bassamba - Joaquim Henriques, Baden Powell
Por Causa de Voc - Baden Powell
Solito - Baden Powell

Customer Reviews:

Solitude on Guitar .......2005-11-16

In the liner notes of "Images on Guitar" could be read that the next record would only contain instrumental pieces. This project was not realised.
Baden Powell recorded his next record with the German Jazz bass player Eberhard Weber and the drummer Joaquim Paes Henriques and can be seen as an declaration of love to Marcia. In 1971 six compositions by BP (two solos), five arrangement and a composition by Eberhard Weber were recorded and released two years later with the title Â„Solitude on Guitar".
Only three weeks after the recordings of "Images" Baden Powell was again recording material for two records. However, "Solitude" and "Grandezza" cannot continue the concept and quality of "Images". The music of "Solitude" has it's own charm but lacks an unifying concept. The record's title is deceiving, there not only sad melodies but also happy dances and romantic love songs. After "Solitude" Baden Powell's interest in releasing new solo pieces would decrease. Possibly this lacking motivation was the reason for the mentioned unrealised solo project. The composition "Bassamba" by Eberhard Weber can rather be seen fitting with the "Grandezza" tracks than with the love theme of the other "Solitude" tracks.
These recordings from 10 - 11 December 1971 were not only a change in Baden Powell's music but also the end of his work with his friend and producer Joachim E. Berendt.

Soothing, Peaceful, Emotional Music.......2005-02-17

I found this album in a small record shop off the Avenida Paulista in Sao Paulo in 2003, while looking for quiet bossa guitar classics. The sound quality is amazing, each chord plucked clean ans the timbre full and rich. Each song has its distinct flavor, yet the songs segue smoothly into each other. Baden Powell is a true guitar genius. The music has never failed to calm, soothe and put us in a tranquil, relaxed mood especially after a rough day, the same way Kind of Blue does. When Ezra gave birth to our baby Jakob we put this on in the labor and delivery room, and the hospital staff all mentioned how great it was and asked for the artist and album information, intending to get their copies, from the doctor, anesthesiologist, to the nurses! At any rate, it worked like magic and my wife had a very easy delivery!

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On David Burgess.....
Waiting for Another Great CD
great variety, a true virtuoso
Silver (and Gold) Nuggets

Silver Nuggets & Fool's Gold

Manufacturer: Tritone Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00003OP5G
Release Date: 1999-11-09

Tracks:

Samba do Aviao - Antonio Carlos Jobim
Odeon - Ernesto Nazareth
La Catedral - Agustin Barrios
Berimbau - Baden Powell
Parati - Nonato Luiz
Leyenda - Isaac Albiniz
Sonata in D - Mateo Albiniz
Milonga del Angel - Astor Piazzolla
Carora - Antonio Lauro
Seis por Derecho - Antonio Lauro
El Criollito - Raul Borges
Danza del Altiplano - Traditional Bolivian
El Condor Pasa - Traditional Peruvian
Invocation and Dance - Joaqumn Rodrigo
Se Todos Fossem Iguais a Voce - Antonio Carlos Jobim
Drume Negrita - Emilio Grenet
Tango en Skai - Roland Dyens
La Misionera - Fernando Bustamente

Customer Reviews:

On David Burgess............2005-02-20

I bought this CD directly from the artist himself after hearing him perform several of the pieces live. David Burgess is guitarist of extraordinary talent and broad interest. This CD contains beautiful pieces from both South America and Spain that are intricately performed with great depth of emotion. I would recommend this disc for any true music lover.

Waiting for Another Great CD.......2003-05-20

Wherever you are, David Burgess, don't get exhaust yourself concertizing. Get back in the studio and record another excellent CD! Your talent is much too good to let slip away in the ephemeral wind; crystallize it on CD for everyone to hear long after your fine concerts are memories. Yeah, I guess I'm begging you to lay down more brilliant recordings. It can be Latin American, Spanish, Brazilian--anything. Just do it! ...

great variety, a true virtuoso.......2002-01-29

David Burgess is one of those artists that is a total gem to find. He doesn't have a "big name" or a huge recording contract, but when it comes down to what matters (namely playing well) he can totally deliver the goods. Not only is he technically amazing (I've seen him in concert and he honestly didn't hit a single bad note), he plays with an incredible amount of soul. You can tell both on record and live, that he breathes this music and that it truly means the world to him.

Not only is the album a varied (yet consistent and thematic) but he employs a wide range of techniques to achieve his amazing sound: "Samba do Aviao" is breathtaking in terms of speed and beauty, the rhytmic oddities and brilliant use of percussive effects in "Berimbau" is unreal, "La Catedral" is sublime and almost played at a whisper, yet he breathes new life into familiar favorites like Isaac Albeniz's "Leyenda." This is one of the most creative albums of any genre that I've heard, but it is by far the best guitar album I own (and one of the best I've ever heard.) Another thing that makes this album so great is how rare some of this material is, some of these are complete gems and not at all in the standard repertoire.

And if you have the chance...GO SEE HIM IN CONCERT...its even better than the superb album.

Silver (and Gold) Nuggets.......2001-11-20

I bought this CD at one of Burgess' concerts (in Virginia). He plays with much strength, variety of technique, and tonal quality; moreover, he has excellent command of the rhythm required for this mainly Latin American collection. My favorites are the hypnotically delightful "Seis por Derecho" and "La Misionera," which has a driving and catchy rhythm. I find almost every other piece enjoyable except for the over-recorded "Leyenda" and the somewhat ponderous piece by Rodrigo (whom I'm still a big fan of, nonetheless). It would be nice if those two were replaced by a few of the other interesting Brazilian pieces I heard at the concert. Fortunately, I was told that Burgess might put out more Brazilian recordings later in 2002. I'm very much looking forward to hearing them.

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Live Nono--early and late--brings mixed results
all seminal Gigi

Nono: Orchestral works & chamber music
Luigi Nono , Swf Symphony Baden-Baden , Michael Gielen , and Hans Rosbaud
Manufacturer: Col Legno
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Luigi Nono: Como una ola de fuerza y luz, for Soprano, Piano, Orchestra & Magnetic Tape (1971-72) / ...sofferte onde serene... For Piano & Magnetic Tape (1976) / Contrapunto dialettico alla mente, for Magnetic Tape (1968) - Maurizio Pollini / Claudio Abbado
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La Lontananza Nostalgica Utopica Futura (Nostalgia for a Far Away Future Utopia) for Vi

ASIN: B00004SZVP
Release Date: 2000-04-15

Customer Reviews:

Live Nono--early and late--brings mixed results.......2003-11-21

This disc in Col Legno's valuable Collage edition collects live festival performances of works by Luigi Nono, including the world premier performance of his early Due Espressioni. Concentrating on one early work and three late ones, this disc avoids Nono's agitprop political phase in favour of his more meditative work.

Due Espressioni dates from 1953, when Nono was already becoming a big name amongst the young modernist generation. The title summarises the musical content very well--it is a bipartite work, the opening half being largely string-led, with soft chromatic melody; the second half being brusque and aggressive, with powerful percussive eruptions. This mono recording of the premiere is not in great sound, but it's a good performance--conducted by Hans Rosbaud, that invaluable servant of modernism--and the only recording available.

The rest of the disc involves late works. A Carlo Scarpa is a stunning ten-minute orchestral elegy using the most minimal of materials: repeated percussion motifs, and the notes C and E flat--both with microtonal fluctuations. The techniques here might remind one of Giacinto Scelsi's music, but the effect--and atmosphere--conjured up is very different. Where Scelsi's work is transcendental, Nono's is elegiac, nervous and monumental. The performance here, conducted by Michael Gielen, is at least as good as his rival recording on Montaigne.

Nono's only string quartet, Fragment-Stille, an Diotima, comes next. This was the work that clarified his late style--consisting as it does of many fragments played often near the edge of audibility, with long silences between them. This live recording with the Moscow String Quartet doesn't come close to matching the Ardittis' recently reissued recording for intensity--the playing is too fast and lacking in tension.

Finally, Post Prae-Ludium No 1. This is a work for tuba, modified by live electronics, recorded at its world premiere. It's a slow, mostly quiet work, with the soft tuba notes echoed and spatially transformed by the live electronic work. A CD recording--and this appears to be the only one available--can't bring out all the effect of this work when heard live, but it's good to have one all the same.

I'd recommend this disc primarily to those already fans of the composer, since only two of the four works are essential Nono, and the performance of Fragmente-Stille is only partially successful.

all seminal Gigi.......2001-09-23

Here you have encysted great works by Luigi, and comprehensive, diapasonal conductors. Hans Rosbaud was an early effulgence visionary, taught the young Boulez the timbral fastidiousness we all need.Sorry Boulez never conducted any late Nono concoctions.And Michael Gielen,who has championed Nono's late works.
The "espressione" 2 is quite an early work impacted,with high intensity,the palindromic half-step. This is an early recording from the Fifties, stridently rendered, walls of timbre. It reveals an impassioned young erudite man efficacious,dyspeptic at times for the espousal of Marxism cojoined with the elan,the dysgenically dodecaphonic means.
We leave the young Luigi to warp speed to the seminal works the last decade of his life,dedications was a fecund means of Luigi rendering differing states of timbre. Carlo Scarpa was a noted Venetian architect.Scarpa's aesthetic had no real direct impression on Nono, it was more the man's deep sense of creativity, his working lifeworld concept. This work is to me like a haunted requiem, Nono had come to beleive that the culture of the west was at the end of illusion, tragedia d'ascolto, the tragedy of listening largely homogenized with market forces. This dedication to Scarpa is like appraising timbre under a microscope,mists of microintervallic timbres, barely audible, with graphic petrified like extended plucking with coloristic bongo hits,all gentle, delicate in the string body. The impacted sound then of the trombones, all on low Fs, together.
Nono sought to discover new roads, new silences, new intervals, and he did in this work.
Likewise the 'Fragment Stille und Diotema', caused an endemic stur at its premiere in Bonn,in 1980. Again we appraise timbre microscopically,lachrymal feathery moments.
Live electronics as well was a new creative preserve for Gigi, and Giancarlo Schiaffini was part of his new timbral cadre, with Carlo Scarponi,clarinetist,or Stefano Scondanibbio,contrabassist, and Roberto Fabricciani, flutes, The Tubist playes into a 30 second delay,rendering an effect like a grotto, a cave, with extended sonorities played with some degree of performative freedoms,'percorsi', or paths are chosen by the performer, playing falsetto tones, normal, half-valved(more percussive), multiphonics, when you sing and play simultaneously. This gives way to a concluding sections of a low mastodonic C,played like an impassioned wounded whale,laggardly rendered, yet with a degree of humanity of nature.

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