Going into this week, it was looking like the new releases weren’t going to be voluminous. How things changed! At the top are two albums by one artist. There’s a five-CD set of Ol’ Blue Eyes from Vegas. And the flute makes not one, but two appearances in wildly different albums. That’s all New in Music – October 23rd.
My top pick is a rare double header:
CLASSICAL: RESISTANCE and VEXATIONS – Igor Levit – No Silence Records
These are two separate albums from pianist Igor Levit on his own label, No Silence Records. Let’s start with Resistance.
This is a very smart and engaging record. If you know the history of Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony (Eroica), you might recall that Beethoven originally dedicated it to Napoleon. But he became utterly disillusioned when Napoleon made himself emperor.
Resistance (a great title) opens with Arnold Schoenberg’s Ode to Napoleon. Levit is joined by the Kammerakademie Potsdam with conductor Antonello Manacorda. Dörte Lyssewski provides the narration. This piece was new to me and was a revelation.
The album is anchored by Franz Liszt’s piano transcription of the Eroica. I used to listen to Leslie Howard’s performances of Liszt’s many transcriptions, including this symphony, back in the 90s.
I won’t be doing that with this work any longer. For my money, Levit’s is the definitive performance. Fans of the Eroica will embrace it for the clarity of Beethoven’s writing and the staggering performance Levit gives. How is it possible one man with only two hands was able to achieve a recording that makes me not miss an orchestra? Particularly this work?
Levit also released today on his label via Sony Classical, Vexations by Erik Satie. It has that title for the vexing concept of playing one short piece 840 times. The pianist can choose tempos and approaches throughout the work which can last up to 20 hours.
You can hear a sample of the album by streaming it. There are 30 Selected Repetitions. For those truly inspired, you can purchase a limited-edition vinyl release of all 840 variations.
Appropriately, there are only 840 copies being released.
Could I listen to all 840 variations? I’m not sure. What I’ve heard in the 30 selected repetitions put me in a trance.
These two recordings, as different as they are, showcase not just Levit the musician, but also the man. His website’s landing page describes Levit as: Citizen. European. Pianist. I believe that is in the right order.
Here are the other fine recordings that are New in Music – October 23rd:
CLASSICAL: HAYDN 2032, Vol. 20: FOR ENGLISH GENTLEMEN – Kammerorchester Basel / Giovanni Antonini – Alpha Classics
I’m late in coming around and appreciating Joseph Haydn as much as I probably should have. This very lively record goes a long way to making me feel even more humbled.
This album features the composer’s Symphony No. 78 in C Minor, Symphony No. 77 in B-Flat Major and the Symphony No. 76 in E Flat Major (my favorite of the three and also the performance I like best.)
As they have done with the previous 19 volumes, they add another composer’s works to provide context. Johann Christian Bach’s 6 Symphonies, Op. 6: No. 6 in G Minor is that work here.
The title suggests this album’s theme: the humore inglese (English humor) found in Haydn’s music. This is a proper album for the English gentlemen.
Now I have nineteen other volumes to listen to. You’ll know where to find me.
CLASSICAL: FRENCH TRIOS – Anneleen Lenaerts / Timothy Ridout / Adam Walker – Warner Classics
I’ll admit to being a bit skeptical about an album where the trio is comprised of a harp (Lenaerts), viola (Ridout) and flute (Walker). I like the harp and the flute, but how many of that do I want to hear?
In the case of French Trios, all 76 beautiful minutes of it. Some of this music is achingly sublime.
Particularly Louis Vierne’s 2 Pièces: Op. 5 and Joseph Jongen’s 2 Pièces, Op. 80. I wasn’t terribly familiar with their work and was fascinated to find both were organists. As someone who first studied music on the organ, I found that intriguing. This music doesn’t sound like organ music at all.
This is the first in a planned series of three albums dedicated to French music.
Lenaerts, Ridout and Walker have proven me wrong and I couldn’t be happier about it.
Quick side note: Ridout also appears on Takács Quartet’s Mozart: String Quintets K. 515 & 516 which was also released today. It’s quite good. I almost included it, but how many chamber music albums can one column hold?
CLASSICAL VOCAL: COUNTERTENOR – Anthony Roth Costanzo – Nonesuch Records
This fascinating journey through the many ways in which a countertenor voice can be used is irresistible. Anthony Roth Costanzo, currently appearing in Lincoln at the Bardo at the Metropolitan Opera, has put together a wildly imaginative selection of songs for his sophomore solo album.
The works range from Mozart to Philip Glass to pop songs like You Don’t Own Me (which sounds like it could have been from a B-52s album) and Walk Like a Man.
Having seen Costanzo in Glass’ Akhnaten, I was particularly pleased to hear him perform Bed from Einstein on the Beach. In Crudel! Perché finora from Le Nozze di Figaro, Costanzo sings both the male and female parts.
In fact, all the vocals on Countertenor are his. There are no other singers.
His version of E Mamma E (a Hawaiian tune) is hauntingly beautiful. Will You Buy a Fine Dog? dates to the 16th century and will surprise listeners with its playful invocation of a sex toy. Composer Thomas Morley wrote the music. It is unknown who wrote the lyrics to make us all blush a bit.
Countertenor is a unique collection of songs that very few artists could conceive of, let alone make work. That it does this well is a tribute to Costanzo’s originality.
CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL: SURFACING – POIESIS QUARTET – Bright Shiny Things
There are so many discoveries to be found on Surfacing. First, there is Poiesis Quartet who have received multiple awards for their work. Second is hearing composers I hadn’t heard before: Kevin Lau, Sky Macklay and Brian Raphael Nabors.
My favorite of the compositions is Lau’s String Quartet No. 7, “Surfacing.” But that’s a little like Sophie’s Choice. I may be going down a rabbit hole and looking up other music by all three of these composers.
Surfacing closes with Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s String Quartet No. 1.
Hearing Surfacing, I immediately understand how these musicians have won awards. This is some of the most exciting playing I’ve heard in quite some time by a chamber ensemble. As this is only their second album, the future looks quite bright for them.
The members of Poiesis are Max Ball on violin, Drew Dansby on cello and violin; Jasper de Boor on viola and violin and Sara Ying Ma on violin.
CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL: VERNACULAR – Third Coast Percussion / Jlin – Rockwell Records
An admission to start. I haven’t yet come around to electronic music artist Jlin. I’ve heard several works and I recognize her talent, but nothing has lingered in my psyche. But hey, look how long it took me to come around to Haydn.
Having said that, Third Coast Percussion, as they always do, perform Jlin’s music brilliantly. The first seven tracks here are by her.
Where I sat up and took more notice was with David Longstreth’s Butterfly Dancing Over a Barrel. This is a perfect combination of artists and material. As is the closing track, Mishima/Closing by Philip Glass.
I eagerly await every Third Coast Percussion release and this album rewarded that anticipation.
GENRE DEFYING: INTO THE AQUASPHERE – Florian Hoefner – ALMA Records/Universal
Don’t take my word for Hoefner’s album being genre defying. Just ask him. This is an album with one leg planted in the jazz world and the other in contemporary classical.
Or listen to the opening track, Aerial Rivers, which makes it clear that this is an ambitious album with a lot on its mind. You can hear the 22-piece classical chamber orchestra that is paired with a jazz quartet.
This all-too-brief album (don’t blame me that I wanted more) is focused on issues related to the environment. The beauty of the world is reflected in the beauty of Hoefner’s music and the grace with which his ensemble performs it.
JAZZ: INCANTATION – Caleb Wheeler Curtis / Jason Moran – Imani Records
Some of the music on this album by multi-instrumentalist Curtis and pianist Moran was clearly improvised in the moment. That’s not always a good thing. With Incantation it gives listeners a portal into the way each musician thinks and how that thinking gets translated through their instruments. The result of that improvisation is thoroughly engaging and inventive.
Other tracks are formal compositions, but that sense of freedom found in the improvised tracks is equally alive and well in those tracks as well.
Curtis plays alto and soprano sax and trumpet on this album. Moran is, as always, a master of the 88 keys.
I’ve had about five weeks of listening pleasure with Incantation. It’s that good.
JAZZ: I STILL MISS YOU – Cheryl Durongpisitkul – New Amsterdam Records
This has been quite the fall for music addressing grief. Sara Bareilles’ outstanding Good Grief is likely to be a major contender for Grammy Awards. The same can be said of saxophonist/composer Cheryl Durongpisitkul’s I Still Miss You.
Every bit of the chaos, frenzy, confusion, fear, anger, sorrow and relief associated with a family member’s diagnosis of a terminal illness is painfully and cathartically put into music on I Still Miss You.
Some context: Her mother committed suicide when Durongpisitkul was 18. This after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer and battling bipolar disorder. Six years later her father passed away after suffering from bowel cancer.
As someone who has lost family members to horrible diseases, I felt my journey was clear in this music. I could even relate to some of the audio clips of her mother that find their way into these compositions.
Durongpisitkul and her 12-person ensemble perform a mix of jazz styles throughout the album. The Invenio Choir adds a very important sense of relief at the end of Grief.
JAZZ: HERE IS DONATO! – Ryan Keberle’s Collectiv Do Brasil – Alternate Side Records
Fans of Brazilian music will certainly be familiar with João Donato, one of the most influential of Brazilian composers.
Trombonist/vocalist and composer Keberle and his fine ensemble perform nine of Donato’s songs. Lugar Comum and Até Quem Sabe are two of his best-known songs. Slightly deeper cuts (though well-known to Bossa fans) are Nana das Águas, Mentiras (one of my favorites on this album) and Tema Teimoso. Other tracks can rightly be called deep cuts.
Keberle is joined on Here Is Donato! by Felipe Brisola on acoustic and electric bass; Guegué Medeiros on percussion; Felipe Silveira on piano and synths and Paulinho Vicente on drums.
The one original track is Nowhere to Go, Nothing to See. It’s a beautiful track and a total misnomer as it relates to this album. There is plenty to see and hear.
JAZZ: i hope you feel it too – Elena Pinderhughes
This is flute week here at Cultural Attaché. Pinderhughes is a flutist, composer and vocalist. i hope you feel it too is her debut album. This is a jazz album that embraces R&B. The result is immensely satisfying.
She co-wrote most of the songs with her brother Samora and keyboardist, multi-instrumentalist Michael Aaberg.
Pinderhughes wisely collaborated with friends and family on this album. Her brother joins for on the wind, Chief Adjuah joins for charm and Immanuel Wilkins is featured on life goes on.
i hope you feel it too is music that feels like getting a warm embrace from a new friend.
If you’re wondering, she puts all her titles, at least on this album, in lower case. Didn’t want you to think my fingers failed me.
MUSICALS: THAT PARENTING MUSICAL – Studio Cast Album – Joy Machine Records
You don’t have to be a parent to enjoy this musical from Graham and Kristina Fuller. They are a couple who started writing this musical after their two children were born. I’d love to meet those kids to see how they turned out.
This musical is witty, profane, funny and thoroughly entertaining. There are songs – both the traditional musical variety and others featuring rap.
It doesn’t hurt that Max Mendoza Crumm, Vidushi Goyal, Christopher Jackson (Hamilton!), Kara Lindsay (Newsies), Bonnie Milligan (Kimberly Akimbo) and Scott Rathbun sound like they are having fun singing this music.
After listening to so much intense music this week, That Parenting Musical was a great break and a wonderful entertainment.
QUICK HITS:
CLASSICAL: MAHLER 8 – Klaus Mäkelä / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and GUSTAV MAHLER: THE SYMPHONIES – Wiener Philharmoniker / Andris Nelsons
I found out about these two releases far too late to have time to listen to them. However, having recently seen Mäkelä conduct the Chicago Symphony and having heard a few tracks from Nelsons’ recordings of these symphonies, I’d be willing to bet these are interesting recordings. As with much of Mahler, critics have been split on both these recordings. The only way to find out whether you like it or not is to give them a spin! (An outdated term, I know!)
Note: The Mäkelä recording was made available in some parts of the world last year. This marks the physical release and streaming in certain territories.
CLASSICAL: THE TALLIS SCHOLARS: LIVE IN VENICE – The Tallis Scholars – ECM New Series
What better place to record an album of choral and early music polyphony than in the city of Venice, Italy.
This gorgeous album includes works by Gregorio Allegri, Antonio Lotti, Claudio Monteverdi, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Arvo Pärt and Komitas Vardapet. I particularly enjoy that they don’t try to do a chronological exploration of this music.
CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL: THIS WILL BE US – Hildur Guðnadóttir– Deutsche Grammophon
I love Guðnadóttir’s work. The only reason this is a Quick Hit is because it features reimagined versions of 8 tracks from her early solo albums.
There are also two brand-new tracks that are smack in the middle of the album: The Song That Never Was and Blind Sarabande. Fans will want to check this album out.
VINYL REISSUES:
JAZZ: NIGHT OF THE MARK VII – Clifford Jordan – Time Traveler Recordings
This live album from 1975 features saxophonist Jordan with Billy Higgins on drums, Sam Jones on bass and Cedar Walton on piano. The recording comes from a concert in Paris on March 26, 1975.
It features just five tracks, but they are good ones.
They are John Coltrane, Highest Mountain (written by Jordan), Thelonious Monk’s Blue Monk, Midnight Waltz and One for Amos.
It’s quite a good album and this quartet is tight.
VOCALS: SINATRA AT THE SANDS 60th ANNIVERSARY – Frank Sinatra / Count Basie & The Orchestra – Capitol Records/Ume
Growing up with my parents meant listening to Sinatra at the Sands on a regular basis. The record captured Sinatra’s runs of shows in 1966 at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas with Count Basie & The Orchestra.
This release offers one show each from January 26th-29th and February 1st.
There are two songs from the second show on January 28th added to that disc. The 5-CD set and streaming are the only way to hear all five sets.
There is also a 2-LP vinyl issue with tracks from various shows.
The setlists don’t change all that much, but there are some variations. Those little differences make listening to all five sets entertaining.
And it’s Sinatra and Basie with Quincy Jones conducting. What else do you need?
Here, at last, ends New in Music – October 23rd.
Enjoy the music!