Archive for Review
Cinemusical Review for The Poetry of Places
The Cinemusical blog gives full marks to Nadia Shpachenko’s The Poetry of Places recording: “The Poetry of Places is a truly fascinating collection of original music for piano that demonstrates a great variety of approaches. The thematic thread that runs through the album helps create a secondary connection to the music and invites the listener in on a journey through these different spaces. Shpachenko’s technical virtuosity is on display throughout here. She is very adept…
The Poetry of Places is “Marvellous”
Critic Dean Frey reviews Nadia Shpachenko’s The Poetry of Places recording on his Music for Several Instruments blog: “…this marvellous disc from pianist Nadia Shpachenko…music [interacts] with a wide range of human activities: fine and applied arts (architecture and design), the heritage arts and the natural world. … I happen to share a fondness for and a deep admiration of some of the architects of these special places, especially Frank Gehry and Louis Kahn. But…
A QSF Journey In American Record Guide
The January/February 2019 issue of American Record Guide features a review of Quartet San Francisco’s A QSF Journey recording: “The arrangements…by first violinist Jeremy Cohen…[range] From the delightfully optimistic Fiesta that reminds me of Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer’s Goat Rodeo Sessions album to the morose Tango Carnevale, to Rhapsody in Bluegrass, this album keeps pleasantly surprising us with each song. … This group deserves commendation for bridging the gap between classical and popular music…
Voodoo in the Shadows Casts a Seductive Spell
The December 2018 issue of Living Blues reviews Fiona Boyes’ multiple-award-nominated Voodoo In The Shadows recording: “For her latest album, [Fiona Boyes] turns her focus to the Mississippi Delta and New Orleans, and Voodoo in the Shadows delves into the sound, textures and cultures of the region. Boyes serves as her own producer on this collection, and as the album’s title suggests, matters of the spirit are a going concern. … She threads the ode…
Teach Me Thy Statutes is “Exquisitely Beautiful”
Henry Fogel offers a new review for the GRAMMY®-nominated Teach Me Thy Statutes recording from PaTRAM in the January/February 2019 issue of Fanfare Magazine: “this is the first disc I have encountered devoted entirely to [Pavel Chesnokov’s] music. I found it exquisitely beautiful. This kind of music is particularly dependent on performance quality, and Chesnokov has ben fortunate here. … [The PaTRAM Institute Male Choir sings] with a remarkably even blend while still retaining clarity.…
John Williams At The Movies Gets Five Stars from The Absolute Sound
The Absolute Sound‘s Arthur Lintgen gives a 5-star Sonic Rating to the GRAMMY® Award-nominated Dallas Winds and Jerry Junkin recording John Williams At The Movies: “give this spectacular recording a serious audition. The principal reason for the recording’s success is that Williams composed so effectively for brass and percussion. …all of the arrangements are spectacular, including the lengthy excerpts from Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T. Much of the album’s success is also due to the…
The Morton Report on Fiona Boyes’ “Powerful” Voodoo In The Shadows
The Morton Report Columnist Bill Bentley has a new review for 2019 Blues Music Award nominee Fiona Boyes’ Voodoo In The Shadows recording in his December 2018 “Bentley’s Bandstand” column: “Australian musician Fiona Boyes has dedicated her life to the music, and that intensity can be heard in everything she sings and plays. Her guitar work puts her in the top class for modern blues people, especially the way the sound seems to sing coming…
Fiona Boyes’ Voodoo in The Shadows in Blues Music Magazine
Blues Music Magazine reviews Fiona Boyes’ Voodoo In The Shadows Recording in their January 2019 issue: “Fiona Boyes has made her mark in the blues world… Case in point: her latest release, which stresses her spiritual connection with the blues music and traditions of Mississippi and Louisiana. … The set commences splendidly with “Call Their Name,” a take-off on Blind Willie Johnson’s “The Soul Of A Man.” The rhythm section takes a subtle back seat as Boyes displays her…
Gramophone Reviews the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s Beethoven and Strauss
Gramophone Magazine reviews the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck’s GRAMMY-nominated recording of Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 and Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 in the January 2019 issue: “There’s nothing even remotely studied about Honeck’s performance…He pays unusual attention to detail, yes – note straight away the gently blossoming (and unmarked) crescendo on the ascending E flat major triad of the opening theme – but this never inhibits the music’s momentum or trajectory. The first movement…
Doug MacLeod’s Break The Chain Vinyl is a Hi-Fi News Album Choice!
Hi-Fi News features Doug MacLeod’s Break The Chain recording as their December 2018 “Album Choice” in the Audiophile: Vinyl section: “Vintage LPs…have been audiophile totems for decades, but rare are new titles. MacLeod’s third for Reference ticks all the boxes: higher-speed playback, 180g vinyl and half-speed mastering.… [It has a] sound that’s massive, visceral and weighty. The content? As earthy as it gets, but at times, seriously rocking. The atmosphere throughout? As open as I’ve…
Voodoo in the Shadows in Living Blues
After coming in at #4 on the Living Blues October Charts, Fiona Boyes’ Voodoo in the Shadows was up to #3 for November! The album also received a review in the December 2018 Living Blues Magazine: “Guitarist and singer-songwriter Fiona Boyes draws musical inspiration from a variety of influences, displaying a prowess unbound by style or genre. … With excellent musicianship and a spirited atmosphere throughout, Fiona Boyes’ Voodoo in the Shadows casts a seductive…
Classical Candor on Pittsburgh’s “Dynamic” Beethoven Symphony No. 3
“Dynamic. That’s the best word to describe Manfred Honeck’s performance of the Beethoven Third. It’s dynamic in terms of Honeck’s interpretation and in terms of Soundmirror/Reference Recordings’ sonics. Of course, if “dynamic” is not the first thing you want from a Beethoven symphony, you might not appreciate Honeck’s way with it. But there is no questioning the excitement the recording generates. … The first movement Allegro con brio contains the usual complement of rhythms and harmonies we expect of…
The Absolute Sound Gives High Marks To John Williams At The Movies
The Dallas Winds and Jerry Junkin‘s new John Williams At The Movies recording receives high marks (4 Stars for Music, 5 Stars for Sonics) in the December 2018 issue of The Absolute Sound: “The principal reason for the recording’s success is that Williams composed so effectively for brass and percussion. The sonority here is frequently different from the original orchestrations, but in most cases it works very well. … all of the arrangements are spectacular,…
A QSF Journey in The Whole Note
The Whole Note features Quartet San Francisco’s A QSF Journey recording in their November 2018 issue: “The boundaries between music genres are fluid and constantly moving these days, with many musicians experimenting and combining elements of different styles in both new compositions and interpretations of the traditional ones. Classical music seems to be an especially productive foundation for such crossovers, breeding many exciting projects. One of them is the latest release by Grammy-nominated Quartet San…
Cascade Blues Association Reviews Voodoo in the Shadows
The Cascade Blues Association highlights Fiona Boyes and her latest recording, Voodoo in the Shadows: “The new release, “Voodoo In The Shadows,” continues on pace with her penchant for the music of the American South, with a special focus on the sounds of Louisiana and Mississippi that have influenced her playing greatly over the course of her career. … There is a dark and boding atmosphere with the start-off number “Call Their Name,” as she…