Archive for Review
MusicWeb Review for the Excellent Recording of Kurt Sander’ Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
John Quinn reviews the PaTRAM Institute Singers recording of Kurt Sander’s Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrystostom for MusicWeb International: “The performance is conducted by Peter Jermihov who, so far as I’m concerned, has excellent credentials when it comes to Orthodox church music… This is, I understand, the first complete musical setting of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in English and it’s a considerable achievement. … The singers taking part are, I believe, all…
Positive Feedback’s David Robinson: You Must Not Miss Jan Kraybill’s “The Orchestral Organ”
Positive Feedback‘s David W. Robinson offers a rare album review for Jan Kraybill’s new recording, The Orchestral Organ: “While I don’t do music reviews on a regular basis, there are times when a particular album really strikes me, and I have to say something…usually brief, but definite. This is one of those times. … This is a wonderful collection of music. I was quite pleased by all of them, but can give a special tip…
You Really Shouldn’t Miss The Poetry of Places
Nadia Shpachenko’s The Poetry of Places has been added a SECOND time to Fanfare Archive’s “Not To Be Missed” section of their website after the publishing of a new review by Peter Burwasser: “As was the case with Nadia Shpachenko’s previous Reference Recordings project, Quotations and Homages, this release features a broad range of contemporary voices, with a scintillating mix of daring sound, genuine beauty, and a commodity too often missing from the new music world:…
The Poetry of Places is an Engaging Disc
The Whole Note‘s April 2019 “Keyed In” section of reviews for piano releases by critic Alax Baran features Nadia Shpachenko’s The Poetry of Places recording: “The variety of this repertoire is remarkable. Shpachenko performs a veritable tour of structures ancient and modern, producing extraordinary colours and textures from her Steinway D. Her composers sometimes add a second piano, voice, a toy piano, percussion and electronics to build their works. … Each composer provides a few…
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…