Posts in Listen
AFMM Orchestra conducted by Johnny Reinhard
Long considered the El Dorado or Shangri-La of American music, the Universe Symphony of Charles Ives was to be his magnum opus, a summation of all music that had gone …
At the end of July, a movie theater around here screened Mary Ellen Carroll’s Federal, a 24-hour “movie” focused on the exterior of the Federal Building in Los Angeles—an observational twist, given that the structure …
Ignore the PR machine behind Neo Camerata. According to the Svengalis, Neo C (their term, not mine) is hipper than cocaine circa 1977. Whether or not the group exudes that intangible rock band vibe, or—hold …
Michael Parloff, flute; Jerry Grossman, cello; Kenneth Cooper, harpsichord
I’ve been saying for years that some of the newest sounding music is the music that contemporary composers are writing for older musical instruments. A new disc …
Lauten has plenty of large-scale compositions on her resume, but there is much to be said for looking to the intimate and often confessional quality of solo work performed by the composer, when it’s available, …
This CD instantly brought me back to my high school days, when I’d lock myself in my room with some primitive sequencer, MidiVerb II, and a Proteus 1 Plus Orchestral Expander and spend hours on …
I listen to a lot of really off-the-wall music, but once in a blue moon something comes along that startles even me. Twin Cities-based Matthew Smith’s symphonies for overdubbed jaw harps, 1/16-th size Suzuki violins, …
The National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, conducted by Ormsby Wilkins
Michael Torke’s score for James Kudelka’s ballet An Italian Straw Hat is as upbeat as any Mozart ever penned for the stage, and it sets …
Hands down, this CD is the ideal soundtrack for an ultra swanky cocktail affair. I mean it. The upbeat, enthusiastic delivery of these twelve Thad Jones classics is a sonic firehouse perfect for dowsing out …
Happy Birthday!