Jennifer Lopez planning to make a huge hits Album


Jennifer Lopez indeed has had several huge hits. As releasing her debut album, On the 6, in 1999, she has domination pop radio with paths like "If You Had My Love," "I'm Real," "Love Don't Cost a Thing" and "Jenny From the Block."

And she hasn't blocked. This year, she released Love? Characterizing association bangers like "On the Floor." Now, she have an idea to provide her fans a good greatest-hits music album.

Vocal producer Kuk Harrell told that she is going to release the greatest hits album Harrell has certainly been busy this year. He worked with Rihanna, Justin Beiber and now he is planning to work with Jennifer Lopez. And also he added that he is grateful to work with all these superstars.

While he didn't have too many information about what fans be supposed to wait for on the album, Harrell did share who else Jenny is hitting the studio with. "I think [when] I find out what the direction is, I will certainly go in the lab. I will find in the lab with Tricky Stewart and The-Dream and see what we can come up with for it."

Murray’s final judgment for his involuntary manslaughter

Dr .Conrad Murray’s sentencing today for involuntary murder is the final step in the criminal case began within days of Jackson’s sudden death in June 2009. The legal representatives want a judge to punish the 58-year-old Murray to the maximum 4- year prison term. Defense lawyers oppose that Murray already faced his lifetime of shame and shrunken opportunities and should obtain probation.  

 How long Murray may stay following bars depends on the Los Angeles Sheriff's section, which would found the decision on high-quality performance and other issues.

 Even devoid of congestion and a new state law that will send Murray to province jail rather than prison, a four-year punishment could be cut in half by good quality behavior.

 It stayed indistinct Monday whether Jackson's family will talk during the verdict investigation. His mother Katherine and several siblings regularly be presented at the six-week examination that ended with the confidence on Nov. 7.

 Legal representatives represented Murray as an useless doctor who directed propofol - an awfully powerful painkiller usually used during surgical treatment - in Jackson's bedroom without sufficient defends and failed his care when effects went wrong.

 The trial is also are looking for compensation for Jackson's three children and filed a statement from the singer's estate stating the cost of the singer's funeral was more than $1.8 million. The letter also notes that Jackson would have earned $100 million if he had performed a planned series of comeback concerts in London.

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8 (SACD review)

Jan Willem de Vriend, The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra. Challenge Classics SACD CC72500.



Although we get quite a few recordings of the Beethoven Seventh and Eighth Symphonies, often coupled together, we don't get too many recorded in SACD multichannel stereo. Therefore, for fans of the SACD medium, as well as for fans of Beethoven, we can welcome this Challenge Classics disc with the Netherland Symphony Orchestra.



Interestingly, it was just a few years ago that we got the same coupling from conductor Bertrand de Billy and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra on an OehmsClassics SACD. Maybe that SACD recording succeeded well enough to prompt this one, I don't know.



In any case, the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra uses select period instruments, and Jan Willem de Vriend, its chief conductor since 2006, follows period-music practices to help make eighteenth and nineteenth-century works seem as close as possible to how they may have originally sounded. The results are not quite like those of a full-on period-instruments ensemble, but they're close enough.



Things begin with the Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, which Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) wrote in 1812 and has since become one of his most-popular pieces. De Vriend opens the symphony with as vigorous and dashing a delivery as anybody could want, with kudos here to the percussion section who hammer this one home in high style. In the ensuing Allegretto, interpreted either as a funeral march or a procession through the catacombs, the conductor again provides a highly rhythmic beat, moving a little faster than we may be accustomed to hearing and emphasizing the dynamic contrasts more than ever. It makes an imposing statement.



In the Presto, De Vriend is again fleet-footed, apparently taking Beethoven's tempo markings at face value and working up a healthy head of steam. The final movement is justifiably one of the great triumphs of jubilant merrymaking in music, and De Vriend produces a considerable amount of ebullient energy. This Seventh is among the finest I've heard in some time, and while it breaks no new ground, it surely conjures up wonderfully high spirits.



Beethoven wrote his Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93, in the summer of 1812, finishing it just shortly after he completed the Symphony No. 7. You'd think by its cheerful tone that the composer was in the best, happiest years of his life when he wrote this pair of symphonies when, in fact, both physical and emotional strains were troubling him. Whatever, the Eighth has always taken something of a backseat to the two great symphonies that sandwich it front and back. Still, it's remarkably bubbly and exuberant.



Under De Vriend, the Eighth is amiable and festive, its forward thrust always pointed and right, its mood always buoyant, if not always as sweet as it might be. The second-movement ticking of the metronome (legend has it that Beethoven was paying tribute here to the inventor of the instrument) moving at a brisk but somewhat perfunctory gait. The third movement is appropriately stately and the finale joyous. Nevertheless, this performance of the Eighth seems more like one to admire rather than to love.



In terms of sound, the Challenge Classics engineers recorded the performances at Muziekcentrum Enschede, Netherlands, in 2008 (No. 8) and 2010 (No. 7). In both works, the company provide nicely balanced SACD sonics, which the listener may play either in two-channel stereo as I did or in multichannel if you have the appropriate playback equipment. In two-channel stereo, the sound is excellent: vibrant, detailed, and dynamic. The stereo spread is quite wide, and the sonics make a strong impact, with decent bass, extended highs, and a clean midrange. Moreover, a sense of stage depth adds to the realism. The sound may be big, yet it's not overwhelming; it's just the right size and breadth to allow listeners to feel as though they are at the performance. A good separation of instruments without sounding compartmentalized, a feeling of air, and a mild hall resonance continue the illusion.



JJP

Liszt: My Piano Hero (CD review)

Piano Concerto No. 1; various solo pieces. Lang Lang, piano; Valery Gergiev, Vienna Philharmonic. Sony Classical 88697891402 (with bonus DVD).



In the past twenty-odd years Chinese pianist Lang Lang has become something of a phenomenon, an international superstar beloved of millions of classical and nonclassical fans alike. In the booklet note to the 2011 album reviewed here, Liszt: My Piano Hero, he says his greatest inspiration as a pianist was watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon featuring Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. Lang goes on to say, "Liszt is my hero! He changed classical music completely. As a performer he revolutionised piano playing, and as a composer he opened the door to modern music. As a teacher he was influential well into the 20th century, because many great artists were pupils of his pupils, or their pupils in a third generation." Fair enough, and Lang proves his admiration for the composer by devoting the album to an almost all-Liszt program of solo and concerto works.



The disc begins with a series of short solo numbers by the subject of the album, Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt (1811-1886). Lang Lang alternates slow and fast pieces, soft and loud, playing them delicately, brilliantly, or showily as the occasion dictates, with all the passion and feeling we figure on from him, though never overdone. The opening Romance in E minor, for instance, is sweetly evocative. La Campanella in G-sharp minor is sprightly and strong. The Consolation No. 3 in D-flat major is aptly melancholy and moody. Then the Grand Galop chromatique in E-flat major does just that: gallop across the sound stage in high spirits.



And so it goes, with the celebrated Lieberstraum No. 3 in A-flat major as dreamy as ever and Lang adding just the right amount of gravity and weight to it to make it seem more than just light filler. After a couple of rousing Hungarian Rhapsodies for Piano (Nos. 6 and 15), Lang briefly forsakes Liszt for Schubert (Ave Maria) and returns for Liszt's piano transcription of Wagner's Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde.



The CD ends with the Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, which under Lang is every bit as heroic and triumphant as we expect it to be. Here, we find Lang Lang supported by Valery Gergiev and the Vienna Philharmonic, one of the world's genuinely great orchestras. The result is taut and romantic, with perfectly judged tempos and emotionally charged phrases. It's a moving, stirring, engaging interpretation, including a wonderfully lyrical and flowing central movement and a chipper finale.



So how does the relatively young (as of this writing, he had not yet turned thirty) Lang Lang stack up against some of his more-illustrious older colleagues: Argerich, Ashkenazy, Brendel, Kovacevich, Pollini, and the like (or even those closer to his age like Kissin, Grimaud, Pletnev, and the rest)? Well, Lang is surely more flamboyant than most, even in so toned down an album as this one of Liszt. It remains for us to see how well Lang's rock-star celebrity status will hold up in the long run, say in another thirty years.



Anyway, in addition to the compact disc, the Digipak set includes a bonus DVD titled A Day with My Piano Hero, about eleven-and-a-half minutes, which follows the pianist as he practices, plays, and fusses about the album he's making. This one is for dedicated Lang Lang fans only.



The sound of the piano solos, recorded in April, 2011, at Teldex Studio, Berlin, Germany, is excellent, the piano appearing firm and glowing yet with good detail, clarity, and impact. It's an exceptionally realistic recording, miked at a moderate distance that doesn't stretch the instrument across one's listening area, while easily filling the room with a pleasantly ambient acoustic. Note, however, that because the music displays a wide dynamic range, you may find yourself having to readjust the volume on occasion. It's a small price to pay for the realism of the presentation.



Sony recorded the Piano Concerto in concert in June, 2011, at the Musikverein, Vienna, Austria, and here things are not quite as good as the studio solos. In order to minimize audience noise, the audio engineers recorded the Concerto rather closely, so the whole thing is kind of in our lap. Still, the miking provides a clean, fairly transparent sound without being hard, bright, or edgy. The sonics do, however, seem somewhat constricted in climaxes, the dynamics not expanding as we might hope. Nor are the frequency extremes, bass and treble, as extended as they might have been. Thankfully, the folks at Sony did not include any distracting audience noise or any final applause.



JJP

Classical Music News of the Week, November 27, 2011

Strathmore Music in the Mansion Presents Jenny Lin, Wendy Richman, Dan Tepfer, Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra: A Bohemian Christmas



Highlights include five world premiere pieces and fresh rendition of Goldberg Variations by Tepfer.



North Bethesda, MD -- In December, Strathmore gives the gifts of rare classical interpretations of the Great American Songbook by pianist Jenny Lin, five world premieres from violist Wendy Richman, new music from prolific jazz pianist and composer Dan Tepfer and holiday favorites reimagined with a jazz bent during the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra: A Bohemian Christmas. Jenny Lin will perform on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.; Wendy Richman can be heard on Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.; Dan Tepfer will perform on Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.; and Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra can be heard on Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Calendar information for each of the December Music in the Mansion concert is located at the end of this document. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.



Strathmore's December concerts complement its Celebrating American Composers series, a sweeping year-long exploration of the dynamic talents and innovations that have shaped American music and its diverse genres.  Music in the Mansion concerts are sponsored by Asbury Methodist Village. Additionally, the concerts with Jenny Lin and Wendy Richman are also sponsored by the Randy Hostetler Living Room Music Fund.



Jenny Lin

Acclaimed classical pianist Jenny Lin will bring her "remarkable technical command" and "gift for melodic flow" (The New York Times) to memorable excerpts from the Great American Songbook, interpreting the music of seminal composers such as Rodgers and Hammerstein, Fats Waller, Stephen Sondheim and George Gershwin, among others. Her mastery of classical piano will be reflected in music theater mainstays such as The King and I, The Sound of Music, Sweeney Todd and Lady Be Good, inviting audiences to hear classic American song in new ways.



The "exceptionally sensitive pianist" (Gramophone Magazine) has been heard at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Kennedy Center, Miller Theatre, MoMA, the Whitney Museum, San Francisco Performances, Freer Gallery of Art, Wordless Music Series, (Le) Poisson Rouge, National Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery and Spivey Hall; as well as Festivals worldwide at Lincoln Center Mostly Mozart, BAM's Next Wave, MATA and Spoleto in the U.S., Chopin Festival in Austria, Flanders and Ars Musica Festivals in Belgium, Shanghai New Music Festival in China and Divonne Festival in France.



She has performed with conductors such as Lothar Zagrosek, James Bagwell, Jiri Starek, Urs Schneider, Alexander Mickelthwate, Peter Bay, Jac van Steen, Ovidiu Balan, Wen-Pin Chien, Kek-Tjiang Lim, John Kennedy, Oliver Diaz and Celso Antunes.



Wendy Richman

The premiere pieces are part of her Vox/Viola project, an ongoing collaborative effort inviting young composers to write new works loosely inspired by Giacinto Scelsi's Manto III, tailored to Richman's training as a singer and violist.



Dan Tepfer

Jazz pianist and Yamaha artist Dan Tepfer will also premiere new works in the Mansion with his performance of Goldberg Variations / Variations, his kaleidoscopic solo album which uses Johann Sebastian Bach's totemic masterpiece, the Goldberg Variations, as an inspiring font for creativity. Interspersed with Tepfer's affectionate interpretation of the complete "Goldbergs" are his own improvised variations on Bach's variations. Goldberg Variations / Variations was released on November 8, 2011. Bach's Goldberg Variations are beloved now as an entrancing, virtually sacred work of art, and were published by Bach as of an "aria" and a set of 30 variations in 1741.



Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra

Classic carols and holiday music will get new spin from Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, presenting Duke Ellington's adaptation of the Nutcracker Suite, new arrangements from the Stan Kenton and Claude Thornhill songbooks, as well as fresh arrangements of holiday classics by BCJO members.



The new Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra is a 17-piece big band founded by baritone saxophonist Brad Linde and co-directed by Linde and Joe Herrera. Debuted on April 19, 2010, the BCJO now presents a variety of music from big band literature and feature some of the District's best musicians on Monday nights at the historic Bohemian Caverns. Music from Ellington, Basie, Strayhorn, Thad Jones, Oliver Nelson, Maria Schneider and originals by band members embrace and challenge the tradition of big band repertoire.



--Michael Filia, Strathmore



Washington Symphonic Brass to Present Holiday Concert at the Music Center at Strathmore

North Bethesda, MD, November 15, 2011 - Maestro Piotr Gajewski will conduct the

Washington Symphonic Brass in a holiday celebration at The Music Center at

Strathmore on December 22 at 8 p.m. The critically-acclaimed 17-member brass and

percussion ensemble will ring in the holidays with arrangements of holiday favorites,

including Greensleeves, Twelve Days of Christmas, selections from Bach's Christmas

Oratorio and a Hanukkah Medley.



The Washington Symphonic Brass is composed of professional musicians in the

Washington/Baltimore area who have assembled to play some of the great literature

written for large brass ensemble and percussion. Members of the WSB have performed

with many of the nation's best orchestras, such as the National Symphony, the Baltimore

Symphony, among others. The group performs throughout the Washington and

Baltimore metropolitan area and its repertoire covers five centuries.



Maestro Gajewski, an "immensely talented and insightful conductor" (The Washington

Post), is widely credited with building the National Philharmonic to its present status as

the most respected ensemble of its kind in the region. In recent years, he has also

appeared with most major orchestras in his native Poland, as well as the Royal Liverpool

Philharmonic in England, the Karlovy Vary Symphony in the Czech Republic, the

Okanagan Symphony in Canada and numerous orchestras in the United States. His

teachers have included Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, Andre Previn, and Gunther

Schuller. Maestro Gajewski also holds a law degree and occasionally makes time for

select legal projects. He and his family reside in Montgomery County.



To purchase tickets to the Washington Symphonic Brass concert on December 22, 2011

at 8 pm at the Music Center at Strathmore, please visit www.nationalphilharmonic.org

or call the Strathmore box office at (301) 581-5100. Tickets are available starting from

$35; kids 7-17 are FREE through the ALL KIDS, ALL FREE, ALL THE TIME program

(sponsored by The Gazette). ALL KIDS tickets must be purchased in person or by

phone.



--Deborah Birnbaum, National Philharmonic



Music Institute of Chicago Offers December Concerts

The Music Institute of Chicago, one of the U.S.'s largest and most respected community music schools, offers a variety of events to entertain music lovers this December. Events are free unless otherwise noted and take place at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston.



Saturday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Academy Chamber Music Concert

Founded in 2006, the Music Institute of Chicago Academy has quickly established itself as an elite training center for highly gifted pre-collegiate musicians. The selective program is focused on providing a comprehensive musical education including a rigorous chamber music component.



Wednesday, December 14 at 7:30 p.m.

MIC Community Symphony

Led by conductor Larry Eckerling, the MIC Community Symphony features amateur adult musicians with prior orchestral experience. Hosted by John Piepgras and featuring Music Institute faculty pianist Matthew Hagle, the program includes Humperdinck's Prelude to Hansel and Gretel; Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16; and Haydn's Symphony No. 100 in G Major ("Military").



Thursday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m.

New Horizons Band Concert

Led by conductor Carolyn Merva Robblee, the New Horizons Band features amateur adult musicians, age 50 and older, with prior experience. Program TBA.



Sunday, Dec 18 at 3 p.m.

Music Institute of Chicago Chorale presents: A celebration of the music of Benjamin Britten

Led by conductor Daniel Wallenberg, the Music Institute of Chicago Chorale, celebrating its 25th anniversary, is a community chorus that offers adult singers with prior experience the opportunity to study and perform the best in sacred and secular choral music. Special guests include Jamie Dahman, tenor; Ben Melsky, harp; Rob Horton, organ; and the The Rogers Park and Humboldt Park Neighborhood Choirs of the Chicago Children's Choir. The program includes Ceremony of Carols, Hymn to Saint Cecilia, Te Deum in C, Flower Songs, A Boy was Born, Festival Te Deum, and Two-Part Songs for High Voices.



Tickets: $15 adults | $10 seniors | $7 students; available at musicinst.org or 847.905.1500 ext. 108.



--Jill Chukerman, JAC Communications

The Golden Age of Hollywood (CD review)

Here Come the Classics, Volume Seventeen. Roderick Elms, piano; Jose Serebrier, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. RPO 017 CD.



I didn't know this: The Royal Philharmonic's own RPO label has a series it's doing called "Here Come the Classics," and they're up to number seventeen, the current volume called "The Golden Age of Hollywood" and devoted, obviously, to the musical scores of classic movies. Conductor Jose Serebrier seems to be having a grand old time with the music, too, treating it as seriously as if it were Beethoven or Stravinsky and providing it with all the color and pizzazz it needs.



The album contains fifteen tracks covering excerpts or suites from eleven films, all of them done up in fine fashion. As for the music, take your pick of favorite scores; here are a few of mine, starting with a nine-minute highlights suite from Max Steiner's Casablanca, with an emphasis on a piano fantasia based on "As Time Goes By," with pianist Roderick Elms.



Another favorite of mine is a four-movement suite from Bernard Herrmann's music for Psycho. The disc provides four separate tracks for various themes--the Prelude, "The Stairs," "The Murder," and the finish. It all sounds quite effective, with Serebrier maintaining a vivid forward thrust.  Eeek! Eeeek! Eeeeek!



Next, Miklos Rozsa's "Parade of the Charioteers" from Ben-Hur is appropriately gaudy and grand. But probably the most-influential music in the set is Erich Wolfgang Korngold's score for the Errol Flynn film The Sea Hawk. The swashbuckling opening theme is so memorable, I doubt that we'd have half the music of John Williams without it.



Then it's on to the movie hardly anyone remembers, Dangerous Moonlight, with the music almost everyone knows, Richard Addinsell's faux-romantic "Warsaw Concerto." Pianist Elms and Maestro Serebrier play it as though Liszt or Rachmaninov had written it, and again it impresses one with its melodic invention.



The program ends with "Tara's Theme" from Max Steiner's score for Gone with the Wind and then Elmer Bernstein's Overture for The Magnificent Seven. In between these items, you'll also hear music from The Big Country, Spellbound, The Guns of Navarone, and Taxi Driver. Serebrier may be aging but he hasn't slowed down, his interpretations as vigorous as the movies' original soundtracks.



The sound, recorded at Waterford Colosseum, London, in 2005 is very big and very wide to match the scope of the movies involved. There's a solid bottom end, if not too deep or strong; a slightly thick upper bass; a smooth midrange; and an extended if somewhat tizzy high end. The latter trait is an odd distraction in an otherwise fine sonic picture, and it left my ears ringing a little by the end of my listening session. The acoustic offers a reasonable sense of depth for the orchestra and a wide dynamic range, too, making a respectable showing on the audio side if you tone down the treble a bit. The catch came when I compared the RPO sound to a similarly themed album I had on hand, Film Spectacular! Vol. 2, a Decca Phase-4 recording from 1963. The older recording, although done up in a much more-expensive remastering from FIM, sounded clearer, cleaner, more dimensional, more dynamic, you name it. And it didn't leave my ears ringing. Maybe if you want the best, you pay for it.



Finally, the RPO disc boasts a terrific set of booklet notes on each of the films and composers represented, which alone may be worth the price of the album.



JJP

Rihanna latest ‘Talk That Talk’ album


Rihanna is an attractive energetic on Talk That Talk. She sings fairly honestly about what she likes (and doesn't like) between the pages on her new album, which depends deeply on dance and house authorities.

All through her Loud Tour, Rihanna passionate up with common vocal producer Kuk Harrell and establish her voice for the just-released music album.

Rihanna has indeed trialed with dance music in the past, particularly on paths like "Only Girl (In the World)," but she went bottomless into the type on this album. It didn't change the way Harrell and Ri had put effort together very much, the creator said.

Rihanna appears to be approaching herself these days also. She now exposed on Twitter that she's set to effort on her second Talk That Talk video, for the path "You Da One."

Bach & Sons: Piano Concertos (CD review)

Music of Johann Sebastian, Carl Philippe Emanuel, and Johann Christian Bach. Sebastian Knauer, piano; Sir Roger Norrington, Zurich Chamber Orchestra. Berlin Classics 0300270BC.



The concept behind the album Bach & Sons is to present similar music from two generations of Bachs, Johann Sebastian the father and Carl Philippe Emanuel and Johann Christian, two of his sons. The idea is not only to entertain with wonderful music but to point up the differences in musical styles from the late Baroque to early Classical periods. German pianist Sebastian Knauer, English conductor Sir Roger Norrington, and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra are more than happy to demonstrate these musical changes in four works by the family of composers. It doesn't hurt, either, that the disc shows off Maestro Norrington's credentials as the new principal conductor of the Zurich ensemble, bringing with him a firm grasp of period style and performance.



The program starts with the Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052, by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), a work that began life as a violin concerto, which Bach then turned into a harpsichord concerto, and which Knauer here plays on piano. Knauer and Norringotn are clearly of a single mind about the interpretation, producing a recording of great vitality and increasing joy.  Knauer's virtuosity is always on display (did Bach himself play as well, one wonders), yet it never overpowers the music.



Next up comes the Piano Concerto in E major, Wq. 14 (1744), a work by Carl Philippe Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), J.S.'s son. A generation had passed and we see the music has grown and matured considerably, specifically in the use of a slightly larger ensemble, more dynamic contrasts, and more-sophisticated phrasing. C.P.E. Bach's piece simply sounds more modern, the piano exhibiting greater subtlety in its solo passages, and the whole work evoking a smoother, more harmonic tone than that of the father.



Then, perhaps to point up these differences further, Knauer and company go back to Bach the elder for J.S.'s Piano Concerto No. 2 in E major, BWV 1053. This time Bach reused one of his organ concertos to remodel into the harpsichord concerto we get here on the piano. Of course, Bach added a good deal more elaboration to the solo piano part, which Knauer seems pleased to demonstrate.



The program concludes with the Piano Concerto in E-flat major, Op. 7, No. 5 (1770) by the youngest Bach son, Johann Christian (1735-1782). Here we find a greater rapport between soloist and orchestra and fewer interludes between solo and orchestral parts than in the back-and-forth arrangements we hear from the father. There is also a greater dependence on thematic development within each movement, so with J.C. we're moving closer to Haydn and Mozart territory. Again, Knauer and Norrington show their affinity for the music and the style and offer up a silky smooth yet sparkling reading, the final movement particularly intoxicating.



Recorded in 2011 in Zurich, ZKO-Haus, the sound is clean and well balanced, with the piano up front and personal. The relatively small group of players appears not too widely spread out behind the soloist, so it's not an especially spectacular recording, just a fairly natural one. Clarity is fine and definition solid, an appropriately proportioned resonance giving the music a lifelike feeling. It's all quite beautiful, actually, the recording and the music.



That's one grim-looking picture of Mr. Knauer on the cover, though.



JJP

To prove himself-Justin Beiber took DNA test


Justin Bieber took a DNA test on Friday in his continuing fatherhood fight, it is reported.

TMZ declares that the Baby singer presented to a laboratory in New Jersey and it is at the present downward to Mariah Yeater to give her child's DNA.

The 20-year-old California woman claims that she had a '30-second' meeting with Justin offstage at one of his performances in Los Angeles last year that resulted in her getting pregnant.

Justin it seems that took the test under much forbidden situation and it would be very hard for Mariah or her lawyers to confront it if it approaches rear that he is not the father.

The rumors that Justin and his groups will not even talk about a resolution with Mariah unless fatherhood is confirmed.

The singer has sweared to case a claim against Mariah and her lawyers once he begins that he is not the father of baby Trystan.

Mariah has crashed her first court case against Justin but he it seems that required to do the DNA test to quiet argument nearby the subject once and for all.

Dvorak: Tone Poems (CD review)

Sir Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. EMI 7243 5 58019-2 (2-disc set).



There hasn't been a really good set in quite some time of Dvorak's four tone poems of 1896. The best ones appeared ages ago from Kertesz and the LSO (Decca), Kubelik the Bavarian RSO (DG), and Harnoncout and the Concertgebouw O. (Warner Classics). So it's good to have so refined and polished as set as this one from Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic from 2005.



The tone poems I'm referring to are The Golden Spinning Wheel, The Wood Dove, The Noonday Witch, and The Water Goblin. Dvorak wrote them toward the end of his career, after he'd made his mark with the nine symphonies and the Cello Concerto and what have you. He wanted to do something uniquely Czech, returning to Prague to compose these orchestral ballads based on folk songs collected by Prague archivist Karel Jaromir Erben. They are typical folk stories, very lurid and grisly as so many folk stories are. They mostly have to do with monsters eating people--young heroines and children--or in the case of The Wood Dove, a bird driving a woman to suicide. Yes, they're rather merciless, but think even of a child's fairy tale like "Hansel and Gretel" and you get the idea. No need for political correctness here nor any apologies.



Rattle and his players handle the pieces in exemplary fashion, with plenty of color and atmosphere. If anything, though, his treatments may be a too sophisticated, too cultured, to capture fully the horrifying aspects of these tales. A quick listen to Kertesz, for example, reveals interpretations less subtle, less delicate, but more boisterous and more robust. This is to take nothing away from Rattle; his just seems to take a more urbane approach to such folky tunes.



The real advantage of the new EMI set is the sound. What a pleasure it is to listen to the Berlin Philharmonic without an audience coughing, wheezing, and shuffling in the background. For most of the tenures of Claudio Abbado and Rattle they and their record companies have insisted upon recording almost everything with the BPO live, perhaps providing more spontaneous performances but compromising the sound. This time out, the orchestra was less distant and a whole lot fuller sounding. By comparison, the old Kertesz-Decca recordings, while still good, are brighter, harder, and more forward, with less mid bass response. The Rattle-EMI recordings are smoother overall, perhaps a touch too soft, and much better balanced tonally, with a sturdy if sometimes overly prominent mid bass.



The only serious complaint I would make is that the two discs in the Rattle set contain a total of about eighty-three minutes of music: forty-eight minutes on disc one and about thirty-five minutes on disc two. It is short measure, hardly more than one finds on a single disc these days.  Oh, well....



JJP

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 19 and 23 (CD review)

Also, aria from Idomeneo. Helene Grimaud, piano; Mojca Erdmann, soprano; Radoslaw Szulc, leader, Bavarian Radio Chamber Orchestra and Symphony. DG B0016204-02.



Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was a musical prodigy on the piano, a child genius whose father dragged him all over Europe to play before kings and courts. It's no wonder, then, that Mozart would produce some twenty-seven piano concertos during his relatively short life. He seems to have been born to the genre.



French pianist Helene Grimaud, who began playing the piano at the age of seven, also seems to have been born to the instrument. In the few recordings I've heard from her, she appears not only sensitive and virtuosic but more than willing to be herself as well, to reinterpret old favorites with new shadings of her own. Although I've not always agreed with her vision of things, I can certainly appreciate her desire not to be another sheep following every other pianist before her. If there wasn't room for a multitude of interpretations in musical performances, there would be no need for hearing more than one of anything.



Ms. Grimaud begins the program with the Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major, K. 459, where she takes the opening Allegro vivace at its word with a vivacious tempo and characteristically imaginative phrasing. Then she makes the slow center movement all the more lovely for its straightforward simplicity and delicacy, wrapping things up with a snappy finale that seems only fitting.



Between the album's two concertos, Ms. Grimaud chose to ask soprano Mojca Erdmann to sing "Ch'io mi scordi di te?" - "Non temer, amato bene" from Mozart's opera Idomeneo. The music makes a charming and wholly appropriate interlude in the proceedings.



In the disc's final work, the Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488, Ms. Grimaud tends to race through the Allegro, even if the orchestra wants clearly to take their time. Perhaps she wanted to get to the ravishing central Adagio all the more quickly. Certainly, there is no questioning the radiance of her playing here, the tenderness in every note. No doubt, too, her extra-slow pace in the Adagio contributes to a small diminution of lilt and lift; alas, it's all a trade-off, a compromise. In the closing movement Ms. Grimaud is fleet, polished, and technically remarkable, if not quite so much fun as several of her colleagues, particularly Ashkenazy (Decca), Tan (Virgin), Curzon (Decca), Perahia (Sony), and Barenboim (EMI and BR Klassik).



DG recorded the two concertos live at the Prinzregententheater, Munich, May, 2011 and the aria in the Residenz, Herkulessaal, July, 2011. The concertos are miked close enough to reduce most audience noise, but the sonics are still rather soft and a little hollow, with a good number of extraneous sounds from Ms. Grimaud's footwork perhaps or hall resonance, I don't know. It's a distraction in any case and just one of the drawbacks of recording live. Otherwise, the piano is well out in front of the orchestra and fairly well delineated, the orchestral accompaniment smooth though not especially impressive. The vocal pieces, not done live, sound significantly cleaner and more natural, the voice sweet and clear. Not unexpectedly, the two concertos come complete with a disfiguring outburst of applause at the end of each.



Incidentally, there's one oddity about DG's labeling of the album: Neither the booklet cover nor the jewel-box spine mention the music involved. They only name the composer and the artist, Ms. Grimaud. I guess you are supposed to know instinctively (or simply remember) what Ms. Grimaud is playing on the disc once you've set it on your shelf. Or maybe the folks at DG figure people don't really care what Ms. Grimaud is playing, only that she's doing it.



JJP

A music record has been released to honor Amy Winehouse


Following the untimely death of singer Amy Winehouse, a music album has been released in respect of her role to music. It goes with the song “Our Day Will Come” and features a variety of shorten of the late singer in the tallness of her career. You’ll see footage of her during live presentations, and offstage indications which depicts the remembrance of how we should all keep in mind Amy.

It is also reported that this song is the part of her song which will be released on December 6 and also they added that Amy has a lot of unreleased work, however we are going to miss all her unreleased songs. She even planned to release her album after finishing all her work with the “supergroup” Saalam Remis said. He also said that there is also another song about her ex-husband’s unfaithfulness and ‘Best Friend’.

On July 23 of this year, Amy Winehouse was dead in her London apartment house and it was afterward reported that she had died from harsh alcohol toxic. Her untimely death was a overwhelming instant for her fans and music lovers. And in hold up of Amy, this music video is just what fans require to celebrate Amy for her expressive music and famous role to the music industry.

All of us need to reward ourselves over a time for the stress toll taken both physically and mentally by us. One of the best ways to chill out is to take a vacation and here are some amazing worldwide vacation rentals you can consider booking for your vacations.

Classical Music News of the Week, November 20, 2011

National Philharmonic Chorale to Perform Handel's Messiah at the Music Center at Strathmore



North Bethesda, MD, November 1, 2011 – In celebration of the holidays, National Philharmonic Chorale Artistic Director Stan Engebretson will conduct the National Philharmonic in Handel's Messiah on Saturday, December 10 at 8 pm and Sunday, December 11 at 3 pm at the Music Center at Strathmore. The concert will feature the National Philharmonic's nearly 200 voice all-volunteer Chorale, as well as soloists Jennifer Casey Cabot (soprano); Kendall Gladen (mezzo-soprano); Matthew Smith (tenor); and Kevin Deas (bass).



Handel's Messiah, among the most popular works in Western choral literature, was first performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742. The composer's most famous work is divided into three parts that address specific events in the life of Christ. Part one is primarily concerned with the Advent and Christmas stories; part two chronicles Christ's passion, resurrection, ascension and commitment to spreading the Christian message; and part three is based primarily upon the events chronicled in the Revelation of St. John. The National Philharmonic and Chorale, in addition to a stellar cast of soloists, will perform the complete work, which includes such favorites as "The Trumpet Shall Sound," "And the Glory of the Lord," and, of course, the famous "Hallelujah Chorus."



A free pre-concert lecture will be offered at 6:45 pm on December 10; at 1:45 on December 11 in the concert hall at the Music Center at Strathmore. To purchase tickets to National Philharmonic's concerts on December 10 and 11, please visit nationalphilharmonic.org or call the box office at (301) 581-5100. Tickets are $32-$79; kids 7-17 are FREE through the ALL KIDS, ALL FREE, ALL THE TIME program (sponsored by The Gazette).  ALL KIDS tickets must be purchased in person or by phone. Photo credit for National Philharmonic Chorale Artistic Director Stan Engebretson is Jerry Fernandez.



--Deborah Birnbaum, National Philharmonic



Cleveland International Piano Competition Presents 2011 First-Prize Winner Alexander Schimpf at Zankel Hall, December 5, 2011

NEW YORK, NY – First-Prize Winner of the 2011 Cleveland International Piano Competition, German-born pianist Alexander Schimpf makes his New York debut at 7:30pm on December 5, 2011 in Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall. Selected from a field of 28 pianists from 11 countries, Mr. Schimpf received a cash award of $50,000 and more than 50 worldwide engagements, including a December 5, 2011 Zankel Hall recital. Mr. Schimpf's largely German program includes works by Bach, Brahms and Schubert as well as two works - one a world premiere - from young German composer Adrian Sieber.



Mr. Schimpf's Zankel Hall program displays a great affinity for his Germanic musical heritage beginning with Bach's English Suite No. 3 in G Minor followed by Brahms's Ballade No. 4 in B Major, Op. 10 and two works by Adrian Sieber, Fantasie II, a work Mr. Schimpf performed during the 2011 Competition, and the world premiere of Sieber's …und schon verglüht (…and already in embers) written for the pianist.  Schubert's Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960 concludes the program.



Born in Gottingen, Germany in 1981, Alexander Schimpf initially studied piano with Wolfgang Manz in Hannover, and subsequently attended the Musikhochschule Dresden with Winfried Apel and the Musikhochschule Wurzburg with Bernd Glemser.  Pianists Ceclile Ousset and Janina Fialkowska also played an important role in his artistic development.



In addition to the Cleveland Competition, Mr. Schimpf won First Prize at the 2008 German Music Competition in the solo piano category, as well as the 2009 Beethoven Competition in Vienna.  He was awarded the Audience Prize by vote of those in attendance at the final round of the Cleveland Competition.



Alexander Schimpf, piano

Cleveland International Piano Competition First-Prize Winner

Monday, December 5, 2011 at 7:30 PM

Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall



Bach:  English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808

Brahms: Ballade No. 4 in B Major, Op. 10

Adrian Sieber: Fantasie II

Adrain Sieber: ...und schon verglüht  (World Premiere)

Schubert: Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960



Admission: $15, $10 for students and seniors.

Tickets on sale at www.carnegiehall.org, CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 and at the Carnegie Hall Box Office.



--Kirschbaum Demler & Associates



National Philharmonic Singers & Washington Symphonic Brass Quintet Present Holiday Concert

North Bethesda, MD, November 2, 2011 – The National Philharmonic Singers and

Washington Symphonic Brass Quintet, under the direction of conductors Stan

Engebretson, Victoria Gau and Phil Snedecor, will present a free holiday concert on

Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 8 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, 107 South

Washington Street, Rockville, Maryland.



The concert will feature music from the great cathedrals of Europe with antiphonal works

by Gabrieli, as well as holiday favorites in exciting new arrangements. In addition, music

by Lauridsen, Whitacre will be highlighted. The concert concludes with famous carols,

including the "Hallelujah Chorus."



The National Philharmonic Singers, led by Stan Engebretson and Victoria Gau, is a

chamber choir and one of several performing ensembles of the National Philharmonic.

The group promotes works suited for smaller ensembles, whether with accompaniment or

a cappella. Its repertoire ranges from the 15th to 21st centuries, and it often premieres new

compositions by local composers.



The Washington Symphonic Brass, led by Phil Snedecor, is composed of professional

musicians in the Washington/Baltimore area who have assembled to play some of the

great literature written for large brass ensemble and percussion. Members of the WSB

have performed with many of the nation's best orchestras, such as the National

Symphony. The group performs throughout the Washington and Baltimore metropolitan

area and its repertoire covers five centuries.



The December 17 holiday concert at the Christ Episcopal Church in Rockville is free

but donations in support of the Community Ministries of Rockville will be gratefully

accepted. Christ Episcopal Church is located at 107 South Washington Street in

Rockville, MD. Directions to the church may be found at www.christchurchrockville.org or

by calling the church at 301-762-2191, ext. 3. For more information, please visit

nationalphilharmonic.org for call 301-493-9283, ext. 116.



--Deborah Birnbaum



Music Institute of Chicago Presents Acclaimed Vamos Family

Acclaimed Musician-Teachers Perform December 17 at Nichols Concert Hall



Assembling a family of noteworthy musicians and teachers, The Music Institute of Chicago presents a Vamos Family Concert Saturday, December 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston.



Playing a program of Chopin's Cello Sonata in G Minor, Poulenc's Violin Sonata, and Bach's Concerto for Three Violins in D Major, Vamos family members are recipients of numerous honors and have performed widely to great critical acclaim.



Wife and husband Almita (violin) and Roland Vamos (conductor), both members of the Music Institute's violin faculty (Roland also serves on the viola and chamber music faculties and conducts the Music Institute's Senior Academy Orchestra), have received multiple Presidential Excellence in Teaching Awards and launched the careers of numerous individual musicians and renowned chamber groups, including Rachel Barton Pine, Jennifer Koh and several members of the Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet, including their son Brandon Vamos, cello, and his wife Simin Ganatra, violin, who join them on this program. Also performing are Almita and Roland's son Rami Vamos, guitar, and his wife Nurit Pacht, violin, as well as Almita's sister Eugenia Monacelli, piano.



--Jill Chukerman, JAC Communications

Funeral of famous rap singer”Heavy D” took place in Mount Vernon



The famous rap singer Heavy D funeral was took place in his home town of Mount Vernon on Friday. This funeral service was held at the Grace Baptist Church in Heav’s hometown, where guests included Jay-Z, Will Smith, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Mary J. Blige and previous Heavy D & the Boyz group members, DJ Eddie F and G-Whiz. 

Throughout the ceremony Rev. Al Sharpton called Heavy’s 11-year-old daughter Xea Myers to the stage, before reading a poem that President Obama devoted to the dead performer.

"We extend our heartfelt condolences at this difficult time,” the note from Obama read. “He will be kept in mind for his infectious brightness and many donations to American music. Please know that you and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers.”

Grace Baptist Church was so packed that an overflow area was set up. Among those in attendance were Usher, Queen Latifah, Don King, Q-Tip, John Legend and Rosie Perez. A wake held on Thursday attracted famous friends including Chris Rock, Flavor Flav and Russell Simmons.

Schubert: Trout Quintet (CD review)

Also, "Arpeggione" Sonata; "Notturno" Adagio. Jos van Immerseel, fortepiano; L'Archibudelli: Vera Beths, violin; Jurgen Kussmaul, viola; Anner Bylsma, cello; Marji Danilow, double bass. Newton Classics 8802087.



I'm sure there are as many "Trout" in the music catalogue as there are fish in the sea. Sometimes we wonder why record companies keep releasing the same warhorses over and over, but in the case Schubert's Piano Quintet in A, D667, one can understand the justification for so many releases. The work continues to sparkle with a freshness that that never fails to enthrall listeners. Regarding the present "Trout," Jos van Immerseel and company recorded it on period instruments some years ago for Sony Classics, and the folks at Newton Classics are now reissuing it in their own transfer. It's a worthy re-release in a crowded and highly competitive field.



Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828) in his short life wrote some of the happiest, most-felicitous, and most-moving music the world has ever known, with his "Trout" Quintet (written in 1819 but not published until a year after his death) among the most cheerful, and most challenging, of the lot. People called it "The Trout" early on because Schubert based the final movement on a series of songs, lieder, he had written some years earlier, variations known as "Die Forelle" or "The Trout."



Immerseel on fortepiano and the period-instruments ensemble L'Archibudelli provide a lively interpretation of the work, even if one is immune to the charms of period-instruments bands. Note, however, that one would never know this was a period-instruments recording from just reading the jewel box if one didn't notice the word "fortepiano" next to Immerseel's name or already know that Immerseel and L'Archibudelli play on period instruments. Newton Classics say nothing of the matter on the disc, the booklet, or the booklet insert. Of course, you might notice once you started listening to the music: a fortepiano sounds slightly less resonant than a modern piano, and gut strings, period tuning, and older performing practices sound different from modern ones.



Anyway, Immerseel and company take this "Trout" in a more vigorous fashion than most other performers do, with energetic rhythms and sprightly accents well punctuated. While it is hardly the leisurely, charming "Trout" we hear from musicians like Alfred Brendel et al (Philips) or the augmented Beaux Arts Trio (Philips or PentaTone), two of my favorites, Immerseel's reading has its own delights, at least if you like fast speeds. Personally, I prefer the more leisurely approach.



So, just how quick is this reading? The only other period-instruments version I had on hand was from members of the Academy of Ancient Music on L'Oiseau-Lyre, and in every movement Immerseel and his companions are faster. Needless to say, compared to modern accounts, such as those from the aforementioned Brendel and Beaux Arts, Immerseel is practically a speed demon.



Under Immerseel's direction, the first movement, an Allegro vivace, shows much life and animation, while at the same time a sensitive flow of melodies. The next movement, the slow Andante, may not be as graceful as we hear it in many other renderings, but it is still quite lovely and lyrical.



The Scherzo: Presto is particularly forceful, although the actual dynamics--the range between the softest and loudest passages--is not particularly wide, which may be one of the disc's only failings. The performers tend to play almost everything at the same level, without as much contrast as in others' hands. Nevertheless, it is fetching in its way.



The central Variations are as delightful as ever, despite their brisk tempos, and I might say the same for the finale. Schubert's indication for the last movement is Allegro giusto (cheerful, joyful, usually fast, and fitting or just right), which is a pretty general tempo marking, allowing for a lot of interpretative leeway. At least we know Schubert wanted something a little fast and lively, and he gets it here, the performers playing with more-than-enough gusto.



The next of the program's couplings is the Sonata in A minor, D821, for piano and cello, also called the "Arpeggione Sonata" because Schubert wrote it for an instrument called the arpeggione. Unfortunately, shortly after he wrote it the instrument went out of style, and today performers usually play it on the cello. Anner Bylsma plays it on a violincello piccolo. The piece is largely grave in nature, with occasional lighter moments.



The Adagio in E flat, D897, "Notturno," for piano trio that closes the show is sweetly melancholic and regal at the same time. It's a neat combination.



Where this release scores over many of its competitors is its recording, made in July, 1997, in Lutherse Church, Haarlem, the Netherlands. It captures a genuine sense of air and space around the instruments without ever sounding bright, forward, or edgy. Indeed, if it errs at all, it's on the side of being a tad too smooth and warm. The stereo spread is broad enough to indicate a modest distance, yet the clarity and impact of the music never appear too compromised.



I'm not sure how well received this recording of the "Trout" was when Sony first released it, but it certainly deserves this second chance on Newton Classics. It strikes a generally happy chord and brings a smile to the lips.



JJP

Idressonline conducting Thanksgiving Sale with special offers

Idressonline is an online store which is going to conduct Thanksgiving sale on Black Friday Promotion with exclusive offers.

This promotion will starts at 10.00p.m on Thursday, Nov-24 to 26 midnight. In this restricted sale, idressonline delivers you new fashionable and elegant evening dresses, cocktail dresses, prom dresses, homecoming dresses in distinctive styles and in exciting colors that will help you to grab everyone’s attention. Make use of this precious opportunity to grab all your desire dresses at reduced prices in idressonline.com.

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Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 "Romantic" (CD review)

Kurt Sanderling, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. Profil PH05020.



Maestro Kurt Sanderling began his musical career in 1931 and worked steadily in the field, mostly as a conductor, until he announced his retirement in 2002. He was a contemporary of almost every important musician of the twentieth century, he recorded a huge number of works for various labels, and his name is familiar to most classical-music listeners. It's surprising, then, that he was never fully able to break into the highest echelon of musical geniuses. Perhaps this recording of Bruckner's "Romantic" Symphony provides a clue.



While everything about the performance is in place, it never seems to take off, to soar, to inspire the way others do. The Fourth was Bruckner's only program symphony, with the composer telling us what he intended each movement to represent, from knights riding out of a medieval castle at dawn to the sounds of the forest and birds to a hunting song and large-scale summary in closing. More important, the symphony is one of Bruckner's most-beloved works, probably because of its easily communicated grandeur and nobility of spirit. Bruckner was, above all, a profoundly spiritual man, and his music illustrates that spirituality.



Yet Sanderling's interpretation never quite reaches the pinnacles of grand otherworldliness that other conductors of his generation attained in their recordings, people like Otto Klemperer (EMI), Karl Bohm (Decca), and Eugene Jochum (DG). A prominent mid-to-upper bass rise in the sound and a decidedly slow and calculated tempo provide Sanderling's reading with a degree of gravity, but they also tend to darken and deaden the work's tensions. The Scherzo comes off best, yet even here we find more robustness in the other performances I've mentioned.



The Profil label is stingy with their recording details, saying in the booklet insert only that THS Studio restored the sound and citing a date of 1994. I assume 1994 was the recording date, and by the number of coughs and wheezes I heard, maybe it was live. Or maybe the orchestra was having an off day. Anyway, the sound does favor the mid-to-upper bass, as I say, although it isn't enough to mask too much detail. The high end is fine, if not particularly extended, and the midrange is adequate. The stereo spread seems constricted a tad, but it will still fill up your listening room.



Incidentally, of the three comparison discs I listened to, the Klemperer sounds the most transparent. EMI always did take care with their productions.



JJP

Justin Bieber fatherhood court case crashed or Still On?

Opposing to previous information’s, Mariah Yeater is still set to follow her fatherhood action against Justin Bieber.

The 20 year old has changed public prosecutors and her latest spokesperson, Jeffrey Leving, is actually eager to consult out of court with Bieber’s personal legal representatives.

Yeater declares that Bieber is the father of her 4 month old son. Her latest legal representative is not permitting her to talk to the press. He has said that this case is totally out of powerand he also added that he don’t want somewhat horrible to occur to her client or her child.

Bieber has deprived of the claims and exposed he was ready to take a DNA test to invalidate the story. TMZ state that Yeater's new legal representatives Lance Rogers and Matt Pare quit the case after Bieber's organization in danger them with lawful act of their own for creating a false assert.

Scottish singer Jackie Leven is fatally sick with cancer

Jackie Leven one of the famous Scottish singer-songwriters is suffering from cancer was reported yesterday.

In a line of business extending above forty years, Jackie Leven has imprinted an imposing standing as an exclusively talented singer-songwriter. From his appearance as head of the undervalued DOLL BY DOLL in the 70’s, during well recognized habit troubles which Leven defeated with extraordinary power of determination, end in a alone renaissance during the 1980s to the here and now, Jackie has combined an amazing stiff of effort ' the creator of above 400 songs, counting debatably his most song ' 'Call Mother', from the album 'Mystery of Love'.

If auctions didn't always return the overpoweringly optimistic dangerous response his albums expected, he however leftovers a sensitive writer and singer. Jackie was instilling with a fidgety originality, and always penetrating for new locations for his ruminative poetic in his journey, fastened with comedy and musical elegance.


Ireland: Piano Concerto (CD review)



Also, Legend; First Rhapsody; Pastoral; Indian Summer; A Sea Idyll; Three Dances. John Lenehan, piano; John Wilson, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Naxos 8.572598.



I've sometimes wondered over the years why record companies regularly ignore many perfectly delightful, accessible pieces of music in favor of old warhorses or modern experiments. The Piano Concerto in E flat by English composer John Ireland (1879-1962) is a case in point. I can remember hearing only one other recording of it, a long time ago with Boult conducting, I believe, and liking it quite a lot. Yet, as with so many things over time, the memory fades, and until reviewing this new Naxos disc I had almost forgotten how charming the work is.



Ireland wrote the Piano Concerto in 1930 and dedicated it to his piano pupil Helen Perkin, a young woman who premiered the piece and with whom he apparently fell in love. He then began a second piano concerto, completing only the movement we find later on the disc, Legend, also dedicating it to Perkin. Unfortunately for Ireland, Perkin did not return his affections, subsequently marrying someone else, and Ireland withdrew both dedications. Kind of a sore loser, I suppose.



Anyway, the Piano Concerto exhibits Ireland's romantic impressionism, and as played by pianist John Lenehan, conductor John Wilson, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the music expresses good cheer, poetic yearning, and eloquent aspiration. Its three relatively brief movements move seamlessly from one to the next, the whole work essentially a love poem. The opening movement, marked "In tempo moderato," sets the tone for a piece that infuses a bit of Gershwin jazz with Brahmsian rhapsody. There is also a kind of free-spirited, freewheeling quality to the music making, nicely captured by Lenehan and the orchestra. The slow, middle section is really quite ravishing, a warmhearted duet between piano and players that clearly demonstrates the composer's fondness for Ms. Perkin, punctuated by an emphatic climax before leading directly into a final movement of much vitality.



Naxos couple five other works by Ireland to the Piano Concerto, and although they may not possess the same radiant distinction, they are worthy of a listen. Two of them, the early Pastoral and the later Indian Summer Naxos give world-première recordings.



The Legend for piano and orchestra (1933) comes next, and while Ireland may have intended it as a follow-up to his highly successful Piano Concerto, it is very different in mood. Instead of being cheerful and buoyant, it is rather dark, even gloomy, perhaps a musical picture of the West Sussex countryside he loved so much that he eventually retired there (in a converted windmill, no less). In any case, after its ominous beginnings, the work turns somewhat lighter, and Lenehan brings out the beauty in it.



The final pieces are for piano only, starting with Pastoral (1896), newly uncovered, a short piano work done when Ireland was still a student. The even shorter Indian Summer (1932) that follows is another landscape painting; A Sea Idyll in three movements is enchanting, with an air of Debussy about it; and the Three Dances that close the program are simple, bouncy, and bucolic in nature. Again, Lenehan does justice to all of the music.



One of the best recordings from Naxos I've heard in quite some time, they made it in the Music Room at Champs Hill, West Sussex, and at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, England, between 2007 and 2011. While the piano is well out in front of the orchestra on the two piano and orchestra pieces, the stage depth and stereo spread are impressive. The sound is perhaps a touch soft, yet probably no more so than one would find in a live performance, with a smooth, fairly dynamic response. At no time during the piano and orchestra recordings or in the piano solos is the sound ever edgy, harsh, or bright nor clouded or veiled. It is, in fact, just right for easy listening.



On a final note, I would point out the disc contains some seventy-seven minutes of music, a healthy dose for so low a price. Thank you, Naxos.



JJP