William Schuman: Credendum (Article of Faith), Piano Concerto, Symphony No. 4
Albany TROY566
Format: Hybrid Stereo SACD

Musical Performance
Recording Quality
Overall Enjoyment

This recording is dedicated to the memory of Audrey Kaufmann, longtime board member of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. She was instrumental in getting Albany audiences to accept music by living composers, and Schuman was one of her favorites. Pianist John McCabe plays the concerto with poetry and authority, the smallish orchestra providing precise, on-the-mark accompaniment. The opening of Credendum, with its clashing percussion, is very impressive, but in later sections of the work the strings sound a bit undernourished and overtaxed, as they do in the symphony. The SACD recording, made in the legendary Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, is clean as a whistle but lacking in representation of stage depth.

Chopin: Polonaises
Deutsche Grammophon 471 648-2
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
Recording Quality
Overall Enjoyment

Ever since its initial release on vinyl in 1976, this has been one of DG’s most prized recordings. Maurizio Pollini gets the lilt of these dances just right, articulating every passage clearly while not ignoring its inherent lyrical qualities. His playing is virtuosic yet singularly poetic. The recording is tight, not too dry, and not too reverberant. The high-resolution processing gives the piano more sparkle and intimacy. The surround remix puts relatively unobtrusive ambiance in the back without harming the front channels. If you don’t like it, switch to this SACD’s equally good two-channel tracks. 

Heart: Alive in Seattle
Epic/Legacy E2H 90287
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
Recording Quality
Overall Enjoyment

While other bands have come and gone, Heart has continued to hold forth, enlarging its fan base to cross generations. This concert, a mix of old and new songs, was the last on the group’s 2002 tour. The band has energy to burn, all of it captured in sharp realism in the SACD 5.1 version: the crowd is wrapped around the listener for a very realistic re-creation of a gigantic space. The band is upfront, reproduced with awesome frequency range. There’s a DVD-Video version, too, but its sound is compressed DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1. If the sound is more important to you than being able to see the show, you must have this SACD.

Soundtrack: X2
Trauma 74073
Format: CD

Musical Performance
Recording Quality
Overall Enjoyment

Building on a dense string arrangement reminiscent of Henry Mancini’s score for Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce, John Ottman creates an ambitious if slightly uneven backdrop for the exciting sequel to X-Men. There is no lack of testosterone or instruments in this effort; what’s missing is a bit of refinement and control. The "Suite from X2" has more than enough bravado and power, but at times sounds unfocused and rushed. In some cases Ottman’s choices sound odd in respect to the whole. But there are times when the young composer creates arrangements that are quite beautiful, as in the case of "Cerebro." It’s too bad these end before any real emotional connection can be made. Michael Kamen’s score for X-Men is better, but then again, Kamen has had three decades to perfect his art. John Ottman first hit the scene in 1995 with his impressive score for The Usual Suspects; by the sound of X2, he’s still just warming up.

Erasure: Loveboat
Mute 9212
Format: CD

Musical Performance
Recording Quality
Overall Enjoyment

It will be three years in October since Erasure released Loveboat as an import. A huge fan, I picked up the CD the day it came out and paid the import price. I have never regretted it. This is one of Erasure’s best efforts in regards to both production and music. Many have complained that the bass on this album is overblown and distorted, but this is true only if you play it on a system that has problems with bass control or linearity. I continue to use Loveboat as one of my bass references. Beyond its technical achievements, Loveboat is a fantastic listen. Vince Clarke’s incredibly infectious melodies are some of the best since the band’s The Innocents (1988), and Andy Bell’s voice has never been better. Now Mute Records has seen fit to release Loveboat in the US. Go out, pick it up, and enjoy!