Stravinsky: Petrouchka, Firebird Suite*
London Symphony; Charles Mackerras, conductor; *Robin McCabe, piano.
Vanguard ATM CD 1505
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

Originally recorded in 1973, this version of the popular ballet Petrouchka has always struck me as one of the best. The London Symphony players were in top form, and conductor Charles Mackerras has a full grip on both the lyric and dramatic moments that abound throughout the ballet’s four tableaux. There is energy to burn, yet no part of the reading ever seems frantic. The basic recording is crisp and clean, slightly missing in focus for the string basses, yet the bass drum has both focus and formidable presence. The top end gets slightly edgy in the big moments, but not too shrill to compromise listener enjoyment. This was an original quadraphonic recording (this remix has a center channel), and producer Seymour Solomon had fun placing the listener in the middle of the orchestra by locating the piano and percussion in the rear. The effect, not as bizarre in the hearing as it is in the telling, allows for great clarity in passages involving woodwind and piano. In the short piano suite from The Firebird, arranged by Guido Agosti and performed by Robin McCabe in virtuoso style, there is very discreet ambience in the rear channels….Rad Bennett

Nickel Creek: Nickel Creek
Sugar Hill SACD 3970
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

Nickel Creek comprises three young musicians who play folk-bluegrass songs and dances. Chris Thile sings lead and harmony vocals and plays mandolin and bouzouki, Sara Watkins sings lead and harmony vocals and plays violin, and Sean Watkins sings harmony vocals while playing guitar. Their producer is Alison Krauss, and Nickel Creek exhibits the same production values that make Krauss’s own recordings with Union Station such a delight to hear. Simplicity is the watchword as these accomplished performers breeze through old and new tunes. The most effective newer composition here is "The Hand Song," by Sean Watkins and David Puckett, with its haunting imagery of love and bleeding hands. Except in "Cuckoo’s Nest," the recording places the instruments up front, lead singer in the center, with sparing yet effective use of the rear channels. A clean and clear recording, if just a mite heavy on the bass end….Rad Bennett

The Rolling Stones: The Singles, 1965-1967
ABKCO Records 711220
Format: CD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

The first song on The Singles, 1965-1967 acts as a demarcation point between the Stones' early years and the band's beginning as hit-makers. "Satisfaction" remains the Stones' anthem, but this 11-disc set includes other hits as well: "Get Off My Cloud," "As Tears Go By," "Paint It Black," "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday" -- some of the band's best-known singles. Like The Singles, 1963-1965, this set replicates Stones 45s on CDs, including the vinyl look of the discs and the printing of the sleeves. Also included are a 28-page booklet that discusses the era in Stones' history, three period photos, and a two-sided poster -- collector's tat. The sound is crisp and detailed -- it will be a revelation for those who have heard these tunes time and again on FM radio. If you're a completist, you'll want this set and the one that follows next year, The Singles, 1968-1971....Marc Mickelson

Heinrich Biber and Johann Schmelzer: Seventeenth-Century Music and Dance from the Viennese Court
Ars Antiqua Austria; Gunar Letzbor, director.
Chesky SACD282
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

The somewhat flippant jacket notes liken the joyful dance tunes heard on this effervescent CD to "good old party music." Hearing these energetic, buoyant readings by Ars Antiqua Austria, a small period-instrument ensemble, one might readily agree. Biber was Baroque’s bad boy, a visionary who used deliberate mistunings for special effects, and wrote such colorful tone poems as Battalia. The compositions here do not range so far into experimentation, yet are joyful and harmonically rich. The recording has singular presence and a fair amount of natural reverb. The instruments are in sharp focus, yet never sound too bright or artificial. In short, they sound like the real deal. What more could one ask?…Rad Bennett

John Hiatt: Bring the Family
A&M B0002395
Format: DVD-Audio

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Picture Quality
Overall Enjoyment

John Hiatt’s watershed album was first released in 1987 to great critical acclaim, and songs from the collection have been covered by such notable artists as Bonnie Raitt and Joe Cocker. But Hiatt’s own torn, gravelly voice best conveys his brand of blues-country-rock writing. The transfers on this DVD-Audio disc are a little disappointing. Though many will revel in the sheer spaciousness of the surround mix, it seems rough at times, more sound than substance, with details buried rather than being exposed. Hiatt’s voice is nicely placed in the center channel. The two-channel mix sounds better to me, but still lacks the ultimate clarity I would like to hear, and taking the vocals out of the center channel causes them to be buried at times. Spirited music videos of "Thank You Girl" and "Have a Little Faith in Me" are included, as well as a still-frame biography and onscreen lyrics….Rad Bennett

Grieg: Piano Concerto, Symphonic Dances, Concert Overture, In Autumn
Havard Grimse, piano; Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Bjarte Engeset, conductor.
Naxos 6.110060
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

Some jaded listeners might take Grieg’s single piano concerto for granted, but I approach every new hearing with joy, knowing how good I will feel after being uplifted by its lyrical melodies. Grimse and Engeset let the piece unfold in a natural manner, using virtuoso playing and conducting as a means to an end. The Symphonic Dances seem propelled of their own volition, rather than hard-driven. The subtle accents applied by the musicians bring buoyancy to the music. The overture, written early in the composer’s lifetime, before his own unique personality was fully formed, is appropriately played as the one that Wagner never wrote. The recorded sound is A+, with a wide and deep front stage, lots of presence, and just the right amount of reverb from the rear channels. The recording is also available on DVD-A, in which it sounds equally splendid….Rad Bennett