Kroumata Percussion Ensemble: Kroumata Encores
Håken Hagegård, baritone; Ziya Aytekin, kaval, mey, darabucka; Kerstin Frödin, recorder; Kroumata Percussion Ensemble
BIS SACD-1452
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

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Sweden’s BIS was one of the first record labels to produce stereo digital recordings. A disc with the Kroumata Percussion Ensemble was the company’s first, in 1983, and it established BIS as an audiophile label. It seems entirely fitting that this zany ensemble should rerecord some of its favorite encore pieces in 2004 for BIS’s new SACD series. A lot of the music comes from the ragtime era -- tunes such as Felix Arndt’s "Nola," and a rag by Charles Johnson and Alfred Bryan, "Dill Pickles." Folk music from several countries influences other pieces on this perfect disc. There are also some original compositions of a more serious nature, such as John Silvmark’s "The Vitaberg Song," for African kalimba, cowbells, and hand drums, which was named by its audience. All of the musicians perform impeccably; their efforts could not be bettered. The sound, too, is ideal. The only way to hear marimbas, xylophones, vibraphones, accordions, drums, wind chimes, and other percussion instruments more realistically would be to hear them live, and even then, I’m not sure you’d be able to tell the difference. Specific surround-sound effects are not used for every piece, but when they are, they prove most effective, as in "The Vitaberg Song." Recordings released later this year will have a tough task displacing this disc as 2006’s best….Rad Bennett

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4, Capriccio Italien
Royal Philharmonic; Daniele Gatti, conductor.
Harmonia Mundi 807 393
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

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The young conductor Daniele Gatti has been music director of the Royal Philharmonic since 1996, but there have been few recordings to chronicle the enormous success he has had with British audiences. His recording of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5, released a year ago by Harmonia Mundi, was exciting but a bit wayward. This new recording, of the Fourth, lets everyone know what all the excitement is about. Passages that I almost tune out because I’ve heard them so often seemed to leap out of the speakers. These readings demand attention -- they are alive, alert, and ardent. The Royal Philharmonic plays with the passion that its founder, Sir Thomas Beecham, always inspired, a spirit that has often been missing in the 40-plus years since his death. The recording, produced by Robina G. Young, is close-up in the manner of engineering legend Kenneth E. Wilkinson, with solid bass and sweet highs. The brass section often overpowers, but I think this is Gatti’s doing, not the engineer’s. And damn, is the effect exciting. The percussion instruments in the Capriccio Italien have excellent presence, especially the timpani. Harmonia Mundi promises a Symphony No.6 from the same forces in the near future. I will be first in line….Rad Bennett

Handel: Messiah
Christine Schafer, soprano; Anna Larsson, contralto; Michael Schade, tenor; Gerald Finley, bass; Arnold Schoenberg Choir, Concentus Musicus Wien; Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor.
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 72039-2
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

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Handel kept rearranging and changing Messiah until he died, depending on the singers and players available to him for a given performance, and since then, many others -- including Mozart -- have done the same. It is not enough, then, for a good library to have but one recording of this work, and this one offers an interesting contrast to the superb reading led by Paul McCreesh on Archiv SACD. That one is very British, whereas this new one, led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, seems more German, reminding us that this was Handel’s original nationality, England being his adopted country. This reading has an appealing energy, and Harnoncourt dramatically sells the lyrics. The soloists are excellent, especially contralto Anna Larsson, and the chorus and orchestra sing and play with an unusually effective combination of finesse and edge. The recorded sound is big yet transparent. This is a live performance; though there is a bit of audience rustling here and there, the applause has mercifully been edited out….Rad Bennett

The Modern Jazz Quartet: 35th Anniversary Tour
TDK DVWW-JMJQ35
Format: DVD

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The last living member of the Modern Jazz Quartet, Percy Heath, died in 2005. It is unlikely that we will ever again see a jazz quartet of such musical eloquence and long tenure. This disc, filmed in Freiburg in 1987, features a concert from the MJQ’s 35th year as a working ensemble. While not always perceived as eternally hip, like Miles Davis or John Coltrane, the MJQ’s music, which at times straddles the improvisational nature of jazz with a calm control more associated with classical music, is an important part of jazz history. This set highlights the compositions of John Lewis, the MJQ’s pianist and musical director, including the classic "Django" and a more contemporary 18-minute suite, "A Day in Dubrovnik." Milt Jackson’s "Bag’s Groove" (incorrectly called "Backgroove" on the video) is rendered beautifully. The video quality is average but the musical performances are brilliant. It is enjoyable to watch the musicians on stage, but this disc works equally well as a music-only program….Eric Hetherington

They Might Be Giants: They Got Lost
Zoë 1062
Format: CD

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They Got Lost, a compilation of B-sides and rarities from They Might Be Giants, includes songs from a CD that accompanied Issue 6 of McSweeney’s, the somewhat indefinable magazine published by writer Dave Eggers. Like McSweeney’s, They Might Be Giants (John Linnell and John Flansburgh) are smart, funny, and, on occasion, a little too clever. For the most part, they land squarely on the first two attributes, and even the merely clever stuff is intelligent and well crafted. This quick trip through TMBG obscurities -- 21 tracks in just over 41 minutes -- touches on a few subjects that will be familiar to fans; e.g., the philosophical implications of scientific discoveries ("All Alone") and the confusion of modern life ("I’m Sick (of this American Life)"). The topics of the songs aren’t always upbeat, but TMBG’s great sense of humor and sheer battiness keep them from sounding too cynical. Their music contains references to and parodies of all manner of pop culture -- advertising jingles, cartoon theme songs, power pop, and bubble-gum rock, to name a few -- all played with precision. The sound is consistently clean and uncluttered….Joseph Taylor