Grieg: Holberg Suite; Two Elegiac Melodies; Two Melodies, Op.53; Two Nordic Melodies, Op.63; Two Lyric Pieces, Op.68
Bergen Philharmonic; Ole Kristian Ruud, conductor.
BIS 1491
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

Ole Kristian Ruud’s traversal of Grieg’s small output of orchestral music has proved one of the most consistently distinguished series in a long time. Every recording has produced definitive readings of often familiar works. On this SACD, Ruud turns his attention to some of Grieg’s smaller gems, most of them written for string orchestra. The neoclassical Holberg Suite receives a bracing performance. Enthusiasm runs high but never becomes forced, and the Bergen Philharmonic players execute every passage with warmth and style. The other pieces are more lyrical or somber, and Ruud wrings every drop of feeling from them without their ever becoming sentimental. The recorded sound is ideal. The front soundstage is wide and deep, instrumental presence is excellent, and the rear channels of the multichannel tracks add a realistic sense of space....Rad Bennett

Great Film Fantasies: Music from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra; Erich Kunzel, conductor.
Telarc SACD-60664
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
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Overall Enjoyment

Now that the final Star Wars movie has been released, it’s possible to fashion a suite with music from all six movies, and that is what Erich Kunzel has done on this new release. The selections are well chosen to present most of the better-known leitmotifs from the series, including the remarkable, evocative "Anakin’s Theme," first heard in Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace. "The Battle of Heroes," from Revenge of the Sith makes a weak ending, however; it would have been better to use the music that accompanied that film’s final credits. The suites from the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings films are short but give the overall flavor of the respective series. The Cincinnati musicians rise fully to the occasion and play splendidly. The horn section deserves special recognition, as do the solo woodwinds. Telarc now has the full measure of Cincinnati’s Music Hall: The soundstage is well defined and the sound is warm and airy, yet there is plenty of presence and punch. The multichannel tracks offer a good sense of the hall’s space while keeping the music-making up front....Rad Bennett

Lynn Miles: Love Sweet Love
Red House RHR CD 193
Format: CD

Musical Performance
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Overall Enjoyment

Love and loss have been favorite twin topics of songwriters from the beginning. I tend to complain when artists fail to communicate expansively to use the form’s sociopolitical potential. Inclined at first to beat my chest about Lynn Miles’ Love Sweet Love, instead I find her work burning its way into my heart. Not that "Flames of Love," "Love Sweet Love," "1000 Lovers," and the other songs here aren’t about the same old same old. They are, but only to a point -- concrete details abound. Maybe there’s narcissism in making landscapes, travel, and ethical conundrums "all about me," but Miles says a lot in these 11 tracks, avoiding self-indulgence, singing powerfully, and fronting a fine band. With four previous discs behind her, one of which won a Juno (Canada’s Grammy), she is definitely in a groove that merits a close listen. Her varied rhythms, harmonies, and compelling spirit make me want to see one of her live gigs....David Cantor

Z.Z. Top: Tres Hombres
Warner Bros./Rhino R2 78966
Format: CD

Musical Performance
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Overall Enjoyment

Before they discovered synthesizers and sequencers in the 1980s, Z.Z. Top was a good, hard-hitting boogie-blues band. Guitarist Billy Gibbons learned as much from British blues players as he did from the music’s progenitors, and he fully exploited the benefits of volume and distortion. By 1973, when the band made its third LP, Tres Hombres, producer Bill Ham knew how to record them -- he kept things simple, focusing on Gibbons’ fiery, spitting guitar lines. That and a batch of great original songs resulted in the band’s first hit album. "Jesus Just Left Chicago" was as close to a new blues standard as anyone in the 1970s ever came, and "Move Me on Down the Line" jumps from the speakers with as much drive as anything on the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street. This new remastering lets you hear the textures of Gibbons’ guitar and separates the instruments more cleanly than on past editions. Tres Hombres and Deguello (1979) are Z.Z. Top’s definitive statements; the latter deserves the same level of attentive remastering. The bonus live versions of "Waitin’ for the Bus," "Jesus Just Left Chicago," and "La Grange" are badly recorded, noisy, and utterly enjoyable....Joseph Taylor

David Wilczewski: Room in the Clouds
Opus 3 CD 22051
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

Introspective, inventive, improvisational -- three words that sum up jazz reedman David Wilczewski’s new album, Room in the Clouds. His exquisite use of space in his music returns dividends sonic and aural -- aural in the sense that his music draws you in, encouraging you to relax and join him on the journey. Whether playing tenor or soprano sax, clarinet, or alto flute, Wilczewski is accompanied by bass, drums, guitar(s), and/or vibes. His compositions, while somewhat laid-back, never lack for excitement. The sonic dividends -- besides the high-resolution multichannel tracks -- are also in that use of space. We can hear each instrument and note fully fleshed out, then waft into the recording acoustic. And thanks to the high resolution of SACD, every instrument sounds in-the-room real. While the high-resolution two-channel tracks are wonderful, full of life and sound, it’s the four-channel mix (yep, no center channel) that puts you in the studio. All in all, a lovely disc of superb jazz recorded by a label well known for sweating the details until they’re just right....John Crossett