Janácek: The Eternal Gospel; The Ballad of Blanik; The Fiddler’s Child; The Excursions of Mr Broucek: Suite for Orchestra
Ann Jeffers, soprano; Adrian Thompson, tenor; Elizabeth Layton, violin; Edinburgh Festival Chorus, BBC Scottish Symphony; Ilan Volkov, conductor.
Hyperion SACDA67517
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

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Ilan Volkov was appointed chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony in 2003 -- the youngest maestro ever to lead a BBC orchestra -- and was only 28 when this disc was recorded. This energetic and colorful collection of works by the Czech composer Leoš Janácek shows that the hire was a good one. Volkov has a great feeling for this music, and secures precision and appropriate expression from all his singers and players. The readings are passionate and lyrical, and the sound is splendid. The chorus and soloists are correctly balanced with the orchestra in The Eternal Gospel, the choristers sounding behind the instruments, the vocal soloists in front. The dynamic range is excellent throughout the disc, with solid bass and sweet, natural highs. The colorful suite from the composer’s two-part opera, The Excursions of Mr Broucek, is a tour de force of orchestration that includes orchestral chimes, organ, and thundering timpani. It sounds marvelous, and would be good demo material for any multichannel sound system. The two-channel tracks are quite enjoyable in their own right, but the 5.0 mix sounds fuller and has more presence....Rad Bennett

Chopin: Piano Sonata No.2 in B-flat Minor; Piano Sonata No.3 in B Minor; Variations Brillantes; Barcarolle in F-sharp Minor
Artur Pizarro, piano.
Linn CKD 250
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

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This is Portuguese pianist Artur Pizarro’s fourth recording for Linn. He plays with bravura and sensitivity, bringing visceral flair and drive to such passages as the first movement of Chopin’s second sonata, and insight and lyricism to items such as the Barcarolle. Pizarro’s tempo for the famous Marche funèbre movement of the second sonata seems a bit slow at first, but the pianist’s superb control and shading of dynamics make sense of it by the time the movement is finished. Overall, his style is overt and dashing, and I find it preferable to many of the precious, more introspective readings of this music that I have heard. The sound is first class, with solid lows and a sparkling high end that is never brittle. Part of this effect might be attributed to the piano, which is not the usual Steinway but a Blüthner, manufactured in Leipzig in what used to be East Germany. The two-channel tracks are very rich and detailed, but the multichannel tracks have a greater sense of presence....Rad Bennett

Marta Gomez: Entre Cada Palabra
Chesky JD301
Format: CD

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On her sophomore album, Colombian vocalist Marta Gomez continues to seamlessly combine traditional Latin American sounds with jazz rhythms, with beautiful results. Entre Cada Palabra (Between Each Word) is a collection of 14 songs, all written by Gomez except for one, with influences that cross much of South America. While the album contains a number of impressive tunes, the standout track is easily "Mar Adentro, Despacito," inspired by a film that chronicles the life of a quadriplegic. The flamenco rhythms, the Spanish flute lines of Yulia Musayelyan (who contributes to many of the album’s songs), and Gomez’s enchanting vocals bring this relatively simple piece to a beautiful and memorable conclusion. While the second half of the album is slightly less inventive and drags a bit, "Un Pedacito de Tu Amor" is a nice ranchera, while "Quién Se Acordará" is light and uplifting, with Uruguayan overtones....Katherine Silkaitis

Various Artists: Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman
Sugar Hill SUG-CD-4015
Format: CD

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Thirteen excellent folk, bluegrass, and rock artists perform the 12 tracks of the tribute CD Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman. They live up to their reputations, treating some of this unique singer-songwriter’s best and best-known tunes with the respect they deserve while bringing out big portions of the fun and wit that went into them. Tim O’Brien in the title track, Sonny Landreth in "Louisiana," Steve Earle in "Rednecks," The Duhks in "Political Science" -- these and other familiar artists lend their trademark licks. Reckless Kelly & Joe Ely capture the hoof-clopping pathos of "Rider in the Rain," serving up some of the album’s best vocal harmonies in the refrains. The clarity of the recording enables us to hear Newman’s fine lyrics throughout, and compilation producer Steve Fishell wrangles varied styles and arrangements into a reasonably unified whole....David Cantor

Duran Duran: Astronaut
Epic 82876761752
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

Duran Duran’s videos helped define MTV in the 1980s and solidified the importance of the music video as a promotional tool. The band was pretty, dressed fashionably, and their videos were extravagantly produced. Although Duran Duran continued to record through the 1980s and ’90s, the band went through a number of personnel changes; Astronaut (2004) was the first recording by the original lineup since 1983. The guys still looked great, and the disco undercurrents and heavy synthesizer riffs sounded familiar to fans. The big surprise for the rest of us was how consistently good the songwriting was. Dull melodies and empty riffing were replaced with well-thought-out tunes and riffs that stayed with you. "Want You More" is fun, bouncy pop, and "One of Those Days" is as strong a rock’n’roll song as this band’s ever done. The 5.1-channel mix on this SACD is just right for the keyboard washes and Ping-Ponging drum tracks, which circle you as you listen, and the two-channel mixes on the CD and SACD layers are clean and involving. It would be an understatement to say I was surprised at how enjoyable Astronaut is. Bands a lot younger than Duran Duran would be happy to sound this fresh....Joseph Taylor