New Stuff!

CDs

Daniel Dorff ~ Perennials ~ CD 10174

Laura Elise Schwendinger ~ 3 Works for Solo Instruments and Orchestra ~ CD 10175

Robyn Schulkowsky ~ Armadillo ~ CD 10176

Laura Kaminsky ~ CD 10177

Romberg ~ Blossom Time ~ CD 10178

Martin Perry ~ Bartok, Rosa and Carter ~ CD 10179

Scores

Scriabin ~ Piano Works II ~ M22 .S55 P5 1967 v.2

Okudzhava ~ 65 Songs ~ M1757.18 .O4 F8 1982

Pintscher ~ Reflections of Narcissus ~ M1016 .P56 R44 2005

Brahms ~ Nänie ~ M1533 .B73 N36 1970

Verdi ~ Quattro Pezzi Sacri ~ M2027 .V4 P4 2001

Schumann ~ Abegg – Variationen ~ M27 .S34 op. 1 2004

Chopin ~ Andante Spianato und Grande Polonaise Brillante ~ M37 .C549 A5 1998

Isaak Osipovich Dunaevskii ~ Shkol’nyi val’s ~ M1621 .D86 S45 1952

Robert’s Stäff Picks!!!

Don’t forget, the Music Library is having an LP Bag Sale this Friday, April 26 from 10AM-2PM in front of Bender Library!!!

This set of Staff Picks is dedicated to currently performing string quartets and new music ensembles/composers.

CD 5290 — Six Quartets, Op. 20 — Haydn

The quartets are pretty standard Haydn works but the cool part about this CD is that this recording is played by the Daedalus Quartet.  The Daedalus Quartet is considered a leader among the newest generation of string ensembles.  The members of this string quartet hold degrees from the Julliard School, Curtis Institute, Cleveland Institute, and Harvard University.  Min-Young Kim and Matilda Kaul play violin, Jessica Thompson plays the viola, and Thomas Kraines plays the ‘cello.  This CD was released in 2009.

CD 10048 — Meanwhile — eighth blackbird

eighth blackbird “combines the finesse of a string quartet, the energy of a rock band and the audacity of a storefront theater company.” The members of the ensemble  “hail from America’s Great Lakes, Keystone, Golden and Bay States, and Australia’s Sunshine State.  There are four foodies, three beer snobs and one exercise junkie.”  It seems like it would be fun to hang with these folks. Tim Munro plays the flutes, Michael J. Maccaferri the clarinets, Yvonne Lam the violin & viola, Nicholas Photinos the ‘cello, Matthew Dunvall percussion, and Lisa Kaplan the piano.  This CD was released in 2012.

John Adams

I often reference works by John Adams in my Staff Picks, and I honestly don’t think I could ever forget to mention him.  Adams is a North American based new music composer.  Once again, the symphonic version of my favorite opera, CD 9695 — Doctor Atomic / Guide to Strange Places.  This CD was released in 2009.

CD 10053 - Adam’s Lament — Arvo Pärt

Do you like Arvo Pärt as much as Ethan Hicks? I doubt it, but you should still take a listen to this fantastic Pärt CD that explores many of his works including, but not limited to: Adam’s Lament, Beaatus Petronius, Salve Regina, and Estonian lullaby.  This CD was released in 2012.

 

New Arrivals:

We have two new CDs and a new DVD here in the Music Library.

DVD 350 – The Ladies Sing the Blues – with Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Bessie Smith, Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, Peggy Lee, & Sarah Vaughan

CD 10063 – Preservation Hall Jazz Band 50th Anniversary Collection (a 4 disc set!)

CD 10070 – La Belle et la Bête (The Beauty and the Beast) complete film score from 1946, by Georges Auric – Axios Chorus, Moscow Symphony Orchestra

 

Carley’s Staff Picks!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Now that you’ve sworn off of turkey and pie (Ha!) and you’re realizing just how much work you have to do in the last few weeks of the semester (a lot), take some much-needed “me-time” and kick back with some staff picks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Samuel Barber loves singers. I would argue that he is the most influential American art-song composer.

For Singers

Collected Songs for High Voice – M1620.B3 S33

65 Songs (For Medium/Low Voice) – M1620.B27 S59 2010

For Listening

The Songs. – Cheryl Studer, soprano; Thomas Hampson, baritone; John Browning, piano; Emerson String Quartet – CD 1325/6353

Ligeti is just really cool. I don’t think this would be good study-music during the Finals period…it could be more like a soundtrack to your feelings?

Gyorgy Ligeti: A Capella Choral Works – London Sinfonetta Voices; Terry Edwards, Conductor – CD 9541

‘Tis the season! Oh, and Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto is outstanding….Martha Argerich is okay, I guess (kidding, she’s magnificent).

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, No. 1 Op. 23/The Nutcracker: Suite, Op. 71a - Martha Argerich, piano; Berliner Philharmoniker; Claudio Abbado, conductor; Nicholas Economou, piano (2nd work) – CD 7653

Performances on campus this weekend!

If you find yourself in search of some musical entertainment this weekend, why not check out some of our talented student ensembles!

AU Arts | Jazz Workshop: On Time

Noah Getz, conductor
Sunday, November 18, at 3 p.m.
Abramson Family Recital Hall, Katzen Arts Center
Tickets: $10 regular admission, $5 AU community and seniors; www.american.tix.com

“One of the most important and compelling aspects of music is how it moves through time. Elements of rhythm inform all popular music styles including jazz, rock, and fusion. This semester the Workshop will explore how rhythm and time are represented in a variety of musical styles.”

AU Arts | AUSO in Concert: ENCOUNTERS

Yaniv Dinur, conductor
Friday, November 16, & Saturday, November 17, at 8 p.m.
Abramson Family Recital Hall, Katzen Arts Center
Tickets: $15 regular admission, $10 AU community and seniors; www.american.tix.com

“With a new face leading the AU Symphony Orchestra this year, this program brings together music from different countries, styles, and times. The first half of this concert includes music from the two Americas. It opens with the intoxicating rhythms and sounds of Latin America in Arturo Márquez’s Danzón no. 2. It is followed by the touching and virtuosic violin concerto of the Pennsylvania born Samuel Barber. Robert Schumann’s third Symphony, which is nicknamed after the Rhine river in Germany, will conclude the concert. It is a stirring piece divided between secular and religious colors.”

New Arrivals!

New CDs!

Benjamin Broening – Eighth Blackbird – Trembling Air – CD 9978

Victor Herbert – Eileen: A romantic comic opera – CD 9976

Joel Hoffman – Three Paths: 9 Pieces for Piano…the first time and the last         CD 9977

George Walker – Great American Concert Music – CD 9979

CanAm Piano Duo – This is the World – CD 9980

Charles Bestor – Eric Berlin, trumpet – The Sound of Time – CD 9981

Ragtime Concert feat. Bob Becker, Xylophone – CD 9975

New Sheet Music!

Karlheinz Stockhausen – Stimmung for six vocalists, Nr. 24                                M1529.5.S76 S75 1969

Karlheinz Stockhausen – Kurzwellen for six players,  Nr. 25                                M1470.S76 K8 1969

Louis Andriessen – Disco for Violin and Piano – M221.A63 D5 1995

Philip Glass – Four Movements for Two Pianos – M214.G48 M68 2011

Mario Davidovsky – Capricio for Two Pianos – M214.D250 C2 1965

John Cage – Music Walk – M25.C34 M875 1960

New CD’s!

 We’ve got plenty of new CD’s! Check them out and have a listen

Outkast – The Love Below and Speakerboxx – CD 9898

Carole King – Tapestry – CD 9907

Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and more – Let’s Be Frank Sinatra – CD 9901

Betty Carter – I Can’t Help It – CD 9902

The Very Best of Burt Bacharach CD 9900

Ruby Braff, Dick Hyman – America, The Beautiful

CD 9904

The George Benson Collection – CD 9899

Kevin Mahogany – My Romance – CD 9892

Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk -        CD 9891

Thank you, John! Our Tribute to John Coltrane -                    CD 9893

The Best of Lou Donaldson, Volume 1 (1957-1967) -           CD 9903

Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt – We’ll Be Together Again – CD 9905

Phineas Newborn Jr. – Back Home – CD 9906

The Ultimate Diva Collection – CD 9894

Jazz at Night’s End – CD 9895

Jazz Weekend – CD 9896

Jazz for the Open Road – CD 9897

Glenn Gould – The French Suites (Anniversary Edition)    CD 9889

Glenn Gould – The English Suites (Jubilee Edition)            CD 9890

 

 

Music of Edward Joseph Collins:

• Vol. I – Variations on an Irish tune and other works, Allegro piacevole, Tango (in Form of a Rondo) and other works - CD 9879
• Vol. II – Orchestral Music – CD 9880
• Vol. III – Concerto No. 3, Symphony (“Nos habebit humus”) – CD 9881
• Vol. IV – Hibernia (Irish Rhapsody), Concerto No. 1, Lil’ David Play on Yo’ Harp, Lament and Jig – CD 9882
• Vol. V – Arabesque, Songs, Prayer, Suite for Violoncello and Piano            CD 9883
• Vol. VI – Hymn to the Earth, Variations on Irish Folksong, Cowboy’s Breakdown  –      CD 9884
• Vol. VII – Ballet-Suite: The Masque of the Red Death, Irish Rhapsody, Set of Four – CD 9885
• Vol. VIII – Piano Trio (Geronimo) Op. 1, Songs Piano Solo Works                CD 9886
• Vol. IX – Daughter of the South (opera in one act and two scenes)               CD 9887
• Vol. X - Sonata Op. 2/14 for violin and piano (Allegro) - CD 9888

Carley’s Staff Picks!

The theme for my staff picks? Music that sings.

 

Folksongs: Dvořák, Grainger, Larsson, Hahn, Kodály, Britten / Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg. CD7893

I have been surrounded by folk-songs lately as the AU Chorus and Chamber Singers are preparing two very nostalgic programs for the fall concert series’ featuring folk music arrangements from all over the place .

 

Beethoven: String Quartet in Bb Major, Op. 130
This is my favorite of Beethoven’s late string quartets. The contrasts, the Cavatina, the Grosse Fugue, what’s not to love?

 

 

 

 

 

Lully: The Tragedy of Armide   CD5031

I was so excited to find  Armide performed by Opera Lafayette with our very own Nancy Snider! If you don’t know about Opera Lafayette, a D.C.-based period instrument ensemble focused on French baroque opera, be sure check out their website & current season!

The King’s Singers: Chanson D’amour  CD 868

These are just fun! Gotta love the great sound and smart arrangements that the King’s Singers present.

Gorecki: Symphonie no. 3, Op. 36 “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs”  CD 6037

In my opinion this is one of the most astonishing and beautiful works of our time. Written in 1976, the “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs” is a wonderful listen, especially in this recording with Dawn Upshaw wailing away.

Staff Picks ~ 7/12

It’s been awhile since the last round of staff picks, so its about time for some more.

Steve Reich Works 1965 – 1995

I like Steve Reich’s music. This box set is a collection of Reich’s music spanning a 30 year period featuring the Steve Reich Ensemble among many other esteemed groups. Its a great collection.

The cover art is pretty cool too.

Bruckner: Symphonies 1-9

This nifty little box set off the the RCA label is a really well put together compilation of what are arguably some of the biggest, longest and most complex symphonies in the major Western repertoire. The cycle was recorded in the 70′s by the Gewandhausorchester of Leipzig under the baton of Kurt Masur. Its powerful where it needs to be powerful, which is important with Bruckner. Even the slower tempos don’t seem as drawn out as other recordings of Bruckner, although I would not say Masur zips through them. Overall, if you like Bruckner, this is a good box to look at.

Copland: Third Symphony ~ Music for the Theater

I like Copland. I especially like his Third Symphony. It represents a culmination of his Americana-esque sound now associated with Western Soundtracks. I also like it because the orchestration is incredibly well done. Chief among this, in my opinion is the way he handles the Brass. I know I am a bit biased towards Brass (was the Bruckner a clue at all?), but this is one of those pieces that is made for the brass section, taking advantage of everything it does well. But enough about the piece, lets talk about this recording.

Usually when people talk about a recording of Copland’s Third Symphony, they talk about the New York Philharmonic recording from 1986 under Bernstein’s Baton. Actually, with so much attention on that recording, people tend to forget that there are other great recordings out there. This is one of them. Yoel Levi conducts the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in a great performance that reminds you that you can find a nice recording outside of the Big Five.

Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky, Lieutenant Kije, Scythian Suite

Sporting more than just a cool picture, this collection of Prokofiev conducted by Abbado is seriously heavy. Alexander Nevsky and Lieutenant Kije is as big as anything gets these days. However, Scythian Suite is something that just takes that extra excessive step. This was my first recording of the piece and as a brass player, the second movement holds a special place in my heart. Take a listen and see why.

Prokofiev: The 5 Piano concertos

If you asked me which Pianist I would want to hear play something Russian, it would be Alexander Toradze. Then if you asked me who I would want to conduct, it would be Valery Gergiev. So it only makes sense that this recording be in my list of recommendations. Toradze is powerful on the keys, yet sensitive to the frenetic changes in mood common in Prokofiev. Add to this the long years of collaboration between him and Gergiev and you have a match made in heaven.

Cheers

Euro Zone

And we’re back with the European scores. Before we get to the scores themselves, I thought I would highlight my favorite. Ligeti’s Requiem. Take a listen:

YEAH!

Here we go:

Stockhausen: Kontra-Punkte ~ M 942 .S76 K6 2008

Olivier Messiaen: Turingalila Symphonie ~ M 1010 .M608 T8 1992

Giacinto Scelsi: Four Illustrations (Piano) ~ M 25 .S28 I45 1979

Giacinto Scelsi: Three Pieces for Trombone Solo ~ M 92 .S28 P4 1990

György Ligeti: Apparitions ~ M 1045 .L73 A6 1971

György Ligeti: Requiem ~ M 2010 .L543 R427 2005

György Ligeti: Ramifications ~ M 1145 .L53 R3 2000

György Ligeti: Nouvelles Aventures ~ M 1528 .L53 N7 1966

György Ligeti: Monument, Selbstportrait Bewegung ~ M 214 .L5 S8 2008

György Ligeti: Poeme Symphonique (for 100 Metronomes) ~ M 985 .L54 P6 2011