CD Reviews

Each week, our professional critics review the latest recording releases, from Bay Area music groups to international releases our editors think deserve your attention.

CD REVIEW
Gardiner: <em>Bach Cantatas</em> Gardiner Brings Bach Home
May 17, 2013
Gardiner: Bach Cantatas
Gardiner Brings Bach Home
BY Jonathan Rhodes Lee

John Eliot Gardiner’s 28th CD in a series of Bach cantatas is a must-have recording, for its superb music-making as well as its detailed essays.

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DVD REVIEW
John Wilson Orchestra: <em>Rodgers & Hammerstein at the Movies</em> Rodgers & Hammerstein at the Movies
May 10, 2013
John Wilson Orchestra: Rodgers & Hammerstein at the Movies
Rodgers & Hammerstein at the Movies
BY Jason Victor Serinus

So unerring in the selections on Rodgers & Hammerstein At the Movies, the John Wilson Orchestra’s new disc, you will likely enjoy yourself immensely and maybe even swoon.

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CD REVIEW
Gordon Getty: Piano Pieces Getty's Suite Imaginings
May 3, 2013
Gordon Getty: Piano Pieces
Getty's Suite Imaginings
BY Jeff Dunn

A new release by composer Gordon Getty offers terse, melodic, and simplistic piano music that at times evinces a subtle sophistication.

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CD REVIEW
L’Arpeggiata <em>Mediterraneo</em> L’Arpeggiata’s Mediterranean Delight
April 26, 2013
L’Arpeggiata Mediterraneo
L’Arpeggiata’s Mediterranean Delight
BY Jason Victor Serinus

Virtually a year after releasing their delicious recording, Los Pájaros Perdidos, Christina Pluhar and her early music ensemble, L’Arpeggiata, journey to the Mediterranean.

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CD REVIEW
Emanuel Ax: <em>Variations</em> No Variations in the Brilliance of Emanuel Ax
April 19, 2013
Emanuel Ax: Variations
No Variations in the Brilliance of Emanuel Ax
BY Anatole Leikin

Pinnacles of the variation genre receive sublime, spirited, deeply felt performances by Emanuel Ax.

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CD REVIEW
Wagner: <em>Die Walküre</em>, Mariinsky Orchestra Gergiev’s Starry <em>Die Walküre</em>
April 5, 2013
Wagner: Die Walküre, Mariinsky Orchestra
Gergiev’s Starry Die Walküre
BY Jason Victor Serinus

Valery Gergiev and an impressive international cast deliver an amply rewarding Walküre.

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CD REVIEW
Schubert: <em>Erlkönig</em>, Goerne More Great Schubert From Goerne
March 29, 2013
Schubert: Erlkönig, Goerne
More Great Schubert From Goerne
BY Jason Victor Serinus

That baritone Matthias Goerne is one of the great lieder interpreters of our era is beyond question. His latest recording of Schubert lieder is an object lesson in great song interpretation.

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CD REVIEW
Winter Morning Walks Sterling Storytelling From Schneider
March 22, 2013
Winter Morning Walks
Sterling Storytelling From Schneider
BY Jeff Kaliss

Maria Schneider marries melody to words in her latest release Winter Morning Walks, featuring Dawn Upshaw and two renowned Chamber Orchestras.

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CD REVIEW
Garrick Ohlsson: <em>Close Connections</em> Does <em>Close Connections</em> Connect?
March 15, 2013
Garrick Ohlsson: Close Connections
Does Close Connections Connect?
BY Jeff Dunn

Garrick Ohlsson’s latest release features solo piano works from composers whom he feels connected to personally, but the music may be a disconnect.

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CD REVIEW
David T. Little: <em>Soldier Songs</em> The Flay of War &#151; Recorded
March 15, 2013
David T. Little: Soldier Songs
The Flay of War — Recorded
BY Jeff Dunn

Soldier Songs from composer David T. Little, hailed for his “punk-classical” dramatic works, brings you face to face with the psychological impacts of modern warfare, and offers a good dose of his postminimalist, rock-infused style.

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