Valery Gergiev, Mariinsky Orchestra and Chorus – Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos 3 & 10 (2011)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 80:23 minutes | Full Artwork | 4,37 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Full Artwork | 1,41 GB
The trend in the 21st century has been to let the suppressed emotions detailed in the still-controversial Shostakovich memoir Testimony spill over into performances of his music, and this is all to the good: the emotional core of Shostakovich’s music is the experience of living under repression at a fundamental level. But that’s not to say soberer, more controlled readings don’t have their place, as well, and conductor Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra deliver some here. The program opens with the Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 20 (“The First of May”), one of the least-often-performed of Shostakovich’s 15 symphonies. Composed in 1930, the work carries overtones of the breakdown in freedom that accompanied the Soviet Union’s second decade; it’s as if the composer was unsure of what he could get away with and ended the work with some rather plain patriotic choral music. The Symphony No. 3 serves almost as a prelude to the much longer and weightier Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93. In both works Gergiev’s readings are restrained, with the entire album recorded at very quiet dynamic levels, as if hesitant to make too much of a statement. The quick central movements, often taken as slightly angry commentary on Joseph Stalin, the dictator whom Shostakovich had managed to outlast, are crisp but not especially tangy, and in the giant 23-minute opening movement Gergiev sacrifices emotional intensity for a remarkable sense of the long line of the whole. There are plenty of other choices on the market for the Symphony No. 10, but those interested in letting the music speak for itself will find a masterly recording here, in audiophile-quality sound.
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Marian McPartland With Strings – Silent Pool (1997) [SACD Reissue 2002]
SACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 3,30 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 1,02 GB | Full Artwork
Label/Cat#: Concord Records # SACD-1023-6 | Country/Year: US 2002, 1997 | 3% Recovery Info
Genre: Jazz | Style: Piano Jazz
This was one of my first SACD’s that demonstrated the full capabilities of the media. All six channels are strongly apparent with a full range of sonics.
Did I mention that McPartland is at her finest? Amazing musician.
Mariah Carey – #1’s (1998)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 72:42 minutes | Scans included | 2,96 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Full Scans included | 1,46 GB
Protest as she may – and she does, claiming in the liner notes that #1’s is “not a greatest hits album! It’s too soon, I haven’t been recording long enough for that!” – it’s hard to view #1’s, Mariah Carey’s first compilation, as anything other than a greatest-hits album. Carey was fortunate enough to have nearly every single she released top the pop charts. Between 1990’s “Vision of Love” and 1998’s “My All,” all but four commercially released singles (“Anytime You Need a Friend,” “Can’t Let Go,” “Make It Happen,” “Without You”) hit number one, with only a handful of radio-only singles (“Butterfly,” “Breakdown”) making the airwaves, not the charts. That leaves 12 big hits on #1’s, all number ones. Since Carey’s singles always dominated her albums, it comes as no surprise that #1’s is her best, most consistent album, filled with songs that represent state-of-the-art ’90s adult contemporary and pop-oriented urban soul. That said, it isn’t a perfect overview – a couple of good singles are missing because of the self-imposed “#1 rule”; plus, the Ol’ Dirty Bastard mix of “Fantasy” is strong, but fans familiar with the radio single will be disappointed that the chorus is completely missing on this version. The album is also padded with a personal favorite (her Brian McKnight duet “Whenever You Call,” taken from Butterfly) and three new songs – the Jermaine Dupri-produced “Sweetheart,” the Whitney Houston duet “When You Believe” (taken from The Prince of Egypt soundtrack), and “I Still Believe,” a remake of a Brenda K. Starr tune – which are all fine, but not particularly memorable. Still, that’s hardly enough to bring down a thoroughly entertaining compilation that will stand as her best record until the “official” hits collection is released.
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Marion Meadows – Players Club (2004)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 50:44 minutes | Artwork | 3,2 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Full Artwork | 1,1 GB
This ultracool saxman has some of the sexiest moves in smooth jazz and a dreadlock-based look that drives female genre fans wild. He’s always focused on passionate, soprano-based tunes to express this sexuality in musical terms, so it’s no surprise that one of the best tracks here is the power-passion ballad “Romantica.” He’s always been successful at adapting his lyrical sound and melodic sense to easy funk tunes, and here plays that middle of the road well on tracks like “Deska” (dedicated to his new bride Desi) and the soul classic “Wishing on a Star.” But because we’re so familiar with this side of his personality, it’s always more fun to hear him fulfill a deeper potential, a bit outside the box. The ultragrooving, hip, and brassy title track, on which he blends soprano with tenor and slides over the baritone edges of Matt King, leads us to expect a slightly more swinging affair, but “Sweet Grapes” reminds us that Meadows is more about sensuality and cool soul vibes than the thumpy stuff. Another standout track that goes beyond his usual boundaries is the jamming R&B/Latin funk tune “Noche Privada,” which combines a hefty urban groove and his sweet soprano lines with the intimate harmonics of Chieli Minucci’s gorgeous Spanish guitar. These outside-the-box efforts have always hinted at a deeper artistry behind Meadows’ straightforward approach to R&B-influenced smooth jazz, and he should keep expanding upon them. Overall, this is one of his most appealing efforts, and a club every smooth jazz listener will gleefully join.
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Mario Lanza – Mario Lanza At His Best (1959) [Reissue 2006]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 3.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 79:13 minutes | Scans included | 3,31 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,56 GB
This is not exactly the Mario Lanza “best-of” album its title might imply; it consists of recordings made during the last 18 months of the great crossover tenor’s life, when he was beginning to suffer serious effects from the health problems that killed him in the fall of 1959. Still, it’s hard to hear much of an effect from those problems — a diminution of sheer vocal power in the selections from Rudolf Friml’s musical The Vagabond King that make up the second half of the disc, perhaps, but no loss of the singer’s broad, generous lyric impulse. Lanza was an operatic star who never quite got the chance to be an opera star. He took the lead role in the biopic The Great Caruso and sang Italian songs like those heard on the first half of the disc, but substance abuse brought him down just as he was preparing a sustained effort to reach the operatic stage. It’s hard to imagine a career like his flourishing in the present day: there’s plenty of crossover music, certainly, but no place in the pop world for a singer with a big Italian voice. After you hear this album, you’ll feel that’s a shame. The Neapolitan songs that open the disc are period pieces; a few of them have cheesy wordless backing choruses and odd arrangements with extended harmonies, drawn from the language of musical comedy, that don’t quite fit. Still, they’re nothing less than irresistible. On the Vagabond King selections, a few unreleased tracks from soprano Judith Raskin are added to make a rough outline of the whole show. The opening “Drinking Song” may cause one to wish that Lanza hadn’t been so quick to affirm that “a flagon of wine will do.” But sample the “Nocturne” and see if you don’t agree that it’s one of the great love serenades on records. RCA’s Living Stereo sound was a major engineering accomplishment in the beginning, and the SACD remastering here is stupendous — as good as it gets. Every bit of orchestral detail is there in total clarity. Check this album out and learn why an operatic singer was once at the top of the pop charts.
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Marcelo Alvarez – French Arias (2002)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 67:43 minutes | Full Art (PDF) | 2,72 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Full Art (PDF) | 1,16 GB
Marcelo Raúl Álvarez is an Argentine lyric tenor who achieved international success starting in the mid-1990s, and at the end of the twentieth century, become an international opera star. This release from Sony Classical features the works of Massenet, Offenbach, Donizetti, Gounod, Verdi, Meyerbeer, and Rossini.
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Marco Borsato – Onderweg (2002)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 65:52 minutes | Front Cover only | 4,31 GB
or DSD64 Stereo (from SACD-ISO to Tracks.dsf) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Scans NOT included | 2,59 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans NOT included (Front only) | 1,3 GB
Features Stereo and Multichannel Surround Sound | Universal Music B.V. # 038 270-2
Marco Borsat is a Dutch singer. He started performing in Italian before switching to Dutch in 1994. He has consistently been one of the most successful and biggest grossing artists in the Netherlands for the past twenty years. Onderweg is his nine studio album, released in 2002 in multiformat variations.
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Cyril Mokaiesh – Le temps de vivre (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 45:16 minutes | 502 MB | Genre: Pop Rock, Chanson
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Un Plan Simple
À l’occasion des 10 ans de la mort de Georges Moustaki, Cyril Mokaiesh décide de rendre hommage au célèbre chanteur et voyageur italo-grecque, en réinterprétant 12 de ses plus grandes chansons. C’est avec son ami et producteur Romain Humeau (Eiffel, Bernard Lavilliers…) qu’il se lance dans cette aventure en honneur à cet esprit libre. « J’avais envie d’interpréter ces mots, ces voyages, ces cris d’amour contenus qui résonnent plus que jamais avec notre époque. » L’artiste franco-libanais, révélé en 2011 avec la chanson Communiste et son duo avec Bernard Lavilliers, propose un album acoustique, rempli d’air, d’espaces et de respirations, seulement guidé par le plaisir de le jouer sans aucun son électronique.
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Cristian Sandrin – Correspondances (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:12:54 minutes | 1,11 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Antarctica Records
A unique conversation between the music of Cyril Scott, George Enescu and Maurice Ravel. The works recorded here share a common musical language to be discovered.
“This album is dedicated to the loving memory of my father Sandu Sandrin, who recently passed away and left this world without seeing the release of my debut.” (Cristian Sandrin)
“Correspondances establishes a unique conversation between the music of Cyril Scott, George Enescu and Maurice Ravel. This conversation takes place through the medium of tone poetry to create a reality perhaps more perfect than our own. This vision of art, however, is rooted in a particular zeitgeist and in contemporary trends in visual and literary art – including symbolism and impressionism.
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Craven Faults – Standers (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:09:06 minutes | 742 MB | Genre: Electronic, Ambient
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © The Leaf Label
Standers is the second full-length album by Craven Faults. It follows a trilogy of long sold out EPs, 2020’s Erratics & Unconformities LP, the Enclosures mini-album and a series of studio performances entitled Live Works.
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Country Westerns – Forgive The City (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 30:15 minutes | 309 MB | Genre: Alternative Rock, Alt. Country
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Fat Possum
A tribute to musicians and travelers who are waiting for the road to open. And also a promotion of forgiveness in general. It’s about the last go around and wondering what’s left out there. An encouragement to those who have to push through and keep moving and also an acknowledgement of a time to lay it down. It has pretty obvious vibes of a pandemic spent in Nashville and the actual lyrics are less pretentious than this description.
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Count Basie – Not Now, “I’ll Tell You When” (High Definition Remaster) (1960/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 36:23 minutes | 416 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © J. Joes J. Edizioni Musicali
Not Now, I’ll Tell You When is an album by pianist and bandleader Count Basie featuring tracks recorded in 1960 and originally released on the Roulette label.
AllMusic awarded the album 3 stars and its review by Scott Yanow states, “Because of the obscure repertoire, this is a fine LP for veteran Basie collectors. The band is in its usual swinging form”.
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Corrado Saija – Hypotyposis (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:02:33 minutes | 496 MB | Genre: Electronic, Ambient, Lounge
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Lemongrassmusic
Lemongrassmusic present the new album „Hypotyposis“ by Italian musician and electronic sound artists Corrado Saija. 13 tracks that will take you really deep inside the world of musical rhetorical figures.
Rhetorical figures, like literary ones, are expressive devices used in the composition that have a very ancient origin. The hypotyposis is a rhetorical figure that plays a particular role because it includes others. The word “hypotyposis” means “draft” or “sketch” and is used to indicate something described in its essential features, which ends up having a greater expressive force by virtue of it.
Each track on this album investigates one or more of these particular figures in the attempt to realize a sort of musical painting.
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Cornelia Horak – David: Selected Organ Works, Vol. 3 (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:16:38 minutes | 1,33 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © AMBIENTE Audio
The renowned Soprano from Vienna is in great demand for her extensive and versatile repertoire in opera and concert.
During her fixed engagements, from 1993 until 2007, at the Tiroler Landestheater, the Wiener Volksoper and the Theater am Gärtnerplatz, Munich, she studied and acquired more than 50 parts.
Guest performances and concerts lead to her many appearances in European opera houses and festivals, as at the Salzburg Festival, the Ultraschall Festival 2014 Berlin, the Musica Viva Festival of the Bavarian Public Broadcasting service, the Styriarte, Graz, the Bregenz Festival, the Budapest Spring Festival and the Festival L‘Arte salva L‘Arte in Rome.
In concert, Cornelia Horak regularly works with René Clemencic, with the Wiener Singakademie under Heinz Ferlesch and in different chamber music formations; she also performs at numerous concerts of sacral music and at High Mass.
Since many years, Cornelia Horak teaches phonation and interpretation.
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Constellation Men’s Ensemble – Man Up / Man Down (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 37:56 minutes | 1,21 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Sono Luminus
Constellation has been in existence since 2013 and yet, 10 years later, this is our first album to be released. Part of that was simply our longstanding focus on “Music & Brotherhood” that began with Saturday morning rehearsals followed by a “cheers!” in Evanston, IL. Another part of that has been the uphill battle to create, sustain, and grow an arts organization in America today.
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