Sensible Sound articles from June 2001

Sensible Sound archives from June 2001

RAMBLINGS.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Welcome to Issue #86, an issue that looks at a wide variety of equipment of different shapes, sorts, and sizes. From surround-sound receivers to a phono cartridge, our reviewers have eagerly plied their trade in their quest to find good values...

FORUM.(letters)
June 1, 2001... Generation Gap I recently bought a Pioneer PL-L1000 turntable via an e-bay auction. The table is in excellent condition. The packing for shipping was first rate. The table was shipped with the transit screws in place along with the plastic...

SURVEYING THE SOUNDSCAPE.(products at the 2001 Consumer Electronics Show)
June 1, 2001... I've felt like a stranger in my own land at the past few Consumer Electronics Shows. No one cared to remember that the root of all consumer electronics was Edison's cylinder phonograph and all audio seemed useful for was supporting video...

An Alternative Approach to Stereo Imaging.(Evaluation)
June 1, 2001... I have long wanted to give a pair of Bose 901 speakers a really serious audition in my 3400-cubic-foot listening/viewing/testing room. The 901s have been demonstrated to me in assorted and often very substandard dealer demo rooms over the years...

AH! Tjoeb `99-CD Player.(Evaluation)
June 1, 2001... Distributor: Upscale Audio, 2504 Spring Terrace, Upland, CA 91784; 909/931-9686; www.upscaleaudio.com Price: $450. Available options: AH! AC Noise Killer $20, AH! SuperCrystal $50, RCA Digital Output $20. Price as tested: $540. Source:...

Dunlavy SM-1.(Evaluation)
June 1, 2001... Manufacturer: Dunlavy Audio Labs, Inc., P.O. Box 49399, Colorado Springs, CO 80949-9399; 719/592-1159; www.dunlavyaudio.com Price: $1,995/pair Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: James T. Frane Audio designer John Dunlavy...

Onkyo DV-S939 DVD Player.(Evaluation)
June 1, 2001... Manufacturer: Onkyo U.S.A. Corporation, 18 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458; 800/229-1687; www.onkyousa.com Price: $1,799.95 Source: Manufacturer Loan Reviewer: Howard Ferstler Hey everybody, ultra-high-fidelity DVD-A...

Onkyo TX-DS787 Receiver.(Evaluation)
June 1, 2001... Manufacturer: Onkyo U.S.A. Corporation, 18 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458; 800/229-1687; www.onkyousa.com Price: $1,049.95 Source: Manufacturer Loan Reviewer: Howard Ferstler The Onkyo TX-DS787 (hereafter mostly...

Outlaw Audio 1050 Receiver.(Evaluation)
June 1, 2001... Manufacturer: Outlaw Audio, Inc., 18 Denbow Road, Durham, NH 03824; 800/392-1393; www.outlawaudio.com List price: $599 (factory direct) Source: Manufacturer Loan Reviewer: Howard Ferstler The Outlaw receiver, which is in the...

Shure M97xE Phono Cartridge.(Evaluation)
June 1, 2001... Manufacturer: Shure Brothers, Inc., 222 Hartrey Avenue, Evanston, IL 60202-3696 Price: $140 Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: Kevin East The M97xE is the next-to-the-top-of-the-line of Shure cartridges, being outweighed and...

SV Subwoofers 20-39cs Passive Subwoofer.(Evaluation)
June 1, 2001... Manufacturer: SV Subwoofers LLC, 590 Carlin Drive, Austintown, OH 44515; www.svsubwoofers.com Price: $479 Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: Thomas A. Nousaine What the heck is a "passive" subwoofer? Unlike other speakers,...

Bach: Four Suites for Orchestra (arranged for guitar quartet) Brazilian Guitar Quartet (Delos DE 3254).(Review)
June 1, 2001... Bach: Four Suites for Orchestra (arranged for guitar quartet) Brazilian Guitar Quartet (Delos DE 3254) Guitarist Paul Galbraith has already given us some wonderful Bach recordings; now, as a member of the Brazilian Guitar Quartet (whose...

Boulez: Sur Incises; Messagesquisse; Anthemes 2 Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello/Hae-Sun Kang, violin/ Ensemble Interconemporain/Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon 289 463 475-2).(Review)
June 1, 2001... Boulez: Sur Incises; Messagesquisse; Anthemes 2 Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello/Hae-Sun Kang, violin/ Ensemble Interconemporain/Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon 289 463 475-2) Those with no interest at all in contemporary music can skip to the...

Gary Burton: For Hamp, Red, Bags, and Cal (Concord Jazz CCD-4941-2).(Review)
June 1, 2001... Gary Burton: For Hamp, Red, Bags, and Cal (Concord Jazz CCD-4941-2) Vibraphonist Gary Burton pays tribute on this CD to the four giants who went before him: Lionel Hampton, Red Norvo, Milt Jackson, and Cal Tjader. The liner notes point out...

The Danubians: The Danubians (Cuneiform Records Rune 138).(Review)
June 1, 2001... The Danubians: The Danubians (Cuneiform Records Rune 138) This is strange but compelling music performed live by Seattle musician Amy Denio (accordion, saxophone, guitar bass), the Czech drummer Pavel Fajt, and Hungarians Csaba Hajnoczy...

Don Friedman Trio: Circle Waltz (JVC VICJ-60258).(Review)
June 1, 2001... Don Friedman Trio: Circle Waltz (JVC VICJ-60258) Although the thought of paying thirty bucks for just over forty minutes of music will probably dissuade many jazz lovers from purchasing this XRCD release, I must point out that this is quite...

Maya Homburger and Barry Guy: Ceremony (ECM 1643 453-847-2).(Review)
June 1, 2001... Maya Homburger and Barry Guy: Ceremony (ECM 1643 453-847-2) One of the great joys of music is its endless possibility to surprise. For example, here is a CD that contains music like nothing you may have heard before. Maya Homburger plays...

Hellhound on My Trail: Songs of Robert Johnson (Telarc Blues CD-83521).(Review)
June 1, 2001... Hellhound on My Trail: Songs of Robert Johnson (Telarc Blues CD-83521) I'm usually not much of a fan of "tribute" anthologies, but this new release starts off with a rousing version of "Crossroads" by Taj Mahal and just keeps going...

Mahler: Symphony No. 5 Philharmonia Orchestra/ Benjamin Zander (Telarc 2CD-80569).(Review)
June 1, 2001... Mahler: Symphony No. 5 Philharmonia Orchestra/ Benjamin Zander (Telarc 2CD-80569) This recording arrived right as this issue was going to press, and I have not had time to fully digest it. Already though, I feel confident in giving it my...

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde Violeta Urmana, mezzo-soprano/Michael Schade, tenor/Vienna Philharmonic/Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon 469 526-2).(Review)
June 1, 2001... Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde Violeta Urmana, mezzo-soprano/Michael Schade, tenor/Vienna Philharmonic/Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon 469 526-2) I suspect that this will be a controversial release that some critics will praise and...

Stephan Micus: Desert Poems (ECM 1757 012 159 739-2).(Review)
June 1, 2001... Stephan Micus: Desert Poems (ECM 1757 012 159 739-2) Stephan Micus makes music that is hard to categorize. In the past, his music has focused on simplicity, with a Zen-like spareness of form; however, in this new release he indulges in...

Ralph Towner: Anthem (ECM 1743 314 543 814-2).(Review)
June 1, 2001... Ralph Towner: Anthem (ECM 1743 314 543 814-2) It's always fun to get reacquainted with an old friend. Ralph Towner is back with a solo guitar album, and the mood is warm and communicative. Unlike many other acoustic guitarists, Towner never...

Double Double.(recordings of Anton Bruckner's 8th Symphony)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Bruckner's 8th Symphony is a monumental piece of music that for many represents the peak of this composer's symphonic output. Tom Lyle and I thought it would be interesting to compare two fairly recent releases of this work to each other. These...

The Inextinguishable Symphony, A True Story of Music and Love in Nazi Germany, Martin Goldsmith (345 pp., John Wiley and Sons, HB $24.95).(Review)
June 1, 2001... The Inextinguishable Symphony, A True Story of Music and Love in Nazi Germany, Martin Goldsmith (345 pp., John Wiley and Sons, HB $24.95) Martin Goldsmith hosted NPR's Performance Today for well over a decade and is well known among...

Reissue Roundup.(sound recordings)
June 1, 2001... This installment of Reissue Roundup devotes itself to a number of recordings using JVC's K2 process, commonly referred to as XRCD. This is one of several digital recording systems developed over the past decade that aspire to improve sound...

Scoping Software: DVD-A Software, the New World of Audio.(DVD-A format sound recordings)
June 1, 2001... The new DVD-A format, at least as it is currently configured, does not make allowances for bass management. This means that sub/sat speaker systems with small satellites will not be able to do DVD-A program material full justice, because the...

Adam: La Jolie Fille de Gand (complete ballet). Andrew Mogrelia, Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Marco Polo 8.223772-73 (2-disc set).(Review)
June 1, 2001... Adam: La Jolie Fille de Gand (complete ballet). Andrew Mogrelia, Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Marco Polo 8.223772-73 (2-disc set). Adolphe Adam (1803-1856) is by far better known for his classic ballet Giselle (1841) than for this work of...

African Heritage Symphonic Series, Volume 1: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, William Grant Still, and Fela Sowande. Paul Freeman, Chicago Sinfonietta. Cedille Records CDR 90000 055.(Review)
June 1, 2001... African Heritage Symphonic Series, Volume 1: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, William Grant Still, and Fela Sowande. Paul Freeman, Chicago Sinfonietta. Cedille Records CDR 90000 055. Look. I'm only going to say this one more time (or until I hear...

American Viola Works.(Review)
June 1, 2001... American Viola Works. Cathy Basrak, viola; William Koehler and Robert Koenig, piano. Cedille Records 900000 053. What do George Rochberg, Frederick Jacobi, Alan Shulman, Quincy Porter, and Lowell Liebermann have in common? Well, besides...

Antheil: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5; Decatur at Algiers. Hugh Wolff, Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt. CPO 999 706-2.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Antheil: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5; Decatur at Algiers. Hugh Wolff, Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt. CPO 999 706-2. In 1947 a survey indicated that the four American composers whose works were most often performed were George Gershwin,...

Atterberg: Symphonies Nos. 3 and 6. Ari Rasilainen, Radio-Philharmonia Hannover des NDR. CPO 999 640-2.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Atterberg: Symphonies Nos. 3 and 6. Ari Rasilainen, Radio-Philharmonia Hannover des NDR. CPO 999 640-2. Maybe I can best sum up my reaction to this disc by saying that I sat down to listen to it three times, the first two times finding...

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, Harpsichord Concertos, and Violin Concertos. Reinhard Goebel, Musica Antiqua Koln; Simon Standage, violin, with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert. DG Panorama 289 469 103-2 (2-disc set).(Review)
June 1, 2001... Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, Harpsichord Concertos, and Violin Concertos. Reinhard Goebel, Musica Antiqua Koln; Simon Standage, violin, with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert. DG Panorama 289 469 103-2 (2-disc set). This two-disc set...

Bach: Cantatas and Arias. Ian Bostridge, tenor; Fabio Biondi, Europa Galante. Virgin Veritas 7243-5-45420-2-2.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Bach: Cantatas and Arias. Ian Bostridge, tenor; Fabio Biondi, Europa Galante. Virgin Veritas 72435-45420-2-2. In the booklet insert Michel Roubinet emphasizes Bach's theme of death in the cantatas, which is a natural subject for religious...

Bach: Violin Concertos. Kennedy, violin; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. EMI 7243-5-57091-2-7.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Bach: Violin Concertos. Kennedy, violin; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. EMI 7243-5-57091-2-7. I still prefer Bach played on original instruments, but if you're looking for vigorous performances of the two Bach violin concertos on modern...

Beethoven: Leonore Overture; Piano Concerto No. 4; Symphony No. 5; Piano Sonatas 17 & 21; String Quartet "Razumovsky." Carlos Kleiber, Claudio Abbado, Karl Bohm, Maurizio Pollini. DG Panorama 289 469 112-2.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Beethoven: Leonore Overture; Piano Concerto No. 4; Symphony No. 5; Piano Sonatas 17 & 21; String Quartet "Razumovsky." Carlos Kleiber, Claudio Abbado, Karl Bohm, Maurizio Pollini. DG Panorama 289 469 112-2. This set begins DG's second...

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1; Schumann: Introduction and Concert Allegro.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1; Schumann: Introduction and Concert Allegro. Idil Biret, piano; Antoni Wit, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.554088. The resident pianist of the Naxos label, Idil Biret, was bound to get to the...

Maria Callas: The Legend. EMI CDC 7243 5 57057 2 3.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Maria Callas: The Legend. EMI CDC 7243 5 57057 2 3. The American operatic soprano Maria Callas (1923-1977) may still be the most recognizable female name in opera, almost a quarter century after her death. Although she was quite versatile,...

The Caveman's Valentine: Music from the Motion Picture. Decca 440-013-586-2.(Review)
June 1, 2001... The Caveman's Valentine: Music from the Motion Picture. Decca 440-013-586-2. The music from most motion pictures contained on CDs is usually nothing more than a souvenir of the film, a reminder of one's cinematic encounter but hardly a...

Celluloid Copland: World Premiere Film Music. Jonathan Sheffer, Eos Orchestra. Telarc CD-80583.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Celluloid Copland: World Premiere Film Music. Jonathan Sheffer, Eos Orchestra. Telarc CD-80583. Aaron Copland's film music is certainly less well known than his "Appalachian Spring," "Rodeo," or "Billy the Kid" ballets, and for most people...

The Everly Brothers' Best. DCC Compact Classics GZS-1141.(Review)
June 1, 2001... The Everly Brothers' Best. DCC Compact Classics GZS-1141. When this disc arrived for review and I first glanced it, my eyes saw "The Everly Brothers" but my mind registered the Righteous Brothers. After a moment's consideration, I sorted...

From the Isles to the Courts.(Review)
June 1, 2001... From the Isles to the Courts. Ensemble Galilei. Telarc CD-80536. Lovers of all things Irish will enjoy this collection of mostly Celtic music played on traditional Celtic instruments and featuring the usual slow laments, pastoral ballads,...

Glazunov: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 8. Alexander Anissimov, Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.553660.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Glazunov: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 8. Alexander Anissimov, Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.553660. If the name Alexander Glazunov conjures up nothing more in your memory banks than the "Raymonda" and "The Seasons" ballets, you're probably...

Hannibal. Original motion picture soundtrack music composed by Hans Zimmer.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Hannibal. Original motion picture soundtrack music composed by Hans Zimmer. Decca 289 467 696-2. The gimmick of the music for the movie Hannibal, the even-more-grisly sequel to Silence of the Lambs and Manhunter, is that it's quiet and...

Karl Jenkins: Adiemus IV: The Eternal Knot. Virgin Omtown OMCD 49965.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Karl Jenkins: Adiemus IV: The Eternal Knot. Virgin Omtown OMCD 49965. The booklet note tells us "`The Eternal Knot' provides the soundtrack to a major television documentary series `The Celts' made by Opus Television for S4C International,...

The Latin Album.(Review)
June 1, 2001... The Latin Album. Keith Lockhart, the Boston Pops Orchestra. RCA 09026-63717-2. Judging by the picture of Keith Lockhart on the album cover, he's getting younger by the minute. I wish he'd shown a little more youthful vitality in his...

Liebermann: Symphony No. 2; Concerto for Flute and Orchestra. Eugenia Zukerman, flute; Andrew Litton, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Delos DE 3256.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Liebermann: Symphony No. 2; Concerto for Flute and Orchestra. Eugenia Zukerman, flute; Andrew Litton, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Delos DE 3256. At last, somebody is listening. Lowell Liebermann takes 20th-century music out of...

MacDowell: Suites Nos. 1 and 2; Hamlet and Ophelia. Takuo Yuasa, Ulster Orchestra. Naxos 8.559075.(Review)
June 1, 2001... MacDowell: Suites Nos. 1 and 2; Hamlet and Ophelia. Takuo Yuasa, Ulster Orchestra. Naxos 8.559075. There was a time just before the turn of the twentieth century when Edward MacDowell was the most popular American composer in the world....

Mahler: Symphony No. 4. Adrian Leaper, Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria. Arte Nova 74321-46506-2.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Mahler: Symphony No. 4. Adrian Leaper, Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria. Arte Nova 74321-46506-2. What do you mean you've never heard of the Gran Canaria Philharmonic? Gran Canaria is the principal island in the Canary Island group,...

Mickey Newbury: `Frisco Mabel Joy. Mountain Retreat Productions MR 1269-2.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Mickey Newbury: `Frisco Mabel Joy. Mountain Retreat Productions MR 1269-2. Sometimes, patience pays off. I first bought this album on vinyl around 1971 and fell in love with it. When CDs rolled around in the early eighties, I figured for...

Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky; Khachaturian: Violin Concerto. Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Leonid Kogan, violin; Pierre Monteux, Boston Symphony Orchestra. RCA 09026-63708-2.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky; Khachaturian: Violin Concerto. Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Leonid Kogan, violin; Pierre Monteux, Boston Symphony Orchestra. RCA 09026-63708-2. Sergei Prokofiev wrote his cantata "Alexander Nevsky"...

Puccini: La Boheme. Andrea Bocelli, Barbara Frittoli; Zubin Mehta, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Decca 269 464 060-2 (2-disc set).(Review)
June 1, 2001... Puccini: La Boheme. Andrea Bocelli, Barbara Frittoli; Zubin Mehta, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Decca 269 464 060-2 (2-disc set). Passion. It's what I think of first when I think of La Boheme. Without passion, the opera is just beautiful...

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Maid of Pskov Suite; The Legend of the Invisible City Suite; Fairy Tale; Fantasia on Serbian Themes. Igor Golovchin, Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.553513.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Rimsky-Korsakov: The Maid of Pskov Suite; The Legend of the Invisible City Suite; Fairy Tale; Fantasia on Serbian Themes. Igor Golovchin, Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.553513. The music for The Maid of Pskov is incidental to the play...

Robin and the 7 Hoods.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Robin and the 7 Hoods. Soundtrack recording. DCC Compact Classics ARZ-104-2. After a few minutes listening to the overture I was thinking "This is pretty typical movie sound from the '60s, bright and hard and lean." Then I listened to the...

Serenata. A Bouquet of Favorites for Strings.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Serenata. A Bouquet of Favorites for Strings. Antonio Janigro, I Solisti di Zagreb. Vanguard Classics SVC-142. If all the albums of string music in the world were laid end to end, some hot new group would try to re-record them. No need to...