Sensible Sound articles from November 2000

Sensible Sound archives from November 2000

RAMBLINGS.
November 1, 2000... Welcome to Issue #83, an issue with a little something for just about everybody as we review a wide variety of components and speakers and a dazzling array of recordings--old, new, borrowed, and blue. As we promised last issue, our publishing...

FORUM.
November 1, 2000... An Offer We Can't Refuse Before I get to the reason for my letter, I want to thank you for the effort involved in publishing such a high quality and focused magazine. I was so impressed a few years ago after buying a couple of issues at...

SURVEYING THE SOUNDSCAPE.
November 1, 2000... The Return of Mooneymania: Joe Mooney was a musician's musician. When Columbia put out two Mooney LPs in the mid-'60s, the back cover notes dropped names of well-known Mooney buffs: Tony Bennett, Paul Whiteman, Johnny Mercer, Van Heusen, Hoagy...

Loudspeaker Fixes.
November 1, 2000... I have been doing a lot of speaker repairing recently, both for myself and for friends. Well, maybe I should say "woofer repairing." As many enthusiasts who have owned their speakers for more than 8-10 years probably realize, woofers with...

FreePlay FPR2 Radio.
November 1, 2000... Manufacturer:. FreePlay, Ltd., 56/58 Circuit Street, 3rd Floor, London, England W1R9FD; +44 2078 512600; http://www.FreePlay.net U.S. Distributor:. FreePlay, Inc., 80 Amity Road, Warwick, NY 10990; 800/WIND-234 (946-3234) Price: $84 ...

FurnitureWorks RB1 A/H Speaker Stand.
November 1, 2000... Manufacturer: OmniMount Systems, Inc., The Pointe at South Mountain, 8201 South 48th St., Phoenix, AZ 85044-5355; 480-829-8000; www.OmniMount.com Price: $89.95/pair Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: David M. Doll I have...

Harman/Kardon Festival 60 Executive Music System.
November 1, 2000... Manufacturer: Harman/Kardon, 250 Crossways Park Drive, Woodbury, NY 11797; 516/496-3400; www.harmankardon.com Price: $800 Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: Kevin East The name Harman/Kardon, like Marantz, Magnavox, and...

NAD Music System Redux.
November 1, 2000... The NAD Music System, as previously written (Issue 79), is a neat, little box, almost perfect for the dorm room, den, home office, or similarly confined space. The NAD Music System is an NAD L40 receiver/CD player packaged with two PSB Alpha...

Outlaw Audio 750 Amplifier.
November 1, 2000... Manufacturer: Outlaw Audio; 800/392-1393; www.outlawaudio.com Price: $1,099 plus $55 shipping and handling Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: David M. Doll One has only to reflect on the 13 original colonies to realize that...

Parasound AVC-2500 Audio-Video Controller.
November 1, 2000... Manufacturer: Parasound Products, Inc., 950 Battery St., San Francisco, CA 94111; 415/ 397-7100; www.parasound.com Price: $3,495 Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: Howard Ferstler The AVC-2500 is Parasound's entry into the...

Rane ME-60 and THX-22 Equalizers.
November 1, 2000... Manufacturer: Rane Corporation, 10802 47th Ave. W., Mukilteo, WA 98275 5098; 425/355-6000; www.rane.com Price: ME-60, $699; THX-22, $499 Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: Howard Ferstler Background: Equalizers are...

Rotel RSX965 AV Receiver.
November 1, 2000... Manufacturer: Rotel of America, 54 Concord St., North Reading, MA 01864; 800/370-3741; www.rotel.com Price: $1,199.95 Source: Manufacturer loan Reviewer: David M. Doll The Rotel RSX 965 is twice the price of the AV receivers I...

AR 302 and 338.
November 1, 2000... Distributor: Accessories 4 Less, 5525 Force Four Parkway, Orlando, FL 32839; 407/859-3335; www.accessories4less.com Price: See text. Latest prices available at the website. Source: Reviewer purchase Reviewer: David A. Rich In...

Dynaudio Audience 60.
November 1, 2000... Manufacturer: Dynaudio North America, 1144 Tower Lane, Bensenville, IL 60106; 630/238-4200; www.dynaudiona.com Source: Manufacturer loan Price: $1,199/pair Reviewer: James T. Frane Dynaudio, the Danish loudspeaker designer/...

Velodyne HGS-15 Subwoofer.
November 1, 2000... Manufacturer: Velodyne Acoustics, Inc., 1070 Commercial St., Suite # 101, San Jose, CA 95112; www.velodyne.com Price: $2,400 Source: Manufacturer Loan Reviewer: Thomas A. Nousaine Who invented modern powered subwoofers, ones...

Brian Auger's Oblivion Express: Voices of Other Times (Miramar Recordings 31522).
November 1, 2000... Brian Auger's Oblivion Express: Voices of Other Times (Miramar Recordings 31522) Those of a certain age and a certain musical disposition will recall fondly one of the great rock releases of the late '60s, Streetnoise, recorded by Brian...

Beethoven: String Quartets Opp. 74, 95, 135 Eroica Quartet (Harmonia Mundi HMU 907254).
November 1, 2000... Beethoven: String Quartets Opp. 74, 95, 135 Eroica Quartet (Harmonia Mundi HMU 907254) With so many recordings of Beethoven quartets available in today's marketplace, what would be the appeal of this new one by a young British quartet? For...

Terence Blanchard: Wandering Moon (Sony Classical SK 89111).
November 1, 2000... Terence Blanchard: Wandering Moon (Sony Classical SK 89111) Trumpeter Terence Blanchard leads out on a terrific session accompanied by Aaron Fletcher, Brandford Marsalis, and Brice Winston on saxophones; Edward Simon on piano; Dave Holland...

Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Georg Tintner (Naxos 8.553454).
November 1, 2000... Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Georg Tintner (Naxos 8.553454) This release has been hailed in many quarters as "magnificent," "revelatory," and so forth, and I must say that when I listen to it, I certainly feel...

Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon 2894596782).
November 1, 2000... Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon 2894596782) Maestro Boulez has produced some excellent recordings of Mahler for DG over the past several years; still, it comes as a surprise to find...

Robert Lee Castleman: Crazy as Me (Rounder 11661-0475-2).
November 1, 2000... Robert Lee Castleman: Crazy as Me (Rounder 11661-0475-2) Castleman's music is somewhere between country and folk, and his voice at times is strangely similar to Elvis Costello's. An older Elvis Costello. His songs are interesting, and he...

David Davidson: Celtic Fantasy (Green Hill GHD5191).
November 1, 2000... David Davidson: Celtic Fantasy (Green Hill GHD5191) David Davidson is a violinist who has put together an enjoyable collection of music that is hard to classify; not quite classical, not quite New Age, not quite folk, not quite jazz, and...

The Chamber Music of Claude Debussy (Complete) The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center/David Shifrin, Artistic Director (Delos DE 3167, 3-CD set).
November 1, 2000... The Chamber Music of Claude Debussy (Complete) The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center/David Shifrin, Artistic Director (Delos DE 3167, 3-CD set) For old clarinetists such as I, hearing the first cut on this 3-CD set is probably enough...

Carl Filipiak: Peripheral Vision (Geometric Records GEO-246).
November 1, 2000... Carl Filipiak: Peripheral Vision (Geometric Records GEO-246) This new release from Geometric Records combines some cuts from Baltimore-based guitarist Carl Filipiak's excellent Hotel Real (reviewed favorably in these pages upon its release...

Donald Harrison, Jr. Presents the New Orleans Legacy Ensemble: Spirits of Congo Square (Candid CCD 79759).
November 1, 2000... Donald Harrison, Jr. Presents the New Orleans Legacy Ensemble: Spirits of Congo Square (Candid CCD 79759) New Orleans alto saxman Donald Harrison, Jr. has put together quite an ensemble to support him on this energetic recording: Nicholas...

Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette: Whisper Not (ECM 1724/25314 543 817-2).
November 1, 2000... Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette: Whisper Not (ECM 1724/25314 543 817-2) After a long struggle with illness, Keith Jarrett has returned to the concert stage with his "Standards Trio," bassist Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette....

Michael Kamen: X-Men Original Motion Picture Sountrack (Decca 289 467 270-2).
November 1, 2000... Michael Kamen: X-Men Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Decca 289 467 270-2) I rarely (as in once in the last decade) go to movies and seldom listen to soundtracks; however, I can pass along a recommendation on this one as a guilty...

Charles Lloyd: The Water Is Wide (ECM 1734 314 549 043-2).
November 1, 2000... Charles Lloyd: The Water Is Wide (ECM 1734 314 549 043-2) Over the past couple of decades Charles Lloyd has recorded a series of utterly wonderful CDs on the ECM label. The first five featured pianist Bobo Stenson, while the sixth, Voice in...

Los Hombres Calientes: Vol. 2 (Basin Street Records BSR0202-2).
November 1, 2000... Los Hombres Calientes: Vol. 2 (Basin Street Records BSR0202-2) Los Hombres Calientes is a New Orleans-based aggregation headed by percussionist Bill Summers, trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, and drummer Jason Marsalis (who as of this writing just...

Mahler: Symphony No. 10 (Cooke version) Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle (EMI CDC 5 56972 2).
November 1, 2000... Mahler: Symphony No. 10 (Cooke version) Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle (EMI CDC 5 56972 2) Many conductors choose to conduct only the opening Adagio from this symphony, because it was the only movement fully completed by...

Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble: Drawn Inward (ECM 1693 547 209-2).
November 1, 2000... Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble: Drawn Inward (ECM 1693 547 209-2) This is not music for the musically faint of heart. For example, the first cut, "The Crooner," is subtitled as being "for Johnny Hartman," which might lead one to...

Joshua Redman: Beyond (Warner Bros. 9 47465-2).
November 1, 2000... Joshua Redman: Beyond (Warner Bros. 9 47465-2) There are recordings that take a while to grow on you, then there are recordings that capture your imagination on first hearing; Beyond, by young saxophonist Joshua Redman, is a prime example...

Renaissance of the Spirit: The Music of Orlando di Lasso and His Contemporaries I Fiamminghi/Rudolf Werthen and Currende/ Erik van Nevel (Telarc CD-80521).
November 1, 2000... Renaissance of the Spirit: The Music of Orlando di Lasso and His Contemporaries I Fiamminghi/Rudolf Werthen and Currende/ Erik van Nevel (Telarc CD-80521) This is a very beautiful and highly enjoyable collection of Renaissance music...

Bobo Stenson Trio: Serenity (ECM 1740/ 41 314 543 611-2).
November 1, 2000... Bobo Stenson Trio: Serenity (ECM 1740/ 41 314 543 611-2) Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson is one of the original ECM recording artists, and has a number of releases to his credit both as sideman (particularly noteworthy are the five Charles...

Double Double.
November 1, 2000... In Issue 82, Tom Lyle and I compared two recordings of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 4. For this issue, we are comparing two recordings of another Symphony No. 4, by another of our favorite composers, Jean Sibelius. As customary, we have...

Carousel Corner.
November 1, 2000... A bad Saturday night in Detroit is when the Tigers lose a close one at CoAmerica Park. A good Saturday night in Detroit is hitting the blues clubs that dot the town and its `burbs. There is no such thing as a bad blues night in Detroit. ...

Reissue Roundup: Jazz at the Pawnshop.
November 1, 2000... If you're a passionate audiophile who's read my two earlier installments on this theme, you have a feel for this writer's attachment to quality sound and music of nearly all varieties. And though it might appear to some that I have an ax to...

Scoping Software: Surround Sound.
November 1, 2000... While most of today's recordings are still two-channel items, specifically designed to be played back on two-channel audio systems, I have lately been trying to deal with software that is mainly or even entirely oriented toward surround-sound...

Bach: Violin Concertos; Double Concerto; Air on the G-String. Takako Nishizaki and Alexander Jablokov, violins; Oliver Dohnanyi, Capella Istropolitana. Naxos DVD 0991.
November 1, 2000... Bach: Violin Concertos; Double Concerto; Air on the G-String. Takako Nishizaki and Alexander Jablokov, violins; Oliver Dohnanyi, Capella Istropolitana. Naxos DVD 0991. Labeled a "Naxos Musical Journey," this DVD music video is one of the...

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9; Schoenberg: A Survivor from Warsaw. Jane Marsh, Josephine Veasey, Placido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes; Chorus Pro Musica, New England Conservatory Chorus; Erich Leinsdorf, Boston Symphony Orchestra. RCA 09026-63682-2.
November 1, 2000... Beethoven: Symphony No. 9; Schoenberg: A Survivor from Warsaw. Jane Marsh, Josephine Veasey, Placido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes; Chorus Pro Musica, New England Conservatory Chorus; Erich Leinsdorf, Boston Symphony Orchestra. RCA 09026-63682-2....

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 "Romantic." Georg Tintner, Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Naxos 8.554128.
November 1, 2000... Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 "Romantic." Georg Tintner, Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Naxos 8.554128. Georg Tintner's Bruckner symphony cycle shows great promise if this new recording of the Fourth Symphony is any indication. The Fourth...

Chausson: Poeme; Poeme de l'amour et de la mer; Symphony in B flat major. Chantal Juillet, violin; Francois Le Roux, baritone; Charles Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Decca 289 458 010-2.
November 1, 2000... Chausson: Poeme; Poeme de l'amour et de la mer; Symphony in B flat major. Chantal Juillet, violin; Francois Le Roux, baritone; Charles Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Decca 289 458 010-2. Dutoit and his Montreal forces bring their...

Dance on a Moonbeam: A Collection of Songs and Poems. Bill Crofut, Julianne Baird, Benjamin Luxon, Dawn Upshaw, Frederica von Stade, Chris Brubeck, Meryl Streep; London Symphony Orchestra. Telarc CD-80554.
November 1, 2000... Dance on a Moonbeam: A Collection of Songs and Poems. Bill Crofut, Julianne Baird, Benjamin Luxon, Dawn Upshaw, Frederica von Stade, Chris Brubeck, Meryl Streep; London Symphony Orchestra. Telarc CD-80554. The folks at Telarc don't often...

Debussy: Symphonic Fragments; Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition. Gunter Wand, NDR-Sinfonieorchester. RCA 74321 72788 2.
November 1, 2000... Debussy: Symphonic Fragments; Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition. Gunter Wand, NDR-Sinfonieorchester. RCA 74321 72788 2. Maybe it was RCA's super-smooth sonics that prevented me from liking Mussorgsky's tone paintings very much, just as...

Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 66, 67 and 68. Bela Drahos, Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia. Naxos 8.554406.
November 1, 2000... Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 66, 67 and 68. Bela Drahos, Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia. Naxos 8.554406. This is Volume 21 in the Haydn symphony series from Naxos, so with 104 symphonies total you can see they still have a way to go. While Nos. 66...

Erich Kunz Sings German University Songs, Vol. 4. Erich Kunz, baritone; Anton Paulik, Orchestra and Male Chorus of the Vienna State Opera. Vanguard OVC-6039.
November 1, 2000... Erich Kunz Sings German University Songs, Vol. 4. Erich Kunz, baritone; Anton Paulik, Orchestra and Male Chorus of the Vienna State Opera. Vanguard OVC-6039. This series gets better as it goes along. Volume 4 finds operatic baritone Erich...

Metallica: Ride the Lightning. DCC Compact Classics GZS-1136.
November 1, 2000... Metallica: Ride the Lightning. DCC Compact Classics GZS-1136. I'm afraid one has to have grown up with heavy metal to appreciate it. By the time it became popular, I was already snugly settled into old fogyism. Those of you who are...

Mozart: Requiem. Carole Bogard, soprano; Ann Murray, mezzo-soprano; Richard Lewis, tenor; Michael Rippon, bass; AmorArtis Chorale; Johannes Somary, English Chamber Orchestra. Vanguard SVC-141 HD.
November 1, 2000... Mozart: Requiem. Carole Bogard, soprano; Ann Murray, mezzo-soprano; Richard Lewis, tenor; Michael Rippon, bass; AmorArtis Chorale; Johannes Somary, English Chamber Orchestra. Vanguard SVC-141 HD. With dozens of fine recordings of Mozart's...

The Only Operetta Album You'll Ever Need!
November 1, 2000... The Only Operetta Album You'll Ever Need! RCA 74321 72916 2. Chalk one up for the truth in advertising laws. RCA's compilation disc, The Only Operetta Album You'll Ever Need!, probably really is the only operetta album most casual listeners...

Opera Gala.
November 1, 2000... Opera Gala. Alessandra Marc, soprano; Andrew Litton, Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Delos DE 3240. Played loudly, this album of live opera extracts can sound excitingly alive. Played back at a normal-to-soft level, it will sound dull and...

Rachmaninoff: Vocalise. Various artists. RCA 09026-63669-2.
November 1, 2000... Rachmaninoff: Vocalise. Various artists. RCA 09026-63669-2. Sergei Rachmaninoff (or Rachmaninov) wrote 14 songs in 1912, published as his Op. 34. The concluding song has no words, and titled simply "Vocalise" it has come down to us as...

Renaissance of the Spirit: The Music of Orlando di Lasso and his contemporaries. Rudolf Werthen, I Fiamminghi; Erik van Nevel, Currende. Telarc DSD CD-80521.
November 1, 2000... Renaissance of the Spirit: The Music of Orlando di Lasso and his contemporaries. Rudolf Werthen, I Fiamminghi; Erik van Nevel, Currende. Telarc DSD CD-80521. I have no hesitation giving this album my unqualified approval and enthusiastic...

Rozsa: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; Concerto for Cello and Orchestra; Theme and Variations for Violin, Cello and Orchestra. Robert McDuffie, violin; Lynn Harrell, cello; Yoel Levi, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Telarc CD-80518.
November 1, 2000... Rozsa: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; Concerto for Cello and Orchestra; Theme and Variations for Violin, Cello and Orchestra. Robert McDuffie, violin; Lynn Harrell, cello; Yoel Levi, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Telarc CD-80518. The...

Salon Orchestra Favourites I.
November 1, 2000... Salon Orchestra Favourites I. Georg Huber, Salonorchester Schwanen. Naxos 8.554756. Salon music, popular at the turn of the 20th century and into the first few decades of that new era, made an aborted comeback with the film Titanic, a few...

The Best of Erik Satie.
November 1, 2000... The Best of Erik Satie. Klara Kormendi, solo piano; with Jerome Kaltenbach, Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy. Naxos 8.556688. For a fiver this compilation of the best works of Erik Satie (1866-1925) can hardly be faulted for...

Scarlatti: Cantatas, Vol. III. Brian Asawa, countertenor; Nicholas McGegan, Arcadian Academy. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 75605 51325-2.
November 1, 2000... Scarlatti: Cantatas, Vol. III. Brian Asawa, countertenor; Nicholas McGegan, Arcadian Academy. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 75605 51325-2. Cantatas, vocal music with accompaniment, usually in a series of movements, were popular during the Baroque...

Shchedrin: Concerto Cantabile; Stravinsky: Violin Concerto; Tchaikovsky: Serenade melancolique. Maxim Vengerov, violin; Mstislav Rostropovich, London Symphony Orchestra. EMI 72435 5 56966 2 5.
November 1, 2000... Shchedrin: Concerto Cantabile; Stravinsky: Violin Concerto; Tchaikovsky: Serenade melancolique. Maxim Vengerov, violin; Mstislav Rostropovich, London Symphony Orchestra. EMI 72435 5 56966 2 5. First off, let me say this is one of the...