Prokofiev: Ivan the Terrible
St. Louis Symphony Chorus and Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin, conductor.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UDSACD 4003
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

Prokofiev’s music for Sergei Eisenstein’s Alexander Nevsky has become a concert favorite in the oratorio the composer later fashioned from his original film score. His music for another Eisenstein film, Ivan the Terrible, is played far less frequently. This is a shame -- it is full of tuneful, brilliantly orchestrated music. Leonard Slatkin’s incisive performance has long been regarded as one of the best, and this SACD reissue reveals, for the first time, the full glory of the four-channel recording by Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz. The sound has great impact in sections where the chorus and orchestra are going full tilt, but it is impact that does not compromise clarity or transparency. Don’t let the 1979 recording date fool you -- this sound set a standard that has yet to be bettered. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has committed to releasing a great many of the original Vox quadraphonic recordings, which means we are in for a continuing treat....Rad Bennett

Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 and Finale Fragment
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor.
RCA 82876 65332 2, two discs.
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

For many years, rumors have abounded that Anton Bruckner left no usable sketches for the fourth movement of his unfinished Symphony No. 9, of which only the first three, completed movements are usually performed. On the first disc of this set, a CD, conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt gives a workshop (in German and English) on the incomplete Finale, illustrating his lecture by conducting the passages that were actually finished by Bruckner. On disc two, an SACD, he leads a live performance of the familiar first three movements, in a new edition by Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs. This seems something of a waste -- the booklet note points out Bruckner’s instructions to use his Te Deum as a last movement, should he not live to complete the Finale. Because the note indicates the truth of the matter, why not do it on the discs? But no Te Deum is to be found. The performance of the first three movements is heroic and very grand, if perhaps overly bombastic at times. The recorded sound is bigger than life, too; the climax of the third movement, with timpani pounding and the brass section blazing, is very awesome. The rear channels pick up ambience as the orchestra plays louder, and the sound starts bouncing off the side and rear walls. It’s not an entirely natural effect, but it’s very thrilling....Rad Bennett

Greg Brown: Honey in the Lion's Head
Trailer Records TR0035
Format: CD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

Dave Alvin did it, and so did Peter Case. Bob Dylan did it twice. To what do I refer? Releasing an entire album of traditional folk songs, which allows an artist to focus on interpreting and performing. Honey in the Lion's Head is Greg Brown's covers album, so to speak, and his second offering on Trailer Records, a label whose mission is offering "the finest roots/Americana music that Iowa has to offer," a tag line that fits Brown well. He's an Iowan and one of America's best living songwriters. The band Brown put together for Honey in the Lion's Head is a family affair. It includes longtime collaborator Bo Ramsey on electric guitar along with Brown's wife, Iris Dement, and daughters Pieta and Constie as backup vocalists. The music this tight-knit group makes sounds well worn and well hewn. Probably the most interesting choice of songs is "On Top of Old Smokey," which Brown delivers languidly in his dusky voice. There is one Brown original, "Ain't No One Like You," which sounds right at home. If you are a Greg Brown fan (and you ought to be), Honey in the Lion's Head will help you get through a long winter and make you yearn for a short wait to Brown's next collection of originals....Marc Mickelson

Soundtrack: The Last Samurai
Elektra 62932
Format: CD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

Hans Zimmer mostly takes a break from the derivative in The Last Samurai, although themes from Backdraft, Crimson Tide, The Rock, and Gladiator are apparent here in "Spectres in the Fog," "The Way of the Sword," and "Idyll’s End." The restraint and depth hinted in Zimmer’s score for Black Hawk Down and his collaborations with ex-Dead Can Dance siren Lisa Gerrard make an impact in "A Way of Life," "Safe Passage," and "A Small Measure of Peace." The most impressive aspect of this effort is a six-note, string-driven central theme that weaves its way through the entire score. This delicate but desperate cue proves that Zimmer can convey reserved passion and frailty when he wants to. The recording is full, nimble, and, during its most bombastic moments, bracingly dynamic. It also does a nice job of shying away from the bass-heavy recordings of Zimmer’s past. This German-born composer may not rise to the genius and diversity of Jerry Goldsmith or Howard Shore, but he’s showing signs of maturing....Anthony Di Marco

Kerosene Brothers: Choose Your Own Title*
Audium 8190
Format: CD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

What can one say about a CD whose cover shows a woman bathing in a tub full of maraschino cherries while holding a jar of moonshine? Well, she’s most definitely on her way to having a good time. This attitude remains consistent through all 11 songs of Choose Your Own Title*. This is simple songwriting coupled with a healthy dose of frat-boy behavior, and every track gets the blood moving. Even if you think you’ve heard this music before, what makes the Kerosene Brothers’ brand of rock-influenced country work is the band’s passion for the music. This is not some tired old garage band whose members are struggling to keep up with each other, but talented musicians who know how to use their instruments well and genuinely enjoy making music. A slightly flat-sounding recording, Choose Your Own Title* effortlessly conveys the spirit of this trio's love of life....Anthony Di Marco

Kerosene Brothers: Choose Your Own Title*
Audium 8190
Format: CD

Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment

What can one say about a CD whose cover shows a woman bathing in a tub full of maraschino cherries while holding a jar of moonshine? Well, she’s most definitely on her way to having a good time. This attitude remains consistent through all 11 songs of Choose Your Own Title*. This is simple songwriting coupled with a healthy dose of frat-boy behavior, and every track gets the blood moving. Even if you think you’ve heard this music before, what makes the Kerosene Brothers’ brand of rock-influenced country work is the band’s passion for the music. This is not some tired old garage band whose members are struggling to keep up with each other, but talented musicians who know how to use their instruments well and genuinely enjoy making music. A slightly flat-sounding recording, Choose Your Own Title* effortlessly conveys the spirit of this trio's love of life....Anthony Di Marco