Anne-Marie McDermott: "Plays Bach"

There are all kinds of ways of playing Bach, some sleep inducing, but that isn’t the case with this re-release of an album of Bach keyboard favorites by Anne-Marie McDermott. One is fascinated by her sweep and clarity as she plays Bach’s keyboard suites with enough energy to rival Glenn Gould’s legendary recordings from the 60’s and 70’s. You will not hear the multi-layered approach popularized by Gould, but a romantic and clear eyed assessment of these immortal works. Brisk tempos and stylish phrasing make this compact disc a memorable addition to anyone’s music library.

Leopold Stokowski: "Conducts Grainger, Sibelius, Vaughan Williams, Rachmaninov, Granados, Debussy, Ibert"

Like many music nuts I have often thought, “if I only were alive back then.” Cala Records, like some other labels, makes time travel possible by exploring our musical past, and their latest release has Leopold Stokowski conducting his own orchestra performing music of Percy Grainger and others. With his own ensemble, Stoky gets exactly what he wants and Cala gives us the dynamics and brilliance of Stokowski’s original concepts with good sound considering its post WWII vintage.  As a bonus, this disc features Grainger at the piano.  It's great fun, and as always with Stoky, very passionate and musical.  Cala records: Stokowski conducts Grainger favorites CACD0542

CLASSICAL MUSIC GIFT IDEAS WITH A LATIN AMERICAN FLAVOR
By James Baker, host of Itinerarios on KPAC

Lalo Schifrin: “Concierto Caribeño”

Marisa Canales (flute), Juan Carlos Laguna (guitar), Lalo Schifrin (conductor), London Symphony Orchestra.

This disc will appeal to anyone with an appetite for contemporary Latin American music.  Be prepared to be surprised.  The flute concerto (Concierto Caribeño) evokes rhythms of the Caribbean and perhaps wears some threads that will lead back to Schifrin’s relationship with Dizzy Gillespie. Throughout this is the work of a composer with an individual voice and first-rate technique.

Gabriela Montero: “Bach and Beyond”

The Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero has a knack for improvisation.  Here she uses familiar compositions by Bach as her takeoff references.  “Bach and Beyond” is not “swinging” improvisation as one might have heard from John Lewis, but rather a morphing of the music into a variety of meditations, dances and just outright interesting new compositions.

Osvaldo Golijov: “Ainadamar (Fountain of Tears)”

We have come to expect the unexpected from Argentinean composer Osvaldo Golijov, and he doesn’t disappoint with “Ainadamar,” an 80-minute opera that deals with aspects of the persecuted life of Federico Garcia Lorca.  Golijov wrote for a variety of forces, not the least the extraordinary voice and musical sensibilities of Dawn Upshaw.  The compact disc is readily available for giving, but if you download this from iTunes, it comes with an additional hour of commentary from the composer plus an extensive digital booklet.

OPERA AND VOCAL MUSIC
By Ron Moore, KPAC opera host

“The 1955 Bayreuth Ring”

One of the most anticipated releases of the year (really of the half century) has been the release of the Joseph Keilberth Wagner Ring Cycle.  Its first installments have met with expectedly stellar reviews.  It has in its cast, among others, Wolfgang Windgassen and Astrid Varnay in their prime and, at last, a complete commercial Hotter Cycle.  This, the representative of the “New Bayreuth” style in which the descendants of the composer, the brothers Wieland and Wolfgang, do “The Master” proud at last has its audio component.

Richard Wagner – Die Walküre  Testament SBT4 1391

Richard Wagner – Siegfried  Testament SBT4 1392

“Wolf Lieder”

Great Wolf recitals are rare, those for the tenor voice even rarer.  Perhaps only Peter Scheirer in his prime and looking back further to Erb and Anders have we been treated to such a feast in Wolf’s song world.  Rather than giving us a particular “songbook,” Italian, Spanish, etc., Ian Bostridge and Antonio Pappano draw from three different poetic sources.

Wolf Lieder  – EMI 3 42256

There has been in the last fifteen years and extraordinary revival of baroque and early classical operas ranging from Monteverdi to early Mozart.  This counts among best of this years offering and with and extraordinary range of works (including Royer, Leclair and Mondonville) closing the year with Rameau, Gluck and Lully.

Veronique Gens – Tragediennes; soprano, Les Talens; lyriques, Christophe Rousset.  Virgin Classics 346762

Texas Public Radio's Deirdre Saravia hosts "World Music on KSTX" Sunday nights at 9:00.  Browsing the world music section at your local music store can be a confusing and overwhelming experience. Here are some of Deirdre's picks for great gift-giving ideas for the world music lover, or for someone just looking to get started in the genre with some great new releases.

E Muzeki: “E Muzeki (self-titled)”

E Muzeki are native Texans, but their music is without borders.  Mark Vareles and Jenny O’Connor have been working together for over seven years, and their appreciation of each other is very apparent.  Their music is exciting, infectious and expertly played.  Mark is completely at home with an array of instruments including the Greek bouzouki and the sitar. On their latest release, violinist Jenny also plays guitar, tambourine and castanets.  Ron Flynt and Chuck Payne provide backup.  Their self-titled “E Muzeki” contains a variety of world music, starting with an Israeli influenced dance tune, heading down through the Mediterranean area, through the Middle East, across to Eastern Europe and winding up with a Hindi inspired composition.  There is something for everyone on this all instrumental CD.

Camille Le Fil: “Camille Le Fil (self-titled)”

I do not speak French, although I love listening to the language and really enjoy contemporary French music.  I believe I am actually learning the language subliminally, and so I must recommend Le Fil as a consideration.  On her self-titled release, there are liner notes in French but no translation.  There are some songs with English words, but Camille’s voice is quite distinctive and so delightful to listen to that the language barrier is not an issue.  There are eighteen tracks ranging in length from 52 seconds (“Janine II”) to 4 minutes, 33 seconds (“Quand Je Marche”).  Camille uses her voice to an extraordinary effect and weaves a hypnotic web that creates an otherworldly atmosphere.  www.camille-lefil.com is a website for more information about this intriguing performer.

Various: “From the Heart of Beadforlife”

This is a CD featuring the voices of Ugandan women who are fighting their way out of poverty and supporting their families by making beads from the colored pages of discarded magazines.  The CD is their first foray into the music scene and they perform with raw emotion and palpable enjoyment.  They recorded the entire CD in one day, assisted by volunteer musicians Michael Walters and recording engineer Anthony Maki.  The sixteen songs deal with the lives of these women and were composed specifically for this release.  Songs are sung in various local languages and English, there is an accompanying booklet with some beautiful colored photographs.  You'll find the disc online at www.beadforlife.com a website that is chock full of information about the singers and also shows the beads that are available for purchase.  Song samples are also available.

Asha Bhosle: "Reveals the Real RD"

The title says it all!  Asha Bholse is now in her seventies but she continues to perform with the vigor and verve of her younger days.  Born into a musical family, her sister Lata Mangeshkar was considered to be the most desirable singer for Bollywood movies but Asha was determined to succeed.  After a failed marriage and with two young children to support, Asha threw herself into a musical career.  She has recorded a multitude of soundtracks for movies and it was in Calcutta where she met her second husband, music director R.D.Burman.

“Asha Bhosle Reveals the Real RD” is a double CD, with her son Sudesh Bhosle providing back up vocals on quite a few tracks.  Both CDs contain tracks from Bollywood movies released mainly during the 1970s, and for me the most amazing track here features Asha singing the cha-cha-cha!  The glee with which she sings this is delightful; there is also a video of this performance.  The introductory track with Asha’s tribute to her late husband, happily, there is also a translation provided in the liner notes together with some rare pictures.  Indeed the liner notes have a wealth of information and trivia about these extremely talented entertainers.

TEXAS MUSIC GIFT IDEAS
By David Furst, host of KSTX's Sunday Night Session

In the world of Texas music, it was a year packed with great releases.  From Alejandro Escovedo to Willie Nelson and Reckless Kelly, the big guns were out in full force - so it was tough to whittle our picks down to a paltry five recordings.  But limited space demands brevity, so here goes.  In alphabetical order:

Albert & Gage – “Cry Love”

Coming back after a debilitating back injury, guitarist extraordinaire Chris Gage sounds revitalized and full of life on “Cry Love.”  As always, Christine Albert's vocals are crystal clear and irresistibly warm.

Wayne 'The Train' Hancock – “Tulsa”

If you're looking for old school honky-tonk delivered with a minimum of contemporary trappings and a maximum of fun, you can't go wrong with Wayne 'The Train.’  “Tulsa” contains 14 songs.

Sara Hickman – “Motherlode”

Back after working on children's music for a while, Sara Hickman returns with this two-CD explosion of music.  And it's a concept album, too!  Attempting to sum up the joys and sorrows of all womankind on “Motherlode,” Sara tackles topics like depression, addiction and sleep deprivation... and sex, hope, children and even little birds.  It's one of the most ambitious releases of the year.  The idea is (partly) that women wear a lot of hats - the illustration from the Kama Sutra on the cover comes complete with an iron in the foreground burning the laundry!

Ray Wylie Hubbard – “Snake Farm”

Things get ugly here.  There's nothing particularly "Christmas-y" about this down and dirty recording by legendary Texas songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard.  As the man sings in the title track, "Snake Farm -- it just sounds nasty."  But it's so bad it's good.  If we were forced to pick one, this would be our favorite release of the year.  And it's the perfect gift for the bad boys and girls on your list.  Think of it as the lump of coal in their stockings that they'll actually be happy about.

Ben Kweller – “Ben Kweller”

This 25-year-old is just frighteningly good.  His third album, which is self-titled, is fully a solo recording.  He wrote all the songs and plays all the instruments -- but this is no unplugged affair.  Lovingly overdubbed, it sounds like the work of a tight rock band with an ear for catchy hooks and precise arrangements.  A special delivery from pure-pop heaven.

DVD GIFT IDEAS FOR THE MOVIE LOVER

There have been some great DVD releases this year, and it's hard to pick just a few sets to recommend.  I've tried to present old and new films, and a cross-section of genres and styles in choosing the following sets so there's something for every member of the family.

"United 93"

This was simultaneously the most difficult movie I sat through this year and also (so far) the best.  For me, the more traditionally filmed "World Trade Center" left me a little cold, but "United 93," perhaps by way of its real-time documentary-like style, is an incredibly emotional experience.  The passengers on that flight are true heroes.  The DVD comes with audio commentary from director Paul Greengrass, and a short featurette that follows the real-life families of the passengers lost on that fateful flight.

"A Prairie Home Companion"

He didn't know it at the time of its release, but "A Prairie Home Companion" turned out to be director Robert Altman's swan song.  What a fitting cap to his career.  The film takes place during the last broadcast of "A Prairie Home Companion," as a moneybags Texan comes to shut down the show.  This movie is one of the loveliest films about death, both literally and metaphorically, I've ever seen.  The cast does a wonderful job, and there's great music throughout provided by the house band of the program.

"The Double Life of Veronique"

Just three years before Quentin Tarantino made bending time and characters fashionable with "Pulp Fiction," the Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski released "The Double Life of Veronique" in 1991.  The movie is about a Polish soprano and French music teacher who share the same name and a mysterious emotional bond (both women are played by Irène Jacob).  The incredible Criterion Collection has done it again with this double-disc DVD set that includes standard supplements like audio commentaries and documentaries, but also archival short films by Kieslowski, new interviews with the film's cast and crew, and a lengthy booklet with thoughtful essays about the film and Kieslowski.

"The King and I"

This year, 20th Century Fox finally updated their old DVDs of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals, releasing new editions with updated audio and video, and boatloads of supplemental material.  The R&H discs are available as one big box set, but my favorite film of the bunch is "The King and I."  This two-disc set sports a lively commentary track with film historians Richard Barrios and Michael Portantiere, Movietone newsreels, documentaries on the Broadway production and film version of "The King and I," and even the 1972 television pilot for "Anna and the King," starring Yul Brynner and Samantha Egger.  The documentaries are divided up on the disc in a rather haphazard way, but otherwise this is a charming addition to anyone's library.

"True Life Adventures"

Adults and children will enjoy all four of Walt Disney's new DVD sets of "True Life Adventures."  The Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and countless other nature programs owe their existence to these short films and features that were released between 1948 and 1960.  After their theatrical run, thousands of kids (including me) enjoyed them in at school in the 1970s, in either 8mm or 16mm form.  Sensing an untapped market in the late forties, Walt Disney and brother Roy O. Disney hired photographers to shoot hours and hours of nature footage, and edited the images into a story.  The public loved the True Life Adventures, and so did Oscar.  Eight of the 13 films included in these four sets won Academy Awards.  Not too shabby.

The four sets are: "Wonders of the World," "Nature's Mysteries," "Creatures of the Wild," and the set I recommend most, "Lands of Exploration."  That one includes the Oscar-winning documentaries "The Living Desert" and "The Vanishing Prairie."  All four sets are overflowing with bonus features, including archive material and contemporary visits to Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park with Roy E. Disney.

"Hitchcock's Music"

Finally, I have a movie book to recommend.  For movie fans who also love movie music, you can't beat Jack Sullivan's Hitchcock's Music.  Of course there are lengthy chapters on the Master of Suspense's collaborations with composer Bernard Herrmann, but I was also surprised and delighted by the way Sullivan explains how Hitchcock's use of source (on set or non-orchestral) music enhanced his pictures.  There are plenty of great behind-the-scenes stories in Hitchcock's Music.