Word: discs
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...today. They don't even correspond to the jazz compositions attempted by Igor Stravinsky at the same time--his were far more exploratory in chord structure and overall form. Shostakovich's jazz embodies a kind of ethereal chintz that might call to mind, on first listening, the London compact disc, Riccardo Chailly and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam attempt to bring forth that light naivete in all of its utter inocuousness...
...technical expertise provided by Ax is, unfortunately, unmatched by the other members of the group. This is not to say that Ax is the best musician among them, though one might think so having only heard this disc. Still, he appears overly conscious of this fact, rumbling over Ma's smaller solos too easily...
...consistent gripe that I have throughout the recorded works (the four Brahms symphonies on three discs, and the two serenades on a fourth disc), it is some criticism for the sound engineering. Quite typically from Philips, the sound sparkles with digital clarity and is graced by a glossy sheen, but the engineers have failed to compensate for the Concertgebouw Hall's famed reverberation. Even though orchestral entrances are almost always well-synchronized, the subsequent lag time in the hall results in an acoustic clouding that renders the sound more two-dimensional than one might expect. Very exposed passages...
During the first work on the disc, Sonata concertata, we see a dilaogue that develop between violin and guitar, and while not terribly profound, it is still rather charming...
Throughout the disc, only in the Romance of the Grand sonata does Sollscher ever take the spotlight. Shaham makes for a very responsive accompanist, and even in a very delicate environment, Sollscher manages to avoid sounding tentative or hesitant. It is a pity that Sollscher was not featured more prominently, but the disc first and foremost a showcase for Gil Shaham...