A Great Feature Article About "Prof." Johnson in UltraAudio.com

Two New HRx Titles: Hr-117 Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy/DWS
and HR-119 Joel Fan's West of the Sun
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Prepare to be AMAZED!

Dallas Wind Symphony
Sampler
conducted by
Howard Dunn
Frederick Fennell
Jerry Junkin

“The Dallas Wind Symphony is one of America’s elite cultural institutions, up there with the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Master Chorale, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.” –Gene Gaudette.com

At last, a collection of the very best tracks from all RR releases with The Dallas Wind Symphony, America’s only full-time professional wind band! All wind music enthusiasts need to have these knockout performances, conducted by the legendary Frederick Fennell, Jerry Junkin and Howard Dunn. Recorded in the acclaimed acoustics of the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, the great music and spectacular sonics are perfectly captured by RR’s world-renowned team of engineer Keith Johnson and producer Tam Henderson.

The Dallas Wind Symphony has recorded thirteen critically-acclaimed titles for RR. This first DWS Sampler, at the special-value price of $9.98, is a collection of “primo” tracks, one from each program, that can serve as an introduction to the exciting world of the extensive wind-band repertoire, and as an audio spectacular to give the finest high-end audio systems a workout!

“The DWS matches every varied mood with skill and spirit. And RR, known for super-duper sonics, again captures the ensemble, and the generous acoustics of the Meyerson Symphony Center, with reach-out-and-touch-it realism. –Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News

Track Listing - Conducted by HOWARD DUNN: H. OWEN REED: La Fiesta Mexicana, Prelude and Aztec Dance; GUSTAV HOLST: Suite #2 in F – excerpt; Conducted by FREDERICK FENNELL: RUBIN GOLDMARK: Rustic Wedding Symphony – Scherzo; ISAAC ALBENIZ: Feast-Day in Seville; JAROMIR WEINBERGER: Polka and Fugue from Schwanda the Bagpiper; MORTON GOULD: Pavanne; LEON JESSEL: Parade of the Wooden Soldiers; MALCOLM ARNOLD: Scottish Dance; RON NELSON: Rocky Point Holiday; Conducted by JERRY JUNKIN: JOHN PHILIP SOUSA: Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; PAUL HINDEMITH: Kammermusik #7–finale; PERCY GRAINGER: Gumsuckers March; DAVID MASLANKA: Symphony #4–finale

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A new release with piano virtuoso Joel Fan

Joel Fan
West of the Sun
solo piano

Joel Fan’s second album for Reference Recordings, further solidifies his reputation for innovative programming and dazzling keyboard technique. Drawing on composers from North and South America, Fan makes brilliant work of major sonatas by Ginastera and Barber, along with “entertainments” by Gottschalk, Piazzolla and Villa-Lobos. Of particular interest are two little-known works by Amy Beach and the African-American composer Margaret Bonds. Another highlight is the world premiere recording of a recent suite by William Bolcom! Any piano enthusiast will enjoy this wide-ranging recital, recorded at Skywalker Sound by RR’s renowned technical guru, “Prof.” Keith O. Johnson. World Keys, Joel Fan’s debut CD, hit the Billboard chart at #3, so expect great things from this new release!

"[Fan] offers nine stunningly brilliant renditions drawn from a wide range of styles and sources... Capping it all off is an arresting interpretation of Samuel Barber's fearsome 1949 Piano Sonata. Wow." --John Terauds,Toronto Star - [Artistic Quality:10, Sound Quality 10] - Complete Review

"Fan is just marvelous... A well-curated, excellently engineered program of this caliber warrants our highest recommendation." --Jed Distler,ClassicsToday.com - [Artistic Quality:10, Sound Quality 10] - Complete Review

"Fan's piano textures are worth hearing in themselves, for he is an exceptionally fluent, lyrical player with a fine sense of mystery in the slow movements of the piano sonatas by Ginastera and Barber... The result is a program that alternates very gracefully between simpler and more complicated pieces; the music almost seems to breathe and ruminate on the nature of Americanness... With fine engineering, this is a masterful performance." --All Music Guide - (****1/2 performance/****1/2 sound) - Complete Review

"Fan's rendition of Barber's technically challenging sonata, whose knockout last movement was written at the insistence of Vladimir Horowitz, is the performance by which most listeners will judge his achievement. He acquits himself wonderfully, even when compared to Horowitz and speed demon Marc-Andre Hamelin. The adagio is especially touching, and becomes more moving with repeated listening." --Jason Victor Serinus,San Francisco Classical Voice - Complete Review

"His playing was the picture of textural clarity... The program's highlight was the New York premiere of William Bolcom's Nine New Bagatelles, a set of aphoristic, vividly drawn character pieces... Mr. Fan gave it an agile reading, with delicacy and heft carefully balanced." --Allan Kozinn, The New York Times (about the CD release recital, 4/2009)

Track Listing - (sound samples are MP3 files) NAZARETH: Vem cá, Branquinha; GOTTSCHALK: Suis Moi! Caprice; PIAZZOLLA: Flora's Game – Milonga Prelude; GINASTERA: Piano Sonata #1; Allegro marcato ; Presto Misterioso; Adagio molto appassionato; Ruvido ed ostinato; VILLA-LOBOS: Chôros No. 5, “Alma Brasileira”; BEACH: Fire-flies, Op. 15 #4; BONDS: Troubled Water; BOLCOM: Nine New Bagatelles; (“...and then what happened?”); (...what happened); (...a bird comments–to another bird?) 0:55 14 (...Lord Lovell’s trunk); (...a little story); (...take no prisoners); (...valse oubliable); (...benediction); (...pavane for the dead/hope’s feathers; BARBER: Piano Sonata, Op. 26; Allegro energico; Allegro vivace e leggero; Adagio mesto; Allegro con spirito.

RR-119 HDCD - JOEL FAN - West of the Sun - $16.98

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In February 2009, RR will release Jean-Philippe Rameau’s PIÈCES DE CLAVECIN EN CONCERTS, from the new and exciting period-instrument ensemble Baroque Nouveau (Charles Sherman, harpsichord; Anthony Martin, violin; Stephen Schultz, baroque flute; and Josh Lee, viola da gamba). All of these superb musicians perform with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and other specialist groups.

This repertoire is a collection of Rameau's most appealing, tuneful compositions with improvisational embellishments galore! We recorded this project in June 2008 at famed Skywalker Sound.

NEW REVIEWS - "What more can be said about these delightful pieces?...The only pity is that there aren't more to devour... [Baroque Nouveau] turns in lively, virile readings, full of energy and sparkle. I look forward to hearing future outings from this fine group." --Tom Moore, Early Music America

"The results are wonderful: fresh, full of verve and creative spirit. This may not be a live recording, but it’s a recording that is refreshingly alive... I recommend without reservation that this [CD] become a part of every listener’s library." --Jonathan Rhodes Lee, San Francisco Classical Voice --complete review

Review: "The instrumental balance among the four instruments is perfect -- especially as regarding the harpsichord -- and the noise floor is extremely low, the recording having been made in the renowned studios of Skywalker Sound in Marin County, California." --John Sunier, Audiophile Audition --complete review

Track Listing - RAMEAU: Pièces de Clavecin Concert

RR-118 HDCD - Rameau's Pièces de Clavecin Concert - $16.98

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Percy Grainger's
LINCOLNSHIRE POSY
performed by the Dallas Wind Symphony

Showcases the wind band music of Percy Grainger, including favorites Lincolnshire Posy and Irish Tune from County Derry ("Danny Boy"). Australia considers Grainger its greatest composer; the U.S., where he lived most of his life, praises him as a music educator, composer and arranger of band music; and England considers him supremely important in the preservation and arrangement of British folk songs.

Grainger's gems are performed to perfection by America's only full-time professional wind band, conducted by Jerry Junkin. Grainger specified many unusual, optional, instruments, and this recording has them all. Hear these "original instrument" performances in the spectacular sonics captured by Reference Recordings' world-renowned team of engineer Keith Johnson and producer Tam Henderson.

"How could you not enjoy this disc? The sound has the clarity, timbral fidelity, floor-shaking dynamic range, and spatial reality that we’ve come to expect from Reference. The performances are first-rate... this CD offers playing of prodigious quality—and no one who purchases it will be disappointed. Strongly recommended." --Peter J. Rabinowitz, Fanfare

"The sound of Reference's disc is simply fantastic... If one is looking for a single disc of Percy Grainger's wind band music that contains a good amount of his "hits" in addition to some surprises, in great sound and well played, then you can hardly go wrong... it's terrific in every way." --Uncle Dave Lewis, AllMusic.com -- complete review

"Wow. Just plain wow. Out of left field comes one of the best classical CDs of the year — an all-Percy Grainger program... The strongest impression left by this disc is the spectacular playing of the Dallas Wind Symphony — the best overall playing I have yet heard from such an ensemble on recorded media of any kind. This disc is proof positive that the DWS is one of America's elite cultural institutions, up there with the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Master Chorale, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Don't believe me? Then get a copy of this disc and judge for yourself. If you're not saying to yourself "Wow, just plain wow," then you need to clean your ears out." --Gene Gaudette, Synaphaï (Artistic Impact: 11 - Sound Quality: 11) -- complete review

"They're all played with appropriate gusto but also, where required, delicacy of spirit... The excellent sound quality is augmented by fine detail..." --Jonathan Woolf, Music Web International -- complete review

"Led by artistic director Jerry Junkin, the DWS matches every varied mood with skill and spirit. And RR, known for super-duper sonics, again captures the ensemble, and the generous acoustics of the Meyerson Symphony Center, with reach-out-and-touch-it realism; the bass drum will give your subwoofer a workout." --Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News -- complete review

"An exquisitely well-played collection of Grainger's folk-flavored compositions and arrangements for concert band... What he didn't know about scoring for concert band wasn't worth knowing. This might just be the best Grainger album to come along since Benjamin Britten's 1969 Salute to Percy Grainger." --Terry Teachout, Arts Journal -- complete review

"All of the pieces sparkle and captivate . . . Sonics are excellent, an audiophile gem." --John Sunier, Audiophile Audition -- complete review

Track Listing - The Duke of Marlborough Fanfare; Lincolnshire Posy; The Merry King; Children’s March; Colonial Song; Mock Morris; The Gum-Suckers March; Molly on the Shore; Spoon River; After-Word; Lads of Wamphray; Irish Tune from County Derry; Shepherd’s Hey.

RR-117 HDCD - Lincolnshire Posy - $16.98

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Thinking about
BIX

DICK HYMAN

solo piano
Dick Hyman, one of the most accomplished and versatile musicians alive, is especially known as an authority on early jazz. After a lifetime of playing and studying the music of Bix Beiderbecke, Hyman announced he’d like to record for RR a solo program of music associated with Bix, including all five original pieces Bix wrote for piano. (Most likely, these are a recorded first.) Hyman arranged other numbers Bix performed with various groups, and plays and improvises upon these in his distinctive, brilliant style. The title track is an infectious Hyman original reminiscent of the period. An attractive bonus is a piano four-hands performance with Hyman’s friend and stride authority, Mike Lipskin

Listen to Dick Hyman on NPR

"Dick treats us to his take on songs written performed and inspired by Leon Bix Beiderbecke. Bix was an amazing self-taught musician who amazed audiences on piano and later on cornet from childhood to his early death at 28. There's a ragtime bounce to the music, a style that influenced the signature of Hyman. We hear it unencumbered, as this is 100% solo piano captured in all of its glory. This session gives us a clear view of Bix as well as Hyman's talent both as a performer, composer and historian."Performance: 4, Sound: 5 out of 5 --O's Place

"This is a real winner... There are few people around, be they musicians or engineers, who could have made such a wonderful CD as this." -- Andre Gauthier, StereoMojo - complete review and more RR reviews ( you must scroll way down!)

4/5 Stars "There's a ragtime bounce to the music . . . We hear it unencumbered, as this is 100% solo piano captured in all its glory. This session gives us a clear view of Bix as well as Hyman's talent both as a performer, composer and historian." --Oscar Groomes, O's Place Jazz Newsletter

"The musicianship is dazzling. At times, I just shook my head and laughed out loud at his level of virtuosity and musical invention — all in the service of the song. And the sound is swooningly beautiful." —Wayne Garcia, FI magazine (about Dick Hyman In Recital, RR-84)

"Throughout a busy musical career that got underway in the 1950s, Dick Hyman has functioned as pianist, organist, arranger, music director, and composer. His versatility in all of these areas has resulted in film scores, orchestral compositions, concert appearances, and well over 100 albums recorded under his own name. While developing a masterful facility for improvisation in his own piano style, Hyman has investigated ragtime and the earliest periods of jazz and has researched and recorded the piano music of Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, Zez Confrey, Eubie Blake – and for RR, programs of Duke Ellington and Fats Waller."

“Prof.” Keith Johnson recorded THINKING ABOUT BIX in the renowned facilities of Skywalker Sound in California, using as always his own custom-made microphones, electronics and high-resolution digital converters. The compact disc is encoded with the High Definition Compatible Digital (HDCD) process, and the 176.4 kHz/24-bit masters will be released soon in RR’s HRx series, for computerized music servers.

Track Listing - 1 Thinking About Bix; 2 Singin’ the Blues (Till My Daddy Comes Home); 3 Ostrich Walk; 4 I’m Coming, Virginia; 5 Jazz Me Blues; 6 Candlelights; 7 ‘Tain’t So, Honey, ‘Tain’t So; 8 Since My Best Gal Turned Me Down; 9 In the Dark; 10 Clementine (From New Orleans); 11 Lonely Melody; 12 In A Mist; 13 Sweet Sue (Just You); 14 Wringing’ and Twistin’; 15 Flashes; 16 Davenport Blues; 17 You Took Advantage of Me, with Mike Lipskin (piano four-hands).

RR-116 HDCD - Thinking About Bix - $16.98

THE KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY’S DEBUT ON RR!

Shakespeare’s
TEMPEST

Sullivan • Sibelius

Michael Stern
Kansas City Symphony

“The Sullivan is solid music, strongly in the Mendelssohn vein but with moods all its own—from tender melancholy to mild turmoil. The Sibelius is at turns rich, moody, exotic and humorous…its crunchy dissonances and distinctive coloristic textures are effective.” –Kansas City Star

The Kansas City Symphony has previously recorded for Naxos, and Michael Stern, son of famed violinist Isaac Stern, has recorded for Sony, Arabesque, Denon, Hyperion and Naxos. RR is hopeful that this successful new release is the first in a long and fruitful association with Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony.

The highly-varied, colorful orchestration of the Sullivan and Sibelius scores gave RR’s legendary recording engineer “Prof.” Keith Johnson a challenge, which he met brilliantly. The master tapes were recorded at 176.4 kHz, 24 bits and prepared for CD release with HDCD technology. (The high-resolution files will be made available soon in RR’s exclusive HRx format, for those with computerized music servers.)

REVIEWS
"Coupling these two works... was a brilliant idea--a "concept" album that really makes good musical sense. Happily...the performances are as smart, atmospheric, and vibrant as the music itself...and they're stunningly recorded..." --David Hurwitz, Classics Today - Complete Review

"This is a very good idea... (the Sullivan) is full of memorable and ingenious touches, always tuneful, light of style and sometimes anticipating the Savoy Operas... (the Sibelius) is among his greatest achievements, superbly characterful, wonderfully inventive and brilliantly orchestrated... Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony do the music proud... the reproduction has terrific impact, space and glow." --Colin Anderson, classicalsource.com

"The orchestra sounds wonderful throughout... with marvelous blend and balance... Most noteworthy is the sense of excitement and drama in the recording, with beautifully managed crescendos and marvelous shaping of large sections and movements." --Tim McDonald, Sun Newspapers

"The Sibelius music for the shipwreck and storm is almost Wagnerian. The Kansas City players sound the equal of one of the Top Five U.S. orchestras, and RR has presented them in the best possible two-channel sonics. The packaging is also very classy. Nice to see a rare new recording of a U.S. orchestra made in the U.S. by a U.S. record label!" --John Sunier, Audiophile Audition - complete review

Track Listing - SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN - 1 Introduction; 2 Act III Prelude; 3 Banquet Dance; 4 Act IV Overture; 5 Dance of Nymphs and Reapers; 6 Act V Prelude; 7 Postlude.
JEAN SIBELIUS - 8 Prelude, Op. 109 #1; SUITE #2, Op. 109 #3; 9 Chorus of the Winds; 10 Intermezzo; 11 Dance of the Nymphs; 12 Prospero; 13 Song I; 14 Song II; 15 Miranda; 16 The Naiads; 17 Dance Episode SUITE #1, Op. 109 #2; 18 The Oak Tree; 19 Humoresque; 20 Caliban’s Song; 21 The Harvesters; 22 Canon; 23 Scene; 24 Intrada; 25 Berceuse; 26 Ariel’s Song; 27 The Storm.

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Other Recent RR Releases