Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition; Zoltan Kodaly: Harry Janos Suite;
Sergei Prokofiev - Lieutenant Kije, Symphonic Suite, Op. 60 – Cleveland Orchestra; George Szell
Classical | 1 CD | EAC Rip | 372 MB, 3% recovery | FLAC+LOG+Cue | Complete scans | RS links
Publisher: Sony Classical | Recorded: 1963/69 | Published: 1991

Editorial Reviews - Amazon.com Essential recording
How do you describe perfection? George Szell's legacy in Cleveland emphasized the great classical and Romantic symphonic repertoire, with relatively few forays into more modern music. But no orchestra ever played these 20th-century masterpieces with more glitter and precision, and the Prokofiev/Kodaly works, when first issued together on LP, immediately became the standard by which all other performances are measured. In fact they still are, and at budget price, not only do they cost less than they did when they were first recorded, you get a spectacular ‘Pictures’ thrown in as a bonus… –David Hurwitz

Beethoven - Violin Concerto, Romances Nos. 1 & 2 - Josef Suk (1988)
EAC Rip | FLAC (img + cue), LOG | TT 63:09 | Covers (jpg 300 dpi) | RAR 325 MB (3% Recovery)
Supraphon | Czechoslovakia | 11 0628-2 011 | 1988

The interpreter is the Czech violinist Josef Suk (1929). Having completed his studies in Prague, he devoted himself to both chamber music and solo performances. Among his repertoire Suk includes works not only by Dvorak, Suk and Beethoven but also by Berg, Janacek and Martinu. The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom Suk appeared as a soloist for many years, performs here under the direction of the conductor Franz Konwitschny (1901-1962). Konwitschny first began his musical career as a violinist and viola player; he took up the baton succesfully for the first time in 1927. In 1949 he was made Director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and later took up the post of Principal Conductor at both the Dresden and Berlin Operas. Milos Navratil

Rare grooves from the pulpiest regions of Spanish cinema from late 60s to late 70s – soft core erotica, comedies and otherwise exploitation style films! Needless to say, the subject matter made plenty of room for Spanish styled blaxploitation & sound library influenced grooves, psychedelic funk & rock! Laid down with flute, fuzzy guitars, organs and more – groovy, seedy stuff!

Easily the greatest collection of Colombian grooves we've ever seen – a beautifully-done package from Soundway Records, and one that lives up to the high standard we first found in their compilations of African and Panamanian funk! This time around, the focus is on the legendary Discos Fuentes – a label as important to Latin music in Columbia as Fania was in New York – but also one that's got a much richer history, and much deeper range of grooves!

This CD reissue brings back an easy-listening set in which tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine teams up with his then-wife, organist Shirley Scott, in what was probably their last joint recording. The original LP program is joined by "Ain't No Way" from a slightly earlier date with similar personnel. Even on "Blowin' In the Wind," Turrentine's soulful solos uplift the material, while Scott offers light accompaniment and some gospellish ideas of her own; guitarist Jimmy Ponder also has some spots on the quintet set. ~ AllMusic

Although it has been written much too often that Lester Young declined rapidly from the mid-'40s on, the truth is that when he was healthy, Young played at his very best during the '50s, adding an emotional intensity to his sound that had not been present during the more carefree days of the '30s. This classic session, a reunion with pianist Teddy Wilson and drummer Jo Jones (bassist Gene Ramey completes the quartet), finds the great tenor in particularly expressive form. ~ AllMusic