Title: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim – Wagner: Overtures and Preludes (1992-1994/2023)
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO
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Title: Chiaroscuro Quartet – Haydn: String Quartets, Op.76 (2020)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
The Chiaroscuro Quartet was formed in 2005 by the violinists Alina Ibragimova (Russia) and Pablo Hernán Benedí (Spain), the Swedish violist Emilie Hörnlund and cellist Claire Thirion from France. The Chiaroscuro Quartet made their first appearance on BIS with acclaimed recordings of Joseph Haydn’s Sun Quartets, Op. 20, described in The Strad as ‘period-instrument performances of the utmost subtlety and refinement’. The Op. 20 quartets are widely regarded as a mile-stone in the history of the genre. When Chiaroscuros now return to Haydn, it is with his last complete set of quartets, begun in 1796 when he was 64 years old. The Six String Quartets, Op. 76, form one of the most renowned of Haydn’s sets of quartets, and carry the stamp of their maker: No other set of eighteenth-century string quartets is so diverse, or so unconcerned with the norms of the time. In the words of Haydn’s friend and contemporary Charles Burney ‘they are full of invention, fire, good taste and new effects’. On the present disc, the first of two, we hear the first three quartets, including the ‘Fifths’ quartet (No. 2) so named after the falling perfect fifths with which it begins. The most famous of the set – and possibly of all Haydn quartets – is No. 3, however: the ‘Emperor’ quartet with its second movement: a set of variations on the ‘Kaiserlied’ which Haydn had recently composed to the greater glory of the Austrian Emperor Franz II.
The Haydn performances of the Chiaroscuro Quartet are not the first ones to have had a historical orientation (gut strings, period bows, heavily restricted vibrato), but the group perhaps takes the possibilities of the authentic performance group further than others have. True to the ensemble’s name, the players employ the percussive attacks and the edgy high register to produce big contrasts, seeing in these late Haydn works not a mature summing-up of his career but a restless exploration of new realms. Listeners who want a dose of gentility from their Haydn may wish to sample carefully here. The set of variations in Op. 76, No. 3 containing the tune that became the Austrian national hymn may lack a certain level of sentiment, but the Chiaroscuro has absolutely no problem creating a distinctive group of Op. 76 quartets among all of the dozens of versions of these pieces on the market. The key to the success of the group’s performances is that they do not lose Haydn’s humor even as they amp up the energy. This is the quality without which a Haydn quartet performance cannot survive, and it is here in abundance in passages like that involving the lone high note in the finale of the String Quartet in D minor, Op. 76, No. 2. That quartet, with its Andante that sounds like a minuet and its stormy actual minuet, is especially suited to the Chiaroscuro’s sound, but the whole thing is absorbing and is enhanced by fine Sendesaal Bremen sound.
Title: Chet Baker – Supreme Jazz (2006)
Genre: Jazz
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
Chesney Henry “Chet” Baker Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. Baker earned much attention and critical praise through the 1950s, particularly for albums featuring his vocals (Chet Baker Sings, It Could Happen to You). Jazz historian Dave Gelly described the promise of Baker’s early career as “James Dean, Sinatra, and Bix, rolled into one”. His well-publicized drug habit also drove his notoriety and fame. Baker was in and out of jail frequently before enjoying a career resurgence in the late 1970s and ’80s.
![Chet Baker - Chet Baker In New York (1958) [Reissue 2004]](https://imghd.xyz/images/2025/09/11/X7ftgF6.jpg "Chet Baker - Chet Baker In New York (1958) [Reissue 2004]")
Title: Chet Baker – Chet Baker In New York (1958) [Reissue 2004]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
Chet Baker’s West Coast cool comes to the Big Apple on Chet Baker in New York. The project would be Baker’s first — in a four album deal — with the Big Apple-based Riverside Records. The bicoastal artist incorporates his decidedly undernourished sound and laid-back phrasing into the styling of Al Haig (piano), Johnny Griffin (tenor sax), Paul Chambers (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). The results are uniformly brilliant as Baker’s cool-toned solos fly and bop with authority around the equally impressive supporting soloists. Conversely, the same cohesive unity continues on the introspective numbers that are more akin to Baker’s California cool. Undoubtedly one of the charms of this collection is the distinct choice of material. Running the gamut from the relaxed and soothing “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” and equally serene “Blue Thoughts” at one end of the spectrum to the percolating and driving intensity of “Hotel 49″ on the other. This track features each quintet member taking extended solos corralling together at the head and again at the coda for some intense bop interaction. Especially ferocious is Philly Joe Jones, who could easily be mistaken for Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, or even Gene Krupa with his cacophonous solo that never strays from the beat or loses its sense of swing. Perhaps the best meshing of styles can be heard on the Miles Davis composition “Solar.” This “best-of” candidate refers to both Chambers’ and Jones’ concurrent involvement with Davis. The churning backbeat likewise propels the melody and ultimately the performers into reaching beyond their individual expertise and into an area of mutual brilliance. Chet Baker in New York is a highly recommended entry into Baker’s catalog. It should also be noted that these same sides were issued in 1967 as Polka Dots and Moonbeams on the Jazzland label.
![Chet Baker - Chet (1959) [Analogue Productions’ Remaster 2002]](https://imghd.xyz/images/2025/09/11/Tb9Gexd.jpg "Chet Baker - Chet (1959) [Analogue Productions’ Remaster 2002]")
Title: Chet Baker – Chet (1959) [Analogue Productions’ Remaster 2002]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
Few figures in jazz history have been able to extract as much feeling from a ballad as Chet Baker. Despite his lack of formal training, he was capable of burrowing deep inside the most sophisticated popular songs and tapping a vein of pure emotion. When surrounded by great musicians in an unusual ensemble, as he is on this album, Baker’s poetic instincts were at their keenest. The distinctive septet of jazz giants contains a front line of trumpet, flute, and baritone sax playing Herbie Mann’s delicate arrangements over a rhythm section that is empathy personified. Baker never recorded with a more talented or sensitive group, as the music evokes a mood captured so seductively in the cover photo.
Chet Baker’s penultimate session for Riverside — which was strictly instrumental — produced an all-star lineup to support him, including jazz heavyweights Pepper Adams, Bill Evans, and Kenny Burrell. Each of them makes important contributions to the session. Adams’ baritone sax solo on “Alone Together” is one of the album’s high points, while Herbie Mann and Bill Evans make their presence known on several cuts. Baker possessed one of the most melodious trumpets in jazz, compelling in its simplicity. Rarely extending his range above a single octave, he nonetheless had few peers when it came to slow, romantic ballads, which make up the playlist here. His characteristically soft approach is heard to good effect on “It Never Entered My Mind,” where he works with the guitar of Kenny Burrell. Burrell and Baker also collaborate on a moving rendition of “September Song.” Chet is a good place to hear Baker’s special way with the horn, and is made even more attractive with the presence and contributions of top jazz artists.
![Chet Baker - Baker’s Holiday (1965) [Verve’s Reissue 2004]](https://imghd.xyz/images/2025/09/11/ypnnZWU.jpg "Chet Baker - Baker’s Holiday (1965) [Verve’s Reissue 2004]")
Title: Chet Baker – Baker’s Holiday (1965) [Verve’s Reissue 2004]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
Baker’s Holiday finds Chet Baker effectively paying tribute to Billie Holiday with mellow trumpet solos and occasional vocals. Baker is backed by a full sax section and a four-piece rhythm section that includes pianist Hank Jones; Jimmy Mundy contributed the colorful arrangements. His performance of ten songs associated with Lady Day (most of which he had not recorded previously) is often exquisite.
![Chet Atkins - Superpickers & Chet Atkins Picks The Best (1973-1967) [Reissue 2018]](https://imghd.xyz/images/2025/03/11/UETfL7o.jpg "Chet Atkins - Superpickers & Chet Atkins Picks The Best (1973-1967) [Reissue 2018]")
Title: Chet Atkins – Superpickers & Chet Atkins Picks The Best (1973-1967) [Reissue 2018]
Genre: Country
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
On Superpickers, Atkins joins together with an A-list of Nashville session musicians for a set of picking extravaganzas. The players make up a well-chosen band, and Atkins gives them plenty of space to solo on folk standards like “Mr. Bojangles” and “City of New Orleans,” as well as tunes that are just platforms for the many variations. Atkins himself is goaded into some wonderful playing as a result, and Superpickers is one of his best albums. Unfortunately, Picks on the Hits, originally released in the late summer of 1972, is one of those easy listening toss-offs, a collection of tunes that had been high in the pop charts recently, tarted out with strings and occasional choruses, with Atkins sticking his guitar in here and there.
![Chet Atkins - Sails (1987) [Reissue 2015]](https://imghd.xyz/images/2025/03/11/EGttGVz.jpg "Chet Atkins - Sails (1987) [Reissue 2015]")
Title: Chet Atkins – Sails (1987) [Reissue 2015]
Genre: Folk Rock, Jazz, New Age
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
Another of Chet Atkins’ attempts to break into the jazz world during his Columbia period, this recording veers well across the line into new age wallowing of the most innocuous kind. At this point in time, when a record opened with soothing ocean waves, followed by a gentle wash of synths, you could pretty much expect the new age to be lapping at your feet throughout. As he has with so many other genres, Atkins displays an instinctive grasp of this feel-good idiom, though he has to hold back his powers of invention to conform to its clichés and repetitions. Yet even amidst the twittering sound effects and electronic drums of “Up in My Treehouse” and the listless treatment of Keith Jarrett’s “My Song,” Atkins’ guitar always exudes dignity. Encouragingly, several of the tunes that Atkins composed himself are the most interesting ones on the disc. “Laffin’ at Life” allows for some fingerpicking by the master and some OK doodling by other guitarists and keyboardists, and the smooth jazz “On a Roll” has other facets of the Atkins personality, with Earl Klugh apparently taking a guest solo. One of Atkins’ favorite latter-day collaborators, Mark Knopfler, is also on the record, to little discernable effect.
![Charlie Rich - Behind Closed Doors & Every Time You Touch Me (1973 & 1975) [Reissue 2019]](https://imghd.xyz/images/2025/09/11/eaZUogT.jpg "Charlie Rich - Behind Closed Doors & Every Time You Touch Me (1973 & 1975) [Reissue 2019]")
Title: Charlie Rich – Behind Closed Doors & Every Time You Touch Me (1973 & 1975) [Reissue 2019]
Genre: Country
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
Another Dutton Vocalion’s reissue combines a pair albums of Charlie Rich, remastered from the Original Master tapes by Michael J. Dutton. “Behind Closed Doors”, from 1973, received the Country Music Association award for Album of the Year and Rich was named Best Male Vocalist for his performance on the album. Rich won the 1974 Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance Male and also took home four Academy of Country Music awards for this album. “Everytime You Touch Me (I Get High)” was released in 1975, and the title track peaked at number three on the country chart.
Behind Closed Doors Charlie Rich had been heading toward full-blown country-pop on his previous Epic records, but Behind Closed Doors is where Billy Sherrill pulled out all of the stops and created a heavily orchestrated, pop-oriented album. It’s to Rich’s credit that he never sounds like he’s drowning amid the grand production and layers of instruments – in an odd way, he thrives. While Behind Closed Doors doesn’t have the casual eclecticism that distinguished all of Rich’s past recordings, it is an expertly crafted album – it’s easy to see why it made the Silver Fox a superstar. All of the material, from the hit singles (“Behind Closed Doors,” “The Most Beautiful Girl,” “I Take It On Home”) to the album tracks, are classy songs, designed to appeal to a maturing country audience. Furthermore, the arrangements expertly walk the line between pop and schmaltz – the sound of Behind Closed Doors is the sound of early-’70s countrypolitan and numerous artists used the record as a template for their own style. Rich made better, grittier records, but the combined collaborative effort of the vocalist and Sherrill resulted in a seamless, influential work – even if it is one that earned the scorn of hardcore country purists. Every Time You Touch Me The 1970s were a magical time for Charlie Rich and producer Billy Sherrill. Sherrill was the first producer who not only understood how gifted Rich was musically – he knew virtually no bounds when it came to popular music styles – but could comprehend and deliver Rich’s vision to record buyers. On the title track, restrained bass notes and minimal, jazzy pianism coast into a space where strings glide into Rich’s verse. Shimmering trills in the piano’s mid-range accent the end of each line, as do the female vocalists of the Nashville Edition. It’s dreamy and ethereal and the listener encounters quite literally what the song’s protagonist is describing. And “All Over Me” is a country tune with Rich’s honky tonk accents caressed by Sherrill’s strings and Pete Drake’s pedal steel in a broken paean to love gone awry. This is the album that pointed to all the various directions Rich wanted to explore musically. Like Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Rich extended it to include new textures and sounds in pop and country. A stunning example is “Since I Fell for You,” where Rich treats the melody like a rhythm & blues crooner and takes it to the breaking point of its country root. Side two holds a surprise in the dark, film noir-ish beauty of Margaret Ann Rich’s “Pass on By.” Again, the deep R&B strains meet doo wop, soul, and early rock in a setting provided by Sherrill that could have been in a 1950s thriller sung in a smoky lounge. And while the rest of the side is terrific as well, Rich’s own “Midnight Blues” walks the edge of rock and soul à la the Memphis sound. Shimmering strings in glissandi, stinging lead guitar, a trio of female verses echoing Rich’s lines, and Hargus “Pig” Robins’ honky tonk piano make the track swagger and shimmy, carrying the listener out on a rough and rowdy, darkly tinted note. Whew!
![Charles Munch, Orchestre De Paris - Berlioz: Symphony Fantastique / Brahms: Symphony No.1 (1968) [Japan 2018]](https://imghd.xyz/images/2024/03/25/0080ac70.jpg "Charles Munch, Orchestre De Paris - Berlioz: Symphony Fantastique / Brahms: Symphony No.1 (1968) [Japan 2018]")
Title: Charles Munch, Orchestre De Paris – Berlioz: Symphony Fantastique / Brahms: Symphony No.1 (1968) [Japan 2018]
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC
Acclaimed conductor Charles Munch leads the Orchestre de Paris in this stunning performance of Berlioz’s masterpiece, Symphonie Fantastique Op.14. The work has been highly praised for its remarkable sound quality. Munch commands the orchestra in an illuminating & spellbinding performance noted for its lush instrumentation. The choice of Brahms’s 1st Symphony for these inaugural recordings of the Orchestre de Paris shows once more its centrality in the Munch repertoire & gives the set a certain valedictory quality: Berlioz & Brahms, topped his list of career-long favourites.
Many people say one should not combine German & French music in the same programme, but considering his background it seems perfectly valid to me: I’ll leave you to decide. The Paris Orchestra was newly formed at the time of this, it’s 1st recording, but the performance is miraculous considering that an orchestra ensemble is not something that can be refined overnight. The engineering values of these Voix de Son Maître/EMI recordings, with the same team that made the great recordings of the Société des Concerts & André Cluytens (René Challan & Paul Vavasseur) are very strong, though the greater reverberation tends to mask some details that are clearer in RCA’s Living Stereo approach, where the acoustic of Symphony Hall in Boston figures prominently. Each of these accounts is in its own way haunting, together leaving an apt portrait of the artist Charles Munch had become since Boston. The Fantastique is, like its leader, contagious in its enthusiasm. Compare the precise woodwind playing from Boston as heard in the difficult last 60 seconds of the Fantastique with the results from Paris—a good juxtaposition of the French esprit with Bostonian savoir faire. The Brahms’s 1st Symphony leaving the sensation, in the long introductions of the 1st & last movements, of a soliloquy suspended over the passage of time: all lyric, with very little beat & almost no footfall at all – so drawn out as inevitably to suggest the conductor’s unwillingness to bid the work a last farewell. The outer movements are noticeably longer than the BSO versions. The famously sentimental close of the 2nd movement features violinist Luben Yordanoff in his prime. Munch probably over-slows the “alphorn call” toward the beginning of the 4th movement, but flutist Michel Debost responds in a way that confirms an icy stasis. The warm C-major theme begins slowly, too, but the heroism is soon straining to get loose.