Editorial Product Review: :Dawson's Negro Folk Symphony had an early advocate in the person of Leopold Stokowski, who actually recorded it. It's a lively and colorful work, but the real find is the Second Symphony by Still. It's a thousand pities that no one has done the complete cycle (there are five of them), for he was a wonderful composer. If Gershwin had been a symphonist, this is what his music might have sounded like. There's the same 'jazz fusion,' but also a true elegance of utterance that places Still at the forefront of American ...
Editorial Product Review: essential recording:The material covered on Copland the Modernist offers an important--and highly enjoyable--counterweight to the icon of folksy Americana that the composer is usually made out to be. And though such works as Appalachian Spring and Rodeo have kept Copland high on the list of the 20th century's most popular composers, his achievement extends well beyond the familiar beauty of those musical landscapes. Michael Tilson Thomas, who has evolved into arguably the finest American conductor of his generation, has a special affinity for American maverick composers, and the selections here represent ...
Editorial Product Review:Album Description:Ernest John Moeran (1894-1950) was born in London and studied at the Royal College of Music, and later under John Ireland. A man of piercing intellect and originality, he was essentially a miniaturist who nevertheless produced some outstanding larger works, like those on this classic recording. Moeran was found dead in the River Kenmare in 1950, a victim of heart failure, and his music seemed soon after to pass into oblivion; however in recent years it has enjoyed a great revival of reputation and there have been numerous recordings. These readings ...
Editorial Product Review: : This stunning new recording, taken from live performances in Berlin, features symphonies composed by Shostakovich early and late in his life. The 14th, a cycle of 11 songs, is a series of meditations of one sort or another on death(or immortality, dissent or loss of some sort), for solo bass and soprano voices, and scored for strings and percussion (made up of castanets, woodblock, three tom toms, whip, bells, vibraphone, xylophone, celesta). The songs are potent indeed, each being a microcosm of some type of pain, and Sir Simon Rattle has ...
Editorial Product Review: : This stunning new recording, taken from live performances in Berlin, features symphonies composed by Shostakovich early and late in his life. The 14th, a cycle of 11 songs, is a series of meditations of one sort or another on death(or immortality, dissent or loss of some sort), for solo bass and soprano voices, and scored for strings and percussion (made up of castanets, woodblock, three tom toms, whip, bells, vibraphone, xylophone, celesta). The songs are potent indeed, each being a microcosm of some type of pain, and Sir Simon Rattle has ...
Editorial Product Review: :Glass finds inspiration for his music in the strangest places. Here, he has taken his themes for the Low Symphony from the music of David Bowie and Brian Eno, specifically from their album entitled Low. You needn't be familiar with (or like) the work of Bowie or Eno to appreciate this piece, which is in three movements: Subterrraneans, Some Are, and Warszawa. Glass doesn't quote the borrowed themes directly, but lets them generate their own variations- -which he's very good at. This is an unexpected success and a grand delight. --Paul Cook
Editorial Product Review: :In a way that oddly prefigures the stance of the 'holy minimalists' so currently popular, Stravinsky declared that a motive behind composing his Symphony of Psalms was his 'eagerness to counter the many composers who had abused these magisterial verses as pegs for their own lyrico-sentimental 'feelings'.' The result issued in one of the 20th century's most perfect choral masterpieces. For all its objective austerity (violins, violas, and clarinets are exiled from the score), the piece is awash in fresh new sound colors and rhythmic vitality (with some family likeness to those ...
Editorial Product Review: :In a way that oddly prefigures the stance of the 'holy minimalists' so currently popular, Stravinsky declared that a motive behind composing his Symphony of Psalms was his 'eagerness to counter the many composers who had abused these magisterial verses as pegs for their own lyrico-sentimental 'feelings'.' The result issued in one of the 20th century's most perfect choral masterpieces. For all its objective austerity (violins, violas, and clarinets are exiled from the score), the piece is awash in fresh new sound colors and rhythmic vitality (with some family likeness to those ...
Editorial Product Review: :In a way that oddly prefigures the stance of the 'holy minimalists' so currently popular, Stravinsky declared that a motive behind composing his Symphony of Psalms was his 'eagerness to counter the many composers who had abused these magisterial verses as pegs for their own lyrico-sentimental 'feelings'.' The result issued in one of the 20th century's most perfect choral masterpieces. For all its objective austerity (violins, violas, and clarinets are exiled from the score), the piece is awash in fresh new sound colors and rhythmic vitality (with some family likeness to those ...
On paper, the Mio DigiWalker P550 looks to be an attractive gadget for the mobile professional, combining the capabilities of a PDA and GPS into one device. However, its poor battery life and subpar navigation skills tell a different story.
Though it won't appeal to the masses quite yet, the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet is a nice, portable device for on-the-go Web browsing, and it has some worthy upgrades.
Diesel vehicles have nearly a 50-percent market share in Europe, thanks to tax incentives and diesel-friendly legislation across the EU. Diesels are so passé there that you can buy a BMW 730d and no one will think it odd that your luxury car burns oil. Pull up in a diesel 7-Series in America and people would leer at you like you've alighted from an amphibious vehicle reeking of saltwater and dead trout.
But now, thanks to the oft-reported combo of newly-raised CAFE standards, not-so-newly-raised gas prices, and the 50-state diesel engine, GM, Ford, and Chrysler are about to dip more than a hesitant toe into the diesel game. Chrysler offers a diesel in the Grand Cherokee, but soon all three automakers will offer diesels in their best-selling lineups of light trucks -- the Dodge Ram 1500 is expected to offer a 50-state diesel after 2009. Light trucks are being used to lead the charge since those buyers stand to gain the most with the least amount of (perceived) sacrifice.
Diesels currently have 3.2-percent of the American market. Some estimates put them at 15-percent by 2015. That's a huge leap, and diesel still has plenty of hurdles. Diesels will come with a cost premium over gasoline-engined cars. That should be easy enough to conquer -- incentives and some quick cost and longevity calculations should convince people of the benefit. The real hurdle is the nagging issue of perception. The plan will probably be to attack that with a price that makes the proposition unbeatable. Said Chrysler's director of environmental affairs, "If it's priced right, we can sell diesel here. Diesel can give you an immediate poke in fuel economy -- 20 to 40 percent. Not many technologies can deliver that today."
Diesel vehicles have nearly a 50-percent market share in Europe, thanks to tax incentives and diesel-friendly legislation across the EU. Diesels are so passé there that you can buy a BMW 730d and no one will think it odd that your luxury car burns oil. Pull up in a diesel 7-Series in America and people would leer at you like you've alighted from an amphibious vehicle reeking of saltwater and dead trout.