Review: Jascha Heifetz's profound connection with the tumultuous ocean mirrors the intensity and subtleties of his renowned violin sound. He shows that on this nice heavyweight 180-gram album which, meticulously crafted, revisits Heifetz's career milestones with crisp attacks, imaginative phrasings, and mellifluous sustains. The repertoire juxtaposes iconic pieces from different eras and showcases Heifetz's discerning taste in all its glory. From Vitali's Baroque masterpiece to Faure's Romantic opus and Castelnuovo-Tedesco's modern tone poem, each piece complements the other seamlessly. Cut by Bernie Grundman and preserved without digital intervention, this LP encapsulates Heifetz's timeless artistry in a lovely package by Impex Records.
Review: The 20th Anniversary Edition of the Beyond Good & Evil official soundtrack offers a revitalised take on the game's original music. The soundtrack features a full orchestra which manages to preserve the intimate, improvised feel of the original compositions while adding new tracks recorded with unconventional instruments. Christophe Heral, the composer, speaks of the balance between modern orchestration and the quirky, spontaneous creativity that defined the 2003 release in the accompanying notes. With additions like a broken guitar and unique tuning, this anniversary edition celebrates the artistic spirit of the franchise and offers a fresh yet faithful homage to the original music.
Review: On March 30th last year, Joe Hisaishi made a triumphant debut at the sold-out Vienna Musikverein when he conducted a program of his own compositions. Now, Deutsche Grammophon has put together the release of Joe Hisaishi in Vienna, the renowned Japanese composer, conductor, and pianist's second album for the label. This recording follows his successful debut, A Symphonic Celebration - Music from the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki, which was one of 2023's best-selling classical albums. The follow-up features two world premiere recordings in the form of 'Symphony No. 2,' performed with the Wiener Symphoniker, and 'Viola Saga,' featuring soloist Antoine Tamestit.
Review: Pirates have always had a pretty rough time in the land of video games. On the face of it, there's so much about bandits-on-the-waves that should work perfectly for a playable adventure. And yet so few have managed to really crack the formula, save for the likes of Assassin's Creed Black Flag and Sid Meier's standard-bearing Pirates. Enter Skull & Bones, a high spec 2024 release which - having reportedly spent the best part of a decade in development hell - really wants to change the sketchy track record. Sadly, it only partly manages it, with reviews pointing to a title that's "almost great", but not really. Nevertheless, the aesthetics and effects have been praised, as has the music. Created by Tom Holkenborg, AKA Junkie XL, while much of it is relatively bombastic classical stuff, there's more than a garnish of experimentalism, ambient and avant garde here, too.
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