My review of AVIE Records AV 2585 (“Mysterium” – Bach/Lauridsen – Meyers – Los Angeles Master Chorale) has been posted to Issue 124 of Positive Feedback:
The site is free, so go read the review on-site. (BTW, I’d thought that older, archived reviews required a subscription to view, but I was incorrect: all the old reviews and articles are also available free in perpetuity. Apparently, PF, like MusicWeb — and like the old Village Voice, for a few decades — relies on advertising to fill out its budget.)
Note that this release is only available for downloads and streaming: no “hard” CD is being issued. It happens this way more and more frequently, which, I suppose, was inevitable, and it’s a good way to offer shorter programs for sale. At least AVIE is providing the digital equivalent of a booklet and notes — there’s obviously no reason the notes have to be formatted like a CD booklet, but it looks more professional than plain paper-size PDFs. But other companies, notably Deutsche Grammophon, are not providing their all-digital releases comparable support — the downloadable review files include neither notes or artwork. The cover art I can get on request — he needs it at Stereophile, at least so far — and the notes I can usually do without. But how is a listener new to, say, Paul Ben-Haim’s music going to understand what s/he’s listening to — to sort out the structure, to know the historical background and the aesthetic context? Yes, there’s Wikipedia, but that site doesn’t necessarily cover newer pieces in detail as it covers every symphony of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and numerous second-tier composers. In the long run, the classical majors will lose potential new listeners — customers — because they’re being flinty.
This was not supposed to be my “next” post: a book rant — a relatively easy one — has been in process, but I’ve been either asleep or pressed for time. And I’ve let all manner of major holidays and commemorations go by the boards these last couple of years: remember when I even acknowledged the Super Bowl, though I never watched it?
So I deliberately interpolated an “easier” post for today, so I’d be sure to wish everyone — my sixty-two followers and anyone else who may happen to trip over this blog — a safe and blessed Thanksgiving here in the U.S. (Of course, my foreign readers should also have a blessed, safe day, preferably free from COVID, wherever they may be.) Cheers.
Stephen Francis Vasta 