Alex Ross picks on eMusic

No, Alex Ross (of The Rest is Noise fame, both blog and book) isn’t being mean to eMusic; in fact to my knowledge he’s never mentioned it, at least on his blog. What I mean is that several of the releases on Ross’s list of recommended CDs (CDs? how last century!) can be found on eMusic:

• Steve Reich, Music for 18 Musicians, Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble (Innova). This is an excellent version in my opinion. It doesn’t quite measure up to the original recording to my ears, but I think it’s superior to the version that the Bang on a Can All-Stars Steve Reich Ensemble did a while back for Nonesuch. And you can’t beat the human interest story: music students from the midwest take on Reich and wow the big city sophisticates.

• John Luther Adams, Red Arc/Blue Veil (Cold Blue). Amusingly enough, eMusic thinks John Luther Adams is a new age composer who writes chamber music (The Mathematics of Resonant Bodies) and avante-garde jazz (this work and The Light That Fills the World).

• Mozart, Don Giovanni, René Jacobs conducting (Harmonia Mundi). Note that this release totals a whopping 61 tracks, so it will wipe out a month or two of downloads; however it’s still a better bargain than paying $39.49 for the CD at Amazon.

• Stockhausen, Stimmung, Theatre of Voices (Harmonia Mundi).

• Common Sense Composers’ Collective, tic, with the New Millenium Ensemble (Troy).

• Beethoven, Piano Sonatas vol. 3, Paul Lewis (Harmonia Mundi). 32 tracks, but still a better deal than paying $39.49 at Amazon.

• Bach, Goldberg Variations, Simone Dinnerstein (Telarc). As DennisinWAState mentions in his review, at 32 tracks for most eMusic subscribers it’s probably more cost-effective to pay $12.97 for the CA at Amazon.

• Brahms, String Sextets, Nash Ensemble (Onyx).

• Lorraine Hunt Lieberson: Live from Wigmore Hall, 1998; with Roger Vignoles, piano (BBC)

• Roussel, Symphony No. 3 and Bacchus et Ariane; Stéphane Denève conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Naxos).

• As Steals the Morn…: Handel Arias and Scenes; Mark Padmore, tenor, with Andrew Manze conducting the English Concert (Harmonia Mundi).

• Gershwin, Piano Concerto in F, Rhapsody in Blue, Cuban Overture; Jon Nakamatsu, piano, with Jeff Tyzik conducting the Rochester Philhamonic (Harmonia Mundi).

• Alexandra Gardner, Luminoso (Innova).

Note that of 18 items on Ross’s list, 13 are on eMusic. This is yet another example of how eMusic is becoming a great site for classical music, especially for people like me who want to explore contemporary classical works at relatively low expense.