DCD 012 – Nighttime in Virginia, or “Say Hello to My Little Friend”

Usually there’s a very slender window of time open for me to record the DCD Classical ‘Cast. As I was setting levels, I heard a cricket singing loud and clear in the corner of the studio. I wasn’t able to track him down, and given the choice of delaying the recording for a couple of weeks or plunging ahead and hoping the mic wouldn’t pick up the sound, I chose the latter. While I didn’t really hear it on the headphones, Jimminy came through loud and clear on the final recording. I apologize, and can only hope that with the change in weather, this will be a one-time problem.

This program features works that range from solo piano pieces to full orchestral movements. We also share a few selections from our top-selling recording for August, 2006. Which release is it? You’ll have to listen – it’s not listed in the show notes below.

- Ralph Graves
President, DCD Records

This program we feature the following:
Gottschalk: “Souvenire de la Havane”
Crystonyx

Bliss: String Quartet No. 1 in B flat major, Mvt. 4 Vivace
Troubadisc

Rosner: “Motet,” from Five Meditations, Op. 36
Laurel Records

Three selections from the DCD Top of the Charts for August, 2006

DCD 011 - The Pro Arte Quartet

By lucky happenstance, our two newly added labels, the UW-Madison School of Music and Laurel Records have both recorded the Pro Arte Quartet. Both we'll feature in this episode of the "DCD Classical 'Cast."

In a way, it's not surprising. The quartet, founded in 1912, has a long and distinguished recording career. In the 1920's, for example, they were the first chamber ensemble to extensively record. The podcast alternates between their Laurel Records releases of the 1980's and their current output for UW-Madison.

The program has been languishing in the can for a while. We've had to switch servers, and were unable to upload either podcasts or image files until the transfer was complete. If you have any problems with any of our links, please let me know. I'll be testing everything personally, but its a growing site. Any help would be most appreciated. E-mail me at mailto:info@dcdrecords.com?subject=Podcast.

- Ralph Graves
President, DCD Records

This program, we play the following:
Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 in a minor, Op. 13 (mvt. 1)
UW-Madison

Rozka: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 38 (mvt. 2)
Laurel Records

Dvorak: String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 51 (Finale)
UW-Madison

Bloch: Two Pieces for String Quartet
Laurel Records

DCD 010 - A new release -- and a new label

Our tenth podcast was to be a showcase for another new label we've picked up; the University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Music. It still basically is. We just had to make room for a new release.

Musica Rediviva's latest effort is an interesting collection of music by Helena Ek. A specialist in the field of early music, Ek presents a survey of songs devoted to various aspects of the Virgin Mary. There are some obvious choices, like selections from the Cantiguas de Santa Maria, the famous collection of Alfonso X. But mixed in with that are some other medieval, renaissance and even baroque compositions give the recital added dimension. Ek even includes some traditional folk songs and a contemporary composition or two. It's a compelling listen, and I (for one) thoroughly enjoyed it. On the podcast I play two tracks to give you an idea of the flow and overall sound of Maria.

The rest of the program is devoted to the releases of the UW-Madison label (that's not an official abbreviation, but the full name is a mouthful). There's some contemporary music commissioned by the school, as well as some outstanding performances by the faculty.

By an interesting confluence, the two newest labels to the DCD family also share the same artists. The Pro Arte Quartet has been the resident artists at UW-Madison since about the First World War, and their current lineup has recorded several quartets on the school label. They also, about a decade ago, recorded for Laurel Records. Next time, then, we'll finish our look at UW-Madison and continue our profile of Laurel by playing tracks from the Pro Arte Quartet on both labels.

And please remember that all comments are welcome! Positive more than negative would be nice, but criticism is given equal weight with kudos in influencing the direction of these podcasts. E-mail me at mailto:info@dcdrecords.com?subject=Podcast.


- Ralph Graves
President, DCD Records



This program, we play the following:

Söderström: Jungfru Maria
Trad. 1500: St.Göran och draken
Helena Ek, soprano; Göran Måsson: pipes, frame drum, string drum, hurdy-gurdy
Musica Rediviva

Larsen: Concert Dances, Mvt. 1
UW-Madison Symphonic Wind Ensemble; David E. Becker, conductor
UW-Madison

Schubert: Irrlich
Paul Rowe, baritone; Martha Fischer, piano
UW-Madison

R. Strauss: “Improvisation” from the Violin Sonata, Op. 18
Parry Karp, cello; Howard Karp, piano
UW-Madison