Demi Tarif (2003)

Following the success of their self-titled debut, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils' sophomore release, It'll Shine When It Shines, continues on their already established path of California-style country-rock. This release contained what would ultimately prove to be their greatest hit, "Jackie Blue," which ended up peaking at number three on the pop chart. Although "Jackie Blue" is by far the least countrified track on the album, it embodies the casual, understated groove of the band that could be found on any of the Daredevils' releases…

The melodies, accompanied by various instruments, including gamba, theorbo, and harp, demand an amazing capacity for ornamentation, for super-florid runs and whiplash-inducing turns–and Jaroussky conquers all with unruffled ease.

Gargantua’s music provides a mind-boggling abundance of colors, moods and compositional schemes. Dense polyphonic structures are interwoven with seemingly harmless, “mock-heroic” tunes, morphing into either jagged interplay of guitar and replicated violin, or irreverent choral enunciations, electronic soundscapes and piano staccatos. Carnival fights here with Lent, seriousness with the grotesque, corporeality with sterility, baroque excess with ascetic introspection. This is a truly “Pantagruelian” vision of music that is self-conscious, self-mocking and highly goal-oriented. And surprising as it may sound, its intransigent, mathematical logic does not prevent the Polish artists from playing with a sharp rocky edge…

Bach’s Goldberg Variations have played a central role in harpsichordist Pierre Hantai’s musical life since his early youth. At 28 he recorded the work for the Opus 111 label (now available on Naïve), a highly acclaimed release that stands among the work’s choice versions. Over the past 11 years Hantai evidently has rethought and refined his interpretation, as revealed in this 2003 remake. There’s greater rhythmic freedom and variety of articulation, plus a more subjective approach to ornaments and agogics, especially in the repeats (he observes all but those in Variation 15, 25, and the Aria Da Capo; the 1992 recording honors all repeats save for Variation 25). Variations previously characterized through Hantai’s seamless legato technique (Nos. 3, 6, 8, 11, 17, and 18, for example) are further enlivened by detaché finger strokes and more inflected phrasings. The latter infuse Variations 7, 10, and 16 with greater resilience and rhythmic verve than their earlier counterparts.