MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger


 
REVIEW


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

alternatively
CD: AmazonUK AmazonUS

Chocolates
James GRANT (b.1954)
Chocolates (Torch Songs for Viola and Piano): Valentine [5:49], Bittersweet [4:53], Triple Mocha Indulgence [6:28]
Waltz for Betz [5:00]
Stuff [5:55]
High Autumn [4:19]
Just a Thought [3:52]
Endorphins [4:30]
Sultry and Eccentric [9:04]
Truffles (More Torch Songs for Viola and Piano): Dark Chocolate [4:09], Hazelnut [6:42]
Michelle LaCourse (viola); Martin Amlin (piano)
rec. August 2007, College of Fine Arts Concert Hall, Boston University
MSR CLASSICS MS1335 [60:47]

Experience Classicsonline


Once I went to a restaurant where everything on the menu was made of chocolate. They had chocolate soup, chocolate steak, chocolate fruit and innumerable chocolate desserts. After this, as you can imagine, I could hardly look at chocolate for quite a long time. But is chocolate a bad thing? Of course not, just don't take too much of it at once.

This album delivers what its cover promises: a box of chocolates. All with different fillings, alike and yet different - just as with real chocolates in an assorted box. Each one is delicious, but maybe it would not be the best idea to devour the entire box straight away: your stomach may hurt.

The dark, velvety voice of the viola is perfect for these songs. No violin, no cello, no clarinet could do it so well. The artistry of Michelle LaCourse is the key here: James Grant is really lucky to have such a sensitive and devoted presenter for his compositions. Honestly, I did not imagine that a viola could be so rich, stylish and versatile. Martin Amlin, on piano, provides excellent foils, resonant and swingy, but still the viola is the main singer in this duo. You know these "'Round Midnight" collections of slow jazz music? I wonder why viola didn't become one of the important jazz instruments, like clarinet or guitar? Maybe it's because not many violists can swing it like Michelle LaCourse?

The album starts with three Chocolates and ends with two Truffles - torch songs in the old American tradition. Luscious melodies, soft harmonies, "midnight jazz" twists may remind you of Gershwin in a quiet mood. Maybe it is good that these five bittersweet pieces do not go in one block, or it could end as my visit to the chocolate restaurant. In between, we have a wonderful Waltz for Betz, four recital pieces that form a mini-cycle, and another chocolate duo Sultry and Eccentric, where the name says it all. I must note that the titles of all pieces are very telling. Stuff is a nice set of variations, starting with a lullaby and reaching as far as swing and cartoon music. High Autumn is serene and philosophical; I wouldn't mind it being longer. Just a Thought is probably too sweet, but Endorphins are interesting, tying together threads from other pieces. All in all, this is good old-fashioned music, very tonal and often predictable, yet pleasant.

The recording quality is excellent. The design of the cover and the booklet has good taste and style. This could be a great present. Even for yourself. Chocolate is the molecule of happiness, you know.

It’s good advice though: don't take too much of it at once.

Oleg Ledeniov

 

 

 

 

 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools






Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.