Album of the Evening

[Bob Stern]

Wand to my knowledge has recorded the Bruckner symphonies with three different orchestras. One complete cycle in Cologne with the local adio symphony orchestra, one incomplete in Hamburg with the NDR symphony, and this box (also incomplete) recorded at the end of his life with the Berlin Philharmonic. Furthermore, there have been selected live recordings with the NDR symphony as well (e.g. the 8th in Lübeck cathedral, that I was able to attend in person). This one may be a potential alternative to the Berlin 8th, although it suffers a bit from too much reverberation in the church.

 

Amazon.com: Bruckner: Symphony No. 8: Music

 

Overall, the last set in Berlin is somehow special, as it is rather "dry" both sonically and from an interpretation point of view. Nevertheless, I appreciate it very much.

 

Wand also recorded Bruckner with the Munich Phil near the end of his life, concurrent with his Berlin Phil recordings. They are on the Profil label. I just bought the 8th, and it is excellent. Sound is hardly state of the art, but I like it better than Berlin. Dynamic range is less compressed than Berlin, and tonal balance is warm, like back of the hall, rather than dry like Berlin. Most importantly, performance is slower and much more romantic than Berlin. The orchestra's style reflects its training under Celibidache (although not nearly as slow).

 

eClassical - Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 / Schubert: Symphony No. 8

[Musicophile]

Wand also recorded Bruckner with the Munich Phil near the end of his life, concurrent with his Berlin Phil recordings. They are on the Profil label. I just bought the 8th, and it is excellent. Sound is hardly state of the art, but I like it better than Berlin. Dynamic range is less compressed than Berlin, and tonal balance is warm, like back of the hall, rather than dry like Berlin. Most importantly, performance is slower and much more romantic than Berlin. The orchestra's style reflects its training under Celibidache (although not nearly as slow).

 

eClassical - Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 / Schubert: Symphony No. 8

Thanks for sharing. I'll look into it. I just hope that there is not too much of Celibidache left here, his recordings are really just TOO slow.

[Musicophile]

Beat me to it... I have Corelli Op. 5 lined up for the next slot. Perhaps I'll go to Op. 6 instead Where did you find the 24/96 download by the way?

I just checked, I misspelled, this is a 24/88 rip of one of the few SACDs I have.

 

I'm also looking into getting this one:

 

Linn Records - Arcangelo Corelli: Opus 5: Violin Sonatas

 

Do you have any other version of op. 5 you'd particularly recommend?

 

Back to topic:

 

A beautiful new Channel Classics release:

 

Bach: Double and Triple Concertos - Rachel Podger - Brecon Baroque (24/192)

 

 

Very delicate playing, and very nice SQ

[Musicophile]

deleted

[Bob Stern]

Thanks for sharing. I'll look into it. I just hope that there is not too much of Celibidache left here, his recordings are really just TOO slow.

 

At the eClassical website, you can buy just one track at a time, so your financial risk is low.

 

Also, you can preview each track in its entirety online!

 

(I'm a big fan of eClassical.)

[accwai]

I just checked, I misspelled, this is a 24/88 rip of one of the few SACDs I have.

 

That's too bad. I'm seriously considering getting into Pietro Spada's Clementi cycle. So I'm looking for a good (and cheap ) source of download for the ARTS Productions label.

 

I'm also looking into getting this one:

 

Linn Records - Arcangelo Corelli: Opus 5: Violin Sonatas

 

Do you have any other version of op. 5 you'd particularly recommend?

 

Pavlo Beznosiuk is very good. So anything from Avison Ensemble must be a serious contender. I'll probably be using their Vivaldi Op 8 for my traversal of the Vivaldi opuses.

 

For Corelli Op. 5, I have the version by Locatelli Trio. In comparing it and samples of the Avison one on the Linn site, I notice the Locatelli Trio version is much more heavily ornamented in the slow passages. So I looked up the score in the CCARH wiki. Turns out Corelli's original version is not ornamented at all and all the fancy stuff are added later. Therefore expect significant differences among different recordings, especially in the slow places.

 

Andy

[Musicophile]

That's too bad. I'm seriously considering getting into Pietro Spada's Clementi cycle. So I'm looking for a good (and cheap ) source of download for the ARTS Productions label.

 

 

 

Pavlo Beznosiuk is very good. So anything from Avison Ensemble must be a serious contender. I'll probably be using their Vivaldi Op 8 for my traversal of the Vivaldi opuses.

 

For Corelli Op. 5, I have the version by Locatelli Trio. In comparing it and samples of the Avison one on the Linn site, I notice the Locatelli Trio version is much more heavily ornamented in the slow passages. So I looked up the score in the CCARH wiki. Turns out Corelli's original version is not ornamented at all and all the fancy stuff are added later. Therefore expect significant differences among different recordings, especially in the slow places.

 

Andy

It's weird, the booklet says the Dantone SACD is a native 24/96 recording, so you should be able to find the master somewhere. However, Qobuz for example has it only at 16/44.

 

On the ornaments, my (to be fair rather limited) understanding of early Italian baroque music was that the ornaments were never spelled out, but performers were expected to do their own ornamentation. Apparently this was common practice at the time.

[Moosbrugger]

Day before the wedding: Morning -- Beethoven's 5th. Kleiber.

[Musicophile]

Day before the wedding: Morning -- Beethoven's 5th. Kleiber.

Congrats! So what music did you finally chose from the other thread?

[Moosbrugger]

Thanks.

 

I don't remember what we ended up with, but it wasn't what I wanted. At least it's not an acoustic guitar playing Here Comes the Sun.

[accwai]

[...] On the ornaments, my (to be fair rather limited) understanding of early Italian baroque music was that the ornaments were never spelled out, but performers were expected to do their own ornamentation. Apparently this was common practice at the time.

 

But things are getting a little out of hand in this case. For example, this is the beginning of the first sonata:

 

 

The slow phrase at the beginning is supposed to have a melody that sounds something like Do---- Mi Re Do La- Sol Fa Mi---. But on the samples on the net that I checked, most of them are so heavily ornamented that the underlying melody isn't all that apparent. Would be interesting to find out how it got to the state we're in though...

[Musicophile]

But things are getting a little out of hand in this case. For example, this is the beginning of the first sonata:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]8726[/ATTACH]

 

The slow phrase at the beginning is supposed to have a melody that sounds something like Do---- Mi Re Do La- Sol Fa Mi---. But on the samples on the net that I checked, most of them are so heavily ornamented that the underlying melody isn't all that apparent. Would be interesting to find out how it got to the state we're in though...

I suggest we rather take this discussion off-line, if we don't want to scare away everybody else.

 

Back to topic:

 

Miles Davis: Some Day My Prince Will Come.

 

Really one of my favorite Miles Davis albums, and I suspect Hank Mobley plays a part in this.

 

A quick piece of useless trivia: while posting the cover I asked myself who the lady on the cover actually is. Turns out to be his wife Frances.

 

[crisnee]

Love this gentle Arabic folk/jazz. Oud, bass clarinet, bass and a bit of percussion. Also love the title, it alone could get me to listen, not knowing anything else about the music.

 

Chris

[Snowmonkey]

Yevgeny Sudbin - Tchaikovsky / Medtner - First Piano Concertos

 

 

This is today's eClassical half price deal and I grabbed it, being a fan of Yevgeny Sudbin. On listening, I must admit, I'm a bit ambivalent. He threw me off at the start by playing all the opening chords of the Tchaikovsky as arpeggios. As usual, his playing is virtuosic, but it all sounds a bit twee to my ears. I cut my teeth on Sviatoslav Richter playing this and his take no prisoners approach seems to me the only way to go with this mighty piece. Maybe pre-romantic music is more suited to Sudbin's style.

I've never heard the Medtner, so at least there was no expectation bias on that one.

[Jud]

Love this gentle Arabic folk/jazz. Oud, bass clarinet, bass and a bit of percussion. Also love the title, it alone could get me to listen, not knowing anything else about the music.

 

Chris

 

Before reading what you said about the title, I thought exactly the same thing.

[alfe]

[goldsdad]

[Musicophile]

Trip to the 90's:

 

Brad Mehldau: The Art of the Trio vol. 4

 

 

Followed by:

 

Portishead: Dummy

 

 

Together with:

 

Talisker Dark Storm

 

[lfs]

Night Lights . . .

Gerry Mulligan

 

 

A very fine ‘West Coast Jazz’ type album, ultra smooth and relaxing. Well worth a listen. A few contributing artists are Art Farmer, Bob Brookmeyer, and Jim Hall.

[accwai]

I suggest we rather take this discussion off-line, if we don't want to scare away everybody else.

 

Sure Anyway, back to topic: A pair of Indian violin CDs from Water Lily

 

Sarasvati Dr. L. Subramaniam

 

 

From the Ashes Dr. L. Subramaniam & Larry Coryell

 

 

Went to the Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show Friday afternoon and found a place selling Water Lily CDs real cheap. Always wanted to buy these but always balked at the local price. Now I have a big stack of them

 

The first disk is traditional Indian and the second disk is fusion but still mostly Indian in sound. Not too familiar with this type of music but it certain has its own logic and its own kind of beauty. On the SQ side, the sound really lets the music flow. Loads of details, dynamics, tone color, etc in a natural, totally unforced way. Stunning.

[christopher3393]

yeah, L. Subramaniam is the real deal, especially when it comes to traditional Carnatic music, but he's also played with some very good Western musicians: The Official Website of Dr. L. Subramaniam: Bio

 

Another contemporary master in this south Indian tradition is U. Srinivas. He plays some pretty amazing mandolin music. my favorite is this one: Amazon.com: Rama Sreerama: U. Srinivas: Music

 

[Snowmonkey]

Not too familiar with this type of music but it certain has its own logic and its own kind of beauty.

 

 

This album, from the early 1970's, launched me on a lifelong love affair with Indian Music. Available from Qobuz: Shankar Family And Friends | Ravi Shankar*– Télécharger et écouter l'album

[oscarnr]

Trip to the 90's:

 

 

Portishead: Dummy

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]8737[/ATTACH]

 

 

Cool! This is an inmense record. And Beth Gibbons is a true blues singer. Atemporal music.

[oscarnr]

some records to dig into:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]8743[/ATTACH]

Tim Hecker-Virgins (Kranky, 2013). I consider this record as neoclassical music for the 21th century. I believe that this record was posted by Gary some time ago. Perhaps it is his most accesible release yet. There are layers of noise, but the organic instrumentation shines here (percussion, piano, etc), all in a more minimalistic approach. Quite good.

 

I've been in Berlin some weeks ago and I purchased some Krautrock records (a favourite genre at home ) This is one:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]8744[/ATTACH]

Popol Vuh-In den garten pharaos (1971, reissued by SPV in 2004). Some good late night listening. Florian Fricke was an electronic/ethnic music pioneer, and this second record is so relaxed (title song) and inmersive (Vuh, with more percussion). Julian Cope recommended it in his Krautrocksampler book. Me too . BTW, the reissue CD adds 2 bonus tracks that worth a listen.

 

And from the dark side of the paradise to the dark side of Hüsker Dü:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]8745[/ATTACH]

Grant Hart-The Argument (Domino, 2013) An excellent double LP/20 song CD. From Bowie's space oddities to The Kinks, power pop, etc. Linking heaven and hell all the way. Very good.

 

and to finish another example of transcendental music recorded in Earth looking at the sky:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]8746[/ATTACH]

Roy Harper-Man and Myth (Bella Union, 2013) A very solid effort. "Heaven is Here" is specially good. You can feel the weight of the history...

This record was produced by Jonathan Wilson, Laural Canyon movement pupil. BTW, Wilson has released a new record:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]8747[/ATTACH]

Fanfare (Bella Union, 2013), very dense, orchestrated, that I am still deciding if it is so good or not. it links CSN to Pink floyd to Laurel Canyon musical movement. It reminds me slightly of Mercury Rev's "All is dream", and that is not a good sign. Time will tell. He had used Audeze headphones and Tannoy Gold Monitors for the mixing. It says that in the booklet...

 

Bonus track:

 

Prefab Sprout - Crimson/Red (Shamrock Solutions, 2013). Paddy McAlloon is a pop master and this new record is a strong example. The production could be less synth oriented, or the record less compressed (looking at DR database it seems that the vinyl edition is more dynamic), but the singing remains very beautiful and is full of strong pop songs. Recommended

[Savage]

some records to dig into:

 

 

 

And from the dark side of the paradise to the dark side of Hüsker Dü:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]8745[/ATTACH]

Grant Hart-The Argument (Domino, 2013) An excellent double LP/20 song CD. From Bowie's space oddities to The Kinks, power pop, etc. Linking heaven and hell all the way. Very good.

 

 

The Bowie-esque sounds on this release surprised me, he is usually in the realm of grittier and more diesel fueled sound. He is a common fixture around town here and I have run into him a couple times, very pleasant and chatty guy...especially if the topic is motorcycles. He even once let take a turn on his telecaster..my personal brush with greatness