Album of the Evening

[rando]

So don't listen to what they say and focus on the music.  Which is quite fine in this case.

[rando]

The female vocals on this album have long been a favorite.  

 

And now back to male vocalizations about album covers with females on them.   

 

 

[rando]

Cannot even explain what required revisiting of this album by picking up the revisiting of this album.  It felt like  going to see them at a very intimate, softly lit auditorium with very well padded seats and no bar service billed as "Pearl Jam Ten Twenty  The Dust Settled On Grunge In Shades Of Beige"   Gentle applause and no swaying that will disturb your seatmates.  

 

[rando]

@Cornan, you may have missed the wandering conversation this image came from.  I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on "Anna Of The North - The Dreamer" in regards to it.  Not an attack or hidden setup to make you feel like there is a wrong answer merely by asking for an opinion.  

 

[rando]

Wow, you didn't have to go all LDS normcore on us.    This is the correct art for the song in video you posted.  Much more in keeping with the photo I referred to.

 

 

Came into this one expecting higher DR and a lower key performance such as I envisioned above.  Apparently others agree this effort escaped the forced stream of effluent drock escaping the major labels.  Better yet the remaster effectively uses cues that could be expected to be gained from improved musicianship to improve on memories of it.  Rather than imparting qualities not present in the original.  

 

 

 

[rando]

Construction shaking the building multiple hours straight called for hard rock today.  This has by far been the most laughable selection in this kick.  Kids these days couldn't find the energy to carry around heavy leather and chains much less for psychotic amounts of head banging wearing it.    

 

[rando]

Small admission.  I'd forgotten, or never knew, a person of no small importance here developed unflappable devotion to a musical concern I may have recently chastised.  Same also reprinted a book excerpt on the obligatory "Here's a Red Snapper for your red snapper" moment in the following selection's legend.  

 

I only note all of this due to the repulsive instinctual reaction produced by the Pietro Antonio Rotari painting cropped to fit onto the cover of a very fine Bach Flute Sonatas album (not the expected recording by Jean-Pierre Rampal).  This following an extensive tour of local road projects by way of a Greek cabbie who had chosen to subject me to blaring synth and auto-tune heavy Christian pop music.  Contradictions aplenty.  

 

I foresee exclusively choosing selections like this one over heroin enriched tales of scuzzy bitches or emanating a fug of hatred and anger from my speakers.

 

[rando]

[rando]

Ja!  Oktoberfest ist fast da.

 

[rando]

On 8/20/2017 at 6:44 AM, sphinxsix said:

Just fantastic!

 

 

On 8/21/2017 at 2:50 AM, sphinxsix said:

 

SQ could be slightly better though. Has someone compared this version with Isserlis/LSO ?

 

On 8/21/2017 at 12:28 PM, sphinxsix said:

Or with France Springuel/ I Fiamminghi version issued by Telarc?

 

I tracked down the Telarc but have not found opportunity to sit down and listen to it.  In doing so I found out there is a Reference Recordings disc of the MN Orchestra/Chorale performing "Ikon Of Eros" I plan to check out.

 

Other than a few very rare and well preserved books this has been my best thrift shop find.  Still wrapped in plastic with a €10 sticker for $1.  Rattle, Karajan, and enough preeminent soloists they needed to use small print.  Interesting background music that may or may not depict the EMI sound in classical offerings?  Bells on Mozart's 'Sleigh Ride' sounded no worse than mono recording of Furtwangler/Menuhin at Mendelssohn.  Ripped to WAV the three discs have soft around the edges analog tendencies I found enjoyable.

 

[rando]

Very happy with this Norsk Kulturråds Klassikerserie (Norwegian Culture Council Classics Series) Grieg disc with book in Norwegian, English, and German.  "The Cow In The Bog" painting used for cover art perfectly fit the collection of folk songs and dances.

 

[rando]

[rando]

There is a paucity of comparisons that should be drawn between the two based on playing piano.  Levitt is a parlor trickster feeding his audience fleeting impressions of brilliance.  Very in keeping with the "Sony owns your dreams" idealogue market presence.  Enjoyable to the point of providing temporary relief from the real world.  He is very talented at the risky proposition of updating classic works to modern times and putting modern works into the same basket.  

 

Sokolov's trickery is best experienced in the flesh over multiple performances.  Asked to play a few notes of universal decree he could come up with something on the order of Hemingway's - For sale: baby shoes, never worn.  A common man ill at ease with the upper class leanings of classical music could be moved by a force beyond intellect at hearing his musicianship.  Which he appears to use in abundance to thwart recording engineers and their equipment.  All the usual warning tags apply, but you might consider trying his "Beethoven Sonatas & Rondos".

 

 

 

Bernstein's The Royal Edition ended up being the box set requested in another thread that I settled on.  Resolved to use sense and only pick up the desirable recordings  piecemeal.  This morning I took in disc 1 of No. 11.

 

      

[rando]

4 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

Sokolov is vastly over-estimated, imho. Highly subjective tempi fluctuations, ridiculously dramatic dynamic contrasts, and, as David Hurwtiz put it most precisely - bogus profundity.

So you rate Hemingway as possessing none of those qualities?    Having previously mentioned I have little ear for piano anymore. I'll take a hint where that players of that instrument are concerned.  

 

@WAM I spent my Belgian Quad money for the day ($8) on a dozen LP's including this London Alicia de Larrocha double album, a couple each of shaded dog RCA and Living Stereo,  along with a DG Karajan.  Can I hope the female pianist passes muster or did I waste my time and money?   

 

I've undertaken listening to this over the course of the next week starting this afternoon.  A halfway point to tracking down a copy of the great baritone's recording of Schubert's 'Der Wanderer' lieder. 

 

 

 

 

[rando]

@accwai Take care in repairing yourself and accept my best wishes as I echo the sentiments expressed above.

 

With respect and appreciation for the spiritual implications of Eastern practices being extolled.  I'd like to suggest a different activity with somewhat more universal implications, singing.  Especially in a language foreign to your tongue.  Call me a firm believer making joyous sounds and laughter heals more wounds than placid contemplative focus.  

 

 

[rando]

On 9/23/2017 at 4:53 PM, rando said:

I've undertaken listening to this over the course of the next week starting this afternoon.  A halfway point to tracking down a copy of the great baritone's recording of Schubert's 'Der Wanderer' lieder. 

 

 

Forgot to add I've started picking up Boosey & Hawkes vocal scores to enrich my enjoyment of works in this genre.  This one in good tat despite being almost old as the recording.   

 

More Minnesota today.  Ripped the HDCD disc into numerous formats in FLAC and WAV which I'm listening to concurrently.  I may start a thread to discuss where improvement can be found as I'm not entirely satisfied with how previous Reference Recordings HDCD rips have turned out.

 

[rando]

No polka and considerably more refined Germanic music for male voices than my previous album by the official ambassadors of New Ulm, MN.  The monkish bells and austere environment conducive to chants and grunts in the opener gave way to a rapt performance that I'm having a hard time putting in the proper light within a brief description.  Locally there are more than a few rightfully international recognized college and professional choirs so this has some basis.  They are among the best within their subset of singing that I've heard recorded (or broadcast).  

 

[rando]

Shiny Telarc discs with about as close to unique orchestra specific style as exists anymore.  Donanyi's geographically relevant view distant from the action and Previn's exemplary outing with the RPO of a 5th symphony I mention with some attempt at tact.  I have also finished 'Le nozze di Figaro' while following along with the vocal score.  Wtfplayer running on a dedicated machine has brought such new life into my listening I'm doing fresh scans of old discs into PCM.  

 

[rando]

The other remastered LP is worth a listen too.

 

[rando]

[rando]

 

Slowly overcoming instinct to shunt 'HRH The Prince Of Wales'collection into the bin every time I see the cover of an album.  Viewed as a budget box the performances are quite acceptable though.  Even if too much attention was given it to actually believe performances or packaging was thrown together on the cheap.

[rando]

Today's Telarc addition.  

 

[rando]

If the cell tower and television failed to work as well you might have achieved total peace.  Sorry to hear your recovery was cut into by this disruption.  

 

Godzilla's theme song and other movie music was but one side to Akira Ifukube's output.  Here he is with some contemporaries and countrymen in typically good BIS sound.

 

[rando]

For my part it was less theological children's television than reflection on a locally relevant subject of Japanese origin.  After reading your post I decided to seek out the album I posted in place of that originally intended.  "Bambi vs. Godzilla" was just what I needed to snap me out of a contemplative mood.

 

  

 

 

[rando]

Two off the beaten track discs (and some old mono recording).