Album of the Evening

[Musicophile]

21 minutes ago, Hugo9000 said:

Antonio Vivaldi

Les quatres saisons et autres concertos*

Amandine Beyer/Gli Incogniti

 

Wonderful performances in very good sound (other than some background noise which sounds like HVAC equipment that can be heard in the silent moments, but which is almost completely masked by the music).  I don't think any recording of the Four Seasons (particularly my favorite, Winter) will ever supplant in my heart the two (one from the 70s and the more famous one from the 80s) classic recordings with Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert with Simon Standage as soloist.  That said, this recording comes closest of the many I own and have heard through the years.

 

 

 

 

 

*album title, recording consists of the "Four Seasons" violin concerti (Nos 1 through 4 of 12 total in Vivaldi's Opus 8 Il Cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione), plus 3 additional concerti (RV 578a, RV 372, and RV 390)

 

Inspired by this: My latest favorite Four Seasons recording:

 

 

24/192 from Qobuz (but Channel Classics & NativeDSD has it in up to DSD256 if you want to max it out). 

 

Similar to Beyer’s recording, this combines outstanding playing with being a real audiophile pleasure. Highly recommended. 

 

By the way, Pinnock’s later version also used to be my go to version for many years.  

 

See also: https://musicophilesblog.com/2018/04/14/a-new-excellent-four-seasons-recording-by-rachel-podger/

 

 

[Kal Rubinson]

1 hour ago, Musicophile said:

 

Inspired by this: My latest favorite Four Seasons recording:

 

 

24/192 from Qobuz (but Channel Classics & NativeDSD has it in up to DSD256 if you want to max it out). 

And spectacular in vivid multichannel, as well.

[sphinxsix]

23 hours ago, AMR/iFi audio said:

 

Just chosen 'After Dark' to be the first song I will listen to in my new apartment (I moved in today). I too often forget about this album, probably their best one.

[Hugo9000]

Giuseppe Sammartini

Concerto grazioso:  6 Concerti Grossi Opus 5; 2 Concerti per flauto & oboe

Dominik Kiefer/Capriccio Barock Orchester

 

 

CD arrived today!  Lovely music, not many recordings available of Giuseppe Sammartini's compositions.  He was a famed oboist in his time, and was engaged by Handel himself.  Sammartini's younger brother, Giuseppe, is perhaps better known nowadays, although I don't think I've ever heard either mentioned by anyone I've met haha!  Not that I've ever known many people who listen to anything other than pop/rock/rap.

 

Here it is on Qobuz if anyone is interested in this little-known composer:

https://open.qobuz.com/album/0812973011866

 

 

[Paul R]

Emerson Lake & Palmer – 1971.

My copy of this is a needle drop of the Cotillion Records release(SD 9040). Dang, even after all these years,  and listening to the album near a 100 times or more, it is still one heck of a musical trip.

Keith Emerson and Greg Lake both died back in 2016, and for me, that leavens listening to this music with sadness. Still, Emerson’s jazz-infused keyboards, Lakes inspired bass lines, and of course, Carl Palmer’s drumming make it well worth listening to today.  

Even if one walks “With sadness on your shoulders, like a worn out overcoat…” That line having stuck with me all these years, takes on new meaning now.

Is this progressive rock? Jazz? Sixties pop? Poetry? Classical? You call it. The first song on the album, _Barbarian_ is _Allegro Barbaro_ by Bela Bartok, and was the first song the band put together. Other tracks on the album area also just full of familiar surprises. I find delight in their unique take on some of this.

The band formed in 1970, and legend has it, their first live appearance, leading off with _Barbarian_ was a small club outside of London, and for which they were paid about 400 pounds. That was on August 23, 1970.  Their *second* appearance, also with a lot of this music, was at the Isle of Wright, and had an audience of about 600,000 people. That was a whole six days after their first appearance. I don’t know anyone who was there, so take that with a grain of salt. But any man who was there would surely have been a Lucky Man! 

 

 

[Hugo9000]

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Missa Assumpta est Maria

The Tallis Scholars/Peter Phillips

 

My favorite mass by Palestrina, and a glorious recording!  This was my introduction to The Tallis Scholars, nearly 30 years ago.

 

 

I'd share a streaming link, but Gimell Records hasn't allowed any streaming service to use their music.  I believe all of their CDs are still in print, however.

 

[Melvin]

Classic.

 

[cambridgehank]

Here is another of his classics for you to like in the evening.

[Paul R]

19 hours ago, Musicophile said:

 

Inspired by this: My latest favorite Four Seasons recording:

 

 

24/192 from Qobuz (but Channel Classics & NativeDSD has it in up to DSD256 if you want to max it out). 

 

Similar to Beyer’s recording, this combines outstanding playing with being a real audiophile pleasure. Highly recommended. 

 

By the way, Pinnock’s later version also used to be my go to version for many years.  

 

See also: https://musicophilesblog.com/2018/04/14/a-new-excellent-four-seasons-recording-by-rachel-podger/

 

 

 

Oh my - like Hugo9000, the Trevor Pinnock recording from the seventies has been my favorite. Since I bought it new. In the 70’s. 

 

But I had to make some room for this one. Wonderful playing, combined with one of the best recordings I have ever heard. I am off to buy this one. Thank you for posting it! 

 

-Paul

[firedog]

13 hours ago, Paul R said:

Emerson Lake & Palmer – 1971.

 

My copy of this is a needle drop of the Cotillion Records release(SD 9040). Dang, even after all these years,  and listening to the album near a 100 times or more, it is still one heck of a musical trip.

 

Keith Emerson and Greg Lake both died back in 2016, and for me, that leavens listening to this music with sadness. Still, Emerson’s jazz-infused keyboards, Lakes inspired bass lines, and of course, Carl Palmer’s drumming make it well worth listening to today.  

 

Even if one walks “With sadness on your shoulders, like a worn out overcoat…” That line having stuck with me all these years, takes on new meaning now.

 

Is this progressive rock? Jazz? Sixties pop? Poetry? Classical? You call it. The first song on the album, _Barbarian_ is _Allegro Barbaro_ by Bela Bartok, and was the first song the band put together. Other tracks on the album area also just full of familiar surprises. I find delight in their unique take on some of this.

 

The band formed in 1970, and legend has it, their first live appearance, leading off with _Barbarian_ was a small club outside of London, and for which they were paid about 400 pounds. That was on August 23, 1970.  Their *second* appearance, also with a lot of this music, was at the Isle of Wright, and had an audience of about 600,000 people. That was a whole six days after their first appearance. I don’t know anyone who was there, so take that with a grain of salt. But any man who was there would surely have been a Lucky Man! 

 

 

The 2012 hires remaster is quite good if you are interested.There is also the Steve Wilson remix, which I don't like as much (and has slightly different tracks, as they couldn't find all the master tapes at the time).
 

[Musicophile]

1 hour ago, Paul R said:

 

Oh my - like Hugo9000, the Trevor Pinnock recording from the seventies has been my favorite. Since I bought it new. In the 70’s. 

 

But I had to make some room for this one. Wonderful playing, combined with one of the best recordings I have ever heard. I am off to buy this one. Thank you for posting it! 

 

-Paul

Glad you like it. It is true you don’t often get such an audiophile and musical pleasure combined. 

[rando]

Awful cellphone photo, great double disc album. 

 

[Hugo9000]

J-Ph. Rameau

Pièces de clavecin en concerts

London Baroque

 

I really love all of London Baroque's recordings on BIS.  I think I own all of them now, I'll have to double-check!

 

[WAM]

Soulfood:

 

 

[rando]

On 2/28/2019 at 5:26 PM, rando said:

Ah, the wonders of MP3 in the highest possible quality.  🤸‍♂️

 

 

 

Need to offer a correction here.  Download location erroneously listed this as LNOE 45 when it was in fact LNOE 44.  The earlier release has nearly double the DR and much more enjoyable material.  

[crenca]

52 minutes ago, rando said:

 

Need to offer a correction here.  Download location erroneously listed this as LNOE 45 when it was in fact LNOE 44.  The earlier release has nearly double the DR and much more enjoyable material.  

 

Is this a Soundcloud only Sasha release, or do you know?  It does not appear to be on Tidal/Qobuz...

[christopher3393]

Fretwork - English Music For Viols: Purcell, Lawes, Locke, Jenkins

Fretwork

5CD compilation

 

 

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7976552--fretwork-english-music-for-viols

[WAM]

Nothing wrong with listening to the blues... 

 

While you share a nice pint with a loved one...

 

 

 

Never tasted this one before, but this is a very nice nun...

 

 

And this is what happens if you use three pair of cans... they behave like copulating cobra's..

 

Happy listening everybody!

[ray-dude]

If you haven't picked up the new release from Sound Liaison that dropped today, stop what you're doing and fix that

 

This is a 1950's style recording, but with modern gear.  Incredible musicians, but an even more incredible "In the room" experience

 

[Hugo9000]

Marin Marais

Marais 1689:  Pièces à une et à deux violes et basse continue

Paolo Pandolfo, Viola da gamba

Amélie Chemin, Viola da gamba

Thomas Boysen, Theorbo and baroque guitar

Markus Hünninger, Harpsichord

 

Beautiful music, wonderful performances...I haven't been on such a French Baroque binge since the mid-1990s, I think!  haha!  Probably 90% of my listening this past month has been to Marais, Couperin, Rameau, Lully, and a few lesser-known French composers of the Baroque era.  (Lully was born in Italy, but spent most of his life in France and became a naturalized citizen.)

 

 

Listening to my CD, but here it is on Qobuz:

 

https://open.qobuz.com/album/8424562204157

[fas42]

A budget cheapie (REDHOT ) of

 

 

A favourite track, the operatic voices are spot on ...

 

 

[fas42]

[Paul R]

If you don't know Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara, you might want to take a bit of time to get acquainted. 

 

Be warned, his music is often times experimental, and that is true on the album below. But if nothing else, Esko Laine's solo is well worth the price of admission. 

 

Pellimannit means "fiddlers", and in this composition they take you on a wild ass ride. The composition is all about Finnish myths, and let me tell you, those Finns have some wierd myths. Be warned, I am not responsible if you can't sleep after listening to this, or you find yourself sleeping with the light on! 

 

This copy of BIS 73189590009109. Great stuff, but dang, I wish I had listened to it in the daylight! 

 

 

 

[Musicophile]

Unfortunately new Qobuz releases take some weeks before they show up for streaming on Qobuz (I presume that's imposed by BIS), so I only get to hear this new Sudbin release now. Streaming in 16/44

 

 

[Musicophile]

And one more, with some shameless self-promotion of my latest blog posts.

 

 

Excellent 24/96 from Qobuz.

 

See my review here: https://musicophilesblog.com/2019/03/03/handel-at-its-best-with-emmanuelle-haim-sabine-devielhe-and-lea-desandre/