Vaughan Williams - Symphony 1 'A Sea Symphony' [Lott & Summers / Haitink-The London Philharmonic]

Vaughan Williams very first Symphony holds a special place in my heart, it's one of the first Symphonies i heard from RVW, and it took a while to love it, i like the way he marries the words of Whitman to the Orchestra, i'm not particularly a lover of Choral music, but this works for me.

I think this recording won a Gramophone award, Haitink produces a big bold recording, the soloists are wonderful, the chorus is enthusiastic, Haitink has taken a long time to complete his Symphonic cycle of VW.

There are so many bits to shout praises about in this Symphony, for me the last movement 'The Explorers' holds some real gems,

'Below, the manifold grass and waters,

with inscrutable purpose

some prophetic intention'

the sheer power that is presented at these words [track 9 2:37-3:53], the woodwind starts it up [2:37-2:56], and the strings take it up [2:56-3:08], the horns come in [3:08-3:17], and the brass [3:19-3:29], and the violins sing high [3:29-3:53], a gut/heart wrenching moment, it builds up and up, and finally bursts into ecstasy, one humongous powerful moment, and this permeates the whole Symphony, Vaughan Williams has a real feel for the sea, i'm a better person for being introduced to Walt Whitman in this way.

Johnny Griffin [The Cat]

The Chicago born American Johnny Griffin, sadly passed away in 2008, but has left a legacy of recordings, once known as the fastest Tenor on the block, he has by the time of this recording, slowed down somewhat, he was in his sixties when he recorded this disc.

The track i love the most is track 2 'Wistful', a Griffin original [in fact all of the tracks are by Griffin], it starts off with a tick tock intro between Cymbal [Kenny Washington], and Piano [Michael Weiss], and Griffin comes in playing this lop sided swing theme on Tenor Saxophone [0:10-1:31], which has this catchy chorus in the middle [0:52-1:10], Griffin then takes his solo [1:32-4:12], which develops a nice intensity, while Washington has some fine hits on the Drums, after a Weiss Piano solo [4:13-5:30], Griff brings the main tune back to great effect [5:30-end], a simple piece, no great shakes of pyromania, but satisfying because the tune is so strong, and executed so well by Griffin.

Here's Griffin in action on YouTube, gives you some idea what he's like.

Rodrigo - Concerto De Aranjuez [Bream/ Gardiner-The Monteverdi Orchestra]

Here's Rodrigo's most famous work again, i never tire of this piece, it's gives me such a sunny feeling, and sounds so Spanish.

The Englishman Julian Bream is one of the greatest Classical Guitarist ever, having done so much to put many guitar works on the map, he is now retired from performing.

It seems that John Eliot Gardiner is out of place Conducting this work, and The Monteverdi Orchestra?, more used to playing Baroque on period instruments maybe, but the Bream / Gardiner partnership works well.

Well, what can i say?, i love that central Adagio, the Cor Anglais opens with that endearing melody [0:07-0:39], and the Guitar weaves its magic by taking up the tune [0:40-1:12], and in a touching dialogue between the two, a real sense of memory is created, the melody never leaves you, its one of those things you're glad that's stuck in your brain, Guitar and Orchestra explore all sorts of permutations of the tune, this recording was made in the seventies, but sounds digital, a wonderful experience.

Here's Bream playing this lovely adagio on YouTube, with Charles Groves conducting.

Stravinsky - The Rite Of Spring [Dutoit-Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal]

When i first heard this work many moons ago, i was not ready for it, i thought Classical music was about tunes and melodies, something you can whistle, but this is full of rhythms and dynamics, seems like the first audience at the premiere weren't ready for it either, but once you get into those primeval beats, then you're hooked all the way to the Sacrificial Dance.

On the cover of the booklet is a painting by Henri Matisse, called 'The Dance', painted in 1910, roughly three years before the premiere of Stravinsky's work, it fits in perfectly, Art and Music make perfection.

Of course Stravinsky's Ballet is a visual as well as audio, but the music stands up on its own, the section i really did enjoy is in Part Two, 'The Naming And Honouring Of The Chosen One' [7:56-9:40], starts off with pagan beats on the drum [7:56-8:01], very effective, and then there's this sharp quick upward shrieks from the woodwind, while the strings use this pulsating rhythm [8:01-8:33], the brass comes in screaming, while the strings pizzicato an ominous pulse, with what sounds like the bassoon muttering monotonous notes [8:34-9:14], and then the beginning returns [9:14-9:38], it's an aural tour de force, and tremendously exciting.

Here's Dutoit conducting Part Two on YouTube.

Schumann - Piano Concerto [Tanyel/ Burgos-London Symphony Orchestra]

I listened to this disc last month [22nd January 2010], and i thoroughly enjoyed the Grieg Concerto there, this time i enjoyed the Schumann Concerto, also again i must mention the booklet, a lovely shot of Seta, a blue background behind flesh tones really works.

Not quite as good as the Grieg, but close, they're nearly always coupled together, i suppose it's because they're quite similar, in the same key of A minor for instance, and they both have a striking opening flourish, supposedly Grieg modelled his work on the Schumann.

The Turkish born Armenian Seta Tanyel is a sound interpreter, i really got into the first movement, after the startling opening flourish [0:00-0:06], the oboe solo tune sets the whole thing up [0:06-0:25], and the piano mirrors the same [0:26-0:46], and when the orchestra come in the whole thing takes off [0:47], the solo piano plays a sweet melody [1:41-2:39], something that Grieg took advantage of, there's a long passage a third of the way through the movement, a soft caressing of the tune on the piano, and undulating waves in the left hand, the clarinet features heavily, echoing the piano [4:55-6:37], this is the best moment of this piece, pure bliss, the movement ends on a high, with some glorious piano work [15:08-15:39], i'm glad my blog forces me to analyse what i listen to.

Here's Martha Argerich playing the Concerto, with Antonio Pappano conducting on YouTube.

Brahms - Violin Sonata 2 [Mutter/Weissenberg]

Last month [11th January 2010], i had the third Sonata in my highlights by these two, now it's the turn of the second, and i feel my thoughts there are mirrored here, Mutter and Weissenberg don't seem entirely in unison, like two people on a tandem with different ideas of where to go!, but they're still fascinating to listen to, i wonder how much time these two spent on these Sonatas, also i feel that Weissenberg and his Piano is just pushed back in the mix slightly, making Mutter more prominent, and not giving an equal footing to both instruments, certainly Mutter is on the front of the tandem!.

Well i must say i enjoyed the middle movement, a nice opening tone from Mutter, which Weissenberg mirrors [0:39], there's a nice lilt in Mutters playing [1:17-1:25], nice impassioned playing on the Violin [2:02 onwards], which becomes becomes stronger and stronger [3:03-3:48], and sweeter too, and i love that pizzicato section [3:48-4:36], though i feel they play it too fast, the lovely coda is so sweet [4:37-5:37] and the whole thing is rounded off by some final pizzicato notes, most enjoyable.

Here she is playing this movement on YouTube.

Haydn - Symphony 87 [Goodman - The Hanover Band]

Just a note here about the cover, i bought the Paris Symphonies [82-87] by Goodman on Hyperion, and put them in the back of this two disc set by Dutoit, that's why the title doesn't match the picture.

The Englishman Roy Goodman specialises in early music performance, he was contracted to produce a complete Haydn symphonic cycle, but it was abandoned about half way through because of funding i believe, but what he left behind is highly rated.

Right from the get go, the opening movement is full of exuberance and sparkle, it has an unstoppable exhilarating rush to it, highly addictive in it's enthusiasm, the way it speeds up it's main theme into a froth, and then keeps coming back again and again is incredible [0:08-0:26 & 1:44-2:09], it changes key [3:27 onwards], but the rhythm doesn't stop, the froth fizzes some more, this time with a innocent little intro that explodes [4:51-5:21], the whole thing is like an uncorked champagne bottle, fizz 'n' froth, it makes me want to get up and dance and celebrate!.

Here's Norrington conducting this Symphony on YouTube.

Various Composers - Romance Of The Violin [Bell/Stern-Academy Of Saint Martin In The Fields]

Here's a bunch of 'sugary' lollipops for Violin and Orchestra, all of the items are chosen from the Classical repertoire, they are transcriptions by Craig Leon, and though none of them are composed this way, they really work well, on the whole it's a disc of slow numbers, the instrumentation has a tendency to be 'simple', and Joshua Bell certainly takes centre stage, on first listen i felt it was too 'crossover', but on subsequent listening i've enjoyed this album for what it is.

The booklet photography by Timothy White is wonderful, shots taken late in the evening, they really stand out with the black background, and the graphics on the front cover are lovely too.

The tracks i like the most are 1, 6-9 & 11-12, i suppose if i were to plump for a highlight, it would be track 7, the Andante middle movement from Mozart's Piano Concerto 21, very much keeping to the original, but of course with Violin instead of Piano, it's good to hear what the Violin can do, and it causes you to hear this well known piece dressed up in some new clothes.

Here's track 6, Bellini's Casta Diva, from his Opera Norma, played by Joshua Bell on YouTube.

Vaughan Williams - Symphony 6 [Davis-BBC Symphony Orchestra]

Vaughan Williams sixth Symphony is full of intrigue, after the peaceful and glorious fifth Symphony, here we have a work of brashness, disharmony, even bleakness, much has been made of what it all means, what's the inspiration behind it all?, of course one of the clues is it's composition date of 1946-7, just after the war, and especially with the first atomic bombs dropped, war and annihilation, but as Vaughan Williams suggests, the music should be taken at face value, and listened as 'pure music' without any programme in mind.

I haven't heard this Symphony extensively, so this time i was very impressed with it, i still feel it should be even more brash and grotesque than it already is, it's something that Shostakovich would have been proud of, well i suppose i was moved the most by the second movement Moderato, it's an incessant tuneless rat-a-tat, that gets louder and annoying, one thing i notice is the drum rolls to announce certain passages [1:47 & 2:21], or maybe to unannounce! [2:50], quiet and ghostly strings appear [2:57], and it's like the Tallis Fantasia gone wrong, but the incessant call now comes from the brass like a fanfare [5:08], but now wont stop, ebbs and flows, but grows more agitated like Holst's Mars, it ends with an oboe solo [7:57] pleading and entreating, much like the oboe representing the duck in Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, where you can still hear the duck in the Wolf's belly, strange and otherworldly, but still incredibly satisfying.

Here's a clip of Andrew Davis conducting the Tallis Fantasia on YouTube, also on this disc.

Keith Jarrett [Standards Volume 2]

Here's the second volume in Jarrett's early Jazz Piano Trio, i reviewed the first album earlier this month, this is very much in the same vein as the first disc, except there are six tracks instead of five, and no really long tracks, i admit that this session is inferior to the first, but still immensely enjoyable.

Well Jarrett is a Piano god, and these three musicians have developed such an incredible understanding, almost telepathic, they have been a Trio for 27 years, but this recording is from their early days, but they still work like a unit.

I so much enjoyed track 2, 'Moon And Sand', it's a really intense track, not necessarily a phenomenal tune, but the three musicians get under the skin of the composition, DeJohnette uses brushes, a wonderful effect, early on Jarrett uses some high ringing notes [1:04 onwards], it really makes an impression as the track takes off, he uses some great runs up and down the keyboard [3:13 onwards], after a Bass solo, Jarrett comes in again, and plays some of his best playing [5:51-6:38], then the most magical part, the whole thing goes into a coda, it starts with DeJohnette's brushes [7:06], and then Jarrett comes in with this incredible vibe [7:19-7:53], it's the highlight of the whole thing for me, DeJohnette's brushes are highlighted as he slows down, like a steam train coming to a stop!, magic happens as you intensely concentrate.

Here's Jarrett playing solo on YouTube, now this is fun and groovy!.

Beethoven - Symphony 5 [Maazel-Vienna Philharmonic]

A live recording of the fifth, recorded on tour in Japan in 1980, i must say that the Japanese audiences sound really enthused with their clapping at the end of this performance, bravo's and cheering for all, as with a live performance there are some extraneous noises, especially between movements, but on the whole the audience is quiet.

I really enjoyed the thrill of that revolutionary opening movement, there's nothing else like it in Classical music, it's the perfect way to jolt people out of their seats, and quite possibly the opening is the most well known musical phrase in all classical music, and just as an aside, the 'da da da dum' represents the letter V in Morse code, and also the Roman numeral V stands for the number 5.

I listened to this while walking to catch the bus, nice early morning stroll, there's something about listening to music while outside, the opening motif tune permeates the whole movement, politeness is cast aside for sheer power and rhythm, it's motif comes at you relentlessly wave upon wave, stronger and stronger, and then a respite, and then menacingly stronger and stronger again, it would be torture if it wasn't music, the ending [7:44-7:54], is almost as revolutionary and emphatic as the opening, the whole thing takes your breath away.

Here's a clip from the actual Japanese tour on YouTube, the hair cuts are a bit dated now!, ha ha.

Beethoven - Piano Concerto 4 [Perahia/ Haitink-Concertgebouw Orchestra]

Though not as glorious as the fifth, the fourth is a wonderful Concerto, i used to like the third better, now i'm being swayed to the beauties of this Concerto.

Murray Perahia is completely at the service of the Composer, no off the wall showy virtuoso meanderings, it's sometimes hard to focus on some exciting trait in his playing, because he takes himself out of the focus of attention, and it's only Beethoven you can see, maybe that's the greatest compliment of all.

It opens with such a sublime solo tune on the piano, a revolutionary technique for the time, a solo piano opening the Concerto?, what!, but it works, it's hard to analyse and break this Concerto down into moments for critiquing, Beethoven has this great tendency to sweep you away in the majesty of his creation, you feel the piece as a whole, instead of little burst of creativity all glued together with devices, i just sat back and enjoyed Perahia/Beethoven overwhelm me.

Here's Perahia playing the Concerto on YouTube.

Ernie Watts [Reaching Up]

This is a disc i bought in 1994, after checking it out at my local library, i liked it enough to get my own copy, over the years my library has yielded a number of useful discs i wouldn't have otherwise considered.

This is a Hard Bop session, Watts is a fairly mellowish player, but on this disc he has Mulgrew Miller on Piano, and Jack DeJohnette on Drums, who really play hard and intense, bringing out the best in Watts, he's also accompanied by Arturo Sandoval on Trumpet on two tracks, and he also pushes him hard, it's a shame Sandoval wasn't on the whole album, a Quintet setting would have been ideal here.

On this listen, i loved track 6 'Inward Glance', an Ernie Watts original, a lovely ballad tune, it starts off with a roll of the Drums [0:00], and we're away, i like the way that DeJohnette creates this clicking sound, i'm not sure what device he uses, but it's great, not uniform, but broken and stuttering, it permeates the whole track, great stuff, Watts joins on the Tenor Sax [0:15], and plays a really smooth funky tune, Miller comes in with his solo [1:29], and you can hear him vocalising softly, Watts plays his solo [2:40], a nice intense solo, especially towards the end, and then immediately restates the theme/tune, and the whole thing winds down to a close, a nice short Jazz track of beauty and invention.

Rodrigo - Concierto De Aranjuez [Isbin/Foster-Orchestre De Chambre De Lausanne]

A wonderful interpretation of Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto by the American Guitarist Sharon Isbin.

Of course i love the slow Adagio, it feels like it's shrouded in mystery, evoking the Gardens of Aranjuez hundreds of years ago in a time long forgotten, this movement is more like a Double Concerto for Guitar & Cor Anglais, rather than a Guitar Concerto, the Cor Anglais played by Markus Haberling, is the perfect foil in a dialogue between Guitar and Orchestra, of which this Cor Anglais is the main voice in the Orchestra.

The Adagio starts with the quiet strumming of the Guitar [0:00], while the Cor Anglais plays this achingly beautiful tune [0:08-0:48], the Guitar responds by repeating the tune [0:49-1:25], again the Cor Anglais replies more impassioned [1:31-2:10], and again the Guitar matches that passion [2:13-2:55], this beginning is probably the most wonderful moment of the whole Concerto, the dialogue keeps going back and forth between Guitar and Orchestra, getting more complex, there's also a substantial virtuoso cadenza, and a satisfying coda, how can anyone resist this dreamy piece of music?, i just love the way is transports me.

Here's Sharon Isbin playing the Adagio on YouTube, not a very clear picture, though it is Sharon.

Schubert - Piano Sonata 21 [Pollini]

Seems like i play this a lot, this Sonata has appeared three times in my Blog this year so far, however each time it's a different performer, i must really love this work, which i do.

So this time it's the Italian Maurizio Pollini, he recorded this when he was in his mid forties, he's now 68, but he looks so much older, i think he's a chain smoker.

The last Piano Sonata is Schubert's crowning achievement to his Sonatas, certainly he saved the best to last, and who knows what he would have gone on to achieve, if he had lived longer than his 31 years on the earth.

Again the first movement really touched me, it's those opening gently rolling notes of the utmost breathtaking charm, Pollini takes this movement moderately fast, but there's a nice sense of onward momentum because of it, he has a nice legato in the left hand, which keeps things motoring nicely in the background, but can be a touch loud, Pollini like so many others takes the exposition repeat, there's a nice passage where the notes become more complex [11:29-11:40], and Pollini gets the left and right hand volume perfect, an exciting moment, ultimately i feel that the final analysis is that certain moments are taken too fast, and it loses some of the aching nostalgia and sadness that this music should portray, but Pollini is never 'wrong', his interpretation is still valid and refreshing, a hugely enjoyable forty minutes.

Here he is playing Chopin's Nocturne 8 on YouTube.

Beethoven - Piano Concerto 5 [Brendel/ Haitink-London Philharmonic Orchestra]

Alfred Brendel is now retired from performimg, nearly eighty years old, he has been a giant of the Piano, a great Beethoven and Schubert authoritarian, he has recorded a number of Beethoven Piano Concerto cycles, this performance was recorded in the mid seventies.

This Concerto really is the Emperor of Concertos, the slow movement is heaven on earth, it starts off with such a serene opening, and when Brendel enters with the first piano notes [1:43], his playing is delicate and thoughtful, and it takes a lovely turn at [2:09-2:25], creating a wonderfully enchanting passage of such majesty, the piano has a gorgeous ring to it, toward the end of the movement, there's this passage where the piano plays the tune broken up into very simple notes, while the woodwind and especially the flutes play the melody [6:07-7:53], winding the piece down towards its inevitable end, Beethoven was the genius of the slow movement, and this is one of his very very best.

Here's Brendel playing the slow movement on YouTube.

Wessell Anderson [Warmdaddy In The Garden Of Swing]

Well another disc i just pulled off the shelf from a Record Shop about 15 years ago, just because it looked good, boy have i bought some great discs this way, this is Wessell Anderson's debut as a leader, he plays Alto Sax, and is really great on the Sopranino Sax too.

Born in Brooklyn, he had a Jazz upbringing, the liner notes talk about being surrounded by Jazz, there was always a Jazz LP playing in his house, and it influenced him greatly, the notes are really inspiring, he worked hard at becoming a Jazz musician.

Today i really enjoyed the very first track, 'The Black Cat', there's a tremendous vibe coming from Eric Reed's Piano, i was so impressed with his playing i rushed out and bought one of his albums, the track starts with a deep groove on Ben Wolfe's Bass [0:00], and then Donald Edwards Drums comes in [0:06], and especially his cymbals keep tapping out this hypnotic morse code rhythm, with Reed giving off a vibe in the high registers of the Piano [0:09], a truly exceptional intro indeed, i just love it!, Anderson's Sax comes in with the tune [0:18], and it's perfect, the sound is like a deep south swamp boogie or something, he starts his solo [0:56], really strong and high, at the end of his solo there's this intense high pitched playing [3:20-3:56], he really lets himself go, a great way to finish a solo, and then Reed comes in [3:57], his solo is lazy to begin with, but he too gets intense, playing at the high registers of the Piano [5:04], with Edwards continually tapping out that hypnotic morse code rhythm on the cymbals, the original tune reprise [5:38] is a powerful moment, and as the piece comes to a close, Reed has his keys chiming out the morse code of the Drummer, and Wolfe's Bass brings the track to a quiet close, this is a breathtaking Jazz track, so simple, and yet so complex, and so satisfying.

Eric Alexander [Straight Up]

This is Eric Alexander's debut as a leader, he was 24 years old, fairly young to cut a record as a leader, very much in the tradition of the big fat Tenor Sax players Dexter Gordon and George Coleman, but maybe harder, he has some fine musicians to work with on this session.

I saw this disc in a record shop, and bought it because it looked good, i'm glad i did, this is a great disc, full of invention, and varied too, i have tried some of Alexander's later discs, and i've been disappointed, one of the things that make this disc is a success is having Harold Mabern on board, not just as a Pianist, but as a mentor and teacher as well, and Mabern stamps his thoughts all over the album, he really can play with fire.

I was really impressed with the last track, 'Love Is A Many Splendored Thing', it's turned into a bossa nova tune, it swings wonderfully from side to side, Mabern's playing is superb, he takes the first solo after the theme [1:11], but even when Trumpeter Jim Rotondi [2:34], and Eric Alexander [3:55], take their solos, Mabern keeps stamping out the chords all over their solos, he's the engine room of this outfit, the reprise of the theme [7:15] is a glorious moment, what a great tune it is, i've just listened to Andy Williams sing it on YouTube, it's a tender love song too, but i like the rhythms that Alexander & Co bring to this cut, fantastic.

Here's Eric playing some live Jazz, and doing an interview on YouTube.

Dvorak - Violin Concerto [Tetzlaff/ Pesek-Czech Philharmonic Orchestra]

Christian Tetzlaff is German, but Libor Pesek is Czech, and since this is a Czech Orchestra too, it fits right in with Dvorak and his Slavonic spirit.

This time i just loved that middle slow Adagio, full of tender pathos and romance, this slow movement is linked to the first, there's a sort of intermezzo bridge, it's very effective, the Adagio tune is sweet and innocent [see 1:00 onwards], full of lots of nostalgia, there's this gorgeous quiet refrain on the Horns at [2:31], and the Violin joins in, a magical moment, and another with the flutes at [4:44], with the Violin playing some of the sweetest trills in the movement, and further along the Clarinets play this aching refrain [5:27], and the Violin joins in, and the music turns more romantic/passionate at [6:07], the Violin caresses us with some of the sweetest things that Dvorak ever wrote, the whole thing is so moving, the movement is not without darker underpinnings, it's a bittersweet experience, with emphasis on the sweet, i was transported away to a wonderful 'other' world.

You can hear Sarah Chang play this movement on YouTube.

Albert Beger [This Life]

Albert Beger is a Turkish born Israeli, he seems to be leaning towards Free Jazz, but on this recording he plays quite melodic Jazz, certainly not a household name, very much sticks to the Israeli Jazz circuit, but this is a lovely recording if you can find it.

A special mention should be made about the Drummer Asaf Sirkis, his drums are superbly caught in the recording, and the resonances of the different pieces of his kit are telling, one of the great joys of a Jazz disc is a greatly recorded Drummer.

The track i loved the most is track 6 called 'Love', it has this wonderful slow drumbeat march going through the whole thing, it's so hypnotic!, Albert Beger comes in with some nice soft wailing on the Sax, and at 1:40 he starts varying the tune, at 4:39 the Pianist John Bostock has a solo, and you can hear those damn hypnotic drums more clearer, fantastic!, the Sax returns and then quietens down at 7:36, and fades out, leaving Serkis to solo an outro for the last half minute, with that ever hypnotic drumbeat, this is truly brilliant.

In many ways Serkis is the star of the show, he's a very busy Drummer, lives in London now, and he's got some very inventive records under his own name, check out his Website, with lots of abilities to listen to him play.

Here's a nice atmospheric tune called 'Minuette', gives you some idea what he sounds like, you can hear this track on YouTube.

Beethoven - Violin Sonata 9 [McAslan/ Blakely]

The Scottish born Lorraine McAslan is certainly not a household name, she hasn't made a lot of recordings, and seems to have been stuck on less well known Record labels.

But her interpretation of this classic is very good indeed, she's fairly matter of fact, she looks glum in the photo on the cover of the booklet, and maybe her readings also have a slightly sombre feel to them as well.

On this listen i enjoyed the middle variation movement, this has always been my favourite, the variations are full of ...well variety!, lots of exciting different ways of listening to the same tune, the theme [0:00-2:40] has some majestic playing by John Blakley, taken at a stately tread, also in the first variation [2:41-4:47], the piano is nicely recorded into the mix, it's not considered an inferior instrument here, in the second variation [4:48-6:29], there's some exciting and busy violin work by McAslan, and variation four [9:18-12:04] some nice high register work, and pizzicato playing by McAslan, right near the end, the coda is a loving summation of the movement [13:18 onwards], bringing to a close one of the greatest of Beethoven's Chamber music creations.

Here's Joshua Bell / Yuja Wang playing this movement on YouTube.

Brahms - Violin Sonata 1 [Frank/Serkin]

Well here's my fifth review of these Brahms Sonatas this year, i'm loving these pieces, and like i've mentioned before, i have many recordings of these Sonatas, but the more the merrier if you love them, and each recording gives its own very special slant on the work.

Both Frank and Serkin give individual readings, it's as if they're purposely trying to find something different to say than the usual, on this slightly bass heavy recording, Peter Serkin's piano has a ring to it which might seem to ring in the ear too much, also the Sonata is slightly more darker and sombre than usual, mainly due to Frank not letting the violin sing sweetly, and playing a somewhat dullish tone.

The movement i enjoyed the most is the first, the opening is played a little too fast, and it misses some of the romanticism that should permeate this music, making it into more of a lament, Serkin at times can be too quiet, ending up being merely an accompanyist, certainly Frank comes across as the stronger voice, in the middle of the movement there's a nice fierce battle between violin and piano at [4:34-5:09], the music develops a nice forte, and Serkin has some exciting playing, endlessly fascinating, Brahms's Violin Sonatas are a lifetime of discovery.

You can hear Ida Haendel play this movement on YouTube.

Bruckner - Symphony 4 [Wand-Kolner Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester]

The German Conductor Gunter Wand died at the age of 90 in 2002, he waited until he was in his sixties before he started to conduct Bruckner, he recorded this performance when he was 66, Wand is very much a self taught Conductor, very individual, he requires/demands lots of rehearsal time, and painstakingly mulls over every note, in his late years he restricted his repertoire almost exclusively to Bruckner, thus he has become somewhat of a Bruckner specialist, making many recordings of the same symphony.

As you might have guessed from Bruckner, he seemed to love the Horns in the Orchestra, and they always seem to play a prominent part, mainly in fanfares and forte outbursts, again i loved listening to the first movement, the very opening is always inspiring, ghostly horns appearing out of the mists as it were, there's this lovely string melody at [2:58 onwards], which works its way into one of Bruckner's Horn / Brass fanfares, it's the coming and going, rising and falling, back and forth of the pastoral string music, versus the hunting call fanfares on the Horns / Brass which i love about Bruckner.

Again the booklet is a delight, a lovely evening by the river / lake, the late sun on the water, very inspiring indeed.

Here's Claudio Abbado conducting this Symphony on YouTube.

Schubert - Piano Sonata 21 [Kovacevich]

Just as a note, this disc is actually the one recorded in 1982 for Hyperion records, and not the one shown in the scan, i had both discs, and i compressed them down into a double disc slimline case, the artwork for the Hyperion is missing.

The American Stephen Kovacevich lives in London, a great interpreter of Schubert and Beethoven, in this recording, the Sonata is slightly more moody, brooding and darker than his later 1994 recording for EMI, it's good to have both versions to compare.

The recording is made in a very slightly reverberant acoustic, yet a nice full piano sound, a lovely ring in the treble, and a deep growl in the bass, the different colours of the piano stand out nicely, the engineers have caught the recording well, and the booklet picture is a great shot by David Thompson, nice and moody.

Of course my favourite movement is the opening Molto Moderato first, he takes the opening slightly fast, but sustains it well, he incorporates the exposition repeat into his performance, making this movement almost as long as the rest of the Sonata put together, his left hand playing is a delight, there's lots of repititious notes here, but kovacevich sustains the incredible intensity so well by varying things ever so subtly, try 11:20 to 13:28 as a good sample, you can certainly hear the creator of the Impromptus in this passage, if i could sum up one word it would be 'intensity', Kovacevich takes us deep into Schubert's soundworld and psyche, this music makes me glad to be alive.

Here is Maria Joao Pires playing the first movement on YouTube.

Bruch - Scottish Fantasy [Suwanai/ Marriner-Academy Of Saint Martin In The Fields]

Here's Bruch's Scottish Fantasy for Violin and orchestra, a real gem, and yet at the same time fairly unknown compared to his famous Violin Concerto 1, which is the coupling on this disc, it's baffling to me that this piece isn't better known, if you love the First Concerto, you will love this too.

This was Akiko Suwanai's debut recording, she was 24 when she made it, she's from Japan, she looks like a model, the wonderful pictures are by Christian Steiner.

The work is full of Scottish folk melodies, which Bruch expertly weaves into a wonderful fantasy, i so much enjoyed the first movement Adagio Cantabile [after the initial introduction movement], the Orchestra opens the piece, with gentle and ethereal stirrings, Suwanai comes in with a gorgeous folky tune [1:06], it has a flavour of a slow Scottish reel, after a while the same tune appears again [2:38], this time like a slow jig, and more impassioned, the piece slows down to a wistful and nostalgic magic at [3:24], themes are reminisced upon and lovingly caressed, truly outstanding and touching, the piece ends peacefully on a high note from the violin, a masterpiece from Bruch.

Here's Kyung Wha Chung playing the Scottish Fantasy on YouTube.

Brahms - Violin Sonata 1 [Belkin/Dalberto]

More Brahms Violin Sonatas, these have featured three times in January 2010, and i admit to having nine different discs in my collection of these three Sonatas, each one reveals a different facet and view, but this is the first time i'm writing about the first Sonata in my Blog, the longest of the three Sonatas, it was composed right after his Violin Concerto, i wonder if that had any influence on it?.

I enjoyed Belkin's interpretation, i most of all liked his way with the first movement, marked vivace, it's sweet and tranquil to start with with, the piano gently calls the opening notes, and the violin responds with what initially sounds like a more pastoral type of music, but soon it develops a passion at [1:24], and that passion becomes intense [1:34], nice pizzicato playing at [3:28], with the Piano playing the melody, inflamed forte passages abound, real feeling here, i still feel that the whole movement can't make up its mind to either soothe us or set us on fire, and maybe it does both, if i can think up one word to describe this movement, it would be 'ardent', the Frenchman Michel Dalberto is a great accompanyist.

Here's Kyung Wha Chung playing the first movement on YouTube.

Bach - Double Oboe & Violin Concerto [Hahn & Vogel/Kahane-Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra]

The American Hilary Hahn has made a fabulous album here, she was nearly 23 when she recorded this, each of the four works is a gem, in a wonderfully clear recording, ideally using a Chamber Orchestra, you can hear all the instruments in a realistic spatial dimension, Bach would have been thrilled with the interpretation.

A Double Concerto for a wind and a stringed instrument is a great idea, it's a wonder that the big classical and romantic era Composers didn't create Concertos for various combinations of duets, the Oboe and Violin work really well together.

This time i was enchanted by the lovely slow middle movement Adagio, sounding like it's suspended in space and time, the gorgeous Oboe melody comes in right at the beginning, and the Violin takes up the tune after a short while, the two swap and overlap each other in a fugue like elegy, while the strings play a pizzicato beat like gentle raindrops, really soothing and calming.

Here's Nigel Kennedy & Aisling Casey playing the Adagio on YouTube.

Keith Jarrett [Standards Volume 1]

This is the first Jazz disc i ever bought, i bought it blind, just picking it off the shelf without knowing a damn thing what it contained [never even heard of Keith Jarrett!], it's like winning the lottery on your first ticket you ever bought, this has remained my most favourite Jazz disc of all time, i don't know how i managed that one!.

Jarrett is considered a Jazz Piano God by so many Jazzaholics, he must be a billionaire by now with sales of his albums, he's great to listen to, and great to watch as well, so animated at the piano, so much 'into' whatever he's playing, if anyone can be accused of 'making love with his piano' it must be Keith Jarrett!.

My favourite Jazz track of all time is track 5, God Bless The Child, fifteen and a half minutes of pure Jazz heaven, i never tire of hearing these three guys working together with telepathic senses, there's so much magic in this track, it's hard to know where to begin to point out the juicy bits, it's all juicy!, i must admit i like the new refrain Jarrett plays at [1:24-1:51], the whole thing just goes up another level, it swings backwards and forwards from verse to chorus, adding wave upon wave, Jarrett teases and vocalises, his audible cries just add to the piece, another magic moment is at the end of the Jack DeJohnette drum solo, Jarrett morse codes the bass notes [9:26], and then quietens them down [9:46], in anticipation for the tune to come back in [9:52], what a tease!, and then what a release!, magic stuff.

You can hear this piece on YouTube here.