Dvorak - Cello Concerto [Lloyd Webber/ Neumann-Czech Philharmonic Orchestra]

The British Cellist Julian Lloyd Webber has made a wonderful recording here, i enjoyed all three movements to an excellent high degree, amazed by the genius and tunefulness of Dvorak.

Also i really like the booklet shot, i take it it's the Vltava river in Prague, with the old city in the background, it's the front to back perspective [background/foreground], the left to right railings, it has depth and width, and the colours are pleasing, others probably just see a photo!.

For me the slow Adagio epitomises Dvorak at his romantic best, it starts off with the most tender achingly woodwind intro [0:00-0:33], full of pathos and yearning, the cello makes its entry, and then the clarinet/woodwind come back in, and there's a lovely dialogue with the cello [0:57-1:24], what an opening!, probably the highlight of this movement, there's a nice inventive passage early on [2:48-3:45], it starts off with forte strings and brass [2:48+], and then the cello has a free flowing melody, while the strings are busy in the background [3:00+], and it ends with the flutes and cello in dialogue [3:26], Dvorak must have thought highly of it, as he repeats the whole thing [4:24, 4:39 & 5:05], but of course with different variations/combinations, there's a wistfulness about the closing pages, a superb and satisfying slow movement.

Here's Lloyd Webber recording the end of the first movement of this very recording on YouTube, it's so good to see his technique, also here's the slow movement played by him on YouTube as well, starting a little way in.

Chopin - 24 Etudes [Gavrilov]

Recorded in 1985 and 1987, this disc was a bit of a sensation when it came out, Gavrilov incites a degree of controversy, i find Gavrilov's Etudes are fairly rushed, at times even garbled, sometimes he trips up over his own fingers, maybe he's looking so far ahead to what he wants to say next, that he can't see where he is now!, and stumbles over the obvious.

However, at the same time, there's a thrilling bravura in some of these Etudes, in others Gavrilov makes you re-think, there's insights aplenty, and the entertainment value is high, i wouldn't want to be without Mr Gavrilov's views on these masterpieces.

It must be noted that the recording or the piano [or both], are a bit clangy / reverberant for my liking, but not overly so.

Well i enjoyed Etudes 3, 5, 8 & 12 from Op10, and 1 & 11 from Op25, his Op10/3 is actually very orthodox on the whole, Op10/5 is played at breakneck speed, and very staccato, however there's a nice tender moment toward the end [0:54-1:05], and the very end is s-t-a-c-c-a-t-o, in Op10/8 he is very heavy in the left hand, especially towards the end, Op10/12 i would say i enjoyed the most, it's very thrilling, nicely paced, lots of drama, a nice busy left hand, but again he does emphasise the staccato elements, Op25/1 has some nice poetry, but again Gavrilov must have hands made out of lead, he just can't play anything gently / dreamily, Op25/11 the intro is extra slow, and then when the main tune starts, it's extra fast, creating an unnatural extreme, maybe it might give some a jolt of excitement, but it sounds too contrived, as if he's yearning for showy effects, so the final analysis is bad = fast / staccato / loud, and good = breathtaking / surprising / unorthodox, try some Gavrilov see what you think, but Lortie, Berezovsky, Lugansky, Yokoyama, and Magaloff have so much more to say.

Here's Gavrilov playing the 'Revolutionary' Etude [Op10/12] on YouTube.

Article = Stephen Moss.

Wynton Marsalis [Black Codes From The Underground]

When i first developed a love for Jazz, i quickly got into Wynton Marsalis's albums, i bought roughly half of his, and even though i've sold some of them because they're too average, this is his very best album, i find he has just become too much in the last ten years, i don't follow him anymore.

This is probably Marsalis's best band, there's a nice intensity to these tracks, Marsalis and his men have matured over his first three albums, to the point that there's a nice understanding between them all, it's this 'telepathy' that makes a group great, and you can see/hear how they know what each other is going to do/play.

For me track 1 'Black Codes' really hits the mark, it opens with an unconventional mish mash of ideas, Kenny Kirkland's oblique piano stabbings should be duly noted, Wynton Marsalis comes in with his bright shining solo [1:26+], strong and sharp, Branford Marsalis uses the soprano sax on his solo [4:25+], an instrument that he's quite possibly better suited to than his tenor, and Kenny Kirkland gets his solo in [6:13+], the track nicely swings in places, and there's a nice intense fierceness there, a great opener.

It should be noted that there's a 'secret' seventh track called 'Blues', which features just Wynton Marsalis & Charnett Moffett, really good, it works so well.

Vivaldi - Cello Concerto RV420 [Wallfisch/ Kraemer-City Of London Sinfonia]

This fourth volume of Cello Concertos, played by Raphael Wallfisch are superb [i hope Naxos issue the full 4 volumes as a boxset sometime], the sheer invention of Vivaldi is incredible, if you love the inventiveness of the Four Seasons, then you will discover that there are equal magical moments all over his roughly 500 odd Concertos.

Of these 7 Concertos on this disc, RV420 really got my attention, and mainly it's the final movement, it's such a whirlwind of a piece, building up tension, and then releasing it, not to mention it's in a minor key, it starts off with the strings making some frantic hurried sounds, and a slight whiff of dissonance adds to the mix [0:00-0:29], which returns again and again and again [0:52, 1:36, 2:30 & 3:13], repetition when used right is the boon of enjoyment, i love hearing an excellent device again and again, it seems that it builds up each time you hear it, multiplying the effect, in this movement it's not the Cello that's the star, it's those frantic strings!, and that harpsichord in the background, the cello just gives a nice rest to the ears now and again.

Here's the third movement of RV420, played by Jonathon Cohen on YouTube.

Kenny Garrett [Standard Of Language]

Kenny Garrett will hit the big 5-0 later this year, happy half century Kenny!, i bought this disc a while back [probably 2006, second hand Camden Town for £3!], and initially i have felt it was one of his average albums, but on this listen i have started to fall in love with a few tracks, it's a slow burner of an album.

I really liked tracks 2-4, i suppose i liked track 2 the best 'Kurita Sensei', it has that incredibly funky feel about it, especially the rhythm at the beginning, it starts off with the piano stamping out the chords, and the drums [Chris Dave] with this funky drive [0:00-0:17], i love the tic tic, toc toc beat to it, the sax comes in with this funky as hell theme [0:18-0:49], it doesn't unfold as it logically should!, but instead it gets truncated at the end, and starts to tease in unexpected ways, the sax and piano [Vernell Brown] both get solos, and then the sax theme comes back in superbly with the opening tune [4:04-4:20], but the whole thing comes to an abrupt halt in a surprise ending.

Here's Kenny Garrett playing 'Native Tongue' live on YouTube, sadly it misses the lovely opening theme at the beginning and the end!, hmmm.

Interview = Richard Anderson.

Shostakovich - Symphony 10 [Solti-Chicago Symphony Orchestra]

Now here's something very special, the Hungarian Georg Solti conducting Shostakovich's mighty Tenth Symphony, over the last year i've been appreciating this Conductor more and more, he really has an exciting way of presenting a work, especially a long work, so you get to see each tree, but never at the expense of missing out on the grandeur of the whole forest.

This time listening, i was excited by the short 4 minute second movement, in some ways it seems out of place right after a 20+ minute slow movement, the gigantic and the tiny, but that's Shostakovich for you, juxtaposing two 'clashing / opposite' movements, this 'little scherzo' is relentless, right from the beginning the high woodwind come in and go berserk [0:04-0:22], the Symphony is scored for lots of percussive instruments, and the excellent use of a xylophone adds to the melee [0:48+], out of canter instruments make their appearance in the fray, the bassoon chugs away in the background [1:43+], the brass make crude fanfares [2:13+], and then more doleful ones [2:36+], while the timpani do drumrolls, and then drumbeats [3:18 & 3:23], the snare drums make its mark, and the movement end with a nice upward 'squeal', wow, Shostakovich really knows how to cram so much drama into 4 frantic minutes.

Here's Solti conducting the second movement on YouTube.

Schubert - 8 Impromptus [Leonskaja]

She's a Russian from Georgia, recorded a lot of discs on the Teldec label, most of them are now reissued on their budget Apex label, the original discs are hard to come by, especially the late Schubert Sonatas.

I've lived with Schubert's Impromptus for a long time, so i can usually tell what's really good, but i haven't lived with Leonskaja's recording for very long, so a thorough assessment is hard, i find she's quite slow, she takes over 70 minutes for all eight Impromptus [Brendel takes 10 minutes less], but she has a tendency to sustain this speed nicely, she can also 'sniff' during her playing, an inability to control her breathing maybe, but yet a very satisfying account of the Impromptus.

I especially enjoyed her Fifth Impromptu [D935/1], it's my favourite, and quite possibly my favourite piece of Classical music of all time, it's so very difficult to pinpoint a piece of magic in this work, as it's all magic, one thing i feel about this Impromptu, is that it weaves a tapestry which is so seamless, i remember a few years ago i played this while walking barefoot along a beach, where the waves meet the sand, the tide was going out, it left patterns in the sand, ridges glistening in the sun, plus the rhythm of waves always make me think of this Impromptu [or the other way round], it has such a build up of repetition, and yet nothing is really uniform, it's such a pliable piece, it goes all over the place, and yet is so faithful to the whole mood it creates.

It's good to have Leonskaja's take on this piece, another facet viewed from another angle, gives a truer perspective of the whole.

Here's Andras Schiff playing the First Impromptu of the second set on YouTube.

Prokofiev - Piano Concerto 2 [Krainev/ Kitaenko-Radio Sinfonie Orchester Frankfurt]

Two Russians, Vladimir Krainev & Dmitri Kitaenko work together perfectly, both fairly unknown by western audiences, this boxset of the Five Concertos is a very nice addition to my collection.

Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto is superb, full of sardonic wit, jarring melodies, and always the unexpected and the welcome lingering around the corner, it's also full of the most intense variety, how does Prokofiev string it all together into a cohesive whole?.

I love the quirky third movement Intermezzo, it has so many instruments doing strange things, you can almost imagine each instrument is an animal, in some bizarre circus come to town, the 'laughing bassoons' [0:21-0:32], truly a moment of sheer genius, and they come back to laugh some more [2:12-2:22], the piano makes its entrance by this quirky lop-sided hand over hand tune [0:44-1:12], superb to watch as well as hear, there's a whole section in the middle that goes from a string waltz punctuated by flutes [3:54-4:15], and then the piano stutters a tune [4:16+], it slowly builds up by the brass filling the gaps [4:37+], and dissonant string stabbings [4:47+], ending in the piano going into forte mode [4:55+], a nice minute of controlled madness, towards the end it becomes a lumbering giant out of control [5:57-6:22], the more you listen to it, the more you discover that you want to hear next time round, this is the essence of discovery, and Prokofiev is a drug that you get hooked on for life.

Here's Yuja Wang playing the third movement Intermezzo on YouTube, with Charles Dutoit conducting.

Brahms - Clarinet Sonata 1 [Guyot/Guy]

Romain Guyot is a name new to me, i take it he's French, these Harmonia Mundi 'Les Nouveaux Interpretes' [The New Interpreters] series is wonderful, like the 'Debut' series that EMI does, this showcases some new talent in Classical music, that otherwise might not get a chance to make a recording, plus this booklet has a nice black & white shot by Eric Larrayadieu of the Artists.

I have a real 'thing' about the clarinet, it is a wonderful instrument, it's lovely as a solo instrument, as well as a group instrument, equally at home in Classical as well as in Jazz, portable and inexpensive, something that can be satisfyingly played on my own, at my own pace, i'm seriously thinking of getting one.

The First Clarinet Sonata has that 'autumn' feel about it, easy going chamber music, very lyrical indeed, even though the work is in a minor key, i loved listening to the third movement, a short-ish scherzo in a way, it opens with a lovely tune, showing off the creaminess of the clarinet, just beyond the introduction, the clarinet and piano play this delicious gentle section [0:38-1:02], quiet and refined, the opening is repeated at the end, and this little section satisfyingly closes this movement [3:55-4:22].

Here's the third movement Allegretto played by Robert Yaple on YouTube.

Rimsky Korsakov - Scheherazade [Ozawa-Wiener Philharmoniker]

Just recently i seem to have had a nice dose of Scheherazade, earlier this month [5th April 2010] i enjoyed Maazel playing this work, i really do like this work, i bought this disc as it had such a wonderful cover shot on the booklet [by Fernando van Teylingen], this is a major factor in my disc buying!.

I've heard good and bad about the conducting of Seiji Ozawa, the jury's out in my corner, Ozawa is not a youngster anymore, he will be 75 this year, and at the moment he is out of action receiving treatment for cancer, this is a live recording from 1993, applause at the start and end of the work, [and coughing in between!].

The second movement, 'The Story Of The Kalander Prince', teems with all sorts of orchestral colours, like a flashy bird of paradise on display, one of the things i notice about this movement, is the extensive use of the piccolos/high woodwind, halfway through the piece there's this chattering of the piccolos/woodwind [6:24-6:30 & 6:53-6:59], a very nice device, before and after this there are two wonderful episodes where the strings throb in low pizzicato mode, the first is with an atmospheric solo cor anglais [4:38-5:18], and the second is probably the highlight of the movement, this time with piccolos making a blast on a few notes, and the bassoon replying in an extended tune [7:04-7:54], this is done three times, each time the piccolos sound more anxious, a wonderfully mesmerising flash of storytelling by Scheherazade.

Here's the start of the 2nd movement, conducted by Kurt Masur on YouTube.

Various Composers - Soprano Opera Arias [Vaduva/Domingo-Philharmonia Orchestra]

I bought this disc ages ago, and only just now got round to listening to it, this is one of my quirky habits, buy a disc and put it in my collection, two or three years later i listen to it!.

Leontina Vaduva is Romanian, she hits the big 50 at the end of this year, this is a nice collection of mainly 'hits', there's nothing spectacular about her voice, it's a very nice Soprano, she isn't a superstar, maybe at the top of her voice it quivers somewhat, what may be seen as a 'warble' to some, i think she's very listenable.

The Aria that really 'got' to me this time was track 12 'Teneste La Promessa...Addio Del Passato', i've certainly heard this done better, starting with the lovely quiet tremolo strings, which the solo violin plays the main Traviata theme over, and then Violetta/Vaduva reads the letter in singspiel over this [0:00-0:51], there's an enchanting oboe solo that introduces the main Aria [1:44-1:55], the Aria is a beautiful tune, Violetta sings goodbye to her past happy life, she can feel herself dying, and reminisces on Alfredo's love, which once comforted her.

Addio, del passato bei sogni ridenti

[Adieu, sweet happy dreams of the past]

A tragic Opera scene, but Operas are either about Love or Death, or both!.

Here's Angela Gheorghiu singing this Aria on YouTube.

Beethoven - Symphony 5 [Simon-Philharmonia Orchestra]

Geoffrey Simon is an Australian Conductor, to my knowledge he has extensively recorded with Chandos Records [a number of Respighi discs], and with Cala Records [which i believe is his own record label].

On this Cala disc, it's very much presented as a Concert, an Overture, a Concerto, and then a Symphony, even though these aren't live recordings.

Well Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is so inspiring, the opening of the first movement is the most revolutionary utterance from any Composer, maybe on this recording the opening notes aren't quite as powerful as some, plus the recording sounds on the treble heavy side, but Beethoven's genius shines so brightly, that even a good performance sounds great, two parts of this Symphony really inspired me this time, the first is the oboe solo [4:31-4:56], first heard as accompaniment to the orchestra, but then is left completely naked, a magical respite, the second is a fervent variation of the opening notes, striking more and more passionate, especially emphasised by the brass at the end [6:02-6:18], Beethoven surely knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Here's Herbert Von Karajan conducting the first movement on YouTube.

Rory Block [Ain't I A Woman]

Well here's a Blues disc, i only have about 8 Blues discs in my collection, at one point i purposely tried buying a number of Blues discs to try to get more into this genre, i must admit it's a hard area to get into, there's so many poor or average Blues albums out there, my disc collection is so Classical heavy, i would love to balance it out by getting into this genre more, but i waste oodles of money on trying to find a decent Blues album.

Aurora Block is in her sixties now, she's made many albums, but to my ears each album has hits and misses on it, this in my mind is her best album, it certainly isn't great but definitely good, there always seems to be a gem worth mining.

One of the things you soon find out about her own compositions, is that she has a tendency to not use rhyming in her words, this can throw you a bit at first, but it shows a deeper maturity at being able to really say something, while not propping it all up on this age old device.

I really like track 6 'Rolling Log', it's acoustic, with just another guitarist, a song by Lottie Beaman, it has two memorable devices, one introduced at the beginning, a high guitar jingle that starts to decend down the strings [0:00-0:08], and the other is this mmmmm hum from Block, that is really passionate [0:11-0:15], both come back again and again, a touching song about drifting, and a husband in jail,

I've been drifting, rolling along the road

i'm looking for my room and board

i've got the blues

while my sweet man's in jail

and the judge won't let me call his bail

Here's Buffy Sainte-Marie singing 'Rolling Log' on YouTube, fairly different, there's no mmmmm factor, but a nice cover version.

Tchaikovsky - Piano Trio [Golub/Kaplan/Carr Trio]

The Golub/Kaplan/Carr Trio was formed in 1982, and was disbanded i take it at the death of the Pianist David Golub in 2000, Golub and Kaplan are Americans, and Carr is English, they have made a number of recordings for the Arabesque label, this is one of their finest, recorded in 1994.

Tchaikovsky's Trio is a work of real passion, especially for the Pianist, it has strong powerful chords, almost a Requiem for Piano Trio [for Rubinstein], it's in a minor key, and sounds like a lament at times, certainly it has tragic elements to it, but it's also endlessly fascinating, the crux of the work is a bunch of variations, and Tchaikovsky pulls out all the stops in creating a tremendous variety, all three instruments get a chance to show off.

Of course i enjoyed the variations, especially variations 1 & 5-6, these two middle variations are called 'The Musical Box' and the 'Waltz', 'The Musical Box' of course is self explanatory, the piano plays chiming sounds high in the treble, while violin and cello give a soft drone, short but very effective [4:23-4:46], there seems to be a linking passage to the 'Waltz' by the cello, as it stutters the beginnings of the waltz [4:47-5:00], and the cello takes up the waltz first, and the others join in later [5:01-7:22], it really gets passionate at some points, you'll always find some variation to satisfy whatever mood you're in, or to create a mood.

Here's the first part of the variations played on YouTube, variation 5 starts at 4:39, and variation 6 at 5:27.

Brahms - Clarinet Sonata 2 [Collins/ Pletnev]

Brahms wrote his Clarinet Sonatas in the autumn of his life, inspired by the Clarinetist Richard Muhlfeld, they were virtually the last things he composed, a few years later he was dead.

The Englishman Michael Collins has recently turned to conducting, and will be taking up the appointment as Conductor of the City of London Sinfonia later in 2010, he is still a fairly 'young' 48, this disc was recorded just over 20 years ago, the booklet is really nice, a young looking Collins, and Pletnev looks like an Undertaker!.

Brahms Clarinet Sonata 2 is very lyrical, and pastoral in feel, the opening movement sounds like a free flowing Rhapsody, it goes all over the place, seems fairly structureless, there's this passionate episode on the clarinet, fairly loud [1:47+], which also returns later [6:15+], and is preceded by some nice strong piano work, some lovely 'last thoughts' from Brahms.

Here's the first movement Allegro Amabile being played on YouTube.

Brahms - Haydn Variations [Muti-Philadelphia Orchestra]

The Italian Riccardo Muti recorded a Brahms Symphony cycle in the late eighties, the discs are available as a set, but originally were issued seperately, i am not a fan of the 2nd and 3rd Symphonies of Brahms, i find them quite weak, but his First Symphony is a different matter, plus the Haydn Variations are a treasure, so this is a desirable disc, Muti is now nearly 70, he recorded this when he was 48.

I like variations, whether they are Orchestral or Instrumental or Chamber, there's something about having a short piece of music, then exploring every avenue of possibility with it, whether it be key signature, meter, speed, etc, it's amazing what a clever Composer can create out of a simple tune.

On this listening i especially loved variation 6 and the finale, variation 6 [9:46-11:06] is that part where the horns come in with their oompah oompah, a really nice touch, i like the bumbling gait of this variation, the piece gets louder, it's like it was made for a Brass Band, horns and woodwinds take it in turns chugging out the tune [9:46-10:12], and then it's the strings and the timpani [10:13-11:06], each variation is heightened by the variation preceding or following it, a lovely memorable musical experience.

Here's Liviu Buiuc conducting variations 4-7 on YouTube, variation 6 starts at 3:40.

Beethoven - Violin Sonata 5 [Szeryng/ Haebler]

Last month i wrote about how much i enjoyed Violin Sonata 9 [9th March 2010], now it's the turn of Sonata 5, in comparison it may seem a lighter work, 'spring' gives the idea it's a youthful work, but Beethoven was in his early thirties when he composed it.

Henryk Szeryng is one of those sublime masters that you can talk of in the same breath as Kempff and Rubinstein [both of whom he recorded with], he has a lovely line, and works best with others of his calibre, [see a discussion on 'why is he so underrated'].

The second movement Adagio is so sublime, two things that strike me about his Szeryng's playing, first is that he seems to steal in unawares, there's no loud 'look at me, here i am' phrases, secondly he has such a sweet tone, nothing ugly here, listening to the longer lines in the middle of this movement, both Szeryng and Haebler have a lovely intensity about them [2:40-3:46], i especially like the delicious turn of phrase at [3:21], a truly great partnership.

Here's Szeryng playing the second movement on YouTube, this time with Rubinstein on piano.

Various Composers - Italian Soprano Opera Arias [Netrebko/Abbado-Mahler Chamber Orchestra]

The Russian Soprano Anna Netrebko is nearly 40! [38], and here i was thinking she was in her twenties, well she looks good for her age, and on the front cover of the booklet she looks stunning [photograph by Clive Arrowsmith].

I must admit that Netrebko has a 'dark' Soprano voice, maybe leaning towards a Mezzo Soprano, on this disc we get only 6 Arias, but they are long-ish sections of Operas.

I really enjoyed her Willow Song/Ave Maria from Verdi's Otello, but most of all i was touched by her Amina in Bellini's La Sonnambula, in some ways it's the clarinets that steal the show, their long luscious lines caress and soothe, while Amina's heart breaks, the clarinets come to life [track 3, 1:14-1:38], closely joined by the flute, but it's in the main Aria that they weave their full magic [track 4, 1:17+], while Amina laments,

Passasti al par d'amore [You faded like love itself]

che un giorno sol duro [which lasted but for a day]

potria novel vigore [maybe my tears]

il pianto mio recarti [will revive you]

ma ravvivar i'amore [but they will never]

il pianto mio non puo [revive love]

A lovely touching Aria, and of course a happy ending around the corner, certainly Bellini has a way of using solo instruments in the Orchestra to powerful effect.

Here she is on YouTube, singing the Bellini Aria from La Sonnambula.

Vaughan Williams - Symphony 2 'London' [Thomson-The London Symphony Orchestra]

The Scot Bryden Thomson has recorded the complete Symphonies of Vaughan Williams, it's an excellent cycle, all were originally released singularly, with another work as a companion, his Second Symphony is very good indeed, recorded in the late eighties, [Bryden Thomson passed away in 1991].

All of the booklets feature a Turner painting, this one is 'The Burning Of The Houses Of Parliament' [1834], a nice rich painting of golds.

The Second Symphony is so rich in imagery, it conjures up London so well, it's my second favourite RVW Symphony after the Fifth, the second movement Lento is sheer mystery, starting on low ghostly strings, a plaintive oboe soon appears [0:17-0:38], and the violins come in stronger [0:57+], a lovely start, so atmospheric, the strings create this gentle pulse [2:03-2:58], Vaughan Williams builds things up so delicately, a master Composer, there's a more folk tune type middle section, introduced by the viola, but taken up with other woodwind, with the tambourine beating away [4:41-6:18], and then the strings weave their magic, they steal in with such sweet force [6:18+], and a second wave comes along even more powerful [7:27+], probably the best section of this movement, the mysterious opening returns, and the solo viola has the last word, the whole thing is so emotional.

Here's the last movement conducted by Randal Swiggum on YouTube.

Schubert - Piano Sonata 21 [Pires]

Maria-Joao Pires, born in Portugal 66 years ago [is she really that old?], seems a very serious Pianist, i'm not entirely convinced of her interpretations, and she can come across as opinionated, but she's never dull or boring.

Recorded in 1985, this is an enlightening interpretation, Pires gives ever so slight hesitations in the opening section, which heightens the weight on certain phrases, Schubert's opening is one of the most wonderful things that he has ever done, it's an opening of the utmost refinement and delicacy, in my opinion it's the greatest Piano Sonata written, Pires certainly likes to growl those angry bass notes loud [1:40-2:10], and elsewhere, where the marking is 'forte', she sure lets the hammer come down, but this creates an impassioned reading, similarly in the treble, her crispness can ring out louder and clearer [10:56-11:18], she garbles some sections too fast, but it's still thrilling, listen to the nice ring to the high sub melody [16:30-16:51], nicely illuminating an inner voice, lots to hear anew, endlessly fascinating, what an incredible Piano Sonata.

Here she is playing the first movement on YouTube.

Schubert - 3 Klavierstucke [Schiff]

Andras Schiff is Hungarian, and has made countless recordings for Decca and Teldec, and now for ECM, he is now doing his first Beethoven Sonata cycle.

It's actually a shame that this disc isn't of Schubert's 8 Impromptus on one disc, Decca really need to reissue this to conveniently make a complete set on a single disc, and with the booklet with a lovely misty lake shot on the front cover, this would have made a more logical coupling.

The last Klavierstucke is the shortest, almost a discarded Scherzo from a Piano Sonata, Schiff plays a beloved Bosendorfer, it sounds slightly more towards what Schubert would have used, rather than a Steinway, Schiff certainly likes a slightly staccato feel to things, he's certainly exciting, on the whole the piece is fast virtuosic music, with a more reflective slower middle section, i certainly like the little rippling figures between the main tune, at the start and the reprise near the end [0:09-0:16 & 3:49-3:55], this is typical Schubert, there's this slight hint of being out of sync with the rest of the piece, but this is by design, and it's a lovely effect, the 3 Klavierstucke taken as a set are an enjoyable listen.

Here's Carlo Grante playing the third Klavierstucke on YouTube.

Lalo - Symphonie Espagnole [Perlman/ Previn-London Symphony Orchestra]

Itzhak Perlman, born in Tel Aviv [now Israel], but an American citizen, he's 64 years old [younger than i thought], and arguably the worlds greatest living Violinist!, he can play so fast, with perfect intonation, and a degree of swagger and insouciance to boot!, he's my favourite living Violinist.

I bought this disc on Ebay, i like the bright shirt on the booklet, it really stands out!, i think it's a great shot of Perlman by Bette Marshall, plus these are endearing recordings, i haven't had this disc long, and therefore i haven't played it much, but i feel that it will become a treasured disc in my collection over the years.

I was mightily impressed with the opening movement, the whole thing of course has a Spanish flavour to it, full of virtuoso playing for the soloist, a real showpiece, it's a real traditional 'Violin v Orchestra' Concerto, the two are pitted against each other, or maybe more to the point they truly create something as a team, the whole movement is so full of good things, it's hard to pinpoint some passage truly inspired above every other, but there is this passage bang in the middle [3:30-4:02], which has some fantastic stuff in it, the violin is playing at a high virtuosity, and i love the short oboe phrase in the background [3:41-3:44], a delight, the whole Concerto has these moments of flair, it's a wonder why Lalo isn't a greater Composer.

Here's Leonidas Kovakos playing the first movement on YouTube.

Vivaldi - The Four Seasons [Chung-Saint Luke's Chamber Ensemble]

The South Korean Violinist Kyung Wha Chung hasn't been active of late, she has been out of action for five years because of a finger/hand injury, and is only just coming back to performing, this was one of her last recordings [in 2000], she's now 62 years old.

Saint Luke's Chamber Ensemble is a small group of 15 musicians, but they make a nice big sound, really ideal for Vivaldi, and Kyung Wha Chung directs from the violin.

The booklet cover is great too, a nice shot of Kyung Wha by Sheila Rock, in pastoral autumn colours.

I so much enjoyed the final movements of Summer and Autumn, the finale of summer is a virtuoso tour de force, really thrilling, angry at one point, and exuberant the next, representing the powerful force of thunder and lightning, you need to bow at such an incredible speed, it's also thrilling to watch too.

Here's an interview she did on YouTube, where she talks about this recording, and her inspiration, the music playing is mainly the final movement of Summer.

Also another video on YouTube, where she's performing the Summer Concerto with a chamber group, the way she dances around is so exciting, she's so happy.

Schubert - Symphony 8 'Unfinished' [Maazel-Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra]

Schubert's Eighth is an enigma, a truncated Symphony, something Schubert couldn't, or maybe wouldn't want to finish, but what we have here is a strange work in torso, it actually gains from being incomplete!, i really love this work, five years ago i would easily have said that his Ninth was superior, now i'm really not so sure.

Maazel conducted this Symphony on tour in Japan with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1980, the Japanese audience are very quiet, but also at the end of the work the applause is subdued, hmmm, maybe the minor key work subdued them, it's certainly a lovely sombre work, and with no rousing finale to get everyone on their feet, maybe they were all introspective, i certainly find it a quiet work of deep introspection.

The second movement is so superb, it starts off gentle and sweet on high strings, but also melancholy in the minor, it certainly has an air of innocence about it, and then it has a swaggering sad march on the opening tune [1:10+], it quietens down, and a new melancholy theme appears, this time with the woodwind solo playing a prominent role [2:21+], this new theme also has a swaggering forte version, like a massive military funeral march [3:33], the opening comes back [5:13] and Schubert repeats this whole thing again [with differences of course], until the coda comes along [10:28], and it quietly comes to a close, it's this alternating process that Schubert uses, between soft and loud, and first and secondary themes, which really tug against the soul.

Here's William Savola conducting the second movement on YouTube.

Beethoven / Liszt - Symphony 3 [Katsaris]

The French-Cypriot Cyprien Katsaris, has recorded all of Beethoven's Symphonies, his was a groundbreaking cycle, these Symphonies are rarely heard this way.

When you first hear a Liszt transcription of a Beethoven Symphony, it's like hearing the Symphony for the very first time all over again, and yet it also gives great insight into the piece hearing it anew very differently, quite a revelation, if anyone is in any doubt that the piano just cannot imitate the orchestra, then listen to a Liszt transcription, a whole orchestra erupts from the keyboard.

Right from the get-go you realize the piano is sparse compared to the orchestra, but all the notes/tunes are all there, you really can hear all the instruments coming out of the piano, the piano is a phenomenal instrument, and to hear rhythms in piano staccato instead of string legato brings a real thrill, it's like hearing a revolutionary period performance for the first time.

I so much enjoyed hearing the first movement today, it has such a headlong rush, it's actually the first Beethoven Symphony i listened to, so it holds a special place in my heart, and it remains my favourite to this day.

Here's Hiroaki Ooi playing the first movement on YouTube, using a FortePiano.

Rimsky Korsakov - Scheherazade [Maazel-The Cleveland Orchestra]

Recorded in 1977, Lorin Maazel took over the Cleveland Orchestra job from no less than George Szell in 1972, he had big boots to fill, he held the post for ten years until 1982, making many fine recordings, and giving the Orchestra a different sound.

It's hard to put Scheherazade into a category, is it a Symphony in disguise?, four Tone Poems maybe?, i suppose it's a Symphonic Suite!, rather like Smetana's Ma Vlast, but Rimsky-Korsakov choosing four pieces, automatically throws up the idea of a Symphony.

The fourth movement is certainly a finale!, lots of flamboyant exuberance, it's a kaleidoscope of lots of shorter ideas, it's flits, flashes and darts about, skillfully woven together into seamless magic, certainly the music has this Arabic/Oriental flavour about it, the use of the tambourine [1:19-1:23], the seductive flute right after [1:23-1:33], lots of percussion, and that military side drum, certainly Rimsky-Korsakov makes full use of every instrument available to him, and everyone seems to get their turn, after lots of virtuosic playing, it builds up and up, and finally explodes into a release [7:42+], and the main theme is played triumphantly on full throttle, interspersed with crashes from the timpani, then there's this sad refrain softly on the violins [9:13+], which begins the coda, Scheherazade gets her solo/cadenza on the violin [Daniel Majeske], and the thing winds down, a mesmerising showpiece by Maazel.

Here's Ormandy conducting the fourth movement on YouTube.

Blog = Uncle Dave Lewis