Handel - Water Music Suites [Gardiner-English Baroque Soloists]

For some reason Handel is really not on my radar as such, i don't find him a 'great' Composer, rather a good one, i admit his Concerto Grosso 6-Op6 is a marvel, but on the other end of the scale i hate the Messiah, his Water Music suites are maybe somewhere inbetween, certainly more towards liking them, but i still find them a hodge podge of individual pieces that don't really gel together, but then there are in fact singular moments of genius, but ultimately Handel isn't in the same league as Bach or Vivaldi.

Surprisingly this is the first time i've mentioned Handel in my Blog, and it's 273 days into the year!, it just goes to show how much he isn't in my life.

John Eliot Gardiner gives us the three Suites on this disc, but not in order 1, 2, 3, but rather 1, 3, 2, plus a couple

Chopin Piano Concerto 1 [Zimerman-Polish Festival Orchestra]

This is a lovely set of the Chopin Piano Concertos, Zimerman languishes in these recordings, in the end the two works can't be contained on a single disc, he spills over onto a second [but the price remains the same for a single disc, in a slimline case], Zimerman is also the conductor, and that means he has total artistic control over everything, and it shows in the final results, a truly superb engineered sound, the piano is to the fore, but not unduly so, a crystal clear piano sound, at times the gorgeous chimes of the piano take your breath away, one of the very best recorded piano sounds i've ever heard, slow and dreamy recordings.

Krystian Zimerman is of course Polish, born in 1956, he is now 53, i think this is one of the very last booklets to feature the big yellow DG banner, now they have smaller logos in the corner, a wise idea by DG, i like the booklet cover, Zimerman in action conducting.

I so much enjoyed the central Romance / Larghetto,

Here's Krystian Zimerman playing the second movement on YouTube, in an earlier recording.

Bellini - Soprano Opera Arias [Anderson/ Rescigno-Orchestre Philharmonique De Monte Carlo]

Here's a really nice Opera Arias recital, a disc dedicated to Bellini only, a great idea, there are too few dedicated to just this Composer, my only gripe with this disc is its somewhat short measure [54 minutes], an Aria or two could have been added from Norma, especially the famous one.

June Anderson is American, now 57 years old, she is mainly associated with the Bel Canto repertoire, i really like the booklet cover, a soft focus shot [by Steve Bicknell], vague background, and some well chosen lettering.

Here's Antonella Bandelli singing the Beatrice di Tenda aria on YouTube.

Sibelius - Violin Concerto [Yang/ Chistiakov-Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra]

Here's another new disc that i acquired recently, i believe i got it from some seller on Ebay from the Far East, and here's the thing, if i search for Classical Artists in the Far East [mainly Japan], a whole ton of them come up that aren't available in the West [i'm from England], sure we have Japanese and Korean Artists very popular in the West, but there's so many that are big in Asia, but unknown where i am, and why?, that's why Ebay is such a great venture, every now and again a really desirable disc becomes available from one of these sellers, i always search under 'violin' every now and again to see what it churns up.

So yet another Sibelius Violin Concerto, i just counted 15 versions of this work in my library, but there's always room for another, hehe, come to think of it i want to get the Vilde Frang disc, the booklet cover pic [by Jeng-Jin Ko], is really good, a very nice pose with the violin in hand.

Sung-Sic Yang is unknown to me, and i can't find anything on the internet about him, except that he is South Korean, this is what i mean about 'unknown to the West, but well known in Asia' syndrome!.

Again i was taken aback by the slow second movement, the recording is slightly boxy, and Yang's violin sounds deep and rich, almost halfway to sounding like a viola at times!, there's three parts i especially noticed this time, when the orchestra drones in with forte [3:03+], and the trumpets blast their fanfares three times [3:17, 3:35 & 3:43], a really lovely moment, and more towards the end, where the violin goes up into the treble stratosphere [4:51+], like a high wire trapeze artist climbing the ladder, and starts doing high trills / thrills [4:59+], and reaches a superb zenith [5:11], and after that Yang slowly floats downward and becomes lost in the orchestra, a short time later Yang does the same again, he starts climbing again [6:11+], and a superb zenith is reached again [6:37], these are really teasing, a good tremendous musical rush, Sibelius's Violin Concerto is a genius of a creation.

Here's Vadim Repin playing the second movement on YouTube, with Valery Gergiev conducting, live from the London Proms.

Various Composers - Flute Fantaisie [Milan/Brown]

This is my very first Flute disc i'm mentioning in my Blog, it's got some great stuff in it, rather than a Flute Sonata disc, with roughly three Sonatas, this has ten shorter pieces, from roughly 3 minutes to 9 minutes, a great variety of items, with of course some virtuoso flute playing by Susan Milan, she is an English Flautist.

The two pieces that really impressed me the most, were tracks 7 & 10, the Faure is short and sweet, the Louis Ganne piece called Andante et Scherzo is darker and mysterious, at least in the Andante, it's lighter and frothy in the Scherzo, the opening piano intro sets the tone [0:00-0:08], a serious intro, with a touch of orientalism about it, the flute then sings out the main melody [0:08+], a ravishing tune couched in mystery, it suits the breathy tone of the flute perfectly, the piano echoes the flutes opening [0:38+], an excellent little touch from Ganne, towards the end of the Andante, there's the reprise of the opening couple of minutes [2:44+], and it's so lovely to hear this dark mysterious opening played anew, the Scherzo [starting 4:44+] is more happier and bubbly, and about halfway through the piano superbly reminisces on a happier version of the opening Andante tune [5:40+], and the flute obliges by copying the piano's lead [5:46+], with the piano rippling away in the background, it's a really lovely piece, especially the Andante, French flute music holds a treasure trove of lovely works if you search through its gems.

Here's Minja Marcetic playing the Andante et Scherzo by Ganne on YouTube.

Vivaldi - The Four Seasons [Accardo-I Solisti Delle Settimane Internazionali Di Napoli]

After a little bit of a hiatus, i seem to be playing this work more and more, only this month i was listening to Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg play this Concerto [5th September 2010], it's a timeless piece, no wonder it's so popular, you can't argue with good music, and Vivaldi's ten minute Concertos are a treat, they never outstay their welcome, and oftentimes they're over all too soon.

Salvatore Accardo was born in Italy in 1941, he's 69 tomorrow, happy birthday Salvatore!, and has made many recordings for the Philips label, lots of Vivaldi, and Paganini for DG, i like the booklet cover, a simple but effective photo of a Strad, with lines of lettering, and Antonio Stradivari's signature in gold at the bottom.

This recording is made on original instruments, with the Accardo the leader, the group is small, roughly a dozen instrumentalists, and you can feel that in the performance, the keyboard playing of Bruno Canino is quite prominent, Accardo plays a different Strad Violin for each season, an interesting idea.

Again i find that i enjoyed the final movement of summer, it has a frenzy about it, basically it's the orchestra and the violin taking turns to excite the listener, almost in outdoing each other, it starts off in frantic low strings, and then comes the 'rain' [0:12-0:48], the higher strings dividing in two, mirror and echo each other, with their raining down from high to low, the volume might ebb and flow, but it's a real storm, the chamber orchestra also get to show off their virtuosity [1:06-1:29], especially with some wonderful 'waves' [1:20-1:24], and thereafter some more frenzied low strings [1:24-1:28], Accardo also gets the chance to show off his virtuosity [1:29-1:43], it's like a tag boxing partnership thereafter, a real blistering tour de force.

Here's Salvatore Accardo playing the Presto final movement of summer on YouTube.

Wynton Marsalis [Standard Time - Volume One]

I haven't had any Jazz on my Blog for ages, even though i've now got 21 Jazz entries, this is my first mention of Jazz for over four months, i don't know why, i love Jazz, it's that relatively i haven't got a lot of Jazz discs, probably roughly 75 discs, Jazz oozes improvisation and spontaneity, it's almost made up by the musicians as they go along, in this sense there's nothing like Jazz, and it's a joy to listen to a band 're-create' music on the go.

Wynton Marsalis is now 48 years old, with a huge discography, he's approaching Keith Jarrett status, to collect all his albums would mean pushing aside many other artists in the quest to listen to Marsalis, rather i like dipping into his discography, and in my mind his 'Standard Time' series that he is pursuing, has got off the tracks somewhat, but the first disc is the best, and maybe he ought to have stopped at two or three.

Here's Wynton marsalis playing Caravan live on YouTube.

Brahms - String Quartet 2 [Takacs String Quartet]

Here's another lovely box set of the Brahms String Quartets, with the Piano Quintet, over previous months i have extolled some of the other works on this disc [22nd August 2010] and [14th July 2010], i am no expert on these String Quartets, in fact they're fairly new to me as works that i'm starting to truly appreciate, it's a wonderful discovery to finally 'get' what Brahms is trying to say!.

It's good to have all three of the String Quartets of Brahms in one handy box, the Takacs string quartet has really come of age recently, they are now very highly regarded by critics, and again i must make mention of the booklet cover [not the original that came with this set], a very well proportioned shot, with an unusual camera angle from below, with lovely horizontal and vertical lines, browns and blues!, lovely.

The first movement really caught my heart, it's in A Minor of course, and it's quite a sad movement, the opening is a sad refrain [0:00-0:32], fairly quiet, the Quartet nicely swirls out of this, later there's a nice little jaunty tune [1:10+], where the cello uses excellent use of some nice deep pizzicato bass to keep things bumbling along, and this section comes to an end with an endearing conclusion [2:22+], this whole section is then repeated again, the return of the start [3:23+] is a wonderful moment, it cements and solidifies the original opening when you hear it all over again just over three minutes later, and then towards the end this triptych appears yet again [8:07+], this time the endearing end to the section becomes the start of the coda, and the thing winds down to its ultimate conclusion, a sad but satisfying piece of music.

Here's the Jerusalem Quartet playing the first movement on YouTube.

Dvorak - Violin Concerto [Frank/ Mackerras-Czech Philharmonic Orchestra]

The Dvorak Violin Concerto is not one of my very favourite Violin Concerto's, but each time i hear it i'm very thankful i took the time to stop and listen, it's full of those Slavic rhythms and tunes that Dvorak is so good at.

Pamela Frank is American,

Beethoven - Symphony 6 [Sawallisch-Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra]

Here's the companion Symphony to the Fifth i reviewed last month [11th August 2010], again i must say this is a slightly muddy recording, but i toned down the bass, and increased the volume to compensate, and it sounds fine.

And again i mention the booklet cover, gold and purple!, the red logo stands out, with Mr Sawallisch in a side profile pose.

The opening movement was a sweet revelation, what a delicious way to start a Symphony, full of the joys of the countryside,

Here's Myung Whun Chung conducting the first movement on YouTube.

Beethoven - Violin Sonata 5 [Zukerman/ Barenboim]

Last month i spoke about Beethoven's Violin Sonata 9 [10th August 2010], and much of what i wrote there applies here, again i feel the booklet cover is a gem, a tight head shot of Zukerman in his bearded days, plus a good red / blue theme.

Beethoven's Violin Sonata 5 isn't as good as his truly sublime Sonata 9, but it has a youthfulness about it, a direct simplicity about it, i enjoyed the slow second movement, it starts off with a gentle rocking rhythm from Barenboim on the piano mid bass [0:00+], and it's the piano that takes up the main tune at first with the violin offering accompaniment [0:05-0:47], and then they switch sides with the violin playing the tune [0:47-1:27], this is lovely playing, the tune is gorgeous, this very set up returns a little later [2:31-4:43], the piano taking the lead at first with the violin taking lead later [3:19+], this time they both create variations on the opening tune, the music becomes more serious, especially the violin has some of the very best music in its section, there's a gravitas and a yearning here [3:19-4:43], it's a joy to listen to Zukerman interpret Beethoven, nearer the end the piano has some somewhat more forte notes [4:44+], which the violin also repeats in echo [5:05+], very coda-esque, much should be made of the gentle rocking rhythm on the piano throughout the movement, the whole thing is gentle with a hint of a turbulent underbody, very satisfying.

Here's Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich playing the second movement Adagio on YouTube.

Schubert - String Quartet 14 [Lindsay String Quartet]

Today i played this while walking to Church, the combination of walking, fresh air, and listening to good music, makes music sound even more wonderful, this is a really dark work for me, there's anger right from the start, and swirling undercurrents of gloom are not far away, but like the Schubert song which this work is taken from, there's a light at the end, it's not a painful death, but a peaceful sleep.

This was the first ever String Quartet i ever listened to, and i was hooked right from the start, it's amazing what you can do with four similar instruments, i first fell in love with this work from a cassette tape by the Melos Quartet, for me this Lindsay Quartet performance is my touchstone recording, they have both vehemence and gravity here, it's a serious work rather than a fun work.

The Lindsay String Quartet are split up now, but in their prime they were probably the worlds greatest String Quartet, their countless recordings testify to their greatness, only their box set of Beethoven's Razumovsky Quartets beat this.

This time listening to this masterpiece, i was struck how all the movements fit together so rightly,

Rachmaninov - Corelli Variations [Grimaud]

Rachmaninov's Corelli Variations are not his best known piano works, the 24 Preludes, or the 18 Etudes Tableaux are better known, or even the 6 Moments Musicaux feature more often, a bunch of variations can't stand alone like say a famous Rachmaninov Prelude can, they either all stand or all fall together, therefore it's harder for them to get into the consciousness of the public, but once you enter this wonderful world of Rachmaninov / Corelli, you're equally in the world of the Preludes / Etudes.

Helene Grimaud is certainly different, she stands out from the crowd of Pianists, she seems to plough her own furrow, some of her recital discs are a bit galling in that she mix and matches 'clashing' works, especially for the DG Label, where she seems very much at home with their ethos, she was born in France in 1969, and now at 40 she has the world at her feet, and an endless repertoire to choose from, and the freedom to pick and choose what she wants.

I'm very much warming to Helene Grimaud, she is a great Artist, she's a surprise and revelatory, i hope she does a lot of Chopin in the future, and certainly more Bach too, and for that matter i hope she turns her hands to Schubert as well.

The Corelli Variations are endless fun, virtuoso barnstorming one moment, quiet and reflective solitude the next, it's good to follow Rachmaninov's train of thought as he takes us on a journey from one station to the next, the variations i so much enjoyed the best are towards the end, variations 14-15 & 17, variation 14 [10:06+] is a lovely calm after the Intermezzo, variation 17 [13:00+] is jerky in the left hand, with a degree of tension, but it's variation 15 [10:57-12:31] i find is the highlight of the bunch, it's such sweetness, it has that timeless quality about it,

Here's Nikolai Lugansky playing the second part of the variations on YouTube, Variation 14 starts at 1:48, 15 at 3:02, and 17 at 5:14.

Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto [Hahn/Wolff-Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra]

Hilary Hahn seems to couple a very popular Violin Concerto, with another which is less known, or harder to digest, certainly it applies to this coupling, also it means she seems to have a longer recording life, most artists pair two similar Concertos together, this means quickly they're onto some obscure Concertos to keep recording, but Hahn still has some of the very famous works still to come, plus her recordings can be re-issued in the future, with maybe more appropriate couplings, extending her back catalogue even further.

I very much like this booklet cover, it's a wonderful shot, looks like a blue filter was used, a stunning photo of Hilary Hahn by Nana Watanabe, the hair, the violin, the sheer upper dress, the pose, it all adds to a very artistic final result, but it's the blue tinge that really does something to me.

Hilary Hahn is now a Violin Superstar, of course she's American and she's nearly 31, i wish she would record some more chamber music [Beethoven & Brahms], and even String quartets and Piano Trios,

Here's Hilary Hahn playing the first movement on YouTube.

Beethoven - String Quartet 9 [Quartetto Italiano]

Another installment in my ongoing love of Beethoven's String Quartets, and especially the Quartetto Italiano's interpretation of them, this set is starting to become really treasurable to me, and only the set by the Lindsay String Quartet is more deeply ingrained in my psyche, the Middle String Quartets for me are the best Quartets Beethoven composed, many people rage about his Late Quartets, i don't see it, nothing beats 7-11 in my opinion, the Razumovsky Quartets seem to be overshadowed by the opening Quartet [No7], it's the best of the bunch, but now i'm beginning to see the worth of the others as well, his number Nine is the least impregnated in my heart.

The second movement Andante is a brooding study, in the minor key of A Minor, it's main feature is a cello that is almost a metronome!, with the cello starting the movement with a serious one note pluck! doh!, Franco Rossi almost ends up the drummer of the group!, but it's this pizzicato, and the very bass end of the cello that gives it it's resonance, the other strings are fairly dour in this opening [0:00-2:46], then comes a ray of sunshine in a sweeter episode [2:47-3:34], even the cello gets to do some bowing!, after a darker episode this simple sweetness returns [5:21+], and yet again [6:08-6:55], but this time the first violin soars like a bird, while the cello in its bass pizzicato mode drips like rain, right at the end the cello pizzicato gets louder and louder [9:36+], the final notes are the whole Quartet having a pizzicato! [9:54-9:57], i guess the cello converted them all in the end, a lovely brooding slow movement from Beethoven.

Here's the Alban Berg Quartet playing the second movement on YouTube.

Bruch - Scottish Fantasy [Meyers/Lopez Cobos-Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]

Bruch is considered a 'one work Composer', his First Violin Concerto is rightly hailed as a masterpiece, but after that everything else seems obscure, so it's a shame that this Violin Fantasy is not better known, it is a work of real melody, once you hear the tunes, they really stick in your memory, also for me, Bruch seems to have mastered the art of 'tugging at the heart', there are moments which move me to tears, so strong is the heartwrench, plus Bruch seems to have no trouble playing in a Scottish idiom, even though he was a 'foreigner' to the Scots.

Anne Akiko Meyers is an American, though i guess she's of Japanese ancestry, born in 1970, she's now 40 years old, these recordings were made in 1991 when she was a young lass, she had longer flowing hair then, now it's cut really short, the booklet cover is nice, there's almost a ray of sunlight across her face.

I really enjoyed all of this Fantasy, i find it not so much a bunch of Scottish folk songs, but more like a Violin Concerto with four movements and an introduction, it's welded together expertly by Bruch into a seamless whole, i was so much touched by the Andante Sostenuto third movement, it starts off with the most endearing folky tune by the violin [0:00-0:50], sweet and innocent at first, but more impassioned later, it's simply gorgeous, when it starts it melts your heart, then it seems to move into a very loose bunch of variations [1:05+], Meyers doesn't seem to have a phenomenal tone, and she can be fairly quiet at times, the orchestra swells wonderfully in places [2:25+ & 4:00+], there's this tremendous heart tug by the violin [3:36+], Bruch seems to be the master at this, his First Violin Concerto is also plastered with it, if you love that Concerto, then don't forget this masterpiece also.

Here's Liviu Prunari playing the Andante Sostenuto on YouTube, this movement starts about 37 seconds into the video.

Schubert - Piano Trio 1 [Trio Wanderer]

This is the First Piano Trio from the Trio Wanderer, last month i talked about my love of the Second Piano Trio by this group [25th August 2010], they are both similar, the slow movement is certainly lighter, it doesn't have that darkness about it, and the first movement is more straightforward, it doesn't have that edgy hiccup feel to it, it's good to have them both together as one set.

I liked the second movement Andante, it really is lovely and gentle, like a Chopin Nocturne in some ways,

Here's the Eggner Trio playing the second movement on YouTube.

Grieg - Piano Concerto [Luisada/Tilson Thomas -London Symphony Orchestra]

I roughly play the Grieg Piano Concerto once a month, i have a nice lot of versions to choose from, about seven i guess, but i'm always on the lookout for more!, i've had this disc for about three years, and it gets its fair share of plays.

The booklet cover photo is a good idea [photo by Suzie Meader], an upright photo, rather than the usual, using a black background either side, gives it a certain feel, Luisada sitting cross legged on the floor in the centre is nice.

Jean-Marc Luisada is Tunisian, born in 1958, he made these recordings in 1993 when he was 35, he is now 52.

Probably my favourite movement of this Concerto, is the middle movement, however playing this today i was struck by the final movement, i find that Luisada is very much in the 'staccato' camp, and there's a tendency to get stuck on certain notes too long, it sounds mannered, sounds like Luisada has got glue on his fingers!, there's a nice middle section in this movement, begun by the flute, with shimmering strings in the background [3:07-3:40], a great introduction to the piano solo that follows [3:40-5:46], a beautiful central Adagio, here Luisada actually plays well, with feeling, he seems more attuned to slow dreamy music than the virtuoso demands elsewhere, the closing section is a forte version of this gentle tune, started by the orchestra [9:31-10:10], but the piano gets some nice solo hits in [10:10-10:19], then the orchestra takes it away to the end, a very satisfying ending, Grieg knows how to pull out all the stops for one final rush.

Here's Thibaudet playing the final movement on YouTube.

Brahms - Violin Concerto [Zukerman/ Mehta-Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra]

Brahms Violin Concerto again, i find this Concerto quite a warhorse, it's quite long [40 minutes], but not as long as Beethoven, a Concerto this long has to sustain your attention, so it better be good, it's not in the same vein as lighter / easier on the ear Concertos like Mendelssohn or Bruch, i find myself very much enjoying listening to different Violinists tackling this work.

I've already mentioned Pinchas Zuckerman in my Blog recently, but the conductor Zubin Mehta is Indian, something i didn't realize until only recently, i always thought he was Israeli or something, he's now 64 years old, this recording was made in 1994.

And again i have to admit i like the slow middle movement, it's the oboe that does it, why don't more Composers create Oboe Concertos?,

Here's Gidon Kremer playing the second movement on YouTube.

Beethoven - Piano Concerto 3 [Uchida/ Sanderling-Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra]

Here's my ongoing love of this boxset of Beethoven Piano Concertos, last month it was the Fifth Concerto i wrote about [4th August 2010], this live recording is with a different Orchestra, Kurt Sanderling is ancient, still alive at 98, this recording was made in 1994 when he was 82, he was born in Prussia, now poland.

Steve Winwood [Refugees Of The Heart]

How do you define what genre of music Steve Winwood plays?, i guess it's Rhythm & Blues Rock!, but the guy goes all over the place, it's hard to pin him down, looking at his Wikipedia entry, he seems to have had a hand in everything, and also playing all sorts of instruments as well.

You know, writing about my favourite music forces me to examine things, and end up finding out things that i just didn't know about all sorts of Artist / Musicians / Composers / Works etc, well Steve Winwood was born in England in 1948, and i always thought he was American!, he even lives in England.

This album was recorded in 1990, i especially like the booklet cover, not too sure what it's trying to say, there's a drawing of a heart shape on a piece of paper, stapled to Winwood's shirt, i'll give you my interpretation, but i'm probably wrong!, you've heard the phrase 'wear your heart on your sleeve', to show your emotions openly, well maybe in this case it's not his sleeve, but right over his heart, or another interpretation is in the album title, someone wishing to escape his heart, because it's a dangerous place to be, but all he's left with is a poor substitute for the real thing, away from the real home where the heart truly belongs, it becomes a shallow imitation, a final interpretation is the false / fake heart that can easily be ripped / broken, disguises like a mask the true heart underneath, the one that's visually shown isn't real, the wearer doesn't mind it getting torn, it's a safeguard for the real inner heart, only those who look beyond the exterior, find the real heart hidden underneath.

I bought the cassette tape of this album in the early nineties, and it made an immediate impression on me, and i quickly went out and bought the disc album, it's been about three years since i last listened to this album, that's a fair amount of time, but on this listen it brought back memories of years gone by, i really liked most of the tracks especially track 5 'Another Deal Goes Down', but my favourite is the last track 'In The Light Of Day', it's a very long track, clocking in at 9:42, Winwood plays most of the instruments, it starts with fade in synthesiser keyboard programming [0:00+], and it's this vibe that goes through the whole track, the drums appear just over a minute in [1:22+] by Hashiri Johnson, four minutes in there's this instrumental section [4:00-6:49], which features Winwood playing a vibes solo [4:27-5:25], and then Randall Bramblett playing a Sax solo [5:29-6:49], and then Winwood comes in with the last verse,

On the street tonight

the innocent are dying

and the world's not right

so many millions crying

evil lives

and hate never gives

hell is never far

and is this all we are?

It's a great song, it has an irresistible urge to it, and it unfolds nicely as it has a bigger canvas to work on, a great closer.

Here's Steve Winwood singing 'In The Light Of Day' on YouTube.

Steve Winwood Website.

Ravel - String Quartet [Britten String Quartet]

Here's Ravel's String Quartet again, this time performed by the Britten Quartet, they were founded in 1986 by the first violinist Peter Manning, i believe they have since disbanded the Quartet, this recording was made in 1990-1991, i like the booklet, four black & white mug shots [photography by Stephanie Rushton], a great idea, the red lettering / logo adds to the art, nice sense of depth and contours with the shadows.

Also this is a nice 'logical' coupling in a way, instead of the usual Debussy, we have a Vaughan Williams Quartet, and RVW studied with Ravel for a time, there's a nice link there, plus it's good to hear the rarer Vaughan Williams works.

This time i felt the first movement

Here's the Hagen String Quartet playing the first movement on YouTube.

Beethoven - Piano Sonata 8 [Barenboim]

Here's another instalment of Barenboim's Beethoven Piano Sonatas cycle, last month it was Piano Sonata 14 [17th August 2010], this time it's Piano Sonata 8, this is the first of Beethoven's Sonatas that i really got to know, and it's the middle Adagio Cantabile that got my heart [it was Wilhelm Kempff that won me over].

Here's Daniel Barenboim playing the second movement on YouTube.

Beethoven - Symphony 7 [Dudamel-Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra Of Venezuela]

Wow, how long has it been since Beethoven's Seventh has appeared in my highlights, in a way this is one of the 'forgotten' Symphonies of Beethoven for me, when i fell in love with Beethoven's Symphonies, it began with the Third, then the Fifth and the Sixth, then of course the Ninth, and then i discovered all the 'lesser' Symphonies, of which i've always boxed this Symphony into, but along with the Fourth, these are the next two Symphonies to shine, i haven't got that many versions of the Seventh, and so therefore i don't listen to it all that much, on this listen today, i feel that needs to change, it's certainly not a 'lesser' Symphony.

Gustavo Dudamel seems to be the new Simon Rattle, he's got the hair at least!, he was born in Venezuela in 1981, this recording is his debut on disc, recorded in 2006, i must make mention of the booklet cover [by Matthias Bothor], a nice portrait of Dudamel, in a nice pose.

It was the first movement that really got me, Beethoven gives some degree of prominence to the oboe, it plays the long opening intro tune [0:02-0:37], of which returns slightly later [1:25-1:48], the long opening ends in a transition before the full Vivace comes in, and it's the oboe joined by the flute that herald in this forte [3:59-4:25], with a nice skipping tune, towards the end it's the oboe again that has a nice reflection on the 'bouncy' music that has come just before it [8:32-8:54], so two words come to mind as i listened to this movement, 'bouncy' and 'oboe', it's very much a dance movement, and Beethoven shows that he's the master of everything.

Here's Carlos Kleiber conducting the first movement on YouTube, check Kleiber out at 4:23, he's fantastic!.

Schubert - Symphony 8 [Koopman-The Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra]

Back in April i played this same Symphony by Lorin Maazel [7th April 2010], and that was an incredible experience, that became my 'recording of the month' in my written Journal, and here too i'm loving this work, it's lovely and dark [in B Minor], it has these rhythms that aren't particularly upfront, a nice tread to things, a bit funeral marchy! in places, i used to love the Ninth Symphony so much, is now the Eighth taking over maybe?.

Ton Koopman is well known for his Bach, and especially keyboard works and the Cantatas, but here he's conducting Schubert?, a bit out of his way,

Vivaldi - The Four Seasons [Salerno Sonnenberg-The Orchestra Of Saint Luke's]

I listened to this while walking to Church this morning, along some country back roads, and this was a joy to listen to, the very varied movements of this work were wonderful, whether the sheer joy of the first movement of spring, the sadness of the second movement, the complexity of the first movement of summer, the breathtakingness of the finale, the exuberance of the first movement of autumn, or the virtuosity of the first movement of winter, it seems to have twelve opposite flavours, today this work really shone.

Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg was born in Italy in 1961, but now she's an American citizen, she recorded this disc in 1990, i really like the booklet cover [by Bonnie West], green is my favourite colour, and the pose by Salerno-Sonnenberg is really good, nice and sharp.

I suppose the part that really got me the most was Summer, the first movement is complex, it goes all over the place, slow and fast, and it's a lovely variety, but i think the movement i liked the most was the finale of summer, depicting a furious thunderous summer storm, it's in a minor key [G Minor], and is really angry, the orchestra and violin seem to alternate passages, the orchestra starts off with a ferociously fast Presto [0:00-0:47], full of menace, but incredible virtuoso too, the soloist enters [0:48-1:06] with some harsh chords, and then the orchestra move in again [1:06-1:29], with more vehement playing, i like the fast playing by the violins towards the end of this section [1:21-1:25], the violin again comes in solo [1:30-1:43] with more harsh chords at the start, but sweeter playing after a while, and later the violin plays solo, but the orchestra quickly join in with wave upon wave of virtuosity [1:58-2:11], wow! this is thrilling and breathtaking, no wonder this is so popular.

Here's the finale from Summer played by Kyung Wha Chung on YouTube.