Various Artists [Afrodisiac - Forty Original Soulful Classics]

This is a double disc set i listened to over two days , i went out for a couple of long walks in the cold, but this warmed me up no end, two things i noticed more than ever by my listening experience, one is this is a great showcase for some truly great soulful voices, almost compiled with voices in mind, and secondly, i notice very much that it's percussion [not necessarily drums] that really makes a lot of very good tracks into great tracks.

Of course the word 'Afrodisiac' on this album comes from the word 'aphrodisiac', a substance to help increase sexual arousal, it's a nice play on words, of course most if not all of the Artists on these discs are Americans of African origin, and Soul music is certainly associated with sexiness, the discs steer somewhat away from from Disco and R & B, concentrating on real Soul, this was an inspired idea, make the discs into a fairly narrow band of genre, no track seems out of place.

The booklet and back insert are very well laid out indeed, with a picture of a girl with a huge afro hairstyle, very apt, but it's the monotone yellow and brown [and of course black and white] which make the visuals very appealing, the track listing easily differentiates between Artist and songs, by using different colours, something other compilers should take note of, it really makes things easy to read, and is visually pleasing, i see these disc on Ebay a lot as i search for desirable discs to buy, and i can't count the amount of times i've seen this set going for £1, and with £1 postage too, it means that a whole disc of music costs just £1 each, and delivered to your door too!, i recommend you snap up a copy if you see one.

Well again there's so many tracks that really got me in the mood, maybe i could just mention a few, tracks 17, 28, 37 & 40 were especially incredible, possibly the Disco slant to the discs?, here's my feeling about them,

17 The Real Thing - You To Me Are Everything, this got to No1 in the British charts in July 1976, yep that summer of '76, a heatwave, i remember this song being on the radio a lot, everytime i hear it, those endless summer days come flowing back to me, surprisingly it didn't do well in the States!, this song has a wonderfully flowing groove it, there's that cha cha guitar laying down a real groove, and in the chorus the sweet strings come in, plus the chorus has an incredible intensity to it, with a chorus of three guys creating a real Disco froth, a superb track.

28 Jimmy Helms - Gonna Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse, got to No1 in the British charts in 1973, starts right away with singing the chorus, with the first word sung in A capella in a high powerful voice, making a tremendous effect, it's just this high falsetto voice that mesmerises throughout, verse and chorus blend and complement each other perfectly.

37 Limmie & The Family Cookin' - You Can Do Magic, got to No3 in the British charts in 1973, i thought it was a fantastic song at the time, but largely it's been forgotten, and now doesn't feature greatly even on compilation discs, so it was a great reunion when i got these discs, they also had another hit with 'Walking Miracle', which was also excellent, but who remembers them now?, Limmie actually comes from Limmie Snell, a guy, but i always thought it was a female singer, it's certainly a very high voice, the chorus is so contagious, such a great burst of energy on magic, magic, this is a song worth getting acquainted with.

40 The Three Degrees - When Will I See You Again, hit the No1 spot in the British charts in 1974, a perfect song to end these compilation discs with, the bittersweet parting of two people who don't know if it's love or just friendship, and don't know if they'll meet again, it's those sweet strings that soar in at the start, over a clever percussion, but the stars are of course three girls with superb harmonies, with their sexy ooh's and ahh's as an intro, deep down it's the ongoing strings in the background that binds it all together, a real nostalgic hit to the heart.

Wagner - Siegfried Idyll [Haitink-Concertgebouw Orchestra]

Here's the 'filler' to the two disc box set of the Bruckner Eighth by Haitink, that i spoke about earlier this month [15th November 2010], something serene and similar i guess to the Bruckner adagio, ever since i first heard this piece, i found it beautiful and comforting, Wagner was of course an Opera Composer, and rarely wrote anything else, so a lot of his 'Orchestral' music is culled from Overtures, Preludes and Intermezzi from his Operas, and of course a lot of it stands up on its own, this is the first time i've mentioned Wagner in my Blog, not a major Composer for me, but i do like his orchestral music.

Bernard Haitink was only featured yesterday, i like him as a Conductor, he is a sound interpreter, maybe a shade slow, but that works better in certain compositions, also he can be a bit literal at times, but he has a huge back catalogue containing all sorts of Composers, he recorded this Wagner work in 1974, a full 7 years before the Bruckner on this set.

The Siegfried Idyll starts off so sweet and innocent, very happy-go-lucky, and at first sounds like it's going to be a strings only study, but after a couple of minutes the flute comes in [2:02+], and then the cor anglais [2:13+], the clarinet [2:19+] and the oboe [2:26+], there's a Mahler-esque rustic country theme that keeps comes up on the woodwinds [5:02+ & 5:59+], and near the end a coda-esque reprise [15:51+], just before the coda, there's a great string surge [13:38+], immensely beautiful, and it hits a passionate climax [13:51], the ending is very well done, and a number of themes are presented in coda, and tunes now have an autumn glow about them, the opening theme [14:33+], as seen in nostalgic glory, with the horns giving a golden burnished tone to the music, and almost at the end there's this lovely turn of phrase [16:24], where a sob of sadness / melancholy comes in, it's a lovely serenade, and reminds me very much of the Bruckner 8 Adagio that's just gone before.

Here's Orlando Alonso conducting Wagner's Siegfried Idyll on YouTube.

Beethoven - Piano Concerto 5 [Schiff/ Haitink-Staatskapelle Dresden]

'The fifth of the fifth', this is the fifth time that this Concerto has appeared in my Blog this year, very popular, sometimes i worry that an over familiarity will lead to a de-appreciation of this work, still, it remains my most favourite Piano Concerto.

This is a recently acquired set of the 5 Beethoven Piano Concertos, even though this box set has been kicking around since 1997 [it was recorded in 1996], the front cover photo is good [by Clive Barda], nice murky blues as a background, and i like the way this set is housed in one of those 1 inch thick plastic triple boxes.

Andras Schiff is now 56, he was born in Hungary, but now is a British citizen, he has recorded extensively for Decca in his earlier years, and for Teldec in the recent past, but now is on the ECM Label.

I must admit, that this is only my first listen, so i hate to make some 'final' judgement on these recordings, but so far i'm not convinced by Schiff's interpretation, there seems to be niggly things i don't agree with, i believe Schiff uses a Bosendorfer piano, and really swears by them, they are slightly more to a FortePiano than say a Steinway, i believe it ends up emphasising the staccato in the performance, and for me this is a very legato Piano Concerto, Schiff seems to emphasise the chunky corners of things, rather than smooth them out in wonderful transitions, but i certainly need to listen a lot more before these feelings are set in stone.

The movement which moved me today was the sublime Adagio, just when i think that i've got Beethoven sussed, i replay this and i realize that his mesmerising qualities are beyond me, the opening orchestral intro is so incredibly beautiful [0:00-1:45], it's the perfect foil for when the piano comes in, it gets you in the mood / right frame of mind, Schiff seems to enter a fraction too early [1:43-2:42], but the piano is beautiful, really heavenly serene playing, you appreciate the sheer beauty of the music, and there's this very gentle string pulse behind the piano, but i do notice that Schiff can ever so slightly hesitate now and again, and the flow is slightly lost, about half way through, the piano plays it's gorgeous tune [4:32-5:13], while the strings gently pizzicato heartbeats in the background, almost just afterwards it's the turn of the woodwind to carry the main tune, with the flute and bassoon creating a lovely duet [6:15+], and the piano freely in the treble providing accompaniment, and i believe the clarinet joins them [6:15+], as the whole thing winds down to it's inevitable close, or rather preparation for the third movement to burst in, this is music you can so easily get lost in.

Here's Valentina Lisitsa playing the second movement on YouTube.

Various Artists [The Sound Of The Suburbs]

This is one of the best compilation discs i own, full of late seventies / early eighties stuff, with a certain Punk flavour to it all, those were the days, when music didn't need to sound pretty, and the singles charts had all sorts of classy acts roaming the top twenty, there was a certain graffiti and urban sprawl to everything, tenement blocks and flyovers as on the back cover.

This compilation has such an eclectic mix of tracks, something here for everyone, plus somehow the compilers have uncannily chosen all my very best favourites!, only the Adam Ant track is a dud, and i do like the booklet / back insert, the front gives off the idea of letters arranged from newspaper cuttings, it really does give a flavour of the music inside.

Listening to this disc again, i was amazed at how many tracks i really rocked to, tracks 1, 3-8, 10-11 & 16-18, that's two thirds of the album!, it's so hard to pick a winner to discuss and link to YouTube, so i thought i would give almost one word highlights, and YouTube links to many.

1 The Jam - Eton Rifles, 'sup up your beer and collect your fags' [0:19+], must be one of the greatest intro lines to a song ever!.

3 Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love, the crazy drums, all over the place, and yet somehow just perfect.

4 The Only Ones - Another Girl Another Planet, when the long instrumental intro really kicks in [0:24].

5 Undertones - Teenage Kicks, Feargal Sharkey's shaky falsetto voice, and the hand claps.

6 Martha And The Muffins - Echo Beach, the flute synths [0:50+], and at the end of almost every verse after that.

7 Altered Images - Happy Birthday, the xylophone echo intro, and then the drum roll when things really kick in! [0:23+], an incredible high.

8 Elvis Costello - Oliver's Army, a full force piano / band intro, straight in, no messing about!.

10 Ian Dury And The Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, Dury's emphasis on me! [0:51], and the double saxophone solo [2:04-2:12], with the funky wobble in the background, and the beginning an end of this solo with a whistle blast??.

11 Blondie - Call Me, lovely deep drum intro [0:00-0:01], one second of bliss!, just goes to show what you can do with one second, and how it can change the whole song.

16 Vapors - Turning Japanese, the jangly guitars throughout the whole song.

17 Eddie And The Hot Rods - Do Anything You Wanna Do, the hand claps in the chorus, i saw them live at the Lyceum Ballroom in 1979 i think.

18 The Members - The Sound Of The Suburbs, 'this is the sound!' [2:06], sung so breathlessly!, excellent use of emphasis, and later 'this is the souwowowowowowound!' [3:22-3:26], a lovely bit of berserkness!.

Playing this disc today was such a joy, plus it was so nostalgic, yeah i really got into the British Punk scene in the late seventies.

Vivaldi - Cello Concerto RV418 [Wallfisch/ Kraemer-City Of London Sinfonia]

Here's another set of Cello Concertos from Vivaldi, Wallfisch recorded four discs for Naxos, this is volume 3, and i believe it received a rosette in the Penguin Guide, but my opinion is that it's the least desirable disc in the set, in my mind volume 1 is easily the best if you want to sample his way with Vivaldi.

Raphael Wallfisch is English, born in 1953, he recorded this disc in 1994, even though the music is excellent, the booklet cover is poor, Naxos have produced some stinkers of cover art in their time, i guess this is of Venice [by Canaletto], thus linking it to Vivaldi, but Naxos have started to produce more inspiring photographs for their front covers lately, a nice and welcome move.

On this listening it was the Cello Concerto in A Minor [RV418], that caught my ears, and being in a minor key, means there's a degree of dissonance, i was mainly impressed with the opening first movement, there's a lovely sense of forward motion with the orchestral entry [0:00-0:32], especially at [0:04-0:12], those lovely bittersweet violins!, inbetween the cello solos, it's this orchestral tutti that makes the piece, and it comes back in the middle [1:04-1:26], and it ends on this wonderful orchestral tutti [3:26-3:57], each time the orchestral tutti comes around there's that lovely bit right near the start, from 3-11 seconds in, how a whole movement can turn / hinge on an ingenious phrase, the following Largo is quite dour, but the ending Allegro is quite bubbly, a very nice Cello Concerto.

Here's Sunme playing the first movement of RV418 on YouTube.

Various Composers - Baritone Opera Arias [Skovhus/Conlon-English National Opera Orchestra]

Here's another Opera Aria recital, just last week i was talking about Roberto Alagna [20th November 2010], these Opera Aria discs take a bit more concentration to listen to, instead of just playing a disc and doing something else at the same time, you have to stop and listen, because it's full of vocals, usually in a foreign language, you have to keep track of what is being sung, for that reason i need a bit more 'quiet time' to listen to Opera, and some of these discs have had a tendency to be cast aside somewhat, also several years ago i went on an Opera Aria disc binge, now i'm looking at a few of the rash buys, and sorting quality from quantity, and thinning out these discs.

Bo Skovhus is Danish, born in 1962, he recorded this disc in 1997, i like the booklet cover [photo by Stephen Danelian], a nice stance / pose, lit from the left, probably from a window maybe, a nice soft light, creating soft shadows on the floor, and it's that door behind Skovhus, a nice brown / orange glow to it, very well done.

On this disc i find that Skovhus sings too much from Thomas's Hamlet [4 arias], he could of had a greater mix here, i enjoyed tracks 2, 7 & 9 the most, with the Britten aria from Billy Budd being especially meaningful, it's a touching scene, Billy Budd is condemned to die by hanging, he 'accidently' killed another shipmate [probably termed as manslaughter], and he mourns his life on his last day, but he is strong and has a positive outlook, it starts off on doleful and mournful low strings [0:00+], almost a solemn funeral march, but it's interrupted by the naval piping of the piccolo [0:10+], and it's this constant piping, that interrupts at the end of almost every verse that Billy Budd sings, and it's this wonderful touch that makes the aria, and Britten is so skillful at using a musical idee fixe to create drama and conjure up atmosphere, a satisfying repetition to things, it's for me the moment of moments in this aria, and makes me want to discover some more Britten gems, Billy mourns his last day, very early in the morning as the moon still shines,

Look!, through the port comes the moon shine astray!

It tips the guard's cutlass and silvers this nook

But 'twill die in the dawning of Billy's last day

Ay, ay, all is up, and i must up too

the words are sung in a resigned tone, as he thinks on his death and how it will all unfold, but the second half of the aria Billy thinks on more happier times [5:47+], his life at sea, and how many wonderful things it has brought him, and ends with a contentment and strength, and even a hope beyond death, both parts of the aria end on a very low note from the double bass, it's a poignant aria, full of sadness, perfectly created and caught by Britten, and Bo Skovhus sings it so well, he has acted / sung the part of Billy Budd on stage, you wouldn't think he was Danish from his singing.

Here's Dwayne Croft singing the first half of the aria on YouTube.

Various Composers - Clarinet And Piano Works [Kam/Golan]

Now i must admit the Clarinet is one of my favourite instruments, i even thought of taking up the clarinet myself, it's easy and portable, it's versatile, perfect for Classical and Jazz, a satisfying solo instrument, and i believe not too expensive to buy, but i'm a procrastinator.

Sharon Kam is from Israel, she is now 39, about four months ago i talked about another clarinet recital of hers [30th July 2010], also with Itamar Golan, that disc contained shorter pieces, this one has a tendency to contain whole Clarinet Sonata type works.

On this listen i found myself enjoying the last work on the disc, Francaix's Theme And Variations, it's a work of a theme and seven variations [or maybe a theme, five variations, a cadenza, and a finale], it's basically jazzy and bubbly, the whole work lasts no more than 9 minutes, so each variation is certainly short, the theme is lively and short [track 11], the first variation is slow and serene [track 12], the second variation is jazzy and quirky [track 13], the third variation is hesitatingly staccato [track 14], the fourth variation is very lyrical, with long sweet legato lines [track 15], the fifth variation is my favourite [track 16], which starts off with high pitched squeals from the solo clarinet, which slowly turn into music, using squeals between the notes, this variation is meant to be a waltz, but it barely sounds like one, maybe at [0:38+] it gets waltzy, and there's these constant upward flicks from the clarinet, a lovely invention, the sixth variation / solo cadenza is for clarinet only, slow utterances punctuated by squealing outbursts [track 17], which leads into the seventh variation / finale, which is rapid, bubbling and fizzy, full of life, with some nice tongue-fluttering thrown in [track 18, 0:21+], a fairly recent work, and a nice varied disc of clarinet music.

Here's Maxim Senkov playing Francaix's Theme And Variations on YouTube.

Branford Marsalis [Royal Garden Blues]

This was one of the very first Jazz discs i bought, way back in 1993, i only got into Jazz in 1992, i saw the front cover, and it piqued my interest, if you don't know by now, i take great delight in the visuals of each album, here's a man hefting the tool of his trade over his shoulder, much like a gardener would heft a shovel over his shoulder, it's that saxophone that gets me, a complex machine, and yet it's the guy blowing it that really makes the sound, plus a lovely golden instrument in what looks like the evening, and not merely the colour gold, but there's something about that saxophone that turns things into gold, you can see it's a worn instrument, and not merely a showy thing to see, the dark green at the top goes with the bright colours of his clothes, and his name at the top is well displayed, but it's the music on the inside i was even more wowed with.

Branford Marsalis is an American Jazz saxophonist, born in 1960, he's the oldest brother in the Marsalis family, he made this record in 1986, this was his second solo album, and even though i feel he's lost his way on subsequent albums, just fairly recently he's making some excellent Jazz again, especially the albums Requiem and Braggtown.

I love this album, it's in my all time top ten Jazz discs, and 38th in my favourite discs of all time [as of today, though this should change over time], Marsalis uses a bewildering array of musicians on this record, 12 in all [4 Pianists, 3 Bassists, 4 Drummers, and himself], though each composition is only a quartet strong, surprisingly the results are consistent, not 3 or 4 different groups by the way, the musicians get shuffled around, about half only get used once, while others get used 3 or 4 times, it's a nice mix of famous names, you would actually think it's only one tight regular quartet.

On this listen i really liked tracks 5 & 7, but the one i always come back to, which has a peach of a tune, is the title track 5 'Royal Garden Blues', it starts off with one of the greatest little short drum intros ever [0:00-0:03], full of lovely resonances and gorgeous sonority, this is one of the joys of this track, hearing

Al Foster play his drums on a beautifully recorded track, and then Marsalis comes in with soprano saxophone, playing this irresistible Dixie tune [0:03-1:01], like something that should be played by the clarinet, and of course the soprano sax really does sound a lot like a clarinet on this recording [i love the clarinet], right after Marsalis goes into his solo, and it's good to hear

Ron Carter on the bass, playing these fast walking bass lines, and Al Foster has three tasty sharp hits on the drum [2:09+], just what the music needed at that point!, and Marsalis develops a frantic wailing intensity shortly after [2:22-2:27], and during the piano solo, Foster has a nice little sequence of tick-tock hits, without the tick! [3:47-3:54], the return of the main theme at the end is brief [6:36+], but it's good old Foster that gets the last word with a dull cymbal hit! [7:00], one of my most favourite Jazz tracks, and from an album to die for.

Here's Branford playing a slightly different take of Royal Garden Blues on YouTube.

Schubert - Symphony 8 'Unfinished' [Blomstedt-San Francisco Symphony]

When i first heard Schubert's Ninth Symphony, i fell in love with it, and it quickly became my favourite Schubert Symphony, Schubert's Eighth didn't have the same effect on me [even though it's the first one i heard], it's slowly seeped into my consciousness, but this year something has happened, i've wrote in my Blog about only two other Schubert Eighth's that i've played this year, one by Ton Koopman [6th September 2010], and the other by Lorin Maazel [7th April 2010], however each of these times the recording has been my 'recording of the month' in my home Journal, now i seriously feel that the Eighth is finally taking its rightful place at the top of my Schubert Symphonies in my heart, certainly a surprise to me.

Herbert Blomstedt is Swedish, and is now 73, the Schubert Eighth was recorded in 1990, this is one of these 'Decca Eclipse' series discs, i like these, they're full of great landscape pictures on the whole, very colourful, this one is by Hans Peter Huber, i guess Austria or Switzerland in the autumn.

Both movements were tremendously moving as i listened to them today, the first is in B Minor, but the second is in E Major, there's dark and gloomy threads running through the first movement, and even though they continue into the second movement, there's more of a lightness here, more of a pleading, it's this movement that moved me the most, there's lots of lovely things going on, it appears ghostly and mist like, by the horns [0:00+], and the sweet pleading violin strings come in [0:05 & 0:18], soft yet high in the treble, but the whole thing turns a shade darker and louder [1:09-1:34], a military march, where the timpani beat out a few times, a counter second melody comes in with a clarinet solo [2:14+], and the an oboe right afterwards [2:58+], very much mood setters, right afterwards the music turns louder and more military again [3:23+], but this time the timpani are quite forceful, and on this recording they are well caught indeed, making a very nice resonant sound, this is the highlight on this listening, noticing this timpani, this whole opening section is repeated again [5:01-10:08], but with the clarinet and oboe solos reversed, and those kettle drums pounding out again [8:20+], very nice, in some ways i'm glad Schubert didn't get round to composing a third movement, it would just break the spell of the mystery of this one, sometimes it's good to end on an unanswered mysterious question!.

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

Schubert - String Quartet 14 [Artis String Quartett]

This is only the third time i've listened to this disc, it sounds pretty much like every other performance i've heard on disc, very passionate and dark, i think it will take a fair degree of listens before i hear its 'individual' voice, the Lindsay String Quartet remain my first choice, which i played a couple of months ago, [19 September 2010].

The Artis String Quartett, are from Austria, they were formed in 1980, this was another disc i bought on Ebay, the front cover group shot is excellent [by Axel Zeininger], with all four members in casual dress, and holding their respective instruments, it's also good to have the early String Quartet 2 on this disc, which Schubert wrote when he was 16.

I listened to this disc today while i walked to Church [about 3 miles], i must admit i found the first three movements profound, it was a cold and somewhat gloomy day, the winter is drawing in, and this D Minor Quartet was atmospherically perfect for the occasion, i especially liked the way the Artis Quartett played the second movement, Schubert was a genius with the 'variation' medium [just think of his great success with the Trout Quintet, also taken from a Lied], my favourite variation is the third [6:48-8:43], but on this listen i was very excited by the second variation [4:35-6:47], and i listened to it more closely than before, and when i got home i listened to this part again, the main part [the tune] is played by the cello and viola, a sad and lonesome refrain, especially enhanced by the low string part they play [like Don Quixote and his trusty sidekick Sancho Panza, from Richard Strauss], but it's the lovely off kilter embellishments by the violins that make the piece, their intensity and volume ebbs and flows, the variation can be split into six parts A-A-B-A-B-A [4:35, 4:56, 5:17, 5:40, 6:02 & 6:24], the 'A' parts are slightly more dour, with the violins being more subdued, the 'B' parts are slightly more livelier in intensity, with the violins especially bleating away their message more frantically, i like the 'B' parts better, it's great to notice this today, once you see something, then you see it everytime you hear the piece again, music is built up in layers and layers of recognition!, it's a gorgeous dark String Quartet.

Here's the Alban Berg Quartet playing the second movement on YouTube, the second variation starts at 3:28.

Various Composers - Popular Tenor Opera Arias [Alagna/ Armstrong-The London Philharmonic]

I bought this disc in the mid nineties when it first came out, it was one of the very first Opera Aria discs i ever bought, i was new to the medium, and it made an impression on me, and even though i don't listen to this disc as much as in the early days, it still gets wheeled out now and again, and i enjoy the experience.

I have quite an aversion to listening to full Operas, but a bunch of the best bits called Arias are fun, also i have developed a real love for female Opera singers, but the male counterparts not so much, i think Opera Composers [mostly men], gave their best songs to the ladies, men have a greater tendency to be the scoundrels of the Opera.

Roberto Alagna is a superstar Tenor, born in France in 1963, he is now 47 years old, he made this recording in 1995, the booklet is a fairly basic visual shot [by Sheila Rock], this i believe was Alagna's introductory recording, showing off his voice in a bunch of famous Arias.

I like these compilation discs, there's usually a nice variety of Arias, lots of different styles to enjoy, on this listen i liked tracks 3-4, 7 & 10, and especially track 3 'Pourquoi me reveiller?' from Massenet's Werther, it's a gentle yet sad lament, with low sad strings, and a harp motoring quietly in the background, while Werther / Alagna sings,

Why awaken me, o breath of spring?

Why awaken me?

After the first verse / chorus, the quiet harp motors up a slight notch, and the beautiful sweet high violins come in [1:37+], and the second verse starts,

Tomorrow, into the valley, will come the traveller

remembering my former glory

There's just a deep sadness in these words, Werther knows he's lost the love of his life [Charlotte], words and music are touchingly executed, the Aria only lasts 3 minutes, and yet it's packed full of emotion, there's an Aria on this disc for every mood and feeling.

Here's Jonas Kaufmann singing the Massenet Arias 'Pourquoi me reveiller?' on YouTube, from the Opera Werther.

Handel - Water Music Suites [Marriner-Academy Of Saint Martin In The Fields]

In the early days of listening to Classical music, i used to love the power and invention of these suites, well now maybe i've changed, this music i still enjoy immensely, but now i find a 'suite' of music just that, a bunch / collection of pieces that don't actually make up some sort of 'symphonic' whole [ok, it's not a Symphony], but they're individual pieces that are just a collection of nice music, but isn't saying anything as a 'whole', plus these suites all added up are quite long, my attention slightly drifts in the third suite [which is the least strong], but hey, it made it into my daily highlight!.

It was only a week ago that i wrote about Neville Marriner's Rossini Overtures [11th November 2010], and a bit of a biography will suffice there, but this guy gets around, there's 9 entries for him in my Blog this year.

I like these Philips Insignia discs, they always have an excellent front cover shot [this one by Fritz Curzon], they are lovely crisp sharp shots, with a plain background, and a nice box with the lettering in, very well laid out, it's nice when a Record Label makes a nice series that's worth collecting.

In my mind the best suite is the second one, it's full of good tunes, a lovely stately Minuet [track 11], and a robust Bourree finale [track 13], but it's the famous Alla Hornpipe [track 10] that gets me every time, deep down it's a very simple structure, a one minute piece stated twice, and then a different 'trio' section, then a return to the opening stated once, four simple one minute building blocks, the opening is a stately and grand fanfare for full orchestra [0:00-0:16], and then restated by the trumpets alone, in true fanfare fashion [0:16+], this is the most exuberant part of the piece, somehow i just love blazing fanfares!, the horns respond right after echoing the trumpets [0:22+], this fanfare is then played around by orchestra, trumpets, horns, and strings in a lovely merry-go-round, the whole thing is restated again [1:02-2:04], then comes the trio section, which gives some variety [2:05-3:01], and of course the reprise of the original start finishes off the piece [3:01-4:08], with a noble ending to finish things off, very inspiring, regal and majestic.

Here's Marriner playing the second suite on YouTube, the Alla Hornpipe starts at 2:07.

Led Zeppelin [Mothership-The Very Best Of Led Zeppelin]

Well... just to prove i'm no Classical nut, here's Metal gods Led Zeppelin with their most definitive compilation discs, i got into Led Zeppelin a bit late in their career, in the very late seventies / very early eighties, and yes it was the LP Led Zeppelin IV / Four Symbols, took me a short time to discover Presence, and especially Physical Graffiti were miles better though, they were one of the bands that shaped my love of music, and they were way ahead of their time, however it's my opinion that Physical Graffiti is probably an even better introduction to Led Zeppelin than these discs, that double album has everything you could ask for.

Led Zeppelin started up in 1968, and have grown in stature as one of the greatest bands of all time, in essence they are really a bluesy Hard Rock band, and not Metal in the sense of other acts during the seventies, even today young people first discovering the wealth of material by them, quickly become devotees, and Led Zeppelin continues to create a large crowd of new followers.

On this listen, it was good to get to know disc one, which is culled from their first four albums, early Led Zeppelin [albums 1-3] are not my favourite, it was the mid seventies where they truly defined their music the best, so disc two is excellent, and on this listen it's tracks 6-8 [disc 2] that really got me going, Kashmir is well documented by Robert Plant as their best track, so i feel it's track 6 [disc 2] 'Houses Of The Holy' that i have a strong gravity towards, it comes from the double album Physical Graffiti, so i've played this track a lot, and in closely listening to it today, i realize more than ever what a pure stroke of genius this song is, it's built up from an incredible riff, Jimmy Page's guitar has that lovely hollow echo sound to it, with a double riff and a reply by John Bonham, this is repeated four times, and it's on the third time that Jimmy Page gives a nice embellishment [0:00-0:16], this is the basis for the whole song, these four riffs are interspersed with six verses, each verse by Robert Plant slowly gains in volume and intensity, on the second load of riffs after the first verse, Jimmy Page also now embellishes the second riff [0:38], it's a magnificent tease, on the third verse John Bonham starts adding a tapping sound, a nice added touch [1:21], it's the fourth verse that i think is lyrically the best,

So the world is spinning faster

Are you dizzy when you're stoned?

Let the music be your master

Will you heed the masters call?

I always thought it said 'Are you dizzy when you stop?', makes more logical sense to me, that's what happens when you stop spinning, your head keeps spinning and you feel dizzy, by the fifth and sixth verses Robert Plant is almost screaming, i get a tremendous buzz from this, at the end of the verses there's an extended riff / jam for an outro [3:13+], the whole thing is one humongous tease, it's built up and layered in intensity, it's so musically annoying / satisfying, one of their best songs ever, and a genius of a creation.

Here's Houses Of The Holy being played on YouTube.

Various Composers - Overtures / Intermezzi / Preludes [Gavazzeni-Orchestra Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino]

This is a nice little compilation of orchestral bits and pieces from various Operas, one of the things that makes it quite desirable to add to your collection, is the fact that it has some items that are off the beaten track, a good collection of lesser known works, however it would have been wonderful to have the Intermezzo from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana on the disc, it is simply gorgeous, very uplifting and inspirational.

Gianandrea Gavazzeni is of course Italian [1909-1996], he made these recordings in the the late fifties, and i must admit they do show their age somewhat, there's not enough bass warmth in the recording, too brittle in the treble, but the stereo-ness of the recording is surprisingly good, but these aren't really detractions, and are really just the normal for a recording over fifty years old.

I bought this on Ebay, as i remember correctly, it was from some European seller [this disc is made by Decca for the Italian market], and otherwise not available in England, i like searching these foreign markets on Ebay for discs, there's some nice rare surprises out there, this one looked so good, a fantastic pic of Gavazzeni [by Leonardo Cendamo], a nice well lit face with a thoughtful expression, the hat really makes the difference, it's the lettering which is nicely laid out, with a list of the Composers on the disc, a lovely package.

I like these compilations, there's always something that really touches me, and on this listen i enjoyed tracks 3, 5 & 10, the Intermezzo from Suor Angelica [Puccini] is not very well known to me, so it was so good to acquaint myself with this, but the item that impressed me the most was track 10 'The Dance Of The Hours' from Ponchielli's 'La Gioconda' [the Happy Singer], it has a lovely mix of three main sections to it, the first is a sort of introduction, which sparkles into life with high violin 'trills' with triangle embellishments, and flute [0:34+], Ponchielli creates a chattering concoction of dainty almost blips and bleeps, including woodwind, i love this section, notice the quick chime triangle [1:23+] a nice touch, an excellent use of an underestimated instrument!, which features so highly in this piece, in section two the world famous main waltz comes in [2:01+], and right after a counter melody waltz [2:26+] which uses the sparkling elements of triangle / flute / trill violins, and the main waltz comes back [2:46+], but this time continuing with the flute / triangle combination to great effect, that damn triangle steals the show!, every phrase is ended with a triangle exclamation mark!, i also love this part of the section too, later the main waltz is played by the lower strings [5:40+] with the violins playing what i can only describe as 'weeping tears', quick and sad sobs, very effective, in the last and third part, the piece turns to a dazzling finale, something straight out of an exuberant Johann Strauss book, the waltz turns into a mad frenzy [7:16+], with the violins / piccolos creating screaming sheets of rain [7:31+], there's a lazy and loud waltz on the lower strings [8:15+], and all the elements come together to create a chaotic and rumbunctious finale [8:25+], the final bars are a sheer delight [8:32+], with the triangle now going berserk, what a very satisfying piece of music indeed, everything is punctuated by that ever present triangle!.

Here's Ponchielli's The Dance Of The Hours being played on YouTube.

Beethoven - Violin Sonata 9 [Perlman/ Ashkenazy]

This is a lovely four disc box set of the complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas, there are lots of sets available to buy, some very good indeed, i feel this is one of the very best top recommendations, i certainly don't feel that all the Sonatas are equal, the early Op12 Sonatas are weak, but they're all worth hearing.

Itzhak Perlman, is an Israeli [although i'm sure he now has American citizenship, and lives in the United States], he is now 65, and he recorded these Violin Sonatas in the mid seventies.

In listening to the Ninth Sonata again, which i feel is the greatest Violin Sonata ever written, i must admit i found myself appreciating the first movement, it's revolutionary, just the way it starts, with the solo violin [0:00-0:27], with seemingly out of tune screeching notes, a wonderful start to such an incredible Sonata, but the first two minutes is an introduction to when things really get going, a frantic and frenetic game of tag between the violin and piano [2:28-3:05], it has such a headlong surge to it, and turns into a more slower and sweeter legato from Perlman [3:04+], and it's this fast / slow, twoing and froing that makes the whole movement, it's a great musical tease, like a lovely start / stop, using different gears all over the place, rather than one long steady speed, Beethoven certainly knows how to throw many devices and ideas into the mix, but it's not a hodge podge of mismatched jigsaw pieces, rather the whole thing fuses together into a perfect whole, the genius of Beethoven shines through wonderfully.

Here's Itzhak Perlman playing the first movement on YouTube, this time with Martha Argerich on piano.