Brahms - Handel Variations [Arrau]

This comes from a 3 disc box set, handsomely presented, the works certainly aren't of equal value, and instead of the two Piano Sonatas, it would have been better to have the shorter Piano Pieces Op116-119 instead, but it's still great to hear Arrau, , i listened to this just over a year ago [3rd October 2010], i still marvel at the ingenuity of Brahms creating a work teeming with an almost endless supply of ideas, and even though i find Arrau a bit heavy handed at times, and maybe in a few variations a bit slow, there's insights aplenty, this was a wonderful experience. 

Claudio Arrau was born in Chile in 1903, and died in 1991, he recorded this work in 1978, the front cover shows Arrau in a reflective mood [photo by Christian Steiner], a background of sheet music, and nice lettering in green. 

I enjoyed so much variations 1, 5-7, 22 & 25, the early variations 5-7 come together in a clump, and each variations adds to the one before, highlighting and complementing each other, and this was an especially nice little phase, here are these variations explained in more detail,
Variation 1 [1:19-2:17], right after the slow theme, it's wonderful to hear the faster first variation explode into life, with jagged and staccato notes, and inbetween quick little runs, a breath of fresh air. 
Variation 5 [4:48-6:03], a subdued and serious variation, Arrau has a tendency to sniff all over the place, but i like his rubato as it quickens and slows in waves.
Variation 6 [6:03-7:13], another quiet variation, this time there's a whiff of a funeral march about it, it's certainly solemn and dark, those bass notes are so nice to hear, again Arrau just plays with the rubato to give it some elasticity, he's great at judging those things.
Variation 7 [7:14-7:51], and in contrast a more lively variation, again a piece full of staccato, it gets more and more frantic towards the end.
Variation 22 [20:48-21:50], i find this variations so very coda-esque, as if it's a culmination of things, lovely high in the treble, i love the ringing notes it creates, and the gentle background the left hand gives from the middle of the keyboard.
Variation 25 [22:54-23:33], a real explosion of pent up feeling, a tremendous joy and enthusiasm in attack from Arrau, a great ending to the variation part of the work, and probably on this listen this was my favourite variation this time. 

Here's variations 22 to the end being played on YouTube, i don't know who the Pianist is, variation 25 starts at [1:59], look at his hand jumping up and down all over the place, a real virtuoso variation, a joy to watch.

Janacek - String Quartet 1 [Smetana Quartet]

Janacek makes his debut in my Blog here today, he still remains a fairly unknown Composer to me, i certainly don't know these String Quartets very well, and neither am i all too familiar with his Orchestral works, the Sinfonietta and Taras Bulba, or even his Glagolitic Mass, three works i would like to get to know more, but his String Quartets are a start, certainly not the usual fare, both are roughly only 20 minutes long, and are snatches of melody interspersed with dynamic outbursts and creative sonorities, it takes time to really get to know them. 

The Smetana Quartet is really quite old, they started up in 1945, and they ended in 1989, a 44 year existence, they made this live recording in 1980, the front cover shot is special, of the Quartet facing away from the would be audience, but showing the lovely architecture and lights of what i assume is the Dvorak Hall in Prague, Czechoslovakia, there's a gorgeous symmetry about the shot, and with the curved bended lines of the columns top left and right corners, it's of course a wide-angle lens, and you can feel the dimensions and sense of space in the hall, plus the colours are rich in red, orange, and grey, a band running across the centre holds the lettering, which separates the Quartet / audience and the hall / architecture, a really inspiring shot. 

Well i certainly enjoyed the opening of this Quartet, it has a certain mystery about it, plus the beginnings of some dynamic rhythms, but it was the fourth movement that i found the very best, it's an Adagio of an introduction [0:00-1:13], and with longing and aching from the first violin [Jiri Novak], it has a sadness there, slightly over halfway through there's a couple of very fast bowing episodes from the whole Quartet [3:01-3:08 & 3:15-3:22], sounds like waves of buzzing, really effective, after that the Feroce section of the movement comes in, and there's frantic stamping rhythms from the viola [Milan Skampa - 3:22+], and this is transferred to the second violin [Lubomir Kostecky - 3:29+], making a great background rhythm the first violin plays over, and the viola and second violin keep swapping this rhythm like a tag team, the playing really reaches a wonderful zenith with the second violin playing the most exquisitely fast rhythm very high [4:01-4:07], while at the same time the first violin is playing the main tune also very high in the tessitura, it's the most magical point of the Quartet, the Quartet players comes down from their high peak in a clever way [4:10-4:44], the closing is really inspired, a lovely coda, it's the second half of the movement where things get truly exciting, i'm glad i got the chance to 'assimilate' this Quartet today, and i'm looking forward to listing to my next helping.

Here's the Mandelbrot Quartet playing Janacek's First String Quartet on YouTube, the fourth movement starts at [13:40].

Manic Street Preachers [The Holy Bible]

Here's one of the greatest albums ever recorded, and fittingly titled The Holy Bible, i can't believe this is only the first time this appears in my Blog, it's a massive album, a phenomenal statement by the band, and a farewell from Richey James Edwards [missing - probable Suicide], more than anything the music veers away from the MSP's earlier Alternative Rock albums, and moves more into Punk Rock territory, after this album they would move toward melodic Hard Rock, the lyrics are 80% from Richey James Edwards, and he is full of vitriol for the serious problems of the world, it can be quite a depressing read, but... the music and the enthusiasm behind it makes it somehow a truly enlightening statement, this album is my 11th favourite disc out of roughly 1650 discs that i own, that's major, every time i listen to this album i marvel at the sheer inventiveness of each of the tracks, the Manic Street Preachers would never make another album remotely as good as this one again. 

The Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh band, formed in 1986, and still going strong today, they recorded this album in 1994, the front cover is a painting called Strategy by Jenny Saville, a thought provoking piece of artwork, the track listing is actually on the front, a clever inventive little idea, it sort of completes things. 

Just about every track was so superb, with tracks 3-4, 6-7, 9, 11 & 13 really stunning, out of this i found track 3 Of Walking Abortion to be especially enlightening, not one of my usual favourites [usually 6, 9 or 13], and it was good to seriously listen to this track, and find a new appreciation for it, and to hear things that i've never really noticed before, 

Here's the Manic Street Preachers singing Of Walking Abortion on YouTube.

Heather Nova [Siren]

Surprisingly this is the first time Heather Nova's Siren gets into my Blog, it was only a couple of months ago that i reviewed the listening of her album South [23rd November 2011], slowly she's seeping into my conciousness, i also have the albums Oyster and Storm, and isn't there a propensity for one word titles for her albums!, i have a tendency to mix up her albums, i was expecting a track at the end of this album, which i'm now sure is on Oyster, yes it takes a while to really assimilate all her works, and individualize each and every album from another. 

Heather Nova is actually from Bermuda, she is now 44 years old, and this was her fourth studio album, that came out in 1998, the front cover is a good one [photo by Mike Diver], of a head and shoulders shot of Nova, hair over one eye, and that yellow dress that seems to be made of cling film!, the green background and the dress really compliment each other, a nice portrait. 

Here's Heather Nova singing 'Widescreen' on YouTube.