Tchaikovsky - Symphony 5 [Jansons-Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra]

When Jansons first recorded his Tchaikovsky cycle, his recordings were considered quite an event, and the consensus was that here is a fresh take on Tchaikovsky, and a reference set for the future, it's hard to have that expectation hanging around your neck, the Fifth could be regarded as Jansons best of his cycle, though my favourite at this time remains with Chailly / Decca, i loved listening to this today.

Mariss Jansons is Latvian, he's now 72, this Symphony was recorded back in 1984 when Jansons was 41, and his career took off, he was with the Oslo Philharmonic for 23 years [1979-2002], and transformed them as an Orchestra.

On the whole it was all of the Symphony that excited me, the third being a slight dip i guess, the 'finale' was thrilling, and as a real feel for the whole of this Symphony, i would like to talk about this last movement, scored as 'Maestoso' = Majestic, and that's the great feel of this movement, a noble march of a tune at the beginning, Tchaikovsky certainly knows how to use the brass as fanfares, there's a regal-ness to the whole thing, this intro comes to an end [2:45], and the Allegro Vivace comes in, i like the way Jansons gives the brass room to breath [Pletnev is even better though], and the brass churn out these fanfares as the strings swirl and zip around them [4:24-4:50], i guess this fanfare is the theme for the whole movement, Vivace / lively is certainly right!, Tchaikovsky has to have one of his high powered endings, almost in the style of 1812 [8:49+], majestic is the keyword here, i like the way the brass have these short little fanfares [9:21 & 9:27], and then they come in full force [9:40-10:01], and right at the end time for some closing fanfares [10:52-11:04], it's a thrilling ride.

Here's Gergiev conducting the fourth movement on YouTube.

Beethoven - String Quartet 15 [Quartetto Italiano]

Surprisingly, this is the very first time i have listened to this set, the Quartetto Italiano have been around for yonks, and i've enjoyed their set of Beethoven's Middle Quartets for nearly a decade, but i must admit i'm a latecomer to the Late Quartets of Beethoven, they really just don't jive with me, am i missing something here?, they sound like a step back from the Middle Quartets, not a step forward, and Beethoven seems to split the regular four movement model up into a fragmented 'suite' of movements at times, what's he up to?, but listening to this set over the last few days, i have a new appreciation for these late works, i'm beginning to understand, i think?.

The Quartetto Italiano were formed in 1955, and disbanded in 1980, their legacy has been immense, and they've influenced a whole host of other String Quartets, the booklet shows the Quartet in some ancient Church possibly [by Arje Plas], almost monotone, except for the browns of their instruments, and the red of the logo / lettering, it's a set that's increasingly becoming expensive to obtain in this original four disc incarnation.

It was the String Quartet 15 that i warmed to the most, though not without a feeling that some of the movements seem to be poor alongside others, the opening movement i felt was weak, a mixed bag really, but the glorious centre of the Quartet is the middle movement, at nearly 20 minutes here, it's huge, and if you sort of add the last two movements together, well there's your four movement model i guess!.

Here's my feelings on this central 'Canzona Di Ringraziamento' / 'Sentendo Nuova Forza' = 'Song Of Thanksgiving' / 'Feeling New Strength', it's a beautiful and solemn song, almost like a plainchant, but with strings instead of voices, very well sustained by the Italiano's, rising almost out of nothing to begin with, when the first 'Sentendo Nuova Forza' comes in [4:11+], it's such a powerful statement of sweetness and joy!, it's a movement that could so easily have stood on its own, it alternates between long passages of the 'Canzona' and the 'Forza', in the second 'Sentendo Nuova Forza' [10:17+], it takes things into a higher realm of joy, the music swells more than usual, and the third 'Canzona' gets more passionate towards its end, i feel i'm always left hanging waiting for a third beautiful 'Forza' to come in and create the perfect closure, but it never appears, there's some truly 'spiritual' music in there, the following short movement almost seems like a silly blasphemy by its side, the sacred and the profane, still don't understand how Beethoven put them in the same Quartet!, but that's the prerogative of the master for you!.

Here's the Escher String Quartet playing the third movement on YouTube.

Chopin - 21 Nocturnes [Rev]

This is how i first listened to Chopin's Nocturnes, through a double cassette tape in the early days of getting into classical music, Rev wouldn't be my choice now, but at the time i thought this must be way these pieces are meant to be played, but listening to Barenboim [my favourite] and Pollini, my feelings to the 'rightness' of this music has changed, Rev is very low key, there's a sense of the unpretentious here, which at times helps Chopin to actually shine more brighter, and it was wonderful to revisit this set as i travelled on the bus today, see also [12th April 2012].

Livia Rev is Hungarian, she's now 98, and she recorded these Nocturnes back in 1988, she was already over 70 then, the front cover shows a painting by Alphonese Osbert called 'Songs Of The Night', the track listing is a little confusing, it doesn't run 1-21, therefore track 1 isn't Nocturne 1, and all the tracks are shifted this way, i believe the Nocturnes presented here are in date order, nice in a way, but ultimately more confusing than nice.

It's easy to talk about so many revelations throughout the whole set, too many to mention here, so i'll limit my comments to just the two that really affected me the most,
Nocturne 9 [in B Major- Op32/1] - One of my early favourites, a simple enough melody, in a sweet key, i think the second section of the piece is much more interesting [1:10+], and full of pathos, as always with Chopin, there's always this underlining sadness somewhere, Chopin's fluffy white clouds always have a grey lining!, and there's this moment where Chopin reaches a high treble note [3:27], and it's as if the music just freezes in time on it, a wonderful idea, Rev captures it nicely. 
Nocturne 17 [in B Major - Op62/1] - Also in B Major, however i sense very much more a feeling of nostalgia / longing in this piece, there's the trick of holding notes for longer for effect, i love the way the music just so subtly changes [2:33+], and suddenly we're in a different world / mood, and then it can change again into another deeper mood [4:03+], Chopin goes into a sort of variation of trills [4:24-5:15], the ending is gorgeous, there's this treble Coda of sorts [5:42-6:15], beautiful in it's demurement, but Chopin has like a second ending of pure denouement [6:14-6:28], how Chopin can weave around your heart!.

Brahms - Violin Sonata 2 [Mullova/ Anderszewski]

I must easily have a dozen complete Brahms Violin Sonatas in my collection, and on the whole each one is another 'revealing' of these endlessly fascinating creations, Mullova is probably a midway point in my favourites, and i must admit i haven't listened to this disc since 2012 [8th June 2012], but it was so good to give this a spin today.

Viktoria Mullova is Russian, she's now 55, the front cover of the booklet is nice, two separate shots [by Brigitte Lacombe] and fused together i guess, Anderszeski wearing dark / black, and Mullova wearing white / light, is there a musical theme here?.

I would say the Second Sonata to only just be my favourite of the three, it's the first one i heard, and of course loved the structure of the piece, especially the middle movement, consisting of slow and fast episodes, it's also the shortest of the three, i also find that Mullova / Anderszewski are pretty swift, they don't hang about, and looking at the timings for my favourite half a dozen interpretations, with the timing for the whole Sonata, and then the timing for the second movement, from fastest to slowest, this is what i get,

Mullova / Anderszwski - 18:27 / 5:45
Chung / Frankl - 19:43 / 6:07

Belkin / Dalberto - 20:16 / 6:22

Znaider / Bronfman - 19:57 / 6:35

Perlman / Ashkenazy - 20:23 / 6:42

Frank / Serkin - 19:37 / 6:45

what i 'feel' i can now 'see' in the stats, Mullova is almost two minutes faster than Perlman, and a minute faster in the second movement than Frank, i also find that there's a tendency for Anderszewski to be cast into the background / shade, while Mullova is in the foreground / spotlight [another manifestation of the black & white theory?], also Anderszewski can be warm / passionate, while Mullova can be icy / precise, that's not to say she doesn't have warmth / passion in her playing, the part i like the best is the middle fast / slow coupling [2:05-4:35], the last part of the Andante gets so beautifully passionate and intense [3:02-3:33], Mullova finds a powerful sweetness here, the following Vivace Di Piu becomes a pizzicato masterclass, juxtaposing between bowing and plucking [3:43+], after an Andante / Coda of sorts, there's a final pizzicato bravura flourish to end on [5:34-5:44].

Here's Mutter / Orkis playing the second movement on YouTube.

Faure - Piano Trio [Beaux Arts Trio]

What an unashamedly little gem Faure's Piano Trio is!, i remember well the day i 'discovered' it, on a walk to Church [17th February 2013], there the first movement truly impressed me, Faure has an underrated way with Chamber music, makes me want to check out his String Quartet too.

The Beaux Arts Trio were active for 53 years, they split up in 2008, this disc was recorded in 1988, the front cover of the booklet shows a superb photograph [by Christian Steiner], a portrait of the trio showing all three instruments, the dark background adds to the highlighting of the faces, look at the lovely browns of that cello!.

So like i said, it was the first movement Allegro that really wowed me, the Piano Trio was a late work for Faure, composed in 1923, maybe a couple of years before he died, and that late Autumn of his life has a feel for the same in this work, Faure got more away from 'nice tunes', and more into the ethereal 'feel' of things, which can be witnessed in his solo piano music, that's not to say that there's a lack of tunes to this work, but i find it hard to whistle late Faure, it sticks in the memory, but i think Faure was mastering the use of rhythms and structure more, there's some great architecture in his music, the first movement is Allegro, but then added 'ma non troppo' = but not too [fast], and that's a key notation, it just wouldn't work if A Trio just zoomed through the piece, there needs to be poise too, i love the way the piano has this superb rippling effect throughout the beginning, while the violin / cello play the melody, and when the piano gets to play a tune itself, it's a stunning little number [1:01-1:21], there's some individual notes that are off the usual highway, and it's these singular notes that really make Faure what he is, there's one early on [1:03], now that's truly inspired, love the way the instruments weave and overlap each other, but basically it's a dialogue between piano and strings, as the movement progresses it has a tendency to get more louder and complex, and it end i guess on a sort of forte.

Here's the Beaux Arts Trio playing the first movement on YouTube.

Dire Straits ['Sultans Of Swing' The Very Best Of Dire Straits]

Well to start off with i need to explain the the track listing label on the back inlay, i didn't actually agree with the track list for this release, they added stuff i detest 'Calling Elvis' yuck, and 'Heavy Fuel' really!, very best of?, plus they then leave out stuff which is essential 'Down To The Waterline' and 'Skateaway', so of course the obvious solution is to record my own disc!, and so here's my take for what it's worth.

Dire Straits is the brainchild of Mark Knopfler, and it's hard to separate the two, of course Dire Straits have ended, and Knopfler is now 65, yes all the Young Rockers become Old Rockers eventually.

So the tracks i liked the best were 1, 3-5, 10 & 12, it certainly brings back memories, i used to own some of these as 45 singles, 'Sultans Of Swing' takes me back, used to be my favourite Dire Straits song, and 'Your Latest Trick' is an ingenious later song i really love, but the very best track is 'Tunnel Of Love', which always sticks in my mind, the lyrics are filled with double meanings, there's a longing and nostalgia there, i guess it talks of a real life experience by Knopfler, visiting an amusement park in Whitley Bay called the Spanish City, meeting a girl there, and they both decide to remain anonymous, at the end they part with a kiss, never to meet again, and then the subsequent searching / yearning to re-create that feeling of an event in the past that is just simply impossible to re-live, each time i hear it i also feel the sadness / happiness that an event was bottled up into a package, never to be opened again, you love that you've created something untouchable, yet at the same time you're sad that you can't get to touch it again.

Here's Dire Straits playing 'Tunnel Of Love' on YouTube.

Schubert - Symphony 9 'The Great' [Abbado-The Chamber Orchestra Of Europe]

Abbado uses reduced forces here, a Chamber Orchestra, but what it might lose on overall weight, it gains in a lightness and litheness, i'm sure orchestras back in Schubert's day didn't have the same depth they have today, i guess it's harder to get together a large enough group of professional musicians, and so maybe this sounds more like the real thing than a full blown Berlin Philharmonic, Abbado keeps things moving, there's a real lilt to proceedings, a real favourite of mine, it's already appeared in my Blog twice before [9th October 2011 & 18th September 2012]. 

Claudio Abbado passed away just over a year ago, he was 80, he recorded this work in 1987.

Surprisingly it was the last two movements that i enjoyed the most, with the third movement Scherzo really impressing this time, which is probably the least liked of the four usually, it's scored as Allegro Vivace, fast and lively, and i certainly agree with the lively bit, the woodwinds whistle and chatter away, the music alternates between a sweet little waltz, and heavier fortissimo strings, it's like a war between the strings and the woodwind / brass, there's this gorgeous trio section in the middle [6:26-10:40], again the woodwinds are fantastic here, i guess it's my favourite section of the movement, Schubert really knows how to spin a tune, it's melody sweeps you away, just when you think it's coming to an end, it glides away again, Schubert really knows how to jig those dance rhythms! 

Here's Claudio Abbado on YouTube, with the third movement Allegro Vivace.

Dvorak - String Serenade [Alphen-Rotterdam Chamber Orchestra]

Now this is a real event in my Blog, where has Dvorak's String serenade been all my life?, this is the third time i've played this disc, but what was i listening to the other two times?, this is the greatest musical discovery this year so far, i went out for a walk throughout my neighbourhood late at night, with the strains of Dvorak's beautiful melody in my ears, discs like this make me happy.

Conrad Van Alphen is South African, and he's new to me, i don't have a lot of Telarc discs, and i don't believe i have another performance of Dvorak's String Serenade, i bought this disc eight years ago, and it's been a real slow burner, i love the programme of this disc, all the works complement each other, the front booklet and back inlay are gorgeous, a picture of a Scandinavian fjord [by Brian Lawrence], look at them luscious blues!, each Composer is boxed in vertical lines on the front, and horizontal on the back, i love the layout of this thing, a well presented visual adds to the music on the inside.

So it was the opening movement Moderato which was such a revelation, it's stunningly beautiful, lasting just under five minutes, and yet it feels more substantial, with Dvorak there's no intro here, it's straight into the music, the opening chords are heavenly, and are quickly restated with extra passion, i love the way this opening melody comes back again and again, it's so memorable and sweet, there's a central trio section, where the music gets more lively [1:36-2:55], and the return of the opening theme afterwards is a moment of magic [2:55+], there's also this short passage where the music 'dies' down into the minor [0:54 & 3:47], a wonderful moment of pathos, a stroke of genius by Dvorak, at the end there's this little coda [4:08-4:51], which brings this little movement to a close, now this is what makes all the music i listen to worthwhile!.

Here's the first movement Moderato on YouTube, played by the Kyiv Soloists.

Ravel - String Quartet [Carmina String Quartet]

It's great to revisit this disc again, the last time i played it was in 2013, i delved into the Carmina Quartet when they won an award for their Szymanowski String Quartets, and that disc is superb, so it's good to find this is up to standard also, it's got a lovely front booklet cover, i well shot photo, with a blue theme, this disc appeared in my Blog early in its incarnation [27th January 2010].

The Carmina String Quartet are still going strong, now clocking up their 30 year anniversary, they are from Switzerland, they recorded this disc in 1992 on the Denon label.

So the best thing about this performance was the second movement assez vif, tres rythme = fairly lively, very rhythmic, and it's certainly the rhythmic bit which is very fitting, lots of pizzicato involved, love the way Ravel starts this movement, with a pizzicato quartet [0:00-0:15], very satisfying indeed, but even when the bowing comes in, there's always some instrument still playing pizzicato, and Ravel uses the power of each instrument to give different string effects, a treble twang from the violins, and a deep bass from the cello, there's a serene middle section of mainly bowing [1:51-4:48], and even within this middle section there's a couple of more sour and searching little episodes [3:28-3:45 & 4:08-4:26], i just love the lead back to the opening [4:46-5:10], it's such a tease!, and even within this passage, there's a great little rhythmic run by i believe the viola [4:56+], and the movement ends on a staggered last loud pizzicato!

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

Mahler - Symphony 4 [Hendricks/Mehta-Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]

I have roughly ten Mahler 4's in my collection, and this is certainly one of the better of them, from the cover, it presents itself as pastoral sunny work, and certainly it's the happiest of Mahler's Symphonies, i remember walking in the woods listening to this Symphony, seemed like the perfect place to hear Mahler's 4, the front booklet cover is fantastic [by Eric Bach], a castle on the hill, tiny in the picture, juxtaposed against the blossoms on the tree, i played this disc almost five years ago [21st June 2010].

Zubin Mehta is Indian, he's now 78, he recorded this in 1979, wow already over 35 years ago!, and yet it's still considered a 'modern' recording, i love these Decca Eclipse recordings, a great way to collect the back catalogue, and with seventy plus minutes of music.

On this listen i just love the slow movement, marked as Ruhevoll by Mahler, ruhe = rest, voll = fully, i think the idea was relaxing / refreshing, i guess like sleep, you get fully invigorated, the movement is long, clocking in at nearly 22 minutes here, but it never feels that long, maybe the same length as say a Schubert's Ninth movement [15 minutes], it indulges you, and you forget time!, the heavenly opening chords straight away introduce that beautiful tune, this to me represents a far more accurate portrayal of a possible heaven than the worded account in the following movement, supposedly built upon a set of variations, i love the way mahler takes the violins so high in the sweet treble, that at times they almost disappear, a wonderful swooning if you will [2:17-3:26], if the strings represent the brighter side of the movement, then the darker side of the movement is represented by the woodwind, or more perfectly by the brass, just over halfway through the movement Mahler uses some dance rhythms, some of it is quite jiggy [14:58-15:57], but after this the music almost descends into a deep pathos [16:17+], i guess a coda if you will, but the whole thing bursts into a loud fanfare of joy [18:30+], announcing the opening tune of the last movement before its time, and again those violins play high in treble, ending on an expectant pause, once you see more of the structure, you understand what Mahler is trying to say.

Mozart - Piano Concerto 20 [Schiff/ Vegh- Camerata Academica Des Mozarteums salzburg]

Probably my second favourite version of this Concerto, i seem to play this quite a lot, last appeared in my Blog in 2012 [30th September 2012], Andras Schiff is a great interpreter, and the Orchestra is somewhat of a chamber outfit, so you get a smaller feel for these works, probably more like what Mozart would have experienced in his day, plus Schiff plays a Bosendorfer i believe, a shade more toward what Mozart would play, rather than a Steinway, of course a pianforte 'original instuments' version it ain't, but Schiff gives you a feel for things, and i think good ole Wolfgang himself would have been pleased with the results.

Andras Schiff is Hungarian, he's now 61, he recorded this disc way back in 1989, i didn't realise this recording was that old, Schiff has recorded the full cycle of these Concertos, available in all sorts of packages, i love sampling individual discs, and i believe this is the best of the bunch, each of the front booklet covers show photography by Phil Sayer, showing Schiff i guess in Vienna?, with architecture in the background leaning, and low down shots with wonderful lighting, i love the blue theme throughout the cycle.

Well it the first movement Allegro that always gets me, it's Mozart's greatest Piano Concerto movement in my opinion, it's just so revolutionary, it has an incredible drive to it, it starts off quiet enough to begin with, but there's this undercurrent of unease and dread, a braying on the lower strings gives it a certain menace, and a sharp blast from the horns make you jolt upright! [0:28], i love this opening tutti from the orchestra, it's not a mere intro just to announce the piano, it's the music itself, the orchestra gets equal billing here, the piano also starts innocently enough [2:20], except for the fact it's in D Minor!, the same key for his Requiem [D for death as far as i'm concerned!], but of course the niceties are cast aside as the full force of the Minor key is exerted, the tension and knots it delivers are breathtaking, the way Mozart makes it all weave and thread together is masterly, i love the sound of the piano in this recording, the bass has a certain growling / rumbling tendency, very appropriate, i must admit Schiff can be a little too staccato and lumpy at times, a more delicate and flowing touch would have done better [Uchida?], i love the way that right after the cadenza, the orchestra come right back in with a jolt! [13:32], nicely knocks your socks off.

Here's Andras Schiff playing and conducting this Concerto on YouTube.

Grieg - Piano Concerto [Vogt/Rattle-City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra]

Ah, one of eight Schumann / Grieg couplings i have in my collection, there's certainly reasons for twinning these two concertos together, but why not Grieg and Rachmaninov 2, or Schumann and Tchaikovsky 1?, however much i love the Schumann, in a side by side comparison, it's always the Grieg that gets the nod, and so it is here, this work very much has things in common with yesterdays disc, beautiful romantic works, heartbreaking melodies, this might just be my favourite interpretation, it got into my Blog in its early days [3rd May 2010].

Lars Vogt is German, he's now 44, but he made this recording half a lifetime ago when he was 22, he really looks young on the booklet.

It's the Grieg middle movement Adagio which wins my heart, again i can't help noticing the similarity between the two, starts with a fairly lengthy orchestral intoduction before the piano comes in, over two minutes [2:26], and considering it lasts only just a shade over seven, that's a big chunk!, they set the tone, it's the piano that announces that aching melody [2:26-2:47], Vogt's first notes break a sort of silence as it were, i guess there's a sort of middle louder section, where the melody is played with more passion, and there's a coda of sorts, gentle tinkling of the keys [6:23-7:18], but of course there's a surprise in the following Allegro, where the central Adagio makes a heartening return.

Here's Vogt playing the Grieg concerto on YouTube.

Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto 2 [Grimaud/ Ashkenazy - Philharmonia Orchestra]

This sounds like the perfect coupling, Grimaud and Ashkenazy, with Ashkenazy as a Rachmaninov Pianist, means that he knows this work from the keyboard, it must mean something when you come to conduct the work as well!, a dynamic duo?, well the jury's out i guess, some people love this disc, others feel it's quite a weak reading, i like it a lot, but i have my reservations too, but even a dull performance can never dilute those beautiful Rachmaninov tunes that comes shining through, the central Adagio Sostenuto has some of the most heavenly romantic / nostalgic music ever committed to record, this disc got in my Blog a couple of times before, [15th August 2010 & 7th April 2012].

Helene Grimaud is French, and now 45, she was 30 when she recorded this work, and although she has young looks anyway, she really does seem to have that 'little girl' aura about her, and yet she really knows what she wants, she plys her trade on the Deutsche Grammophon label these days, and have virtually given her musical licence to do whatever she pleases, her record releases are more like concert dreams rather than organised traverses through the repertoire, but there's something maverick about her, it's always an event when she brings out a new disc.

Well in listening to this disc again [roughly clocking up twenty listens i guess], the recording is a bit murky in the orchestra, but the piano is fairly up front, like a front row seat, like i said the middle movement Adagio Sostenuto is fantastic, after the storm of the first movement, the calm of the second is all the more telling, it has heart tugs all over the place, it can reduce you to tears, the opening melody is so beautiful, the clarinet and piano interweave the main theme to perfection at the start [1:11-2:07], the piano plays the simple melody, one of Rachmaninov's greatest tunes [3:05-3:31], the piano descends into a sour but sad aching longing that Rachmaninov is so expert at doing [4:08-4:33], the way Grimaud gets the piano to chime out those nostalgic 'bells' is tremendous [5:23-5:48], towards the end Rachmaninov restates a lot of the opening, but this time instead of the clarinet interweaving with the piano, it's now the sweet strings [9:00-10:26], the whole thing is so satisfying.

Here's Helene Grimaud playing the second movement on YouTube, with Claudio Abbado conducting.

Chopin - 27 Etudes [Lortie]

This is my second favorite disc of all time, i must have played it many dozens of times, i love the way Lortie seems to get these pieces just 'right', some of these Etudes i feel are the definitive version in my mind, and it's amazing how each time i listen to them, i find a different one to be wowed by, this disc appeared in my Blog three years ago [5th June 2012].

Louis Lortie is Canadian, he's now 55, he recorded these Etudes in 1986, i was amazed when they first came out, and i must admit i played this disc to death in the first few years i had it, now i've acquired a lot more versions of this work, so i can spend less time on this disc, but it remains my favourite version of the Chopin Etudes.

So on this listen i loved Etudes 9 & 16 [Op10/9 & Op25/4], here's a short synopsis of each,
Etude 9 [2:07] - In the minor key of F Minor, a sad and troubling Etude, full of nervous energy, there seems to be this underlying unsureness / hesitation in the piece, its rhythm is all truncated, i wish Lortie would play the left hand louder, more equal with the right hand, it slightly gains in more straightforwardness, but there's this constant right hand treble loud stabs, i like the way Lortie intensifies the second half repeat, i can hear a sort of 'resolution' trying to surface near the end, but it's shut down by Chopin, a nice device.
Etude 16 [1:33] - A very staccato Etude, also in the minor of A Minor, and yet doesn't sound sad like number nine, the left and right hand seem to play against each others groove, making a tremendously satisfying lopsided rhythm, Lortie has this way of emphasising certain right hand notes, which spell out a melody within a melody, the left hand is so incessant, it annoys and delights at the same time.

Here's Lortie playing Etude 9 on YouTube, and Etude 16 on YouTube also.

Sting ['Fields Of Gold' The Very Best Of Sting 1984-1994]

Early to mid Sting, i like his album 'Mercury Falling' the best, his earlier albums all have something essential on them, but at the same time they have enough average that a compilation like this can make the ideal substitute, don't agree on every track, and yes there are some omissions too, but this really fits the bill, i listened to this early in my blogging career [20th March 2010].

Sting is now 63, and even though he looks 50, his music seems to have gone the other way, his latest album The Last Ship' sounds like he's turning into Roger Whittaker!, 'The Last Farewell' wouldn't go amiss on that album, i think i gave up on him when 'Brand New Day' was released.

So on this listen i love tracks 3-6 & 14, but i always come back to that wonderful song of his, as the title track says 'Fields Of Gold', it has one of the most simplest melodies, a constant sharp clicking on the drums, that doesn't get annoying, a great story too, a seeming act of pure lust i guess, but within there's promises made, and at the end the lines,

Many years have passed, since those summer days

Among the fields of barley

See the children run, as the sun goes down

Among the fields of gold

to me it sounds like the children were a product of 'among the fields of barley'!

Here's Sting singing 'Fields Of Gold' on YouTube.

Beethoven - String Quartet 7 'Razumovsky' [Melos String Quartet]

Surprisingly i haven't played these discs much, they're still newish in my collection, but others i've played to death, especially the Lindsay String Quartet, and to a lesser degree the Vermeer String Quartet, i really recommend both, but the Melos have their way as well, i really enjoy their Ravel / Debussy Quartets, and these discs are growing on me.

The Melos String Quartet, where active for 40 years [1965-2005], a German String Quartet, one of the things i notice about the Melos Quartet, is that they don't hang around much, especially in slow movements, and this can be quite a drawback, Beethoven has some of the loveliest, even 'spiritual' slow movements that you could wish for, but you need to give them time to cast their spells, something missing here, especially the slow movement of Quartet 8, which if played right [thinking of the Vermeers here] can transport you to another world.

So i really loved the first three movements, my favourite movement is the first, but on this listen i found the second really interesting, the 'sempre scherzando' means 'always playful', it helps to give a feel as to what Beethoven is trying to say, it sounds a serious statement, here's a sort of breakdown of its highlights,
It alternates between legato lyrical and staccato rhythmic, i can hear the playfulness in there, but definitely not 'always', there's these outbursts at the end of sections which are loud and forceful, at times it can work up into a heady menace [3:27-3:45], the powerful motor rhythms are quite spectacular [5:46-5:57], and it always alternates between sweet and sour, it's a real tour de force of a movement, it's ending is quite ingenious, and quite startling, almost out of nowhere the end appears, a bit of a false pizzicato ending [8:19], and then a final outburst [8:23-8:30].

Here's the Belcea String Quartet playing the second movement on YouTube.

Schubert - String Quartet 14 'Death And The Maiden' [Tokyo String Quartet]

Ah this disc is getting played a lot in my Blog, this is its fourth outing [5th January 2010 / 4th July 2011 / 10th July 2012], not entirely sure which is my favourite interpretation, probably the Lindsay String Quartet comes close, and the Tokyo Quartet seem sweeter than others, i'm really impressed with their Beethoven Op18 set, it's also good to have an early String Quartet on this disc as a companion.

The Tokyo String Quartet of course originate from Japan, they decided to retire the Quartet, and are now officially inactive, it's been 44 years as a unit, and we have so many documents of recordings from them, they will live on in our disc players.

Every time i play this disc, it always seems to come back to the 'nerve center' of this work, the second movement theme and variations which i always love, one of Schubert's greatest inventions ever, five variations that couldn't be more diametrically opposite, here's a 
Theme [0:00-2:14] - A slow and solemn / sad dirge of a theme, at first very sparse and quiet, but you can hear the underlining theme of death lurking beneath, a straightforward transcription of the Schubert song of the same name.
Variation One [2:16-4:14] - A more complex an interesting variation, different strings give different voices, seemingly sweet, and yet there's a sourness there, the first violin dominates this variation, the others are either a gently chugging rhythm, or a gentle pizzicato.
Variation Two [4:16-6:31] - Now the Cello becomes the soloist, while the others swirl this background vortex, each variation seems to get more darker and despondent, and yet the whole thing is still beautiful.
Variation Three [6:32-8:22] - Now we hit the real anger of the piece, a whooping and wailing from the strings, this is my favourite variation, the second repeat of the variation finds a real greater intensity.
Variation Four [8:23-11:05] - And now for a real innocent sweetness, almost a parody considering the subject matter is death!.
Variation Five [11:05-12:52] - The underlying feeling of anxiety comes back, and turns into a louder outburst and complaint, but then returns to its quiet acceptance.
Coda / Finale [12:52-14:06] - The coda / finale slows things down to a simple pleading, and the peaceful dying in deaths arms.

Here's the Takacs String Quartet playing the second movement on YouTube.

Brahms - Handel Variations [Gelber]

This is a disc i've recently acquired, and this is it's maiden voyage, it's a recent series of re-issues done by Warner of their back catalogue, this one caught my eye with gorgeous photography of a park gate by Dariush Mohammadi, beautiful autumn colours, i know the Handel Variations very well, just doing a count, i find six different discs in my Blog alone, the work is endlessly fascinating, one of Brahms's greatest works ever, and 25 minutes of pure excitement and bliss.

On this disc Bruno Leonardo Gelber is new to me, he's Argentinian, now 73 years old, he looks like a cross between Evgeny Kissin and Liberace!, he recorded fairly extensively for Denon in his earlier years, producing a full cycle of Beethoven piano sonatas, but hasn't recorded for years now, he even recorded the Handel Variations later for Denon in 1992, which is a different performance, and one that i'd like to check out as well.

Like i say, these variations are endlessly fascinating, on the whole i found Gelber to be a slow Pianist, even though comparing his timings to my two favourite versions of this work [Ax / Sony & Osorio / ASV], they both take exactly 26:10, so only half a minute quicker!, maybe he just 'sounds' slower, but he's also enlightening, i always learn something new from another performance.

On this listen i loved variations 14, 19-22, 25 and the Fugue at the end, so it's this clump of variations near the end that really got me going, and this is what i find about Variations, certainly the Handel variations inparticular, each variation doesn't stand alone, but in essence each variation has its own 'prelude & postlude', the variation before, and the variation after, they're all linked, each variation prepares you for the next one, here's a synopsis of this 'clump' of variations,
Variation 19 [15:52-16:51] - I notice the staccato tendency of Gelber here, a reflective variation of nobility, i guess he needs a little bit more poise, a little quieter would have done wonders, but it's an 'aching' variation, love the way Gelber slowly works his way up into the treble.
Variation 20 [16:52-18:01] - An even slower variation, but something that 'glues' this clump of variations together, again a slow traverse up the keyboard.
Variation 21 [18:03-18:56] - A truly superb variation, trills of delight, the right hand chimes so well, the 1977 recording captured so well.
Variation 22 [18:58-20:00] - An aching variation that seems to be the announcement to the final of these variations, the most delicious chimes, Gelber gets this right, you should never play this variation too loud, there's an aching nostalgia about it.

Here's Gelber playing the Handel Variations on YouTube.

ClawFinger [Eponymous]

Trawling through YouTube one day, i came across ClawFinger, and straight away i liked them, they're really 'in yer face', they swear a fair deal, so be prepared if that offends you, but their lyrics have some great meaning, ironic one moment, political another, they can have fun too, i would call them a Metal Rap band, now i certainly have a hang up about Rap music, there's so much bad Rap out there, but this album proves there's good stuff too, if only you search for it.

ClawFinger are a Swedish band, now broken up, supposedly they finished last year, after hearing them on YouTube, i thought 'which album should i go for?', and of course i'm always drawn to the visuals, and this one's a stunner, showing the cylinder of a six shooter gun, and one bullet in the chamber on the front, but none on the back, it represents russian roulette, put one bullet in one of the chamber, 'spin the wheel', and point it at your head and pull the trigger, can be 'played' solo, or as a sort of duel, love the visuals and its meaning, nice black / dark grey on white, the ClawFinger logo is great as well.

This is a two disc set, the main album is disc 1, and then there's a bonus album of remixes, the two tracks i enjoyed the most were, 
Do What I Say, on the remix disc, i just love the intro of the young boy singing in a nursery rhyme voice [0:10-0:19], 

when i grow up, there will be a day

when everybody has to do what i say

and this intro comes back a couple more times [1:55-2:29 & 3:24-4:00], but this time he adds the words,

when i grow up, there will be a day

when everybody has to do it my way

with the words 'my way' screamed!, like some sort of kiddie Frank Sinatra!, loved the way parents unwittingly teach their children to be bossy themselves when they grow up!.

I Can See Them Coming, this was my favourite track on disc 1, a guy who's his own number one fan!, love the intro, and the heavy exploding drum beats, seemingly a hitleresque megalomaniac, but in reality sits in a cell with a straitjacket on, some of the lyrics are a peach

i'm the best sex i've ever had

and,

i'm the atom bomb that i'll blow my world

all the way to my kingdom come

at the end it's wickedly funny, a guy going crazy and losing his mind, and mumbles and drools, with a nutty laugh to finish things off! [3:25-3:39].

Various Artists [The Female Touch]

Really enjoyed playing this two disc set today, unlike other 'poppy' female discs, this has some real clever tracks, it's a great introduction to a number of Artists that you may have overlooked, makes you want to explore some more, i played / reviewed this disc just over 4 years ago [13th July 2010], every time i play these discs i seem to come away with a new favourite track.

Now visually this is a great presentation, love the front booklet cover, half a face, lots of out of focus, except for that eye, also the back inlay is a lesson in how to present a track listing, so easy to read, Artists in pink, tracks in black, why do other release make things harder?.

The tracks that really touched me were 5, 7, 20, 29 & 37, and surprisingly it was the last track on disc 1 that really got me going, 'Silent All These Years' by Tori Amos, i've never been a Tori Amos fan, i've tried some of her music, but i just can't get into her, this is the first time i've really listened to this song, and i love the lyrics, they're so cryptic at times, take this little gem in the middle,

Years go by

If i'm stripped of my beauty

And the orange clouds

Raining in my head

I take it she's singing about her ginger hair, and as she ages she will go grey [grey clouds?], a nice imagery, i love the intro, very Classical, i think she's lifted it from some composition, but i just can't put my finger on which one, a sort of generally discordant prelude that clashes in a nice way, when the lyrics come in, there's these beautiful treble chimes, now that's just delicious, there's an overall cleverness in little touches, tempo and volume to great effect, think i'll look out for more of her individual songs on Various Artists albums.

Here's Tori Amos singing 'Silent All These Years' on YouTube.