Bruce Springsteen [The Essential Bruce Springsteen]

This is a two disc compilation set, entitled 'Essential', whatever that means, it's a thirty song collection that's actually compiled by the Boss himself, so i guess no arguing over what's included, and left out!, as the Boss must know best, basically he chooses a couple of tracks from each of his back catalogue, if you want to explore further, then of course you can buy the individual albums, so i guess with Brucie, some of his output is hit, and others are a bit of miss, but this is a nice way to have an easy slimline set of songs that explains the Bruce Springsteen story from 1972-2003, so yes i guess it's already a decade outdated!, but it still works, makes me want to explore him some more.

Bruce Springsteen is American, he's now 65, this compilation came out in 2003, now the front cover isn't great, a really out of focus shot of Springsteen [by Mary Alfieri], but i like the lettering on the top, the back inlay photograph is better, showing Springsteen in a hall / stadium, guitar in hand, empty chairs, and a wonderful sparkling light from above, dazzling the seats of the chairs, i like the track listing also, orange and black, easy to see and read.

On this listen i like tracks 4, 12, 14, 18-20, 23, 25-26 & 29-30, with tracks 14, 19-20 & 25 the very best of all, and it's these four tracks i would like to speak of here,
14 Nebraska - From the album of the same name, there's a smoky hiss of a track, gently strummed guitar, and atmospheric reverb harmonica intro [0:00-0:30], a lazy couldn't care less vocal delivery, roughly a song about a Bonnie & Clyde partnership that killed ten innocent people, during the second half of the song, quiet twinkling glockenspiel starts up [2:38+] when he's about to be executed, which is really quite affecting, the best lyric 'into that great void my soul'd be hurled', it ends with that with Springsteen's harmonic playing.
19 Tunnel Of Love - Also from the album of the same name, a gentle Rock song, likening a relationship to the dangers of a tunnel of love at a fairground, best lyric 'you've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above'.
20 Brilliant Disguise - Probably the best track from the Tunnel Of Love album, a great beat and rhythm, with woodblock hits, Springsteen has such a strong purposeful voice, the longer the song continues, the stronger the rhythm and feel of the song gets, there's instruments / complexity slightly added as it goes, which creates a great feel of it getting better and better, best lyric 'God have mercy on the man, who doubts what he's sure of '.
25 The Ghost Of Tom Joad - From the album of the same name, though certainly not the best track on the album by far, similar in a way to Nebraska, a short harmonica solo, Springsteen singing quiet in a gruff voice, about the homeless and forgotten, people sleeping rough and hungry, the last verse references the book The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck, where the protagonist Tom Joad is saying goodbye to his Mother, the song is punctuated by Springsteen's harmonica, and like Nebraska it outro's with the same, best lyric 'he pulls a prayer book out of his sleeping bag'.

Maggie Holland [Down To The Bone]

Here's a disc that's making it's first appearance in my Blog, in fact it's the first time i've ever played it, i saw it on Ebay for a fairly cheap price, listened to some samples, and was impressed enough to obtain it, it's a compilation album, some of her best known songs, i guess she's a Folk Artist, a bit like Joan Baez i guess, sparse instrumentation, i admit that it's only a first listen, so a really well informed opinion of her will take more listens, but i like what i hear already.

Maggie Holland is English, not sure how old she is, but i would guess she was born in the Fifties, so putting her roughly around sixty today, this album was recorded in 1991, in fact not a compilation album per se, but rather a re-recording of all her best music, the front cover photo [by Dave Peabody] is a beaut, a close up head shot, lots of out of focus, which works so well, most important is in focus eye, it has a gorgeous stream of side sunlight on the right, bringing wonderful highlights to the mainly in shadow face, and the somewhat haphazard lettering is excellent, and well placed too.

Of these 17 songs, the one's that caught my eye / ears the most were 2-3 & 14, and i would like to talk about each here,
2 Black Crow [2:37] - She plays banjo, and sings about social and political issues, this track is really sparse just Holland singing and playing her banjo, there's a degree of talk-singing, very much the style of old Folk, yes i like the banjo, and i like the middle instrumental refrain [1:26-1:43], it's well played, and well recorded, her voice is marvellously caught as well, even though she does do covers, this isn't the one by Joni Mitchell. 
3 Levi Stubbs Tears [3:40] - A Billy Bragg song, still sparse, some nice guitar work going on here, about a lonely woman, runs away from home, marries too young, gets injured by her husband, ends up alone, it's the 'ordinariness' of the everyday that really gets to me, most people sing about something profound, but this songs hits you with lyrics like 'she takes off the Four Tops tape, and puts it back in its case', huh?, really important stuff, especially since the previous verse she got shot by her Husband!, sounds like two guitars here, making a beautiful noise, i love the way the beginning chords start up again halfway through [2:16+], a glorious moment of repetition, incidentally Levi Stubbs was the lead singer of the Four Tops, still not exactly sure what his tears are though!.
14 Company Policy [3:14] - Banjo again, and with a gentle tapping percussion, it's a Martin Carthy song, sounds like a song about the Falklands War, and some girl's love died in battle, references Margaret Thatcher at the end too, a nice lilt to the song, twelve lovely verses, best lyric 'an empty shell pressed to my ear, the only sound is the sound of cash'.

This album makes me want to explore other Artists more, especially Billy Bragg.

Beethoven - Violin Sonata 9 'Kreutzer' [Kubota/Kuyumjian]

This is only the second time i've played this disc, and already it's developing into a real little treasure, Kubota is nice and passionate, as good as others i've heard, maybe she makes the violin 'scream' a bit in louder passages, but she really gets into the music, this is a Japanese issue, i found this on Ebay, discs like this are almost impossible to get in the West, there's a treasure trove of stuff just waiting to be discovered.

Takumi Kubota is Japanese, she recorded this disc in 1996, so already almost twenty years old, not something recent, the front booklet cover is a marvel [by Tai Tsutomu], it's a truly glorious upper body shot of Kubota playing her violin, the most gorgeous light from the left, and clear precise focus, i like the lettering too, this is how booklet photos should be done!.

The first two movements were magic, i think the middle movement variations just pip it, endless inventiveness, here's a synopsis with all the variations,
Theme [0:00-2:58] - The theme is a fairly lazy affair, first introduced by the piano, and the piano and violin keep taking it in turns presenting this simple theme, Kubota / Kuyumjian present it a little slow, but very nobly.
Variation 1 [2:59-5:18] The first variation is a little imp, darting here and there, mainly lopsided piano, with odd notes by the violin, i love Kuyumjian's piano work here, he gets the rhythm right, the genius of Beethoven shines through.
Variation 2 [5:18-7:29] Now it's time for the violin to shine, and the piano to drip drop notes here and there, it's a little disjointed on purpose, 
Variation 3 [7:30-10:31] Almost an intermezzo break, a bit of a lament. 
Variation 4 [10:32-13:30] The violin starts to use pizzicato here, and both Kubota and Kuyumjian are on their toes, i think the violin and piano try to imitate each other at certain points, it's a dazzling variation, and even within it has lots of variety.
Variation 5 [13:29-16:] What sounds like some sort of coda or epilogue at first, branches out into a meditative fifth variation [14:16+], trills on the violin, there's a sort of finality to the whole thing [14:45+], piano and violin are in contemplative mood.

Here's Joshua Bell and Yuja Wang playing this movement on YouTube.

Chopin - Piano Concerto 2 [Weissenberg/ Skrowaczewski-Orchestre De La Societe Des Concerts Du Conservatoire]

This is the very first time i've played this disc, and i was surprised at how good it was, it's a 1967 recording, and i can hear it's age, but it's been remastered very well, quite a bright recording, but really thrilling too, maybe Skrowaczewski takes the slow movements a little too slowly, but he holds it up well, the piano is very alive and forward in the recording, somewhat spotlit in the aural picture, i'm not all that enamoured by the Chopin Piano Concertos, and i don't have that many recordings as a consequence, but today i feel i've developed a new love for these works.

Alexis Weissenberg was Bulgarian, he died three years ago [1929-2012], and he recorded this disc in 1967, this is a re-issue on the red line series for EMI, with some really nice discs in this series, and i certainly enjoyed this one, the front cover photography is really excellent, showing ornate windows with shutters, and balconies with iron railings, there's a gorgeous symmetry to it all, and the white box for the lettering, and the dash of red, make the black & white photo really stand out, a lovely finished product.

So onto the music, and the first movement was tremendous, and yes i must admit that i've never been so thrilled with this work as on this disc, i now have a new appreciation of it, because of the recording fortes can sound a little shrill, but regardless the 1967 recording is a marvel, Skrowaczewski develops real drama in the orchestral introduction [0:00-2:55], whipping up the players into a nice passion, and when Weissenberg comes in, yes it really is louder than life, very spotlit in retrospect, but it's so good to hear Weissenberg precisely and clearly, great piano sound, i feel that he's a hard hitter of the piano, if i could only turn the piano down a notch, and turn up the orchestra a notch too, it would sound more balanced, it's amazing how quiet the background is, you can even hear the slight creak of a chair clearly!, also i appreciate more than ever Chopin's beautiful melodies and ideas, there's real romance hear, even though it may seem that in this Concerto the orchestra are reduced to accompanists, Weissenberg's playing is virtuosic in complex passages, and compassionate in quieter passages, the final conclusion is that yes, i do have a problem by the balance between the piano and orchestra.

Here's Weissenberg playing this movement on YouTube.

Rossini - Opera Overtures [Halasz-Zagreb Festival Orchestra]

In my early years of compact disc buying, i bought a fair number of Naxos discs, the idea was that they were cheap, and i could get three for £15, instead of a single full priced disc for £15, that's three times the amount of discs!, it made perfect sense back in the early nineties, now because i almost exclusively buy second-hand, that now not a lot of difference, now i just go purely for the best version, plus over the years i've purged lots of iffy discs, so quite a number of those Naxos discs have fallen by the sword, this is one of those that remain, and regardless of the obscure Orchestra, these are scintillating accounts of the Overtures, been a regular in my Blog [28th August 2010 & 7th January 2013].

Michael Halasz is Hungarian, he's now 77, this recording comes from 1989, i must admit that on the whole i don't like the Naxos philosophy of artwork on their covers, and even the back inserts are not very inventive, however i've fallen in love with the music / performance on the disc.

On this listen i really enjoyed Overtures 1, 3 & 5-6, it's hard to pick a winner, but i think that The Silken Ladder just pips it, here's my thoughts on it,
5 The Silken Ladder [6:20] - Like quite a number of Rossini's Overtures, there's a long introduction, the thing takes time to really get going, with long oboe / woodwind lines, and chattering oboe later, before it explodes into full blown orchestral mode [1:54+], and even then the real heart of the piece keeps revealing itself like layers of an onion [2:22+], with excellent use of chattering oboes [2:28-2:42], the woodwind again have a dialogue back and forth [2:42-2:50], i guess Rossini likes to hand out each piece to a certain instrument, and in this Overture it's certainly the oboes, he repeats everything twice, also Rossini is an expert at rhythms, his Overtures are like well oiled machines!.

Holst - The Planets [Dutoit-Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal]

I seem to be playing this work quite a bit recently, this is the first disc of this work i bought, way back in 1999, and so this is the sort of benchmark i've judged all the other Planets discs on, this version is highly rated, though i must admit it's recorded a tad quiet, appeared in my Blog three years ago [16th April 2012].

Charles Dutoit is Swiss, he's now 78, and this was recorded in 1986, i don't think the front cover is any great shakes, but the music on the inside is great.

On this listening i was most impressed by Mars / Jupiter / Uranus, and this time i felt that Jupiter was the best, it's full of really good tunes, very British, there's a nationalistic flavour to the main tune in the middle, here's my synopsis,
4 Jupiter / The Bringer Of Jollity [8:01] - Jollity?, i guess a sort of jovial mirth, fun if you like, though Holst's choice of word is strange, though in the middle section there's a real sense of contentment!, straight away there's no real intro, right into the celebrations, there's lots of trumpet / brass here [0:33+], busy woodwinds, Holst uses the horns a lot [1:00-1:11], and i love the way Holst brings in the glockenspiel [1:11+], and the flutes [1:26+], the music gets faster and builds up to something, but then comes to a sort of quiet stop, i like the way low twanging strings make a real effect here [2:45-3:02], and then comes the majestic two minute middle section [3:04-5:02], full of swooning strings and noble horns, Holst slowly builds this up to something truly passionate [4:13+], and then in a spirit of grandeur takes it to an apotheosis [4:36+], sounding like some Elgar Pomp and Circumstance March, the opening comes back, and Holst draws all the themes / ideas together, and a nice flourish to end it all off with. 

Here's Andrew Manze conducting Jupiter on YouTube.

Jackson Browne [I'm Alive]

I've had this disc since 1993 when it first came out, and i must have played it dozens of times, it's my sixth most favourite disc of all time, and it's a treasure, plus it's appeared in my Blog twice before [6th May 2010 & 2nd July 2012], Browne here creates a lovely variety of songs, with deep feeling lyrics, and that extra sense of 'time stands still' on certain songs, plus there's a certain something about an album of songs that a greatest hits package can never re-create, and Browne just gets the feel of things right here, each song tells a little bit of the overall story, it's like ten jumbled up chapters of a book!

Jackson Browne is American, he's now 66, this album came out in 1993, it's hard to believe it's already over twenty years old, the front cover shot [by Bruce Weber] shows Browne up to his shoulders in the water, a black and white portrait, nice and sharp, out of focus foreground and background.

The tracks i liked the best were 1-3 & 9, and even though the first three are excellent, it's still this near last one that gets to me, it's my favourite Jackson Browne song,
9 Sky Blue And Black - It starts off a piano solo [0:00-0:11], i guess Browne composed this on the piano, in the credits it's him playing the piano, and the video link too, he starts off singing about a beach scene 'the cries of the seagulls circling the sand', i guess the California coast, and the city is Los Angeles, when the chorus comes in [1:19+], there's a flavour of a reggae guitar, and a sort of synth panpipes, Browne really does have a strong vocal, he sings with real passion, my favourite line 'there's a need to be separate, and a need to be one, and a struggle neither wins', Browne quietens the music down to sing [3:56+] with great effect, the outro is really effective [5:13+], the music takes on a certain coda-esque quality, Browne's piano gently brings things to a close, a phenomenal six minutes of music.

Beethoven - Symphony 5 [Bohm-Wiener Philharmoniker]

I bought this disc back in 2012, from someone in Taiwan i think, this disc isn't available in England and has no barcode, but there's some tremendous discs re-released in the Far East that look so good, i paid a fair price for this, it didn't come cheap, but i worried that it would be a badly recorded live recording or something, as it turns out it's a superb recording, surprisingly very good for 1970 & 1972, but even more important is Bohm's interpretation, music where he lets Beethoven speak, not overdriven and in your face, there's a feel of classic 'this is how it should be done' about it, a great interpretation, this appeared in my Blog a couple of years ago [6th March 2013].

Karl Bohm was Austrian, [1894-1981], this work was recorded in 1970, this Japanese re-packaging is tremendous, the front cover photo is stunningly superb, a crystal clear shot of the Musikverein in Vienna, incandescently lit by those chandeliers, it gives it a tremendous glow, one of the best booklet front covers i know, but the music on the inside is even better!.

Both of these Symphonies are excellently played here, the Fourth is the best version i've ever heard, and the Fifth isn't that far behind, and it was the first movement of the Fifth that i really enjoyed the most, i played this disc while travelling to Reading on the bus, i had it on full volume, and it's slightly recorded low, not the greatest place to play a work when you want a tad more volume, the very opening can seem subdued, i have a recording where Ashkenazy really gets some dynamite out of the opening motif, and Bohm can sound just a bit too laid back in comparison, but there's an architectural long term payback to his approach, it works in the longer scheme of things, it really does sound like what Beethoven wanted, and listening to it now without bus engine distraction, it really does sound menacing enough, well what can i say about Beethoven's revolutionary opening?, it's so profound, it must have stunned audiences hearing it for the first time, Bohm brings out the architecture of the piece so well, one jigsaw piece fits so perfectly into the next, he's not someone who uses short term devices to make a point, but everything seems to be played for long term benefit, the sound really is incredibly good considering the age, plus i can still here individual instruments in the mix, especially the woodwind, a fantastic achievement all round.

Here's Bohm conducting the Fifth on YouTube.

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

This is my fourth listen to this disc, and my third to get in my Blog [17th November 2010 & 28th December 2011], it's an excellent little compendium of eight Italian Composers, and there's a tendency to delve into the less well known stuff, and that's very welcome indeed, it was good to familiarise myself with some of these 'unknown' pieces today.

Gianandrea Gavazzeni is Italian [1909-1996], mainly an Opera Conductor, which explains the pieces on this disc, he recorded this disc way back in 1957 and 1958, which explains the oldness of the recording, still excellent by the way, and in stereo, the front cover portrait is really excellent [by Leonardo Cendamo], a clear focused shot of Gavazzeni wearing a hat, nice light on his upturned face, love the lettering too, listing the Composers.

Well this recording is fairly old, it needs some more warmth / bass to it, a certain bloom i guess, but it's still amazing for something that's nearly sixty years old, on this listen it was Ponchielli's Waltz Of The Hours i liked the best, but i also thought tracks 2-5 & 8 were excellent too, and it's track 4 Catalini's La Wally Prelude that i found so endearing, it's actually the prelude to Act 4 of the Opera, it starts with shimmering low strings, probably violas, with ghostly high woodwinds [0:00-1:08], it's wonderfully mysterious music, an offstage solo trumpet joins in [1:08-1:35] the thing then returns to the opening again [1:36-2:02], the higher strings come in with harp, Catalani makes a real varied and atmospheric canvas, lighter music comes in, shimmering violins with flutes, and pizzicato lower strings with a tambourine [3:15-3:41], now that's some heady combination!, and very effective musically too, the music gets angry with the high violins [3:59+], and then dark clouds of brass come in [4:20+], with intense strings in the background, lots of tragedy here, Catalini can't help but bring the wonderful opening back again [5:28-6:05], this time subdued, as the music then takes on a more noble conclusion, woodwinds give some sort of coda [6:38+], the end is gentle and beautiful, it's really something worth getting to know, it will be a firm favourite every time you get to hear it.

Here's Gavazzeni playing this Prelude on YouTube.

Beethoven - Piano Trio 7 'Archduke' [Trio Fontenay]

This is a really fantastic set of the Beethoven Piano trios, ditching a few of the pieces that haven't got opus numbers, it's all squeezed onto three discs, i must admit that the three early Trios [Opus 1/1-3] are fairly quaint, no great shakes here, and it's only really in 5 & 7 that you truly feel that they can be called masterpieces, Beethoven's Archduke Trio is one of the very greatest Chamber music works to ever be written, the first time i ever heard its noble themes [Kempff / Szeryng / Fournier on DG], i was stunned by the sheer universal and 'orchestralness' of the work, Beethoven here saves some of his most sublime melodies not for a great Symphony or Concerto, but for the humble Piano Trio, it's a testament to the genius of Beethoven, that he doesn't need a Choral Symphony with vast forces to speak to mankind, he can do it just as well through three people, this work stunned me again today.

The Trio Fontenay are from Germany, they were active in the years 1980-2006, and they recorded this work in 1992, now i love the front picture [by Klaus Thumser], a low shot of the trio with their instruments, the blue sky really does something, very well lighted, and the lettering is a treat.

All of the four movements were a real treat, especially 1 & 3, and it's this third movement variations which was absolutely spiritual it was so good, Beethoven has this ability to build this movement up and up, to the point you forget about music, and just bask in perfection,
Theme [0:00-1:54] - It starts with the most sublime and gorgeous theme on the piano, a Cantabile that the violin and cello both join in on, there's a feeling that time stands still here.
Variation 1 [1:54-3:21] - The piano plays a slightly more complex accompaniment, while the cello and piano take it in turns to play the melody, the Pianist really develops an intensity here.
Variation 2 [3:21-4:44] - Both the violin and cello start to throw around the theme in a fun staccato way, but there's still an underlying sadness to the variation.
Variation 3 [4:44-6:08] - The piano gets more complex, and louder in places, and both the violin and cello join together as a duo in just keeping a sort of beat, the piano really does stretch its legs with virtuosity.
Variation 4 [6:08-8:15] - The fourth variation has some of the most tender music in it, all the players contribute equally, and Beethoven ekes out the most his chosen melody, the violin really starts to throw the aching sadness card into the mix [6:43-7:15], and it develops this fantastic otherworldliness.
Variation 5 [8:15-11:19] - A funny mix of a variation, the piano gets really serious, and then later i lose my way, the music seems to change key and turn into a serenade [9:28+] it's so beautiful, the violin and cello are heartbreaking [10:08+], i guess there's a sort of coda in there [10:50+], it contains some of the most endearing music Beethoven ever penned.

Here's the Trio Fontenay on YouTube, playing a sampling of the the second movement.

Brahms - Violin Concerto [Repin/ Chailly-Gewandhaus Orchester]

And yet another disc that gets its maiden voyage here, i have ten discs in my collection of this Concerto, and none of them are a clear 'winner' / favourite, so it's good to have a new disc, and certainly the Repin / Chailly combination is a good one, at one time i would have called this my favourite Concerto, i'm really not sure now, certainly i play Bruch or Mendelssohn more, but the Brahms is full of great things.   

Vadim Repin comes from Russia, he's 43, he recorded this disc in 2008, the front cover portrait is a great one [by Mat Hennek], a dark brown & white shot, really sharp, you can see the individual stubble on his chin!, i like the lettering, also the back cover is well laid out, Repin on a park bench with his violin.

The big long first movement is really impressive, here it stands at nearly 23 minutes long, and i can't help thinking that Brahms is using the Beethoven Concerto as his model, the timings are eerily similar, plus they're both in D major, Brahms Concerto starts fairly stodgily, but the solo oboe comes in [0:19+], a premonition for the second movement?, and the quickly the whole thing takes off with a real vibrancy [0:52+], the intro is fairly long [0:00-2:46], and yes i really can see the homage to Beethoven now, the almost up and down the scales practising, i do feel there's more 'tunes' in the Brahms, the orchestra at times play with such a might [9:08-9:34], but then afterwards can be so sweet [9:34-9:57], certainly Repin really does get inside the virtuosity of it all [11:37-12:37], and also the poetry / charm of the music [12:52-13:24], Repin gives the Heifetz cadenza in the first movement [17:29-20:58], yes it's different than the Joachim, takes some getting used to, but it's good to hear something fresh, after the cadenza Repin weaves some beautiful long lines, creating a gorgeous coda [20:58-22:17], before ending the whole thing with a flourish.

Here's Repin playing the Brahms Concerto on YouTube.

Beethoven - Violin Concerto [Ughi/ Sawallisch-London Symphony Orchestra]

However much this is a great work, and quite possibly the greatest Violin Concerto ever written, and the very heart of the central repertoire, for me it's actually near the top, probably just out of the top ten, it's very good rather than great, also it's a work which i haven't spent oodles of time really getting to know, i've probably heard this work maybe thirty times, that's really low for such a work of this magnitude, but there you have it, that's my relationship with Beethoven's Op61, in saying all of that, i do notice an uptick in my appreciation of this piece, it is getting into my heart, i am understanding it more, this disc helped me today, this is the first time i've ever given this disc a spin, it's hard to judge it against the competition.

Uto Ughi is Italian, he's now 71, this is a disc recorded back in 1981, the photography on the front and back is excellent [by Clive Barda], there's a certain soft glow about the portraits, i just love the RCA logo, really colourful.

Like i said, this is my first listen of this disc, and it was the first movement that got to me the most, here it's almost 24 minutes long, the opening timpani beats sound fast, but the orchestra sound right, it's a long orchestral introduction [0:00-3:13], Ughi has a sweet tone, up front, but not overly, the solo violin music naturally sounds very much like exercises rather than tunes, a vehicle to practise technique, rather than wow people with pure music, and yet there's lots of good things in there, the music does seem to go round and round, and of course at 24 minutes can be a bit daunting to listen to, especially if it doesn't have a superb tune, and one part of the movement is harder to define where you're at than another part, Ughi uses the cadenza by Kreisler [19:15-22:39], very well done, the ending is done with aplomb.

Here's Ughi playing the Concerto on YouTube.

Darryl Brenzel [Pentasphere]

This is my third listen of this disc, the first two times are recorded here in my Blog [30th December 2010 & 7th November 2012], and it's a bit of a slow burner of a record, haven't listened to it a lot, plus some of the tracks are a bit average, but some stuff in my collection really does take time to come to love, i listened to this on a lovely sunny day, lying on the grass on my back, watching airplane vapour trails in the sky, ah the joys of portable music!.

Darryl Brenzel is American, not sure how old he is, this disc came out in 1998, the front cover photograph is excellent [by Karin Sigman], a black & white shot tinted by a mauve / orange filter?, i like it, the lettering is excellent too, and a 'no admittance' sign, some sort of message here?.

The two best tracks here were 5 & 6, here's a synopsis of both,
5 Some Other Time [8:07] - I remember this tune from a Mark Turner disc, a lovely ballad, almost a guitar / sax duet, Brenzel plays the theme tune [0:22+], really strong and clear, he's got a really nice tone, his solo with variations is excellent [0:22-4:28], throughout Brenzel's solo, you can hear Guitarist Paul Pieper trying to muscle in a solo, it's good to have a degree of competition, they throw sparks off each other as they 'dual', and Pieper gets his solo chance [4:29-5:50], Brenzel finishes things off by coming back in a long way from the end, and they both sort of jam at the end.
6 Pentasphere [6:03] - The title track is a more upbeat number, real Be-Bop, it's now a Quintet instead of a Quartet, after a complex opening theme, Pieper gets his guitar solo in [0:48-2:08], and works up quite a frenzy, Brenzel's solo [2:09-3:26] is strong but surprisingly short, as he allows the Pianist Harry Appelman to have a solo as well [3:26-4:44], his solo is really quite straightforward, and the theme comes back to finish things off.

Tchaikovsky - Symphony 6 'Pathetique' [Ashkenazy-Philharmonia Orchestra]

This is the third time i've listened to this disc, the first time was a revelation!, it became my 'disc of the month' in February 2014, this wasn't its equal, but it was still an excellent experience, plus it's so good to have the Elegie For Strings on the disc, it's a lovely piece of music that was otherwise unknown to me.

Vladimir Ashkenazy is Russian, he's now 77, he has extensively recorded most of the main repertoire, orchestral, chamber, and solo, he recorded this work in 1981, this issue comes from the 'virtuoso' series, an excellent re-issue of discs, with a large 'v' covering a third of the booklet, but a lovely snow filled Russian scene, it's a shame as there's no photographer mentioned, or where it's shot, at first it looks like a painting, but really it's a superb photograph, snow covered trees in the foreground, with the Church domes in the background, very much a grey scene, but it's crisp sharp and gorgeous.

On this listen it was the glorious first movement that i just loved, on this recording just over 19 minutes, it's in B Minor, and shares its key with Schubert's Eighth Symphony, so both works have turmoil and sadness, the start is full of deep basses, a lone bassoon creates a sense of melancholy [0:00-1:17], powerful stuff indeed, different instruments come in one by one, there's a skittish anxiety about the whole thing, when the trumpets come in [3:35+], it's almost developed a fanfare type of worry to it, but then a lovely magic happens, the strings send in a sad yet sweet melody [4:34+], gentle at first, but more passionate later, i love the way the flute / woodwinds play on this melody [5:47+], and i guess the strings full on [7:24-9:12] create what could be referred to as the 'pathetique' theme, the music winds its way down to nothing, but there's this frightening smash to wake the dead [9:58], lots of drums here, and then the whole frantic Allegro comes in, it's full of anger and agitation, the brass work has some really good work in places [12:20+ & 12:52+], plus the strings play their hearts out [12:38+], there's rolling thunder [13:16], and a real sense of ominousness, the piece seems to come to a shattering end [14:32-14:50], all drums and low brass, but out of the silence comes the sad / sweet pathetique theme [14:58+], and develops into a heady passion [15:41+], and i guess then comes a sweeter and gentle sort of coda of sorts, i love the way Tchaikovsky ends the movement, with a slow grind towards the finish line, pizzicato plodding strings [17:47-19:57], with the brass and woodwind giving some sort of epilogue to the whole thing, it's almost a 'symphony within a symphony', one of the greatest Tchaikovsky creations, and i love Ashkenazy's interpretation of it.

Here's Gergiev conducting the first movement on YouTube.

Sibelius - Orchestral Works [Jarvi-Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra]

One of the treasured Sibelius 'recital' discs in my collection, this fills gaps that otherwise take many discs, the two well known pieces are Valse Triste and Tapiola, and both are welcome here, but it's the other stuff which is so enlightening, especially Scene With Cranes and The Bard, Sibelius has some lesser known little masterpieces if you look beyond his Violin Concerto and the Symphonies, this makes me want to explore him even more, this is a regular little appearer in my Blog [8th July 2010 & 2nd December 2012].

Neeme Jarvi is Estonian, he's now 77, this recording was made in made in 1992-1995, i guess a compilation of a number of other discs, the front cover shows a bleak water / forest-scape [photo by Sally Mayman], all black & white and minimalist, and yet superbly symmetrical, for once the DG yellow logo gives a great splash of colour, and actually adds to the picture, one of the best front cover pictures i've seen, and of course it certainly goes well with Tapiola, with a mysterious brooding quality.

Well like i said above it was tracks 1-2, 4 & 7 that were the best, so i guess this time i would like to explain my newfound love of Scene With Cranes, it's a mini masterpiece, starts with quiet high strings, very endearing, but then is pierced with six cries of the mystical cranes [1:15-2:04], represented by the clarinets, piercing and out of tune of sorts, the music returns to the beginning and starts up again, in the second part it sounds like the tremolos of a solo viola [3:25+], and ends gently, it's short at five minutes, but it packs an atmospheric punch, i'm glad i got to know this today.

Here's Segerstam playing Scene With Cranes on YouTube.

Schubert - 8 Impromptus [Uchida]

I went out for an early morning walk today, through the park, and i took this disc with me, and played it on random, i like doing this, it's good to mix up the pieces, how boring is it to get them in the same order every time?, Uchida sounds a lot like Brendel on this listening, they're accomplished accounts, these are my second favourite accounts after Brendel's digital version, and it was riveting listening to these pieces, especially with breathing in the cool morning air, Schubert is a genius in creating these masterpieces, here's a previous experience in my Blog [18th April 2011].

Mitsuko Uchida is Japanese, she is now 65, she recorded a survey of Schubert discs in the nineties, and this was recorded in 1996, the front cover [by Walter Schels] is a side view of her head, on a white background, i like the concept.

The three Impromptus that went above and beyond the others were 1 & 4-5, especially the first one of the second set D935/1, it's actually my favourite, and i enjoyed it so much here, it was enlightening watching Brendel play this piece on the YouTube link below, and to see where the hands go, the sound for Uchida is fantastic, nice crisp clear ring to the piano, yet warmth too, Philips always seem to be good here, Uchida is certainly impassioned in her playing, i rate Pianist's into two camps, Legato-ists and Staccato-ists, she's very much almost bang in the middle, i certainly lean towards loving the legato players, so the opening notes are very well done [0:00-0:31], nice volume, nice bit of anger there, it introduces the piece perfectly, plus i think she gets the left and right hand volume nicely balanced, the bass lines are not merely accompaniment, and should be just as involved as the melody lines, i like the way she builds up the following music to a frenzied intensity [1:06-1:24], the music then falls into a lovely serenade almost [1:41+], easy and gentle at first, but then increasingly there's these high plinking treble notes [2:10 & 2:25], and then comes along the middle section [2:43-5:50], where the right hand plays middle of the keyboard accompaniment, and the left hand plays a sort of duet with itself, where the bass repeats / echoes the treble notes, the left hand crossing over the right each time to play the treble, i notice it so clearly on the video below, it seems to go on for ages, but it's so mesmerising, the opening comes back for the whole thing to start again [6:00+], and it's so good to hear the 'serenade' music again [7:40-8:39], the 'dialogue' music comes back [8:40-10:18], but this time it's only half as long, i love the whole structure / architecture of the piece, it's made up of individual jigsaw pieces, but they're so effortlessly weaved together by Schubert, it sounds like one organism!. 

Here's Brendel playing this Impromptu on YouTube.

Brahms - String Quartet 1 [Melos String Quartet]

This is a lovely triple box set of the Brahms and Schumann String Quartets, though i certainly don't think that the Schumann Quartets are the equal of the Brahms, and only in that sense do i feel this is a bit of a mismatch, it would have been better to issue the Brahms on two discs with the Piano Quintet instead, however i must also admit that i'm warming to the Schumann works, Brahms's First is a revelation, fantastic stuff, and yet he agonized over it for a decade, constantly unsatisfied with it, the shadow of Beethoven hung over him, roughly twenty String Quartets went into the fire from the self critical Brahms, this performance appeared early on in my Blog [13th March 2010].

The Melos String Quartet are from Germany, they were together for forty years [1965-2005], and ended when their first Violinist died, they recorded these discs in 1986 and 1987, the front cover is excellent [by Susesch Bayat], the Quartet with their instruments in cases, standing in the archway of some ornate doors, the lettering nicely placed, and for once the large yellow logo dispensed with and given a minor role.

Ever since i really got into this String Quartet, it's always been the first movement that's really affected me each time, so surprise here that it's the second movement that i felt the most affinity towards, marked Romanze, Poco Adagio, it's the only movement in the Major [A Flat Major], there's a real sweetness to it, i can't help feeling that the opening tune would be something Haydn would write, the delicious melody played by i believe the cello [0:04-0:25], is then repeated to great effect [0:29-0:50], all the strings play different threads, but it sounds so good together, although it's in a major key, there's a wistful melancholy there too, the second subject is more darker [1:42+], but still with an underlying sweetness, it's lovely to hear the cello come back in with the opening motif [3:37+], the movement is over too soon, maybe Brahms should have had some sort of trio section in the middle, i'm glad i experienced this today, it's beautiful.

Here's the New Orford String Quartets playing the second movement on YouTube.

Tchaikovsky - Piano Trio [Chung Piano Trio]

Very surprisingly this is the first time i've ever listened to this disc, i've had it kicking around for quite a while, not quite sure if i should keep it and listen to it, or i should sell it, so i took the plunge, and i'm so glad i did, my first exposure to this work was from a tape with Rubinstein playing, yes it was old, and Rubinstein bangs the keys for all he's worth, quite dramatic, Myung-Whun Chung is more softer and subdued, and this goes for the whole Trio, their approach is thoughtful and measured, but still ardour and passion when needed, Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio is thin on the ground for recordings in my collection [only five!], and none of them are played extensively, i've probably listened to this work no more than twenty times, but each time i hear it, i marvel at the profundity of Tchaikovsky in creating a masterpiece. 

The Chung Piano Trio are South Korean, they're an unstable unit i guess, coming together to perform / record, but all three have separate careers to follow, and it's like a part time job i guess, they recorded this disc in 1988, the front booklet cover shows the three siblings somewhat out of focus, with a black background / clothing, all four corners of the booklet are used up in the lettering / logo, with lettering horizontal and vertical, i really like the result, the red logo gives it a dash of colour, white lettering on a black background really stands out, just like this Blog!.

Well it's those variations that always get to me, and even though i like them almost equally, here i enjoyed variations 6-9 the most, there's a certain intensity the music develops, each variation 'eggs' the other on as it were, that's why i get into variations in 'clumps', here's a synopsis of these variations,
6 Tempo Di Valse [5:07-7:33] - The music changes into a beautiful Waltz, full of lovely legato, at first fuelled by the cello, but the violin soon joins in, the music becomes impassioned [5:55+], but soon returns to opening, i feel swept up in this variation, and the passion returns [7:12+].
7 Allegro Moderato [7:34-8:46] - A hard hitting variation by the piano, the keys are banged away, while the violin whoops away in the background.
8 Fuga - Allegro Moderato [8:46-11:21] - The fugue is complex, each instrument taking a line following each other, this was a variation 'rewritten' by Taneyev, who suggested changes to this work, the music reaches some sort of conclusion, where all the instruments join together in unison [10:34+].
9 Andante Flebile Ma Non Tanto [11:22-14:07] - In complete contrast comes an truly sad Andante, Flebile = feeble, the piano has a hypnotic rippling figure to it, while the violin and cello have a dialogue of sadness, the music changes to a happier Major key for the ending [13:30+]. 

Here's the Chung Piano Trio playing these variations on YouTube.

Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto [Chung/ Previn-London Symphony Orchestra]

I love these Kyung Wha Chung violin re-issues on Decca, i have a whole bunch of them in my disc collection, this is a nice but strange coupling i guess, the Tchaikovsky is a staple of the repertoire, full of Slavic flavour, plus a real virtuoso warhorse, it was so good to listen to this today, appearing in my Blog twice before [11th March 2012 & 15th January 2013].

Kyung Wha Chung is South Korean, she's now 67, it's good to see her back in action again as she was on a career hold with a finger injury, the series for these Decca re-issues is excellent, the booklet photos have a tendency for black backgrounds [this one by Susesch Bayat], which spotlights the portrait of the performer, really well lit from the right, nice highlights, though the lettering for her name is a little overdone.

Ah what a performance, and what a composition too, it got better the longer i listened to it, and so it was the last movement Allegro Vivacissimo that was scintillating, full of virtuoso flair, it starts almost with a sort of cadenza introduction, before the movement gets underway properly [0:52+], or you could consider it a linking passage between the last two movements, Chung rightly plays it fast, there's a stamping dance section, played deliberately slowly by the violin [1:56-2:17], very Russian, but speeds up into a frenzied whirl [2:17-2:43], there's also more thoughtful passages, but the virtuoso elements are never far away, with some very fast playing indeed [4:32-5:00], at the end the orchestra comes into its own, playing in a more glorious fashion, building the frenzy up and up [8:07-8:26], and the violin plays that dementedly fast music [8:27-8:40], a great finale to the work, Chung really throws herself into it, and her preciseness is thrilling, a great end to a great Concerto.

Here's Chung playing the Violin Concerto on YouTube.

Liszt - 12 Etudes D'Execution Transcendante [Kultyshev]

This is the first time i've listened to this disc, and unlike say the Chopin or Rachmaninov Etudes, Liszt's are harder to crack, over the last few years i've tried to dig deeper into Liszt, i've made an extra effort to buy some piano recitals of his, i think it's slowly paying off, but there's still this feeling that he's an acrobat on the high wire showing off with his virtuoso prowess, is there real musicology there too?, the Chopin Etudes are difficult and beautiful, Liszt's are just difficult!, but i keep chipping away to find the gem beneath.

Miroslav Kultyshev is Russian, he's 30 this year, he's just released a disc of the 24 Etudes by Chopin, i really would like to get that also, the front booklet cover shows Kultyshev in a thoughtful pose at the piano [by Oleg Zotov], nice and sharp, lettering and logo well placed, i really like the cover.

The two Etudes that really impressed me under Kultyshev's hands were 10 & 11, i love Harmonies Du Soir [No 11], it's easily my favourite, and maybe second best is Mazeppa [No 4], so it was surprising how good i felt about No10, referred to as Allegro Agitato Molto, and i'd like to talk about this one here,
10 Allegro Agitato Molto [4:25] - Straight away i noticed the twitchy nature of this Etude, it's really troubled in many ways, restless and demonic, fairly conventional and restrained at first, trill runs down the keyboard in the right hand, but quickly these become so much more agitated [0:18+], there's lots of individual solo high treble notes played quite loud, as if the right hand is on nitrogen [1:11+], plus Liszt uses the other extreme of the keyboard for some deep bass notes too [1:47+], i guess one of Liszts signatures, using the whole of the keyboard, in the central section there may be a degree of normality, but the demonicness soon returns, there's a moment where Liszt uses high treble notes rung out like some sort of morse code message [2:47-2:59], but it's those treble trill runs that make the whole piece happen, i love the way that Kultyshev plays this piece, he brings out the schizophrenic nature of the whole thing.

Here's Kultyshev playing Etude 10 on YouTube, wow those eyes! haha.

Bruce Cockburn [Dart To The Heart]

A disc which has slowly become a fairly regular staple in my player, and one which appeared twice before in my Blog [15th December 2010 & 25th August 2012], i can't exactly remember how i got into Bruce Cockburn, it might be that i bought this disc straight off cheap in a second hand shop, and i'm glad i did, tried some of his other stuff, but nothing else seems to really jive with me, Cockburn [pronounced Co-Burn] is a little hard to pinpoint as to his genre of music, some feel he's a Folk Singer, but i feel he's more Soft Rock.

Bruce Cockburn is Canadian, he's now 69, and this album came out in 1994, the front cover shows an Archer, which i take it is Cockburn himself [photography by Dana Tynan], a bleached yellow shot, nicely composed, lettering in dark blue and red, the front and back cover gives a real feel of the wilderness i guess, and of the heat of the sun.

The tracks i loved the most on this listen were 6 & 8, here's a synopsis of both,
6 Southland Of The Heart - Very acoustic, Cockburn plays acoustic guitar, there's pedal steel and organ too, and a background of brass [sax & trumpet], a really lazy number, you can feel the breezes wafting in and cooling you down on this number, best lyric = 'when the nightmares creeping closer, and your wheels are in the mud'.
8 Someone I Used To Love - Even more acoustic, if all the tracks were like this, then maybe yes i would call him a Folk Singer, it's a love song, and a gorgeous one at that, very endearing, it's in three verses, the first is gently acoustic, in the next two new instruments come in, certainly pedal steel, but there's also a mandolin in the background, and the accordion features highly too, it's the start of the second verse where the whole thing goes up a notch, and then there's an extended instrumental between the second and third verses, now that's Cockburn at his best, best lyric = 'you draw me in towards you, like the moon pulls at the tide'.

Tchaikovsky - Capriccio Italien [Dutoit-Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal]

Here's a lovely disc of Tchaikovsky Overtures and Ballet music, a great introduction to the Composer, but much more too, it's a great way to collect some of his lets say 'war' music, with a generous 65 minutes of music, everything on here i so much enjoyed, even the 1812 Overture, which is in danger of become too well known and played, this disc makes me realise even more what a wealth of glorious tunes Tchaikovsky had inside of him, appeared in my Blog a few years back [25th December 2011].

Charles Dutoit is Swiss, he's now 78, this disc was recorded in 1986, though is a reissue of an earlier disc, the front booklet cover is a painting [by Christian Sell], showing the Franco-Prussian war, i don't usually like paintings as front covers of dics, but this is an excellent one, showing sharp detail, there's a certain diagonal top left to bottom right line of attack in the picture, the lettering is great too, though i have somewhat of an issue with promoting '1812' over the other works on the disc.

On this listen i was really impressed with Capriccio Italien, not an Overture as such, it's really a Fantasy, it was composed from a trip that Tchaikovsky took to Rome, and seeing a Carnival, but there's certainly elements of military and marching to the whole thing, its opening trumpet / brass fanfare is excellent [0:00-0:41], sharp and strong and noble, almost a call to arms, and then right after comes a march like beat by the horns / lower brass, while the strings play an ominous tune of their own [0:42-2:07], it's has an excellent 'beat' to it, one of the best things in the piece, it's when the opening fanfare comes back in more glory [2:55-3:11], and now the strings are creating the march, with the woodwind the melody [3:19-3:56], and then comes the carnival music [4:16+], a lot happier and fun, but still has that element of military march about it, after a theme as such, Tchaikovsky creates variations of it, each one seemingly more sparkling than the rest [5:02+], trumpets and glockenspiel, there's a certain waltz about the thing too, Tchaikovsky revels in the glockenspiel [6:12+], and the music has a real sparkle about it, there's also a certain degree of Spanish Flamenco to the central section [7:22+], where also a strong waltz comes into play, but the ominous opening vibes come back [9:41+], towards the end there's brilliant string and brass playing, quick and sharp [11:12+], eventually leading onto a majestic statement of the carnival tune [13:07+], at the end you might think it's going to break out into the 1812 Overture, a lovely kaleidoscope of sounds.

Here's Jurowski conducting this piece on YouTube.

Mark Whitfield [7th Ave Stroll]

This disc is getting lots of exposure in my Blog, [7th January 2010 / 9th November 2011 / 24th August 2012], it's my most favourite Guitar Jazz disc i have, initially i thought it was a bit low key, now i notice all the vibes going on by the quartet, in fact there are two separate quartets rotating throughout this disc, an older crew, and a younger, and it seems to be the mature guys that get to the heart of things here, rather than slowing down as they get older, they have a tendency to get more intense, they use silences to speak rather than just sounds, one note can speak a whole sentence, there's a deeper cleverness going on here, it's one of the best Jazz discs i've ever bought.

Mark Whifield is American, he's now 48, this was one of his albums from his middle period back in 1995, the photography throughout the whole booklet is excellent [by Kwaku Alston], the front cover shows Whitfield in New york i guess, at night, long exposure shot, black & white, yet the lettering is in red, i really like it.

Well the tracks i liked the most were 2-3, 7 & 9, and i would like to give a synopsis on the very best two of these, 7 & 9, they both have the same quartet, Tommy Flanagan = Piano / Dave Holland = Bass / Al Foster = Drums,
7 Sunday In New York [5:38] - Except this one misses Flanagan, it starts with Holland laying down a really grooving bass vibe, and Al Foster adds cymbals and a tic tok rhythm [0:08+], Whitfield plays over this drum and bass undercurrent [0:17+], and it quickly develops a real intensity, there's lots of swing in there too, you can hear Foster moaning in the background, Holland gets to solo, and Fosters work over him is really clever, love the way that Whitfield comes back in with the return of the tube [5:00+], what a trio!.
9 Sunset At Waterside [6:23] - This is my favourite track on the album, it's a simple tune really, played straight and easy, Whitfield comes in with the guitar from the offset, it's the most gorgeous tune, Foster lays the most superb groove to the thing, using brushes and sticks, his drumming is something to truly marvel, no robotic beat here, he goes all over the place in invention, constantly chopping and changing to suit the mood of the moment, one of the greatest Jazz Drummers ever, after playing the 'theme' [0:00-1:34], Whitfield starts playing variations, Flanagan then comes in to give his solo [3:07-3:57], he's no hundred notes a second Pianist, but rather very clever, i love the way at the start he plays a little phrase, and then lets the bass finish it off!, and when he comes back in it's a moment to treasure, it's almost a shame when he lets Holland do a solo, as i would have loved to hear more of his ideas, again it's a lovely moment when Whitfield comes back in with the opening theme [4:34+], a fantastic 6-7 minutes of Jazz. 

You can listen to samples on the AllMusic website.

Mozart - Piano Concerto 20 [Brendel/ Mackerras-Scottish Chamber Orchestra]

It's great to have this coupling, with Mozart's two Minor key mature piano Concertos together, they make an apt 'twin', and like yesterday this is in D Minor also, and my favourite Mozart Piano Concerto, and my favourite Pianist too!, and with a Chamber Orchestra, it's perfect for Mozart, altogether a great combination, this disc has featured highly in my Blog before [20th October 2011 & 28th October 2012].

Alfred Brendel is Austrian, he's now 84 and retired, he recorded this disc in 1998, the front booklet cover shows a grainy black & white photo of Brendel's head [by Regina Schmeken], a mustard coloured band at the bottom, with Mozart in large letters, and different fonts of black and white for the rest, it's a great and clever idea, the back inlay is roughly the same, all cleverly done.

I just can't help loving this opening movement Allegro, it has some of the greatest Mozartian ideas, it reminds me of ideas in his Requiem [also in D Minor], braying brass, instruments seemingly grating on each other, but in actuality sounding the other sort of great!, the introduction by the orchestra is a moment to savour, full of anxiety and trouble, high strings and low strings competing against each other [0:00-0:31], and the brass come in shocking us with their brashness [0:31+], if the D in D Minor represents Death in his Requiem, then D minor here stands for Danger, themes of this opening are repeated by the orchestra as the introduction [0:00-2:24], the piano has at first a more brighter view of the music, while the orchestra remains dissonant, but quickly the piano adopts the same dark forebodings [2:57+], it's so easy to examine every little phrase by Mozart, and find something incredible in there, this work is so choc full of great things everywhere, rarely but at certain points you can hear Brendel groaning, really getting into his playing, like some idee fixe, the opening motif keeps coming back again and again, and it's such a joy to hear, it creates an incredible power, Brendel uses his own cadenza in this movement [11:17-13:08], strange at first, as your expecting the usual, but it's actually good to hear music composed by Brendel!, of course it's kept around the themes of Mozart's music, and it fits within the era of the times, Brendel's a great exponent of Mozart.

Here's Brendel playing the first movement on YouTube.