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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It tips the guard's cutlass and silvers this nook

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Branford Marsalis [Royal Garden Blues]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schubert - String Quartet 14 [Artis String Quartett]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why awaken me, o breath of spring?

Why awaken me?

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

Tomorrow, into the valley, will come the traveller

remembering my former glory

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

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