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

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

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

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

So the world is spinning faster

Are you dizzy when you're stoned?

Let the music be your master

Will you heed the masters call?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beethoven - Violin Sonata 9 [Perlman/ Ashkenazy]

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

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

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

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

Bruckner - Symphony 8 [Haitink-Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam]

Here's Bruckner's Eighth again, roughly 86 minutes of genius, it's his longest Symphony, and the Adagio alone can hit the half hour mark!, this is a Symphony that i had an exerted effort to really get to know deeper in 2009, i bought a few recordings, and i listened to it more than ever, it paid dividends, now it's my second favourite Symphony by Bruckner.

Bernard Haitink seems to be appearing in my Blog a bit more, i enjoyed his Shostakovich last week [8th November 2010], he's now 81, and he looks quite frail at the moment.

On every listen of a disc, i try to find something new and exciting to see / hear, and i noticed very much the harp this time, especially in the quiet trio section of the Scherzo second movement, but again i find that the long and beautiful Adagio is heartbreaking, i would just like to mention a few really lovely inspiring moments, the horns bring a certain glow to the Adagio, they steal in from nowhere [7:12-7:38], the sheer beauty of their playing is breathtaking, with shimmering violins in the background, it's a moment that stands out for me on this listen, later the horns repeat the same trick [15:11-15:37], golden autumnal horns, with shimmering violins, if something's so good, why not use it twice?, later in the movement the strings have their glorious moment of beauty [20:37+], such sweetness, and surge again a tad later [20:49+], a nice touch by Bruckner, and right at the end comes the supreme and sublime coda [24:31+], there's so many good things to notice in these last four minutes, it's my most favourite moment in any Bruckner Symphony, there's the clarinet in the background [25:10+ & 25:30], almost like a peaceful last rites / last post, and the horns very gently humming the opening tune [25:20+], now in all its autumn colours, and the mid strings echo the clarinet sadness [25:43+ & 25:57+], a stupendous moment, but then it's topped by the most touching string / horn duet you will ever hear [26:42+], the music becomes lost in its own beauty for the next minute or so, as Bruckner closes this gorgeous string & horn duet in such a noble fashion, is there anything more lovely than this?, i posed this question on Talk Classical, a Classical music discussion forum, especially about Barenboim's version of this i played over seven months ago [30th March 2010].

Here's Bernard Haitink conducting the third movement Adagio on YouTube.

Shostakovich - 24 Preludes & Fugues [Ashkenazy]

This 2 disc set of Shostakovich's 24 Preludes & Fugues has been in and out of my disc player for the last two years [mainly out of course!], i'm warming to these pieces, and it's taken a long time, the first say seven i quickly warmed to, but the rest have taken more time, it seems a lot more time, i also have the set by Tatiana Nikolayeva [Hyperion], i've listened to this Ashkenazy set more though, supposedly each of the Preludes & Fugues were composed in order as they appear, so i get the strong feeling that Shostakovich was hot and creative with ideas when he started this project, but maybe started to run out of inspiration after a while, the whole 24 took four months to complete, certainly i feel some of the later pieces are more of a challenge to listen to [say 20 & 24 for instance], but there's a wealth of creation here, and something new to discover on every listen.

Vladimir Ashkenazy is now 73, he was born in Russia, these discs were recorded between 1996 and 1998, the 2 disc box front cover is nice, showing Ashkenazy leaning on the piano, with his reflection on the right, a nice black & white shot, which makes the colours [logo and composer] stand out all the more.

I listened to this disc over a few days, i think the whole 24 are too many to take in in one go, i really enjoyed 1, 4-5, 7, 13, 16 & 22 on this listen, disc 2 was a nice revelation, getting to know the less known pieces was very satisfying, but again i fall back on my two favourite Preludes & Fugues of this set, 5 & 7, both are fairly short, lasting less than 4 minutes each, the Fifth Prelude mimics a Glockenspiel in the right hand to some degree, sounding like a piano version of a telephone ringing at times [0:00-0:36], the telephone changes over to the other ear, now in the left hand bass [0:36-1:10], and the counter melody is now in the treble, and you can hear the beauty of it better, then it changes back in the reprise, and it's gorgeous [1:10-2:02], and it ends in a hesitating softness, the Fifth Fugue is a staccato study, nice and complex, all over the keyboard, notes spring to life and germinate all over the place, the Seventh Prelude is a sort of duet, left and right hand take it in turns to play, however the treble / right hand eventually 'speaks' all over the bass / left hand's turn, it's a very clever Prelude, the Seventh Fugue is probably the best thing Shostakovich did out of the whole set, starts off with such lovely chiming in the treble [0:00+], so when the left hand bass comes in [0:13+], playing the echo of the treble, it's just perfect, wave on wave of beautiful repetitions start and end up and down the keyboard, i must mention two turns of phrases that are just simply gorgeous [0:31 & 0:36], Shostakovich knows the perfect note to use to make your heart skip a beat, i can't stop playing this Fugue, and there's still other delights to be discovered in this huge work of 24 pieces.

Here's Fernando playing the Seventh Fugue on Youtube.

Field - 18 Nocturnes [O'Rourke]

The Nocturnes of John Field are inventive and pleasing enough, one thing to be sure of, they are not in the same league as Chopin's, the very best of Field is only poor Chopin, there isn't the intense level of creativity, the supreme architecture, and the sheer lyricism and effortless beauty that Chopin's Nocturnes exude, however this two disc set is pleasing in its own way, even if some of Field's Nocturnes seem just a tad ordinary.

Miceal O'Rourke, is Irish, and has been a champion of Field's music on the Chandos Label, this set was recorded in 1988, and i bought this early in 1992, and played it quite extensively at first, it gets played less now, but every time i do get to play it, i'm glad i did, they aren't intense pieces of music, but are inoffensive and tuneful.

All of Field's Nocturnes seem to suffer somewhat from the 'sameness syndrome', it's not that easy to pick out individuals when everyone around them sounds alike, one exception is Nocturne 7, it has a disarming individualism to it, it's certainly repetitive, after a hesitating intro, there's the start of the tolling of the bell in the right hand [0:10+], while the left plays a gentle counter melody, but the bells start to get lively [0:32+], with a little trill before every chime, there's slight key / octave changes, and at times the chimes may reach further up the treble of the keyboard, and have a slightly greater urgency about them, but the basic thing doesn't change, it's the repetitiveness that tolls into your brain, a very satisfying piece of music, but... is it really a Nocturne?.

Here's O'Rourke playing the Seventh Nocturne on YouTube.

Glazunov - The Seasons [Jarvi-The Scottish National Orchestra]

This is the first time Glazunov appears in my Blog, he is somewhat of an unknown Composer to me, i've never warmed to his Symphonies, they're so average, nothing special at all, but i do rate his Stenka Razin!, a colourful Symphonic Poem that has some lovely rhythms and orchestration to it, and his Piano Concertos too.

Neeme Jarvi is Estonian, born in 1937, he seems to have recorded a cycle of discs on every major Composer, mainly for Chandos, he recorded this disc back in 1987.

The Seasons is a Ballet, roughly akin to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, Winter has glitter to it, shorter pithy scenes / dances that sparkle, it's only in Summer and Autumn that there's a real Symphonic glow to the work, and it's the Barcarolle of Summer that i liked the best, it's barely over 2 minutes long, but it has a pastoralness to it, almost waltzy-like, the truly sweet and beautiful violins steal in [0:16+], so memorable, like Tchaikovsky at his very best, it's over almost before it's started, you can see that Glazunov copied the essence of the Nutcracker to produce this lovely Ballet, which is well worth hearing.

Here's Jarvi conducting Summer on YouTube, the Barcarolle starts at 3:52.