Saint-Saens - Violin Concerto 3 [Dumay/ Yazaki-Orchestre Philharmonique De Monte Carlo] 

A disc that seems to appear in my Blog Regular [29th December 2011 & 30th January 2010], and no wonder, it's such a treasured disc and performance, i'm glad i bought this on Ebay when i saw it, a Concerto that is becoming more and more entrenched in my heart the more and more i listen to it, it's a shame that his earlier Violin Concertos don't stand up to the quality of this one, and the same applies to his Symphonies, seems like he hit quality on the number three!, not a great deal of music on this disc [only 47 minutes], but it's more than made up for in quality.

Augustin Dumay is French and now 63, he recorded this disc in 1982 when he was 33, one of the great things about this disc is the front cover, it's a brilliant portrait [by Roberto Estrada], a superb use of using out of focus to highlight that which is in focus, i like the colours, a blue green background, and the red of the tank top really brightens up the picture, and the lettering is excellent, blue at the top, and lightening to white at the bottom, it makes a great disc even greater.

Well it's usually the heavenly slow movement which is the highlight of this piece, and i must admit that it hit a real soft spot this time, but amazingly it was the last movement Molto Moderato E Maestoso [very moderate and majestic] that really hit the spot!, i must admit that in listening to this movement again, that Dumay is very individual, especially in the introduction, maybe a bit to hesitant, and too fussy with intonation, but this is only a small gripe, his violin sings nice and sweet, and he's a very accurate fiddler in the faster sections, he plays somewhat quietly, and maybe a bit too treble of tone, or is it the recording?, there's some very delicate playing from Dumay and Yazaki [3:56-5:09], and the recording is nice and crystal clear to hear both ends of the spectrum, i like Dumay's way with playing the more virtuoso sections [7:19-7:48], and makes me realise how good the same thing is at the start [1:08-1:35], and it's easy to miss out on some of the most wondrous stuff, and in giving it yet another spin, how wonderful the more lyrical and sweet refrains there are [2:33-3:07], and i guess how ultimately it's easy to like and comment on almost everything about the movement, and it's amazing that this Concerto can be played so many different ways, with different a different emphasis, and yet still be a valid interpretation each time, i love the build up to the great forte towards the end [8:47-9:00], it's a tremendous moment that is unleashed big time by the horns and brass [9:01-9:20], now that's the 'majestic' part of the title, the whole thing is cast in the key of B Minor, a nice dark key, that has as it's bedfellows Dvorak's Cello Concerto, Schubert's Eighth, and Tchaikovsky's Sixth, heady companions indeed. 

Here's Silvia Marcovici playing the third movement on YouTube.

Elgar - Piano Quintet [Roberts/Chilingirian String Quartet] 

Now here's a disc with a difference, this is only the second time i've played this disc, it didn't impress me the first time, but on this listening, wow what a difference!, Elgar's non Orchestral works aren't something i've ventured into, and i've been somewhat put off by his stodgy long drawn out ideas [i'm still trying to come to terms with his Violin Concerto], so it was quite a shock at how really good this music is, the skillful way in which it's constructed, and the great tunes, if i was listening blind, i would swear it was possibly a French Composer, maybe Franck comes to mind, plus as a bonus, the String Quartet was nearly as good as well, i'll be looking forward to hearing this disc again in 2013.

Bernard Roberts is English, he's now 79, he recorded this disc in 1985, one of the great things about this disc is the front cover [photo by Chris Yates], a magnificent landscape shot of trees on a hill, no doubt in winter as the trees are bare, making great silhouettes against the sky, but it's the clouds and light which really makes the picture, there's a certain creamy haze to everything, it's a gorgeous mood shot, and incidentally i went out for a walk to play this disc, and the view on the hill was not unlike this picture, but the music was even more penetrating.

It was the first movement that really grabbed me, when you hear the 'famous' music of Elgar, his Cello Concerto, and Enigma Variations, when you listen to his Piano Quintet you might think 'who is this?', sounds like someone else completely, i suppose in listening to it again, there's certainly a feeling of Brahms's Piano Quartets about it, the work is in the key of A Minor, it twists and turns, it's on the whole dark, but Elgar has some sprightly fun with it, there's fun waltzes that appear out of nowhere, the beginning is hesitant, but soon develops into a Brahmsian seriousness, and  i like the way Elgar changes direction, and plays a whimsical melody [2:15-3:17], which then develops into a full blown waltz [3:26-4:37], again all the time sounding like Brahms, then there's a superb section which could have been composed by Faure, in the vein of his Piano Quintets / Quartets [5:25-6:09], sweet and high strings, with rippling piano in the background, now that's a little melody to die for!, the first movement almost sounds like a Fantasy at times, as if it was meant to be something which would stand up all on it's own, Elgar works the themes expertly, the whimsical waltzes come back to haunt us [9:33-11:04], this time there's pizzicato strummings at the beginning, and i marvel at how Elgar can intertwine such simple ideas into something so much more profound, the Faure music comes back [11:48-12:24], this time with the piano sounding like bells, the very opening returns in sadness [13:14-13:46], what a wonderful movement of music, it was so good to 'discover' this today,  it's another work i can put in my regular listening list to enjoy.

Here's Elgar's Piano Quintet being played on YouTube.

Various Composers - 'Fire & Ice' Violin Showpieces [Chang/ Domingo-Berliner Philharmoniker] 

This is one of those wonderful albums that i term 'Violin Showpieces', i don't know if that fits, maybe more correct would be 'Concertante Works', but i so love these albums, all made up of singular pieces, a dozen to a couple of handfuls of works, on this disc it roughly translates to 9 minutes per piece on average, the equivalent of an Overture or something, great variety, this disc is called 'Fire & Ice', meaning warm slow pieces interspersed with icy works of bravura, or it it red hot virtuoso works interspersed with cool and calm works?, either way it's a great mix, and it's amazing what their is in the repertoire to choose from, and this is a well chosen programme, with a couple of pieces that are different enough so that this disc doesn't fall into 'the same as everybody else' syndrome, plus Sarah Chang is an ardent interpreter, bringing warmth and a strong projection to all of these pieces, appeared in my Blog earlier in the year [7th February 2012].

Sarah Chang is American, she's now 32, and she made this recording in 2001, the front and back cover photography [by Sheila Rock] is excellent, crystal clear images, the jet black background, and the lettering in orange and blue really stands out, it was inspired to have 'fire & Ice' written sideways, a quarter way off the booklet, makes it look fantastic, a great visual.

Well i especially liked the Beethoven and Bach works on this disc, and i was pleasantly surprised by the Beethoven work, not something i listen to a lot, and not a work i have been particularly enamoured to, but on this listen i thought it was so sublime, but to top that, it was the Bach work, the famous Air from his Suite 3, maybe overplayed and overexposed, but here Chang plays it with the utmost refinement and simplicity, unassuming nobility, the opposite of a showstopper that it can be in the wrong hands, it starts out of nowhere, almost as if it's in mid flow, there's no 'hey i'm the violin Soloist here' about Chang, she smoothly just lets Bach take the front seat and the glory, it's her sweet gentleness that pays off in dividends, the whole work has a slow tread that is purposely unhurried, it's fairly monotonous, but in the most excellent definition of the word, it's hard to pick out any one section inparticular, as the whole piece seems to gel into one whole, and Bach ends the thing without any flourish or finale to it, so it turns up as if it's always been there, and it goes as if it never came, i just can't get this tune out of my head now, it's one of those things i'll wake up with next morning, and it's still going on repeat in my head!. 

Here's Sarah Chang playing the Bach Air on YouTube.

Mary Chapin Carpenter [Stones In The Road] 

I so much enjoyed this disc today, Carpenter really has a way with words, and a way with delivery too, marrying words and music perfectly, she has this penchant for just knowing how to catch your heart, like a master Angler knows how to hook a fish, and she constantly gets a lump in my throat from me, in my opinion this is her best record, i've tried others, and there's yet others i need to try, but this stands head and shoulders above the rest, it's certainly easy on the ear, yet none of her songs are 'simple', they're especially sophisticated, the poetry isn't in taking esoteric meanings, rather it's in the depth of ideas and ideals she sings about, this disc resides at No13 in my all time list of favourite albums, and with nearly 1700 albums i own, now that's really high, i wrote about this disc previously early on in my Blogging [1st March 2010].

Mary Chapin Carpenter is American, and she's now 54, many would categorize her as a Country singer, but she's more of an American Folk singer, or Singer / Songwriter, i would say she's like a female Jackson Browne, she brought out this disc in 1994, the front booklet cover is very good [photo by Caroline Greyshock], an atmospheric solo shot, backlit from a window, lovely and hazy, though the top and bottom squiggly rip off lines of black for the lettering are a bit naff, yet it's a nice enough visual, the back insert makes the track listing harder to read.

It's very very hard to pick a winner, the tracks that ultra impressed me were 8-13, very much the second half of the album, the first half is more extrovert, a heart on her sleeve bunch that are more geared to chart success and sales, the second half of the album is introspective, an inner world where Carpenter opens up her secret world, and i feel such a better person for being exposed to this 'musical poetry', ultimately it's tracks 10-11 & 13 that are just gut-wrenchingly the very pinnacle of what songwriting should be all about, written nigh on to perfection, i marvel that one human being is capable of bringing out such tremendous emotions, i guess the very best track [on this listen] is the last one 'This Is Love', and i'd like to talk about it here,

13 This Is Love - 

Various Composers - 'Liebestraume' Piano Encores [Spanswick] 

This disc appeared in my Blog early this year [13th January 2012], so it's getting great exposure, Spanswick is not a household name, not really a Concert Pianist, she seems more on the periphery, but i like well chosen recital programmes like this, though not everything is what i would have chosen, and i would have included other Composers, notably Faure, Prokofiev, Ravel, Schubert [a big omission], and Albeniz, less Debussy and Chopin, possibly more Brahms, but it's still a great mix, which is best played on random / shuffle, as it mixes up the same Composer that remains unmixed played straight, with 71 minutes of music, it's great value for money too.

Melanie Spanswick is English i take it, she doesn't live that far from me!, she recorded this disc in 2002, the front cover is an excellent one [photograph by Hilary Shedel], showing her sitting at the piano, with her back to the instrument, lovely dress, and the curly hair..., it's a great perspective, lots of interesting things in the photograph, plus it's good that she's not central to the picture, but it equally shows the piano, my copy is signed by her, which is a nice extra touch, a lovely disc to own.

Well in listening to this today, i was especially taken aback by tracks 1-2 & 11, i would like to talk about each, and as i spoke about track 11 Liszt's 'Un Sospiro' last time, i would like to talk about track 2 Mozart's 'Rondo Alla Turca' this time, it's the last movement of his Piano Sonata 11, but it stands up as an individual piece very well, it's in Rondo form, which means the whole things keeps coming around again and again, rather like a horse on a carousel, very nice use of the treble keys, with two distinct sections, the opening tune, and a counter melody response [0:47-1:02], both are wonderful, and they nicely juxtapose each other, almost encouraging each other to greater heights, it's only near the end that the second melody tune branches out into a thrilling finale [3:05+], the legato of the whole piece is very delicious!.

Here's Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca' being played on YouTube, you can easily see the keys / fingering.

Bach - Goldberg Variations [Perahia] 

Another listen to this wonderful disc [19th August 2010], and one of my favourite Pianists, however i always seem to have reservations about him, his Chopin Ballades for instance, i don't see what all the fuss is about, he concentrates very heavily on Bach, i'm not always in agreement with the repertoire he chooses, but his decision to do more Brahms is very welcome indeed, there's certainly a bit of 'staccato tendency' about Perahia, certain variations have a bent towards staccato, where a more legato approach would have worked so well, but there's invention aplenty here, and with a variety of thirty variations to play with, there's a mesmerising number of approaches that can be thrilling, and Perahia remains very much at the service of the spirit of Bach, lovely recoding sound to boot as well.

Murray Perahia is American, but living in London i believe, he's now 65, and he recorded this disc in 2000, the front cover photograph [by Ken Schles] is an inspired one, i take it it's photographed in his home, with his own piano, a shot where he's very much in shadow, not a silhouette, but not far off, a nice line of light down the right hand side, and a good use of the out of focus foreground piano, and especially the piano lid prop, behind in the background there's the open window, with washed out light, it's a great study in extremes.

On this listen i especially enjoyed Variations 5, 8, 10 & 14, and i would like to explain each one in more detail,

Variation 5 [10:28] - A fast variation, with a certain kind of stuttering main melody in the right hand, and a fast up and down the keyboard backing in the left hand, and it's the odd treble stabbing notes in the middle that are so affecting [0:30-0:32 & 0:46-0:48], just the lovely way that Bach uses legato and this stuttering staccato at the same time to wonderful effect, must be a demon for Perahia to play.
Variation 8 [15:04] - Another stuttering variation, this time the bass notes are staggered in such a way that it's as if Perahia is only playing every other note, and the mid keyboard warbling of the right hand is delicious [0:00-0:12], and hands change over in the melody / backing, the whole thing is just delightful, you don't want it to end, this could have been made into a piece of music all by itself.
Variation 10 [19:07] - A piece of ingenious trills, really it's a fugue, and listening to the many different voices in all areas of the keyboard, it's like a Barbershop Quartet in different voices, very majestic indeed.
Variation 14 [29:44] - The very opening notes sound like they come from Philip Glass's Metamorphosis, it's just something he would do, and they sound fantastic, again it's full of trills, bass and treble trills seem to play at will, there's staccato there, but the most fantastic things about this variation is the combination of trills and moving down the keyboard in the right hand [0:15-0:23], now that's terrific, that sounds so exciting, and when it comes back again it's just an immense wow [0:46-0:53], the left and right hands sound as if they're talking all over each other, but they making so much sense, like two twins that finish each others sentences, it's as if they're psychic, another two of these excellent trills also delight us [1:17-1:24 & 1:48-1:55], this time more central keyboard, a complex piece that sounds so obvious, but it took Bach to reveal it to us, probably my favourite variation on this listen.

Here's Murray Perahia playing the whole Goldberg variations on YouTube, the timings after each variation in yellow above, are where each variation lies in this video.

Various Composers - Live At The Royal Albert Hall [Lisitsa] 

A YouTube sensation, her YouTube videos of the 24 Etudes of Chopin are phenomenal, i hope she now turns to the CD format, and makes many discs for many years to come, this is supposedly a live recording made this year [19th June 2012], but it sounds like it's a studio recording, as if no one turned up, there's no applause at all, it's a good programme, but only sticking to five Composers, and they're all shuffled up, 70 minutes of music, and this is very welcome, i hear that she's recorded the Rachmaninov Concertos, the future looks bright.

Valentina Lisitsa is Ukrainian, she seems to be starting out and young to me, however she's actually 39 years old and married, she recorded this disc live in 2012, so it's fresh off the press, i actually got my copy from Ebay cheap, the front cover picture is an amalgamation of two pictures, one of the portrait of Lisitsa [by Gilbert Francois], and the Royal Albert Hall in the background [by Chris Christodoulou], i like her pose and stance, the whole thing works really well.

This was an exciting recital, full of great stuff, i especially liked tracks 1-3, 6, 8, 12, 14 & 18, her Rachmaninov is muscular, Beethoven is played gentle, Liszt is played like she's having fun, a real little joker, though not everything works, i think she plays too fast on the whole, and she definitely gravitates to the staccato end of Pianists, but it's undeniable that she has great ideas in abundance, the track which i chose to talk about is track 3, Liszt's 'La Campanella' [the little bell], a mischievous imp of a piece, lasting just over 4 minutes, scored in the key of G Sharp Minor, and Lisitsa certainly uses those wonderful high treble notes to great effect, she plays it rightly not as some heavy handed warhorse, but rather like a musical box gone berserk, on the whole it gets more complex and louder as the piece develops, and Lisitsa shades speed and volume very nicely, it's actually not a piece i know all that well, so it's hard for me to judge her performance against almost non existent comparisons, i like her quick notes which almost sound like trills [1:32+], and when the bass notes come in [2:42+], wow she must have three hands!, love the ostinato ringing that turns into a staccato version of the tune [3:30-3:50], the transition is superbly done here, the following Rachmaninov Prelude [Op32 / 5], is heart-rending, ever since i heard it on the radio by Maura Lympany, but that's another Blog post i guess, it's a recital disc well worth hearing / keeping.

Here's Valentina Lisitsa playing Liszt's 'La Campenella' on YouTube, though not the Royal Albert Hall performance.