Various Composers - English Orchestral Works [Tate-English Chamber Orchestra] 

This is a fun disc, filled with things off the beaten track, and English Composers without an Elgar or Vaughan Williams in sight, 67 minutes of music, with 9 tracks [nearly 8 minutes per piece], it's not only a lovely compilation disc in its own right, but can also be used as a lead in to discover more in certain avenues, if you like a certain work / Composer, it's easy to follow it up with searching some more down that path, but for me this disc fills a gap that most other discs don't, a great chance to just forget about other things and to get away to an imaginary place on the front cover, played this a few years ago [15th November 2012].

Jeffrey Tate is English, he's now 72, he recoded this back in 1985, the front cover is gorgeous, goes along with the music very much, a hazy less focused shot of a river scene with trees, the use of a green and blue filter very prominent, the lettering is nice too, plus the EMI logo brings a dash of a different colour.

On this listen i liked tracks 1, 3-5 & 7-9, with track 1 'The Banks Of Green Willow' by Butterworth the outstanding piece of music, it's a short orchestral 'Idyll', but it's truly lovely, it starts off with a solo clarinet introduction [0:00-0:15], announcing the folk tune, before the sweet strings come in, the whole thing is just awash with the English countryside, and the oboe plays a significant part of the nostalgia of the piece [1:04-1:13], in the middle section it can get quite fast and robust [2:34+], but it settles back down into the reflective pastoral music as before, with the oboe presenting a gorgeous endearing solo [3:50-4:22], and the flute following suite also [4:24-5:04], backed by some tender string writing towards the end, a solo violin takes over for a slightly darker sound [5:13+], and within here there's some of the most affecting string playing of the piece [5:43-6:00], it's breathtaking really, it's a shame that Butterworth died in the Somme at 31, he would have been the next Delius. 

Here's the Butterworth piece being performed on YouTube.

Mozart - Violin Sonata 25 [Steinberg/Uchida]

Wow what a lovely little disc this is, i bought this disc a couple of years ago, didn't think a lot of it, this is its third playing, but now i think this is one of the best Mozart Violin Sonata discs i own, i've played K377 before, but it's like 'where has this Sonata been hidden all my life?', it's a tremendous work, how come i've brushed over it before?, the opening phrases are a revelation here in the hands of Steinberg / Uchida, 

I think Mark Steinberg is American, don't know much else beside this, the booklet notes state that Steinberg / Uchida have been playing these pieces for the last 12 years, so not a quick get together to throw off a recording, this was recorded in 2004, the front cover is a black & white shot [by Ben Ealovega] showing Uchida in the foreground in focus, and Steinberg in the background out of focus, a really nice shot, the lettering is very complementary, incidentally Mozart named these 'Sonatas for Piano and Violin', and not Violin Sonatas [which is what i call them], whereas Beethoven called his 'Sonatas for Violin and Piano', is there a clue in the picture who the boss really is?.

Well like i said above, it was the first movement that was a revelation, it's less than 4 minutes long, but it really packs a punch, it's in the key of F major, the opening bars are such a joy to behold, the violin plays frantic bowing, while the piano plays a strong skippy little tune [0:00-0:13], bustling with happy joy, and then the two swap over, the violin plays the tune, and the piano plays the complex accompaniment [0:13-0:23], one of Mozart's loveliest inventions / starts, after a minute they repeat the opening again [1:06-1:27], and again what a joy to behold, the third time the tune it's now changed into a different key, possibly the Minor [2:10+], but it still sounds great, the movement comes to a sudden nice end, and yet i feel it's all over too soon, Mozart could have done so much more with this little Scherzo of a piece, why waste such a great tune and musical ideas on a 'trifle?', and yet i guess its shortness makes it all the more endearing, i need to really listen carefully to Mozart's other Violin Sonatas, Uchida and Steinberg produce some great music here.

Here's Mutter playing this Sonata on YouTube.

Mozart - Piano Concerto 20 [Kissin/ Spivakov-Moscow Virtuosi]

This was a fantastic experience, every now and then a very familiar work really hits you like a ton of bricks, this happened today with me, the whole thing just flows like molten lava, Kissin and Spivakov do everything right, i was just in the mood for this today, Mozart's number 20 is my favourite Piano Concerto of his, must have heard it roughly 125 times, but this disc only gets its second playing, and on feeling for it, i'm sure it will get many more, Kissin also has another newer crack at this work, on EMI coupled work Piano Concerto 27, with Kissin conducting the Kremerata Baltica, i'll look out for that one too, this disc appeared in my Blog in 2011 [11th November 2011].

Evgeny Kissin is Russian, he's now 43, he made this recording in 1992 when he was roughly 20, the front cover photograph [by Bette Marshall], shows Kissin at the keyboard, i think this picture came out when he recorded the other work on the disc when he was 16, he certainly looks young, the photo is lit in a lovely way, especially the keyboard, the lettering is great, well laid out, a really pleasing booklet cover.

The first movement was absolutely tremendous, i was doing some writing while listening to the work, and i had to keep stopping, i just couldn't concentrate for the music, Kissin is so intense, the music moves along in a menacing way, and the D Minor key hostility is brought out to the fore, this is no pleasant 'happy tune' Mozart, it's a real demon, here's my synopsis,
The opening introduction is ominous, restless strings, until the whole thing explodes [0:28+], the invention of the whole thing before the piano arrives is a creation of genius, it's less of an introduction, and more of a statement that the piano now has to 'fight' to get heard, and when the piano does come in it sounds innocent [2:20+], but quickly the piano ends up in turmoil too, i like Kissin's tone, a really beautiful sounding piano, in lovely clear sounds, the orchestral tutti's keep switching from sweet to angry, and i just love those 'braying' strings with their opening motif, just listen to Kissin's call and response to the orchestra [6:50-7:10], he seems to be quite a hard hitter of the keys, and creates a real argument with Spivakov, there's a real feel of the whole thing just going round and round as a nightmare that won't ever end, but from the listeners point of view it's a wonderful effect, in the long cadenza [10:47-13:08], which i guess must be by Mozart, Kissin gets to shine solo, i love the way he really thrusts into those braying opening chords [12:00-12:10], nice and loud and menacing, and gives a spectacular lead in as he leaps into his finale [12:52-13:08], the orchestra has the last laugh as it winds down [13:53-14:08], the woodwind especially in reflective mode.

Here's Kissin playing this Concerto on YouTube.

Glass - 5 Metamorphosis [Glass]

Here's one of my early ventures into contemporary Classical music, it was late 1992, at the time i decided to try out some people who were still alive, it turned out to not be a great success, and i guess has put me off ever since, now contemporary Composers make up hardly any of my music collection, which maybe i should rectify, this one stuck, not least of all because the first time i played it i had a profoundly good experience, i've actually only played it four times ever! [1992 / 1998 / 2008 / 2015], all of those dates have huge gaps between them, and yet crazily i enjoy it when i get round to playing it, this disc is like a modern day Satie, repetitive, yet somehow hypnotic and haunting too, i see just lately there's a whole plethora of new recordings of Glass's piano solo music [Lisitsa / Whitwell / Brubaker], all worth getting, and it would be nice to hear someone else's take on his music.

Philip Glass is an American, he's now 78, this disc came out in 1989, and Metamorphosis was only composed the year before, the front cover photo [by Steve Prezant], is a portrait of Glass at the piano, a black & white study, with the face lit up by a shaft of light.

The five pieces in Metamorphosis start with simplicity, and get more complex, each new piece adds layers to the one before, however, the music reaches its apex in number three, and then returns back to simplicity again at the end, there's also a symmetry to the whole work, so 1 corresponds with 5, and 2 corresponds with 4, and it's this apex of 3 which is quite original, the closest musical comparison is probably Satie's Gnossiennes, on this listen it was numbers 3 & 4 that really affected me the most, here's a short synopsis of both,
3 Metamorphosis Three [5:30] - Here's the 'apex' of the work, it must be remembered that even though each piece can stand up on its own, also each piece is 'primed' by the piece before, this is the most complex of the five pieces, a repetitive intro quickly branches out into some fairly hard hitting chords [0:21-1:00], odd bass punctuations seem to close each mini section, those same chords come back, but this time slightly more complex and brighter [1:21-1:59], the whole piece carries on in this vein, with hard hitting chords returning again and again [2:22-3:01 / 3:23-4:01 / 4:25-5:04], and you can see even within number three there's a symmetry, plus the timings indicate to me that maybe Glass is changes tack by the clock, everything is so precise!.
4 Metamorphosis Four [7:00] - Number Four corresponds with Two, the architecture between all of each pieces is really quite identical, it rocks back and forth between these stamping rhythms and the hypnotic preludes, here Glass also has a central section which is really bright and up in the treble strongly [2:37-4:13], and towards the end of each episode the intensity of each treble excursion seems stronger and aching, this little section only comes around once, each piece has its own 'apex' as it were, i really like this central section, the whole work is so repetitive, but instead of making it boring, it makes it hypnotically addictive!.

Here's Glass playing and talking about this work on YouTube, the piece he plays after the short interview is Metamorphosis 3.

Bartok - Violin Concerto 2 [Tetzlaff/Gielen-The London Philharmonic]

Bartok is one of my 'problem' Composers, certain Composers are really hard to get into, hard to understand, their works aren't easy to like, there's complexities galore within his works, yes i can hear good stuff too, the architecture of pieces are hard to fathom at times, Bartok for me can be like a poem in a different language that i can barely grasp, i can see that there's something to really fall in love with here, i just can't seem to get over this language barrier, this is the fourth time i've listened to this disc, and the second time it's appeared in my Blog [23rd January 2011], plus i have a few other recordings too, so i guess i've extensively listened to this work, my 'fear' is that i'll give up on this work, when there's treasures to be had for those that put the time and effort in to come to know it, plus i believe if i can surmount this work, then it can be used as a 'bridge' to access other 'hard' works, don't get me wrong, i did enjoy this music today, and i did understand it enough, but i'm still baffled by it at the same time.

Christian Tetzlaff is German, he's now 49, this work was recorded in 1990, so already 25 years old, and Tetzlaff was half the age he is now, the front cover is superb [by Frank Behrend], a warm glow of a picture, full of browns and oranges, with a lovely highlight on the violin, and a jet black background, the cream and white lettering really stands out on this background, the finished product is excellent.

Well i have to say it's again the first movement that i felt that i'm closest to cracking, it without doubt has one of the most ingenious introductions for a work, a strumming on the harp, and pizzicato strings [0:00-0:16], my only problem with this recording is that it's a bit too quiet, and then in comes the violin, and has a tendency to go all over the place, at times it's hard to follow the musical language, but the initial opening violin musings give way to a major strong orchestral tutti [1:44-2:02], but it's language of chopping and changing all over the place continues, fast music is interspersed with slow reflective stuff, there's one of these mysterious passages three minutes in [3:06-4:03], ghostly strings, oboes too, but like everything else comes to an abrupt end, all sorts of strange sound are created by Bartok, angry trumpets [4:43-4:49] with growling brass, sounds just pop out of nowhere to almost 'scare' you, is Bartok creating some sort of 'zoo' of sounds, quiet woodwinds weave a spell of magic [5:20+], and a little later the basses do the same [5:51-5:58], and then out of nowhere the violin plays frantic fast music [7:01-7:32] while the brass and percussion reply tersely, totally out of character to what came before, and develops into superfast bowing by Tetzlaff [7:32-7:50], with the same brass / percussion stabbings, there's this kaleidoscopic feel to the whole thing, if you know how a kaleidoscope works, twist the barrel slightly, and a whole new image appears, there's a cacophony of trumpets / brass [9:21-9:51], really well done, the violin has some downward sour glissandos [10:41 / 10:44 / 11:21], Bartok throws everything into the crazy stew, and at times the violin can sound somewhat like it's being tuned up [12:08-12:38], and into the cadenza, in the finale there's percussive effects from the strings [15:21-15:28], i guess the problem i have with it all is that the movement is built up like separate jigsaw pieces, each looks really nice on its own, it's fitting them all together i find doesn't work properly!, but i'll keep persevering, i understood it more on this listen than ever before.

Here's Kyung Wha Chung playing this Concerto on YouTube.

Brahms - 4 Klavierstucke Op119 [Ortiz]

I've had this disc for a couple of years, and this is only the second time i've played it today, i found it on Ebay and snapped it up, the Collins label finished some years ago, but discs like this i never knew existed, until i see them pop up on Ebay, i love these short works by Brahms, they are full of wonderful invention, almost an endless kaleidoscopic range of colours and emotions, always something new to hear and discover, and a new favourite piece to fall in love with every time!, these bite-sized pieces can 'seem' easy to chew on.

Cristina Ortiz is Brazilian, she's now 65, and she recorded this disc in 1990, the front cover portrait [by Katie Vandyck], is really excellent, it's a great shot, i like the hands / arms, the lettering is great as well, it's a shame that the Collins label is now defunct.

Collectively known as 'Klavierstucke', which consists of three Intermezzi, and then a Rhapsodie at the end, this work got better the longer i played it, and it was the last of these pieces that i found the most thrilling, it's in the 'heroic' key of E Flat Major, and here Brahms gives us a barnstorming 'finale', it starts with hammering chords, punctuated with short treble runs [0:00-1:00], in the middle section there's this delicate waltz like number in the treble [1:38-2:20], and later a bass version of the main tune [2:48-3:03], that's a really neat touch, a quirky variation, it doesn't last for long, and sort of transforms into something different, and this is the nature of the piece, it's a Rhapsody, and it goes all over the place, the opening comes back, like a carillon of bells in a bell tower, Brahms gives us a finale where the chords go from the bass to the treble [4:26-4:35], a very emphatic piece of music.

Here's Ryan Malone playing the Rhapsodie on YouTube.

Schubert - Piano Sonata 14 [Lewis]

What a lovely disc this is, Schubert's last Piano Sonatas have overshadowed his earlier efforts, and rightly so i guess, but i have a soft spot for 14 & 16, and here we have a little gem from Schubert, something you'll miss if you think his earlier works are sub standard, Schubert had a short life, so even though this was composed five years before his death, it's still considered his one of his 'middle' works, written in the key of A Minor, it's first movement is bleak yet compelling, it stands up well to his later works, and this still remains a revelation for me, i gushed about this work a couple of years ago [20th March 2013].

Paul Lewis is English, he's now 43, i consider him 'young', a sort of rising generation of Pianists, but of course he's not so young anymore, but he has a long life ahead of him, and he's getting better!, i hear he's going to start recording some Brahms solo piano music, i would love to hear his take on the Handel Variations!, he recorded this disc in 2001, the front cover photograph [by Jack Liebeck], is a basic black & white, not bad at all, some of the face is really washed out though, these Harmonia Mundi discs all have a colour theme, and this one's light blue, i like the finished product.

Well it was the tremendous first movement which stunned me again this time, there's an underlining agitation / worry to this music, of course it's in a minor key, and this makes the thing sound so tragic, it's starts off with a sad tune, but then this same tune explodes into a forte version [0:52+], and it's those chords which reply in the bass which are so dramatic [0:56 & 1:03], growls and rumblings in the bass all over, and then shock!, a beautiful calm tune appears out of nowhere [2:04+], and even though it seems a complete juxtaposition, it fits perfectly!, however even in this tune you can't help to hear an anger below the surface, but this tune is a wonder to behold, the opening returns [3:33+], and it's so good to hear the same music that i heard a few moments ago, and especially the beautiful new calm music [5:35+], the movement has a central section [7:03+], using those same bass chords in anger, and a whimsical version of the calm music [8:15+], up in the treble, but also a bit manic too, you can hear themes come and go, the very opening returns again [9:06+], and the music varies in slightly new tangents, this time Schubert presents the calming music in a more complex echo [10:54+], which is really lovely, a nice little highlight, what a tremendous creation from Schubert, and Lewis plays it with real passion. 

Here's Brendel playing the Sonata on YouTube.