Brahms - Violin Concerto [Chung/ Rattle-Wiener Philharmoniker]

Here's a great pairing, Kyung-Wha Chung and Simon Rattle, i like this recording, usually you have two Violin Concertos on a disc, but to have a Violin Concerto and a Symphony is strange, especially if it's two different Composers, but for me it works, i think that things should be programmed more like this, it actually feels more like a concert, where you have a greater variety.

The Brahms Concerto is a real rugged workhorse, lots of technical demands are placed on the soloist, plus Brahms's Concertos always have the tendency to be very Symphonic, originally Brahms wanted his Violin Concerto to be a four movement work, but the discarded Scherzo found its way into his 2nd Piano Concerto.

I love the central Adagio, one thing about Brahms, he didn't really care for convention, four movement Symphony-Concertos, or in this case almost an Oboe Concerto, it's this touch which makes it distinctive, the oboe grabs the glory by introducing the gorgeous slow tune, and not just a short intro, but for a whopping good 2 minutes [0:09-2:00], lovely languid lines, until drowned out by the flute, the violin takes up the oboe tune [2:19+], and immediately plays sweetly in the high register [2:28-2:40], i keep expecting to hear the oboe break in with its intro all over again, or maybe a full duet, and even though there is a little taster of that [7:37-8:08], but really it's a Violin Concerto after all.

Here's Kyung-Wha Chung playing the Adagio on YouTube.

Beethoven - Overtures [Karajan-Berliner Philharmoniker]

It's good to have a boxed set of the complete Beethoven Overtures in one package, in many ways these are like 'mini-symphonies', Beethoven in bite-sized packages, all the drama and excitement squashed into a 5 to 10 minute commercial.

And Karajan the 'Beethoven Symphony cycle man', made these recordings alongside the Symphonies, so these are shorn of their big brothers, it's good to have Karajan's take on these works, his is a serious approach, big bold Beethoven.

It's been over 20 years since Karajan died, time has really flown, but you can't get away from the phenomenal impact that this one Conductor had on the world of recorded Classical music.

Listening to this set, made me realize what gems Egmont & Coriolan really are, i especially like Coriolan [track 5, disc 1], starts with a series of forte blasts from the Brass, expertly using silence in between [0:00-0:22], the strings come in proper, but the forte blasts never stop, the strings play a sweeter episode, very noble [1:25+], but the undercurrent of darkness prevails, there's an inspirational passage where the strings are divided, low against high [2:46-4:05], the cellos chug the music along, while the strings carry the main tune, this for me is the best moment in the Overture, the sweet and noble strings episode returns twice [4:49+ & 6:37+], at the end the whole thing whimpers out, from forte brass blasts [7:31+], to string blasts, to finally soft pizzicato heartbeats [8:06-8:57], a lovely and novel way to end an Overture, that sounds like it was going to go out with a bang/blast!.

Here's Karajan conducting Coriolan on YouTube.

Chopin - 21 Nocturnes [Barenboim]

Here's Chopin's 21 pieces of 'night' music, i'm very partial to this music, and i have quite a number of recordings of the Nocturnes, this is one of my very favourites.

In case your wondering, this DG entree reissue is only a one disc selection, but i'm using this booklet with a complete set of the Nocturnes by Barenboim, mainly because i love the booklet photo shot, again it's a gorgeous black and white study, lovely lighting, very moody, i love it! [it doesn't say who it's by].

The 21 Nocturnes are endlessly fascinating, and a phenomenal variety too, it seems like i discover a different favourite each time i listen to them, this time i especially liked Nocturnes 8 & 10-11, with Nocturne 8 really hitting the mark, it's a very dreamy piece of music, the intro in the left hand naturally becomes the accompaniment, and i would have loved Chopin to make more of this lovely intro, certainly longer, the tune is so enchanting, and Chopin's ability to hit a note, and let it hang in the air, little hesitations tease, this Nocturne seems to benefit from beautiful rubato, after a slightly more fiery middle section, comes a slowing down [4:21-4:49], notice the up/down the keyboard moment [4:36-4:41], and then comes the delicious coda [4:50-5:29], the slow dropping down the keyboard as the day trickles away into the night, a real magic from Barenboim & Chopin.

Here's Barenboim playing this Nocturne live on YouTube.

Bruckner - Symphony 9 [Tate-Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra]

In my mind this is one of the very best cover shots on any booklet, it's a magnificent black and white study of Jeffrey Tate by Nigel Parry, it has real power, just look at those freckles!.

Jeffrey Tate is English, and has recorded a lot of Mozart for EMI, and the Mozart Piano Concertos with Uchida, though i don't hear him recording much nowadays.

Well i must admit that the Ninth is far from my favourite Bruckner Symphony, therefore i listen to it somewhat less to compensate, the third movement Adagio has a lot going for it, it's the final movement, but was never intended as such, there was meant to be a finale, which would resolve/release all the knots that the former movements had tied, so the whole thing hangs on a question mark, instead of a satisfying answer, also unlike the Adagio of the Eighth, the Ninth is more bland, it isn't blessed with the same abundance of great tunes.

It's a mammoth nearly 30 minutes long movement, it starts off with a sour tune on the strings, which slowly ascend with the brass to a pinnacle [0:00-0:59], this same intro/tune comes back to haunt again [9:01-9:56], after a great thwack on the timpani, a huge forte brass fanfare blazes again and again [2:08-2:57], this also comes back in a shorter form later [14:02+], about two thirds of the way through, Bruckner gives us one of his lovely wistful string melodies, with sad horns in reply [17:43-18:49], this sounds like something Bantock would do, and for me it's the highlight of this Symphony's listen, slightly later restless strings underpin the horn melody [21:20-22:08], horns turn to brass, and the strings get more agitated, at the end there's a short but peaceful coda [26:00-27:28], nowhere near as glorious and aching as the Eighth Symphony, but satisfying in it's own way.

Here's Jochum conducting the third movement on YouTube.

Haydn - Symphony 82 [Dutoit-Sinfonietta De Montreal]

The Swiss Conductor Charles Dutoit has been the main Conductor of the Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal for 25 years [1977-2002], of which this stripped down Sinfonietta comes from.

Symphony 82 is the first of the Paris Symphonies, nicknamed 'The Bear', i truly enjoy Haydn's first movements, and in this Symphony it's a wonderful powerhouse of surging momentum, at first hearing it seems quite complex, lots of changes of speed and colour, little nuggets of ideas all sewn together seamlessly, and certainly lots going on, it's hard to explain it all, basically it can be broken down into four building blocks, the first and second are exact repetitions of each other, the third is a variation on the opening two, and the last is the same as the first two, but certain different 'endings' creep in to make it a nice finale, it's the opening that is the key, after quicksilver string fanfares and a waltz [0:00-0:10], there's some nice fanfares by everyone, with the timpani making its presence felt, nice brass towards the end [0:10-0:24], there's very quick fleet violins that surge the music forward [0:30-1:01], nice lots of repetitions to drum things into your head and feet, including a perfect replica of the first 2 minutes in the next two [2:06-4:12], i like the way right at the end the opening fanfare changes into the closing fanfare [7:15-7:35], a very magical move.

Here's Leonidas Kavakos conducting the first movement on YouTube, he's a Violinist, i've never seen him conduct before, he doesn't use a baton, and the way he swings his arms around in figure eights in the waltzy bits is quite novel, but i like his conducting.

Bobby Watson [Present Tense]

The American Bobby Watson first did his stint with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers from 77-81, becoming their main composer before moving on to a solo career, this album was recorded in 1991.

This was another one of my Jazz purchases that looked good in the shop, so i bought it, sometimes this is the only real way to branch out and discover new musicians, i liked the cover photo, there's a hint of double exposure on the lower half of Bobby Watson.

I so much liked tracks 1, 7 & 9-10, i guess the standout track is number 9 'Love Remains', it's a track that he's recorded before, he only uses a quartet here, Trumpeter Terrell Stafford sits this one out, and it only lasts just under 5 minutes, it starts off with just Watson and Pianist Edward Simon playing duet for the first minute, when the Drummer Victor Lewis comes in [1:00+], he's really clever, in a lot of ways he's like the real star of this album, endlessly inventive, Bobby Watson also made a 9 minute plus track for another quartet, on his 'Love Remains' album from 1986 [very good too], but it's nice to have a different take on this tune.

Here's Bobby Watson playing 'Love Remains' on YouTube, this is the 9 minute plus version.

Rodrigo - Concierto De Aranjuez [Yepes/ Navarro-Philharmonia Orchestra]

Here's this sunny evergreen again, this time played by Narciso Yepes, who has helped immensely in bringing this work into the public eye.

In a lot of ways the booklet picture says it all, the Royal Palace at Aranjuez, with a tree overhanging in the foreground, the Concierto was inspired by the gardens of this palace.

I cannot help being moved by the middle movement Adagio, even though the outer movements are of a very high calibre, my heart always returns to this central piece, it speaks for many people, it starts with the guitar gently strumming, and then the tune comes in with the cor anglais [0:07-0:41], the perfect instrument to evoke something long lost or far away, on this wonderful intro the guitar is able to build on with its solo appearance [0:41-1:16], however the cor anglais keeps making its presence felt [1:20-1:51], and the guitar keeps responding [1:53-2:34] the two intertwine in a touching dialogue, Rodrigo's wife Victoria revealed that this slow movement was 'an evocation of the happy days of their honeymoon', [and the sad days at the miscarriage of their first pregnancy], i don't know if Rodrigo is the guitar, and his wife the cor anglais, but it is a phenomenal duet, towards the end of the movement, the Orchestra explodes into a forte of the main tune [8:55-9:54], a hair raising moment, what a perfect middle movement.

Here's Narciso Yepes playing the Adagio on YouTube, notice the ten string guitar he plays.