Bruch - Scottish Fantasy [Midori/Mehta-Israel Philharmonic Orchestra] 

What an underestimated work, Bruch's First Violin Concerto is rightly hailed as a central part of the Violin Concerto repertoire, but this work languishes in its shadow, to me it's an endearing work, it has some of the most touching theme's and tunes that make great Violin Concertos, it was originally worked as a Violin Concerto proper, it certainly works as a Fantasy, unlike say Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole, which is played as four separate movements, this Fantasy is glued together in certain movements, so it ends up with only three separate movements, and hey! there's your Violin Concerto!. 

Midori is Japanese, i can't believe she's only 40, she now actually looks older, she recorded this disc in 1993 when she was 22, the front cover photo is by Carol Friedman, a black & white double portrait, with nice sharp detail, the lettering is well laid out, in light blue and white, i really like this front booklet.

What a lovely experience, this work has the ability to move me to tears, it's the first and third movements that are real treasures, so much passion and feeling, it's the third movement that i found so beautiful today, it follows straight on from the second, and it's the violin that plays such an endearing tune [0:00-0:55], and then a more complex variation of the opening tune [1:09-1:58], i just love the way that Bruch just throws open the floodgates of passion in the orchestra [2:22-2:34], such a strong surge, and followed up by Midori playing her heart out [2:34-3:26], i love the delicate but strong solo work later [3:37-4:02], just so beautiful.

Here's Liviu Prunaru playing the third movement Andante on YouTube, the movement actually starts 38 seconds in.

Bruckner - Symphony 4 [Dohnanyi-The Cleveland Orchestra] 

I really like this version of Bruckner's Fourth, Dohnanyi has a certain way with things, i love his Mahler Fifth, it's my favourite interpretation, maybe he will turn out to be a real favourite among Conductors, i haven't played this a great deal, certainly i played it a couple of times in 2008, but since i haven't played it recently, it feels like a new experience, as if i'm giving it its first spin, also Bruckner's Fourth is the Symphony i have the most versions of [i believe it's now 8], probably the easiest Symphony to like of Bruckner's, the architecture of this Symphony is just wonderful. 

Christoph Von Dohnanyi is German, he is now 83, he recorded this work in 1989, the front cover photograph [by Phil Sayer] is a sublime portrait, Dohnanyi leaning against a wall, sunlight falling on the wall beside him, or more likely the wall being glossy acts as a kind of mirror, therefore it's a reflection of the lighted windows, either way it's a strong visual statement, the orange / yellow glow brings a sense of sunset / nostalgia to the front booklet, i love this portrait.

Each of the four movements can be looked at as a whole, not merely four separate episodes, it was certainly harder to pick a clear cut favourite this time, so like yesterdays Bruckner, i would like to choose the last movement to expound my thoughts on, and again it's the longest movement of the four [nearly 20 minutes], it's in E Flat Major, the first and last movements are like equal entities, similar to each other, it starts with a quiet throbbing on basses, and again Bruckner's beloved horns, have a sense of ominousness [0:00-1:11], which builds up and up, and the higher brass bring things to a natural culmination, yes you just know there's going to be one of Bruckner's brass explosions of dark foreboding, but it's a little later that we get a more noble and triumphant explosion / fanfare [2:20+], Bruckner uses a general build up of ideas and tread, almost a carousel of different ideas on a rotation basis, i like the busy loud brass five minutes in [5:10-6:05], angry at times, and two sides of the brass competing each other, i guess it's the fortes i like the most, there's almost a return to the opening throb [6:59+], and yes it's the strings that have that sense of ominous build up, and that loud busy brass section returns to disturb / excite us again [10:16-11:34], turning from anger into supreme majesty, towards the end we have the start of the coda [16:46+], long and thoughtful in its opening horn solo, but of course again a slow build up with trumpet fanfares working their way in [17:55+], you can see how Bruckner is going to turn this into a magical triumphant apotheosis [19:00-19:23], that ends abruptly, a lovely movement of ideas to feast your ears on.

Here's Dohnanyi conducting the Fourth Symphony on YouTube, the fourth movement starts at 45:25.

Bruckner - Symphony 5 [Solti-Chicago Symphony Orchestra] 

Today i went out for a long 4 hour walk, taking a small stack of discs with me, and i played some great discs, including this gem, Bruckner's Fifth still remains somewhat unknown to me, each Bruckner movement can seem like another until you get to know them really well, i first played this disc back in 2008, and i went over the park to write in my Journal and listen to this disc, and i was truly stunned by Solti's interpretation, i had a great experience with these discs [11th September 2011]. 

Georg Solti is Hungarian [1912-1997], he recorded this work in 1980, even though the Fifth can fit on one disc [just under 80 minutes here], Decca have issued this as a double disc fatbox set, the Schoenberg Variations are very welcome, this is a re-issue in the Jubilee series, a small picture of Solti, with his name / Orchestra sideways, the lettering is nicely placed, in a sea of sand coloured orange / yellow, nice colour scheme, it's good to have the individual movement timings on the back, though the Schoenberg Variations are only one whole track, but i created my own timings for them.

The start / stop, loud / soft of the first movement is great, but surprisingly it was the last movement that i found so architecturally cogent, it's the longest movement here, lasting nearly 24 minutes, the movement begins in exactly the same way as the opening first does [0:00-0:45], this is ingenious, it brings back wonderful memories of the opening, and it somehow circles the Symphony into a whole, a revolutionary idea that really hits home, but it soon changes into unique new material, again it's a stop /start movement, chopping and changing from one theme to another, at first maybe disconcerting as it upends the flow of things, but as the themes revolve around and around, you can see how they meld together, i love the sad oboe solo near the beginning [1:20-1:40], and out of nowhere there's this loud angry episode [5:35-6:25], busy and frantic strings, with loud and boisterous brass outbursts, now that's really thrilling and satisfying, and of course Bruckner is never complete without one of his magisterial brass fanfares [7:04-8:15] each brass fanfare is followed by a gentle echo by the strings, now that's so superb, so satisfying, and the last fanfare subsides into the most gentlest and sweetest of string melodies [8:14-9:03], reminds me of a Dvorak Tone Poem in places, i love the way Bruckner / Solti builds things up and up over the next five minutes or so, as a sort of huge fugue, using timpani expertly, and i admit that this central section doesn't have quite so many memorable moments to talk about, but it's not 'filler', Bruckner's music is still superb, and now some themes all come together, especially a recurrence of the loud angry episode [17:55-18:46], with busy strings / brass outbursts, but now it's coupled with more complexity, mainly from the woodwind, about four minutes from the end you can start to hear Bruckner starting to tie the ends of the strands together, and of course the glorious moment of absolute brass glory arrives [21:56-23:27], getting louder and more glorious, which takes us almost to the end, but Bruckner decides to give us a drumroll finale [23:27-23:40], and of course i'm left gobsmacked at Bruckner's genius, he really delivers, and i'm loving this Symphony more and more. 

Here's Herbert Blomstedt conducting the fourth movement on YouTube.

Kenny Garrett [Trio-Logy] 

What an album, a real defining moment for me in my love of Jazz, fairly early on i developed a set of rules that determined what Jazz discs i would like, and which to avoid like the plague, trio albums with just a horn and bass & drums was a definite no no, it just didn't work with only a horn up front, but this album broke that rule, and opened me up to other possibilities that could work, i remember listening to this disc outside on a sunny day in Norwich, leaning up against a tree trunk and writing my Journal, and when i listen to this disc, i think of that memory, it's a 'hard' listen, but one packed with rewards if you pay attention.

Kenny Garrett is American, he's now 51, he made this recording in 1995, one of the main reasons i bought this disc was because of the front cover, it is one of the most incredible portraits i have ever seen, a stunning monotone shot in shades of brown [by Lisa Peardon], i love the symmetry of it, Garrett in a thoughtful pose, the light from the left leaves some nice shadows and contours, the hands are wonderful, the slightly blurred shoulder lines give a great hunched feel, the lettering separates 'trio' and 'logy', i call it TrioLogy, the sideways lettering on the left is mine, rubbed on white transfers, as the back insert is quite poor on the track listing and the personnel, i always like to know who's playing what as i listen, so i made a track listing on the front, i think it looks absolutely fantastic, one of the best disc i ever own visually.

A great listening experience, the top two tracks were 3 & 5, with track 5 'Wayne's Thang' the outright winner by miles, it's an incredible Jazz track, truly inspired, written by Garrett himself, the intro is phenomenal, a drum solo by Brian Blade [0:00-0:21], using most of his kit, wow the combination of hits is incredible, right away there's a tremendous groove, the complexity of it is hard to explain, it has to be heard to be appreciated, must be one of the greatest ever Jazz intros, even when the Bassist [0:21+] and a little later Garrett come in [0:32+], that cymbal ringing is so intense man!, and the Drummer keeps up that groove, it's a very simple rhythmic tune from Garrett, and only opens out beyond the statement of the theme, it would be truly sparse and flat without that drummer's constant rhythm, the Bassist / Drummer only break from the rhythm at [2:17+], and then Garrett gets more animated, the whole this is so groove laden, and it's when the opening vibes by Garrett come back that i'm amazed at such a golden moment [5:25+], and then the Trio indulge in some delicious false endings [6:05 & 6:27], only for the whole thing to start up again, now that really is satisfying, so that when the thing actually does end [6:46], you're left hanging as to whether you counted right, is it going to start up again?, must have been fun to do live, keeps people guessing, almost like the 'alternative ending' in certain films.

Here's Kenny Garrett playing 'Wayne's Thang' live, on YouTube, it's an extra long version, but it gives you a great idea of what it's like.

Brahms - 2 Rhapsodies [Roge] 

I bought this disc especially for the Handel Variations, but on playing this disc today, i was just blown away by the 2 Rhapsodies, what tremendous works they really are, i'm thankful for this wonderful experience today, it makes me appreciate Brahms even more, i must say that he was fairly useless with the Piano Sonata form, but then he excelled in other forms, concentrating on the miniature 'Klavierstucke', and these two Minor key works somewhat get forgotten about by me, so this was great to push them into a more central part of my 'playlist' today, also i played this disc at the end of last year, and raved about the Handel Variations then [24th December 2011].

Pascal Roge is French, he's now 61, he recorded this disc in 1991, the front cover photo is a portrait with soft pastel colours, purposely overexposed, and also quite a soft focus too, i really like it, it works!, the lettering is excellent too, it's clever to write vertical, it really works too, the three works written in black,  vt cover.

Out of these two pieces it was the first that i felt was the stronger, but they were both so good,.

Here's Vivia Chi playing the first Rhapsody on YouTube.

Steve Lawler [Dark Drums - Volume 2] 

I played this disc almost a year ago [14th November 2011], and there i expressed my feelings about my first ever listening experience, i felt it was monotonous to a degree, but also an excitement that i was developing into something new, i was excited enough to want to listen to this again, and that time would tell if i would fall in love with the album, well this is my second listen, and i must admit that my feelings have improved for the album, i now see that each track has more variety than i at first thought, also each track is so more entertaining than on first listen, yes it's working!, i'm really delving into new areas of different genres to love, i'm more excited about this disc than i was before, plus i'm more excited about music than i was ever before.

Steve Lawler is an English DJ and Record Producer, he's now roughly 39, he made this disc in 2001, ok not exactly his own music, but using other peoples music as a base to create different mixes from, i like the front cover [photo by Carlos Amoedo], of some shutters on a window, or slats on a door or something, i like the fish eye feel of the whole thing, nice curved lines that are in fact really straight in life, plus the excellent different hues of blue, a really creative choice of a front cover.

The tracks that really affected me this time were 4, 6-8 & 11, yes there's a great sense of individuality that i didn't hear the first time around, now i see all these 'identical twins' as actually separate and different pregnancies, and i feel that the very best tracks are 4 & 11, notice also that i've rubbed some number transfers on the back, as each track is one out, and inadvertently calling the short intro as track one, when really it's tagged into the real first track [called track 2 on this album], and thus really there's only 11 tracks total, so here's a short synopsis of these two tracks.

4 Frankie Carbone - Everybody, the best track on the album as far as i'm concerned, there's a really excellent beat to the whole thing, with a wonderful wood block tapping rhythm, with a bass warble alongside, now that's a great start to the track, yes it's monotonous in certain ways, but that's the whole point, it consistently gets on your good nerves, further along after a few diversions, the main theme returns [3:03+], this time with a stronger beat / rhythm, a lovely moment, and the same happens two minutes later [5:18], wow strong moments of satisfaction, because the whole disc is a mix, means that each track merges and transforms into the next, but even the transition is great.
11 Robert Owens - I'll Be Your Friend / Foremost Poets - Moonraker, this track starts at 1:02:35 on the YouTube link, with two tracks mixed over each other, while the Robert Owens beat goes on, the Foremost Poets tracks 'announcement' introduces the piece, a mans deep bass voice as a DJ [0:00-2:36], warning people over the intercom 'please do not be alarmed, remain calm...', deep and electronic, slowed down slightly, it's like Barry White slurring away, i love it, he goes on and on, in almost a rhythmic but not rap style, '...the past, the present, the future', the musical rhythm is excellent, using two extremes, one complex deep bass drum, while a simpler treble drum beat over it, after the vocal intro, the music die down to a throbbing bass [2:35-2:58], and then opens out into more complex cymbals [2:58+], the guy naturally seems to know what will musically float your boat, the last half of the track is quite repetitive 'i'll be your friend', almost add infinitum, towards the close a nice trumpet solo comes [7:10-8:21], the ending is nice, the thing closes down into a bubbly bass rhythm solo [9:20-9:45], another disc that i'm falling in love with.

Shostakovich - Symphony 10 [Karajan-Berliner Philharmoniker] 

First off, if you're wondering about the booklet cover, and thinking 'where did that come from?', i actually made it myself!, the original cover was awful, so i made a better one myself, more on that below, Karajan's Shostakovich 10 is how i originally got to know this work, it was a wonderful moment when the first movement started to make real sense to me, and playing this today i marvelled at the genius of this work, it's a fantastic experience, the sheer depth of the first movement is incredible, there's a real sense of architecture, where Shostakovich can span vast amounts of time [over 50 minutes here], it's one of his greatest compositions.

Herbert Von Karajan was an Austrian Conductor 1908-1989, he almost 'owned' the Berliner Philharmoniker, recording vast loads of works, including full Symphony cycles, he recorded this work in 1982, the front cover is a card i bought from Oxfam, cut to size, folded over and the original booklet inside [stapled], and then using black and white transfers to create the lettering, it's a great visual product, strangely it shows the Earth in orbit over the Earth!, but those gorgeous blues are fantastic, light sky blue at the bottom, but then almost dark to black at the top, i'm proud of the finished product, the lettering is superb, why can't DG make things like this?.

It was the first two movements which were so fantastic, almost the yin and yan of the Symphony, the one huge and serious, the other so short, almost flippant in its anger, it's this second movement that i just can't resist, Shostakovich is the king of 'anger', where he uses brass / percussion in these great forte passages, it's only 4:16 long, but boy, sometimes the tiniest dogs give the most vicious bites!, no messing about from Shostakovich, no silly intro, straight away we're in forte bowing rhythms from the lower strings [0:00+], and the oboe's going berserk [0:06-0:23], and is joined by the flute / piccolo towards the end, and yes Shosty gets his military drummer in on the act [0:23+] to stir things up, and the brass are marvellous at adding real weight [0:48-1:20], the frantic violins comes in [1:22-1:35], the flutes / piccolos really do go crazy [1:35-1:46], and in the midst of it all you can hear a lazy bassoon chug away [1:41-1:45], the great thing about this movement is it's packed to the rafters with such good things, the timpani really make a noise [2:25-2:29], and the brass and violins almost compete [2:31-2:51], but instead of clashing they actually complement one another, .

Here's Dietrich Paredes conducting the second movement on YouTube.