Tchaikovsky - Symphony 5 [Jansons-Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra]

When Jansons first recorded his Tchaikovsky cycle, his recordings were considered quite an event, and the consensus was that here is a fresh take on Tchaikovsky, and a reference set for the future, it's hard to have that expectation hanging around your neck, the Fifth could be regarded as Jansons best of his cycle, though my favourite at this time remains with Chailly / Decca, i loved listening to this today.

Mariss Jansons is Latvian, he's now 72, this Symphony was recorded back in 1984 when Jansons was 41, and his career took off, he was with the Oslo Philharmonic for 23 years [1979-2002], and transformed them as an Orchestra.

On the whole it was all of the Symphony that excited me, the third being a slight dip i guess, the 'finale' was thrilling, and as a real feel for the whole of this Symphony, i would like to talk about this last movement, scored as 'Maestoso' = Majestic, and that's the great feel of this movement, a noble march of a tune at the beginning, Tchaikovsky certainly knows how to use the brass as fanfares, there's a regal-ness to the whole thing, this intro comes to an end [2:45], and the Allegro Vivace comes in, i like the way Jansons gives the brass room to breath [Pletnev is even better though], and the brass churn out these fanfares as the strings swirl and zip around them [4:24-4:50], i guess this fanfare is the theme for the whole movement, Vivace / lively is certainly right!, Tchaikovsky has to have one of his high powered endings, almost in the style of 1812 [8:49+], majestic is the keyword here, i like the way the brass have these short little fanfares [9:21 & 9:27], and then they come in full force [9:40-10:01], and right at the end time for some closing fanfares [10:52-11:04], it's a thrilling ride.

Here's Gergiev conducting the fourth movement on YouTube.

Beethoven - String Quartet 15 [Quartetto Italiano]

Surprisingly, this is the very first time i have listened to this set, the Quartetto Italiano have been around for yonks, and i've enjoyed their set of Beethoven's Middle Quartets for nearly a decade, but i must admit i'm a latecomer to the Late Quartets of Beethoven, they really just don't jive with me, am i missing something here?, they sound like a step back from the Middle Quartets, not a step forward, and Beethoven seems to split the regular four movement model up into a fragmented 'suite' of movements at times, what's he up to?, but listening to this set over the last few days, i have a new appreciation for these late works, i'm beginning to understand, i think?.

The Quartetto Italiano were formed in 1955, and disbanded in 1980, their legacy has been immense, and they've influenced a whole host of other String Quartets, the booklet shows the Quartet in some ancient Church possibly [by Arje Plas], almost monotone, except for the browns of their instruments, and the red of the logo / lettering, it's a set that's increasingly becoming expensive to obtain in this original four disc incarnation.

It was the String Quartet 15 that i warmed to the most, though not without a feeling that some of the movements seem to be poor alongside others, the opening movement i felt was weak, a mixed bag really, but the glorious centre of the Quartet is the middle movement, at nearly 20 minutes here, it's huge, and if you sort of add the last two movements together, well there's your four movement model i guess!.

Here's my feelings on this central 'Canzona Di Ringraziamento' / 'Sentendo Nuova Forza' = 'Song Of Thanksgiving' / 'Feeling New Strength', it's a beautiful and solemn song, almost like a plainchant, but with strings instead of voices, very well sustained by the Italiano's, rising almost out of nothing to begin with, when the first 'Sentendo Nuova Forza' comes in [4:11+], it's such a powerful statement of sweetness and joy!, it's a movement that could so easily have stood on its own, it alternates between long passages of the 'Canzona' and the 'Forza', in the second 'Sentendo Nuova Forza' [10:17+], it takes things into a higher realm of joy, the music swells more than usual, and the third 'Canzona' gets more passionate towards its end, i feel i'm always left hanging waiting for a third beautiful 'Forza' to come in and create the perfect closure, but it never appears, there's some truly 'spiritual' music in there, the following short movement almost seems like a silly blasphemy by its side, the sacred and the profane, still don't understand how Beethoven put them in the same Quartet!, but that's the prerogative of the master for you!.

Here's the Escher String Quartet playing the third movement on YouTube.

Chopin - 21 Nocturnes [Rev]

This is how i first listened to Chopin's Nocturnes, through a double cassette tape in the early days of getting into classical music, Rev wouldn't be my choice now, but at the time i thought this must be way these pieces are meant to be played, but listening to Barenboim [my favourite] and Pollini, my feelings to the 'rightness' of this music has changed, Rev is very low key, there's a sense of the unpretentious here, which at times helps Chopin to actually shine more brighter, and it was wonderful to revisit this set as i travelled on the bus today, see also [12th April 2012].

Livia Rev is Hungarian, she's now 98, and she recorded these Nocturnes back in 1988, she was already over 70 then, the front cover shows a painting by Alphonese Osbert called 'Songs Of The Night', the track listing is a little confusing, it doesn't run 1-21, therefore track 1 isn't Nocturne 1, and all the tracks are shifted this way, i believe the Nocturnes presented here are in date order, nice in a way, but ultimately more confusing than nice.

It's easy to talk about so many revelations throughout the whole set, too many to mention here, so i'll limit my comments to just the two that really affected me the most,
Nocturne 9 [in B Major- Op32/1] - One of my early favourites, a simple enough melody, in a sweet key, i think the second section of the piece is much more interesting [1:10+], and full of pathos, as always with Chopin, there's always this underlining sadness somewhere, Chopin's fluffy white clouds always have a grey lining!, and there's this moment where Chopin reaches a high treble note [3:27], and it's as if the music just freezes in time on it, a wonderful idea, Rev captures it nicely. 
Nocturne 17 [in B Major - Op62/1] - Also in B Major, however i sense very much more a feeling of nostalgia / longing in this piece, there's the trick of holding notes for longer for effect, i love the way the music just so subtly changes [2:33+], and suddenly we're in a different world / mood, and then it can change again into another deeper mood [4:03+], Chopin goes into a sort of variation of trills [4:24-5:15], the ending is gorgeous, there's this treble Coda of sorts [5:42-6:15], beautiful in it's demurement, but Chopin has like a second ending of pure denouement [6:14-6:28], how Chopin can weave around your heart!.

Brahms - Violin Sonata 2 [Mullova/ Anderszewski]

I must easily have a dozen complete Brahms Violin Sonatas in my collection, and on the whole each one is another 'revealing' of these endlessly fascinating creations, Mullova is probably a midway point in my favourites, and i must admit i haven't listened to this disc since 2012 [8th June 2012], but it was so good to give this a spin today.

Viktoria Mullova is Russian, she's now 55, the front cover of the booklet is nice, two separate shots [by Brigitte Lacombe] and fused together i guess, Anderszeski wearing dark / black, and Mullova wearing white / light, is there a musical theme here?.

I would say the Second Sonata to only just be my favourite of the three, it's the first one i heard, and of course loved the structure of the piece, especially the middle movement, consisting of slow and fast episodes, it's also the shortest of the three, i also find that Mullova / Anderszewski are pretty swift, they don't hang about, and looking at the timings for my favourite half a dozen interpretations, with the timing for the whole Sonata, and then the timing for the second movement, from fastest to slowest, this is what i get,

Mullova / Anderszwski - 18:27 / 5:45
Chung / Frankl - 19:43 / 6:07

Belkin / Dalberto - 20:16 / 6:22

Znaider / Bronfman - 19:57 / 6:35

Perlman / Ashkenazy - 20:23 / 6:42

Frank / Serkin - 19:37 / 6:45

what i 'feel' i can now 'see' in the stats, Mullova is almost two minutes faster than Perlman, and a minute faster in the second movement than Frank, i also find that there's a tendency for Anderszewski to be cast into the background / shade, while Mullova is in the foreground / spotlight [another manifestation of the black & white theory?], also Anderszewski can be warm / passionate, while Mullova can be icy / precise, that's not to say she doesn't have warmth / passion in her playing, the part i like the best is the middle fast / slow coupling [2:05-4:35], the last part of the Andante gets so beautifully passionate and intense [3:02-3:33], Mullova finds a powerful sweetness here, the following Vivace Di Piu becomes a pizzicato masterclass, juxtaposing between bowing and plucking [3:43+], after an Andante / Coda of sorts, there's a final pizzicato bravura flourish to end on [5:34-5:44].

Here's Mutter / Orkis playing the second movement on YouTube.

Faure - Piano Trio [Beaux Arts Trio]

What an unashamedly little gem Faure's Piano Trio is!, i remember well the day i 'discovered' it, on a walk to Church [17th February 2013], there the first movement truly impressed me, Faure has an underrated way with Chamber music, makes me want to check out his String Quartet too.

The Beaux Arts Trio were active for 53 years, they split up in 2008, this disc was recorded in 1988, the front cover of the booklet shows a superb photograph [by Christian Steiner], a portrait of the trio showing all three instruments, the dark background adds to the highlighting of the faces, look at the lovely browns of that cello!.

So like i said, it was the first movement Allegro that really wowed me, the Piano Trio was a late work for Faure, composed in 1923, maybe a couple of years before he died, and that late Autumn of his life has a feel for the same in this work, Faure got more away from 'nice tunes', and more into the ethereal 'feel' of things, which can be witnessed in his solo piano music, that's not to say that there's a lack of tunes to this work, but i find it hard to whistle late Faure, it sticks in the memory, but i think Faure was mastering the use of rhythms and structure more, there's some great architecture in his music, the first movement is Allegro, but then added 'ma non troppo' = but not too [fast], and that's a key notation, it just wouldn't work if A Trio just zoomed through the piece, there needs to be poise too, i love the way the piano has this superb rippling effect throughout the beginning, while the violin / cello play the melody, and when the piano gets to play a tune itself, it's a stunning little number [1:01-1:21], there's some individual notes that are off the usual highway, and it's these singular notes that really make Faure what he is, there's one early on [1:03], now that's truly inspired, love the way the instruments weave and overlap each other, but basically it's a dialogue between piano and strings, as the movement progresses it has a tendency to get more louder and complex, and it end i guess on a sort of forte.

Here's the Beaux Arts Trio playing the first movement on YouTube.

Dire Straits ['Sultans Of Swing' The Very Best Of Dire Straits]

Well to start off with i need to explain the the track listing label on the back inlay, i didn't actually agree with the track list for this release, they added stuff i detest 'Calling Elvis' yuck, and 'Heavy Fuel' really!, very best of?, plus they then leave out stuff which is essential 'Down To The Waterline' and 'Skateaway', so of course the obvious solution is to record my own disc!, and so here's my take for what it's worth.

Dire Straits is the brainchild of Mark Knopfler, and it's hard to separate the two, of course Dire Straits have ended, and Knopfler is now 65, yes all the Young Rockers become Old Rockers eventually.

So the tracks i liked the best were 1, 3-5, 10 & 12, it certainly brings back memories, i used to own some of these as 45 singles, 'Sultans Of Swing' takes me back, used to be my favourite Dire Straits song, and 'Your Latest Trick' is an ingenious later song i really love, but the very best track is 'Tunnel Of Love', which always sticks in my mind, the lyrics are filled with double meanings, there's a longing and nostalgia there, i guess it talks of a real life experience by Knopfler, visiting an amusement park in Whitley Bay called the Spanish City, meeting a girl there, and they both decide to remain anonymous, at the end they part with a kiss, never to meet again, and then the subsequent searching / yearning to re-create that feeling of an event in the past that is just simply impossible to re-live, each time i hear it i also feel the sadness / happiness that an event was bottled up into a package, never to be opened again, you love that you've created something untouchable, yet at the same time you're sad that you can't get to touch it again.

Here's Dire Straits playing 'Tunnel Of Love' on YouTube.

Schubert - Symphony 9 'The Great' [Abbado-The Chamber Orchestra Of Europe]

Abbado uses reduced forces here, a Chamber Orchestra, but what it might lose on overall weight, it gains in a lightness and litheness, i'm sure orchestras back in Schubert's day didn't have the same depth they have today, i guess it's harder to get together a large enough group of professional musicians, and so maybe this sounds more like the real thing than a full blown Berlin Philharmonic, Abbado keeps things moving, there's a real lilt to proceedings, a real favourite of mine, it's already appeared in my Blog twice before [9th October 2011 & 18th September 2012]. 

Claudio Abbado passed away just over a year ago, he was 80, he recorded this work in 1987.

Surprisingly it was the last two movements that i enjoyed the most, with the third movement Scherzo really impressing this time, which is probably the least liked of the four usually, it's scored as Allegro Vivace, fast and lively, and i certainly agree with the lively bit, the woodwinds whistle and chatter away, the music alternates between a sweet little waltz, and heavier fortissimo strings, it's like a war between the strings and the woodwind / brass, there's this gorgeous trio section in the middle [6:26-10:40], again the woodwinds are fantastic here, i guess it's my favourite section of the movement, Schubert really knows how to spin a tune, it's melody sweeps you away, just when you think it's coming to an end, it glides away again, Schubert really knows how to jig those dance rhythms! 

Here's Claudio Abbado on YouTube, with the third movement Allegro Vivace.