Sting [Mercury Falling]

This is Sting's best album by far, though it doesn't contain his best song [Fields Of Gold], it's such a consistent album, plus so varied too, lots of styles are on show, and the lyrics are always thoughtful, a disc featured in my Blog fairly regular [27th December 2010 & 21st February 2013].

Sting is English, he's now 63, hard to imagine how he got so old, i really like the black & white cover shot [by William Claxton], a grainy shot which works really well, and a close cropped side portrait, really nice natural light.

I played this disc on random, and just recently it seems that the best track always comes last!, i really liked tracks 2, 6, 8 & 11, and my favourite track is 'I Hung My Head', it's one of Sting's most touching and forgiving songs, it has a real 'reverse' happy ending to it, a story of a guy who accidentally shoots a horse rider, and is condemned to hang, but after death is where the real magic happens, i love the opening rhythmic drive, the percussion is tremendous, lovely knocking sound throughout, it's in 9/8 time, very off beat, with the drum beats hitting on the 3rd and 8th beats, a whole off kilter feel to it, Sting knows how to build up a song, the second verse has that little extra that builds things up [1:04+], after the second verse / chorus, the thing really explodes into life [1:47-2:09] with a tremendous instrumental interlude, lovely organ swirls, and jazzy brass, which throws the third verse into more power when it comes in, and the meaningful words 'i orphaned his children, i widowed his wife', and another instrumental interlude between the third and the fourth verse [2:58-3:20], this time the organ swirls are harder, the last verse is really poignant, the dead rider's ghost comes back, and together they ride off into the distance after the hanging, the ultimate forgiveness from the very person he wronged, Sting is a genius.

Here's Sting singing 'I Hung My Head' on YouTube.

Mussorgsky / Ravel - Pictures At An Exhibition [Gergiev-London Philharmonic Orchestra]

Notice how i call this a Ravel composition, and not merely by Mussorgsky?, i don't think Ravel gets enough credit here, his contribution isn't merely to put some colour into a black & white photograph, he has to make major decisions of orchestral colouring and instrumentation, the end product is half his, this is the first time this disc appears in my Blog, and only the second time i've played it, there used to be a time i felt that Pictures At An Exhibition was a bit pandering to Classical novice, nice fun tunes, but serious classical music?, now i feel a lot warmer towards this composition, there's real sophistication there too.

Valery Gergiev is Russian, he's now 61, he made this recording back in 1989, it's amazing that some of these digital recordings are now almost 'half a lifetime away' for the Artists that recorded them!, the front cover photograph [by Fernando van Teylingen], is really artistic, showing Gergiev dressed up, baton in hand [though i believe he now rarely uses one], the props of a chair and music stand, love the orange shadow, and the box with the letting is fantastic, very well laid out.

Pictures At An Exhibition consists of ten pictures, but there's fifteen tracks when you factor in the promenades between pictures, so i liked numbers 1-2, 4, 7 & 13-15 the best, and it was the last two tracks that i felt were the best, Mussorgsky seems to build up the whole thing for a real finale, so here's my feeling on these two pieces,
The Hut On Fowl's Legs [3:28] - After the mystery and quiet of 'Cum Mortuis In Lingua Mortua', 'The Hut On Fowls Legs' can sound like a bunch of yobs bursting in on a candlelight vigil, the drums break the silence, but it's the brass that really do the destructive work [0:23+], strings are frantic, strangely enough there's this central respite [1:09-1:34], the flute gently undulates while the bassoon mumbles away, i like the way the xylophone comes in to give it colour, but the yobs come back to their desecration [2:26+].
The Great Gate Of Kiev [5:24] - Which culminates without a break, straight into 'The Great Gate Of Kiev', the brass fanfare in splendour, it's a great moment that gives satisfying musical release [0:00-0:57], but then strangely there's a lull of peace, of a woodwind plainchant [0:58-1:31], before the brass splendour comes back again [1:32-2:03], only for the woodwind plainchant to come back [2:03-2:35], and then the bells toll [2:35+] what a great idea, it's almost a funeral procession that slowly develops into a frenzy, i love the glockenspiel here, a blaze of brass glory, the very end is well done, with an extra sense of regal fanfare [4:41+], a nice loud and satisfying end.

Here's Gergiev conducting these last two pictures on YouTube.

Dvorak - Symphonic Variations [Jarvi-Scottish National Orchestra]

As you can see from the back insert, i've added a sticker with the individual variations within the track, as Chandos have only allotted this as 'track 5', i like to know where i'm at, and which variations is tugging at my heart and soul, these are not variations in the style of say Elgar / Enigma Variations, rather these are very short little vignettes of colour, in a work which lasts 21 minutes, there's 27 variations, considering the Theme and the Finale, it's roughly 37 seconds per variation!, you get the picture1, it chops and changes all over the place, but i like it this way, each variation is a lovely little gem in a kaleidoscope of others.

Neeme Jarvi is Estonian, he's now 74, he seems to have recorded a cycle of every Symphony for Chandos / BIS / DG, and his Dvorak / Chandos cycle is no exception, plus a great double disc of his Tone Poems also, the individual discs have a lovely theme on the front cover, wood cuts of different rustic scenes [by Clare Melinsky], all in a different monocolour, i love the way, it's boxed small on the booklet front, love the colour theme too.

However much i love Dvorak's 3rd Symphony [it's actually my second favourite after the Ninth], it was the Symphonic Variations that i was enamoured to, an ingenious set of variations, that instead of stop / start, they flow into one another as if they're one track, and of all of these variations, it was a bunch in the middle that really got me going, variations 14-18, here's a little synopsis,
Variation 14 [8:09-9:02] - Almost sounding if it's going to burst into his Ninth Symphony, a lovely serenade, great flute work at the beginning, and then in the second half a bassoon joins in. 
Variation 15 [9:03-9:39] - A very brassy variation, the woodwind have their little say, but it's the brass that have the final say.
Variation 16 [9:39-10:20] - And it bleeds straight into the next variation, where the brass build up into a frantic finale, the woodwinds come in again towards the end.
Variation 17 [10:21-11:05] - The flute seems to feature heavily in this section of variations, areal little pied piper tune.
Variation 18 [11:05-12:02] - Then the key changes, the whole of the work is in C Major, but changes in this variation to D Major, a pithy string tune in the high violins, but the flute again intrudes in the middle, low horns behind the strings give it a certain glow, a lovely little section.

Here's Neeme Jarvi on YouTube with the Symphonic Variations.

Various Composers - 'Andante Cantabile' Cello Encores [Harrell/ Canino]

Not sure why this is called 'Andante Cantabile', i think it's a Tchaikovsky piece from his String Quartet 1, transcribed for cello and orchestra, but it's nowhere to be seen here, well i enjoyed these 22 short encore pieces today, it's a great little programme, with some out of the way pieces on it, this is my third time listening to this disc, though it's the first time it's appeared in my Blog.

Lynn Harrell is American, he's now 71, this disc was recorded back in 1988, the cover photo is by Christian Steiner, very well done, a beautiful portrait with cello, and the lettering is equally nice.

So of all these pieces, it was 1, 3-5, 7-8, 11-13, 15 & 17 that i loved the best, that's a lot of music to mention, loved the transcriptions of the French pieces, but ultimately i would like to pick one i would like to talk about, and that's 'An Die Musik' by Schubert, of course the piano plays the piano line, and the cello plays the vocal line, it's a beautiful tune, and if you know the words they're touching, it's in two stanzas, and the second is played more delicate than the first by the cello [1:16+], and at the end Harrell ekes out an extra ounce of pathos [2:00], the piano solo at the end of each verse is a real highlight [1:02-1:15 & 2:12-2:31], where Schubert has the piano making the most incredible pleas, a little masterpiece, each of the other short pieces is a little marvel also.

Here's Varoujan Bartikian playing 'An Die Musik' on YouTube.

Schubert - Piano Sonata 20 [Uchida]

I will always love Brendel's Schubert over any other, it's almost as if he's Mr Schubert himself, i don't know anyone else that so personifies a Composer like that [maybe Gould and Bach?], but Uchida's Schubert is a resounding success also, she doesn't quite match the sheer fun and danceability-ness that Brendel does, but i love her Schubert too, and it's good to hear her in these two late masterpieces, this same Sonata has been in my Blog twice before played by Uchida [8th February 2011 & 8th September 2012].

Mitsuko Uchida is Japanese of course, she's now 66, i love the booklet photos [by Walter Schels], showing a side profile of Uchida, with the lettering in white over the back / dark side of her head, very effective indeed, why can't other companies really think about their visuals when releasing a disc of music?.

I loved the two inner movements the best, one achingly slow and thoughtful, the other the opposite, skittish and thrilling, this second movement Andantino just clinches it for me, a slow tread of a movement, it's power is in it's constant build, small aching variations in tone and volume at just the right points, the opening tune is expanded later by going up an octave in to the treble later [1:27+], that just sounds so pleading, of course Schubert wouldn't be Schubert if he didn't have one of his central episodes [3:05+], one of his very best of all, full of drama, lots of treble trapeze heroics, it's hard to mention everything that goes on here as there's so much of it!, trills in the treble, monotonous repeated notes, and these treble stabbings [3:54 & 4:12], and these four treble smashes [4:46 / 4:52 / 5:04 / 5:09], trying to silence everything else downwind the keyboard, when the opening returns again [6:05+], at first it can seem like an anti-climax, but it's a beautifully poised tune, there's a bit of Satie / Gymnopedie in there, it really gets hold of you with its spell, if you let it!.

Here's Uchida on YouTube, playing this movement.

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.