What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (VOL V)

quote:

Originally posted by Huwge:


Bartok String Quartets - perhaps not the easiest way to start a Sunday morning's listening, but they suit both the weather and my mood

Hi Huwge. I think I understand your mood. The adjective that I always think of to describe Bartok's quartets is 'chewy'. I suppose this is no more insightful than to say there's 'something to get your teeth into', but it feels right.

Bartok - 6 String Quartets, Emerson Quartet. (This recording sucks in comparison to the Takacs)

From the cover, I presume you're listening to the Takacs recording. My first exposure to these quartets was when I bought the Emerson Quartet's recording--at the time garnering high praise (and a Gramophone award) and consistently a top recommendation in the various reviews that were around. Technically they are a tour-de-force, but they left me cold, and although I glimpsed a potential to enjoy Bartok's works, I knew that the Emerson recording was not the vehicle for my enjoyment. So a few years later, when the Takacs recording appeared and it too received praise (was it rosetted by the penguin guide?) I bought that. Wow! Instantly the warmth and gypsy passion (so absent from the Emerson recording) won me over. Bartok/Takacs -- they're terrific.

Joni Mitchell

Kate Walsh

Cliff and the Shadows on BBC iPlayer.

Recent purchase on Vinyl

On CD:-

On Vinyl

On Vinyl

Jenny Lin

quote:

Originally posted by fama:
I wondered in particular about the sound of that Telarc disc ,is the sound in any way lacking
dynamics?

fama,

I found the sound to be bold and direct, none the less, warm and fluid. Telarc says that the disc was produced from Direct Stream Digital masters made during the recording sessions.

Haim

On Vinyl

Shawn Colvin

On Black!

Vinyl

On vinyl:-

Nine Inch Nails 'Still' from the 'All that could have been' limited edition. A lovely mostly acoustic album.

Very spiritual...

CD