What are you listening to right now? (VOL II)

Death Cab For Cutie "Plans"

Later this afternoon, I have been rambling through some Elgar conducting his own music for HMV records between 1926 and 1933.

Old friends that these are I first encountered them on 78s in the school library or on the 1973/4 LP sets Elgar on Record, and Images of Elgar [RLS 713 and 708], but am using the 1992/3 CD re-issues called The Elgar Edtion which contains all the known recordings including some that only survived as test pressings, where the masters were destroyed for recording technical reasons!

The most amazing ones are sections of The Dream of Gerontius from two performances recorded in February and September 1927 in the Royal Albert Hall and Hereford Cathedral. These have something no other recording of this music has. A unique sense of tension and release, and extra-ordinary and subtle phrasing, and tempo fluctuation. Clearly the drive and emotion of it all is more important to the composer than anything like perfect ensemble!

The selections recorded in Hereford Cathedral mean an especial amount to me who has heard the work performed there more often that any other I have been to concerts of.

An interesting appendix is in the inovations of recording then being undertaken is that a World Premiere Elgar performance was captured oon the first Day of the Three Choirs festival that year in Hereford. This seems to be the first composer led premiere captured by the gramopone. The recording is fairly catastrophic, because the acoustic completely foxed the engineers on the first day! Later in the week the Gerontius excerpts were rather successfully caught. Earth loop hum and all as it happens!

ATB from George

PS: I am rather proud of the CDs I have as they are part of the pre-production pressings given out by EMI to critics and the great and good! A limited pressing run with gold rather than the alluminium metal, and released in each case a couple of months before the publication was to be found in the shops. Rather rare I would think. Not valuable as I have discovered though, except as a keepsake of the time when I was probably the most vocal proponent of the CD re-issue! I lobbied allsorts of people from EMI themselves to Gerald Northrop Moore, and the headmen at the Elgar Foundation. The initial idea was to issue a curtailed release. I think I may be partly responsive for what will undoubtedly be their final release! So I guess I earned those gold discs! A very great deal of money was spent of the restorations carried out at Abbey Road.

Kate Walsh "Tim's House"

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Anderson:

quote:

Originally posted by patk:
Stoney Clove Lane - Stay With Me

Pat
You have been playin' that alot - assume that means it is good. Have you heard Mechanical Bull on that label?

Jeff A

Hi Jeff,
Yes, I am liking this album. A bit uneven though. I have not heard Mechanical Bull yet, but was thinking of checking them out. Have you heard them?

You have been playing a lot of good music this weekend.
Pat

quote:

Originally posted by patk: I have not heard Mechanical Bull yet, but was thinking of checking them out. Have you heard them?
Pat

Pat
Not heard either.
I am thinking about moving SCL and MB towards the top of my list - maybe in a couple weeks.

Jeff A

Poor recording quality unfortunately. Not something I want to listen to for too long.

Walter Booker Quintet: Bookie's Cookbook

smmooooooth

Jack Johnson "Sleep Through The Static"

The Bill Evans did not last long.

On ECM - Time for a superb quality recording. Stanko and Lontano

On ECM - Keith Jarrett at the Deer Head Inn

Gold cd



Second time today.

Truly wonderful Blues and some excellent production considering the age - the tracks with Sonny Terry are sublime.

Michael Stanley "The Soft Addictions"

Paul Meyers & Santi Debriano - Spirit and Samba

James Taylor "Covers"



Terrific album, favorites are Webb's "Wichita Lineman" and Cohen's "Suzanne", love Steve Gadd's drumming and Andrea Zonn's incredible fiddle contributions. If you haven't got it yet, get it !

Earlier:-

Norris Turney Quartet - Big Sweet N' Blue