What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol.IX)

Isotope by Isotope. Not heard of the group until today. Found this in a box of records I bought containing Weather Report and Billy Cobham.

It's pretty good.

On Vinyl

..this morning..

this morning during my workout, good..

Awesome bass!

Earlier and now..

On Vinyl

A fine recommendation by Mr. Dane a while ago.

Goes with all the heavy rains around here.

One of Joe's finest!

I am fairly sure I saw Isotope at a free festival behind the Hat and Feathers pub in Bath at around that time. Not heard the name mentioned in a lot of years so nice to see a minor resurrection.

Just bi-amped the Neat Elite's with a second NAP250 and wow, wouldn't know they were the same speaker's.  Spinning disks like this one sound even better now.

Classic mono Cream

Hmmm, need to find this for completing my Led Zeppelin collection.  Can you provide some additional info?

Right now one heck of a massive thunderstorm!  All the gear shut down and unplugged.  Have lost gear to a very near lightning strike in the past.

The bass notes of mother nature can be really quite phenomenal!

Ragman, this is a fine recording but then for myself, I get so much value out of different views and interpretations.  I would have a lot of difficulty recommending anything based on it being the one and only example in the music I listen to.  Each and every interpretive point of view is valid.  It may not be connecting today but it could be especially fitting in ones past or future.  

Although quite often I am guilty of exuding strong emotions about many recordings, I think in the end it is the music itself that excites something within me in particular and it is only of secondary importance as to who is interpreting it.  It is the act of experiencing music and sound within your body/soul.  I suppose one gets that way when you enjoy doing it yourself.  Many criticize musicians for making any noises (humming or grunting about etc.) during a performance but this is that deep spiritual voice connecting with the core or root in the music.

I realize too the folly in believing that any recording could be thee one recording in the past century that has never been surpassed.  While I applaud greatness, I try not to let it distract me from my own goals of simply enjoying the act of making music.

I bought this recording specifically for my interest in the Sonata for Cello and Piano as it is a work I personally want to learn in a year or two.  So I'll limit my comments based on this and maybe you will get an idea of whether this recording would be of interest to you.  The concerto may bring a different outcome.

Correctly or incorrectly, their seems to be a common view that one needs to play Shostakovich or even Prokofiev, for that matter, in a rather angular, fast, and percussive manner.  It seems justified by the provocations of the time these men lived in and under a Stalinist regime and this is a Russian characteristic or response to the pain they endured during an ugly time in history.  Every composer I suppose gets stereotyped in some manner and it isn't entirely off the mark I suppose but it never tells the whole story.  Many cannot tolerate Beethoven unless you feel the pound of his fury and furled brow.  Chopin on the other hand gets his criticism from both ends; someone either plays too soft and poetic or plays to manly or aggressive.

Here, Bertrand and Amoyel take an interesting reading that is far from the stereotypical pointed, robotic, hurried choppiness of many.  I hesitate to call it a rather French view as maybe this is misleading but in a way they create in Shostakovich a kind of feeling of Debussy or Ravel with Romantic period overtones (maybe of Grieg?).  In effect, it is softer in character and much, much more developed in terms of structure and dynamics.  Much of the character is controlled and created by the slower tempos chosen than what seems to be more popular elsewhere.  This gives a softer, more relaxed feeling.  It tends to introversion rather than overt extroversion.  It is nice to see Shostakovich from this angle once in a while, I think.

For me, this recording is refreshing and exciting since I really value musicians who think about what they do (whether I agree or not) and try to convince or challenge me to consider their view rather than those who just follow or take the wide, easy road to avoid being different.  Recording quality is excellent and so is the playing.  It fits well in the range of interpretations I already have although it is very different to most others.  I would think a Argerich/ Maisky is the complete polar opposite of how Bertrand / Amoyel approach it.

Sorry to be so wordy.  I can't help it I guess.  It helps me too in further understanding the music and I never know what I'm going to say prior to starting.  Sometimes I surprise myself as I never know where I'll end up and often want to press delete instead of submit....

Regards,

Doug

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXxybiV4Pxs

Strings attached.

It's a boot so you can't buy it in the shops Geofiz. But you should be able to find it on that there internet