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

Agostino Steffani (1654-1728): Mission - Cecilia Bartoli, I Varocchisti. Diego Fasolis, Decca, 180g Vinyl

1. Schiere invitte, non tardate
2. Ogni core può sperar
3. Ove son? Chi m'aita? In mezzo all'ombre...Dal mio petto
4. Più non v'ascondo
5. Amami, e vederai
6. A facile vittoria
7. Tra le guerre e le vittorie
8. Foschi crepuscoli
9. Dell'alma stanca a raddolcir le tempre...Sfere amiche, or date al labbro
10. La cerasta più terribile
11. Serena, o mio bel sole...Mia fiamma...Mio adore
12. T'abbraccio, mia Diva...Ti stringo, mio Nume
13. Mie fide schiere, all'armi!...Suoni, tuoni, il suolo scuota
14. Sposa, mancar mi sento...Deh non far colle tue lagrime
15. Non prendo consiglio
16. Si, si, riposa, o caro...Palpitanti sfere belle
17. Notte amica al cieco Dio
18. "Combatton quest'alma
19. Dal tuo labbro amor m'invita
20. Deh stancati, o sorte
21. Svenati, struggiti, combatti, suda
22. Padre, s'e colpa in lui
23. Timori, ruine
24. Morirò fra strazi e scempi
25. Non si parli che di fede

This is a 'Great' John Hiatt album.

Original Vinyl.

Graham.

Marcel Dupré Organ Recital:  Recorded October 1957 at St. Thomas’s Church, New York City, 180g Vinyl, Mercury/Speakers Corner

Charles-Marie Widor:

1. Allegro (Symphony No. 6, Opus 42) 
2. Salve Regina 

Marcel Dupré:
3. Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, Opus 7 
4. Triptyque, opus 51 

The instrument was the newly reconstructed Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ with 8,905 pipes controlled by 145 draw-knobs and 12 couplers.  Five sets of chorous reeds are to be found on the manuals, 16', 8', and 4' pitches.

Ry Cooder 'Live on Air'......sublime performance and recording. G

On CD:-

On CD:-

Disc 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq6Mgayepdo

Vinyl:-

Iconic and one of the best thrash metal albums ever.

In a complete contrast of style from the immediately previous post:

 That's the greatness of music: the enormous diversity. A slight change in direction...

I love this forum Megadeth to Mark Knopfler, Its fantastic keep it up guys .

Graham.

The Chain :

Feels Like Rain.

Feels Like Rain & Somewhere Somebody.

Somewhere Somebody.

Graham.

A young Pat Metheny on guitar. Jaco on bass, of course. (If my memory serves me - can't be bothered looking it up).

What a sweet night this is, 

by a warm cosy coal fire,

nice glass of red wine in hand...

Debs

what sort of guitar is that?

which has 3 big tuning keys above and 5 much smaller ones below?

Debs

 Debs,

Most of his guitars are custom made.  Here is a little extract from an online article.

"Hunter currently plays a custom-made, seven-string guitar made by Jeff Traugott. Previously, Hunter played a custom-made, eight-string guitar made by luthier Ralph Novak of Novax Guitars. He plays the lead guitar on the top five strings (tuned ADGBe) and bass guitar (tuned EAD) on the bottom three strings simultaneously. With the addition of a Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere (a Leslie rotary speaker simulator), his unique style produces a sound similar to that of a Hammond organ -- an instrument he set out to imitate.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006, Hunter removed the top guitar string and had the neck of his guitar reworked and now plays a modified 7-string on the formerly-8 string body. Hunter has mentioned that because of his small hands, he had to move out of position to make use of the 8th string and thus wasn't using it much. A change in Hunter's style away from the organ sound into a more blues and distortion based sound happened at the same time. After removing the 8th string, Hunter retuned all of the strings up a half step: F-A#-D# on the bass and A#-D#-G#-C on the guitar. As of 2008, he had once again retuned up another whole step: G-C-F on the bass and C-F-A#-D on the guitar.^[7]

He has recently begun using Headstrong amps. Headstrong is based out of Santa Cruz, California."

Worth a listen..

KR

Tony

Lang Lang: The Chopin Album (Vinyl & CD comparison)

12 Études, Op. 25
Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 55, No. 2
Nocturne in F major, Op. 15, No. 1
Grande Valse brillante in E-flat major, Op. 18
Andante spianato & Grande Polonaise, Op. 22
Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. posth. (KK IVa/16)
Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64, No. 1 “Minute”

Years ago I would have been hard pressed to be a Lang Lang supporter.  In those days, some of his overt mannerisms did bother me enough that I would spend my time with others.  Fortunately, I think a turning point for me was the Live in Vienna.  Though not perfect, I can see a definite effort of change from then on as he matures as an artist. 

On this album, I could say there are many aspects of his playing I would aspire to and others where my own style would lead me in a different direction.  Overall though, this is commendable and quite good actually.  I dare say this playing can stand up already to the best of past eras and at thirty, we all know that the best is still yet to come.  Most great pianists do not fully hit their stride until they reach there forties or fifties.

The bottom line is though that their are only a handful of musicians these days that have the clout to put out vinyl as part of their new releases.  I wish Lang Lang just continued success as through him I'm going to be gaining a lot of piano vinyl in the future and this excites me!  Besides solo piano I can only wish he gets into more chamber music which would cover my two greatest passions.

The first time I really heard Chopin was on vinyl as a kid.  That unforgettable sound (the warmth and bell like tone, the beauty and the grandeur of harmony) has stuck in my head and forms a large part of how I interpret the music.  Furthermore, this afternoon, I realized that nothing gives a closer sense to myself of actually playing (while sitting and listening) than an album like this.  The CD isn't bad at all but the vinyl just gives me that extra edge, the goosebumps and the extreme satisfaction.  I need only get up and walk ten feet to the piano bench to confirm that I'm not dreaming.  This is after-all what was my priority and purpose in replay - to come as close as possible to the real thing - otherwise, one is only fooling themselves with illusion.  Our ears and senses don't lie.  Listening gets more and more difficult by degrees as you get further away from the real thing.  Along with this the joy soon disappears.

The highlight for me and this album is the Everest of sets, the Opus 25 Études.  Although the first half (Op. 10) are missing, I'll take anyone who gives me this much.  My favourite Études by far and a set in which I have struggled with the challenges for at least the last 30 years.  So far, I know close to half the Études and Preludes and they are, each and everyone of them, pure joy.

Sure, I've probably worked myself into a lather but that always happens when music excites me so much.  I guess it is also partly so because I'll only play one more album tonight before I embark on a complete tear down of the system.  It has been years since I even powered down but I'm going to be rearranging my speakers too (back to firing across the long way of my room) and moving the racks a little too.