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

an album as expected, but not with highlights - so with that a bit of a dissapointment...

the Band - Live at the Academy of Music; is it me or do the horns sound a little backward in the mix. That said, discs 3 & 4 sound good. Interesting concept from Amazon (and so probably a mistake), buy the 2 disc CD and get the ripped 4 disc set (which costs more as a standalone digital purchase)

Crosby Loggins "time to move"

Symphonies 4 and 5. My benchmark for a slow 4 is Levine, who draws the work out to levels where the music seems to stand still for long moments. Maazel misses Levine's intensity, but on the whole this disc is much better than the first in the series.

Cheers,

EJ

A somewhat dry recording of the Eagles at their peak. 'Seven Bridges Road' a harmonic highlight. G

Original Blue Horizon vinyl. Funny, I got this album out to play last night but didn't get around to it. This morning on Sound of the Sixties on the radio Brian Matthews played I Want To Be a Hippy which is the first track on this great blues album. Spooky. 

Harper Simon "Division Street"

Cheers,

EJ

A female voice you have to hear to believe it ...

This fella could sure tinkle the ivories

Elliott Smith "Roman Candle"

Peter Gabriel , 2 and 3:-

A bit of surf for the rainy Saturday afternoon

and a sample ...

Johann Sebastian Bach:  Jeremy Denk (Piano) 

Goldberg Variations, BWV 988

Stardate 26.10.2013-Wanderer's Log:

I did not expect to be so transformed by Jeremy Denk's new Goldberg Variations as much as I was.  Of course, I am not speaking of the usual assessment of what the "performance" and its effect had on me although this is still part of it.  I'm speaking in particular of the way this disc (and DVD) has changed the way I think / hear of a piece of music.  No longer do I want to listen to this work from beginning to end and call it a day.  After watching the DVD one (myself anyway) wants to play, discover and research the spellbinding puzzles within the aria and 30 variations.  This means the score comes out and I'm nearly motivated enough to work on a few of these variations on the piano.  This is always a fascinating time and the most enjoyable thing I can think of.  It is a journey of discovery and a strengthening of the relationship one has with a work.

What I described above is not really unusual for myself because this is what I do.  I listen (the absorbing part) for enjoyment and I dissect for details to understand what lies beneath (the doing part).  This might be similar to enjoying a meal but at a higher level than just "wolfing" down a burger and beer just because you are hungry (and not caring how it was made and where it came from etc).  The listening part is like focusing on the smells, the textures, the colours (or other visual queues), the sounds, and of course, the taste of a wonderfully prepared and thought out meal.  For myself, one can fully enjoy a meal on this alone but what augments the senses is the details.  That is, understanding the science and chemistry behind the outcome.  (ie. the aural, visual etc is heightened by a tactile and intellectual understanding).  

I've said this before but I think every disc should come with a "masterclass" like this one.  Of course though, not everyone is as skilled and effective as Jeremy Denk.  He could just play and that would be alright but I think Jeremy Denk is superbly gifted as an orator and teacher as he is as a performer and I'm so glad he is sharing this with us.  The DVD just manages to scratch the surface but it is like having an expert teach you something for your one hour lesson.  My hunger is in need of something like this for hours each day. 

The result is that with some persistence and hard work from the listener / viewer one slower is moved in the "right" direction - that is, one becomes more skilled at listening to the details and less focused on the "performance."  Every variation and every work Bach wrote contains many puzzles to be discovered.  When you discover the secrets (I mean only the pathway that leads to more understanding) I find this to be thrilling and an exciting revelation and is just a building block until you get insight for the next level. 

My three favourite variations are the minor key ones of course (15, 21, 25) but each one is unique and is a joy to discover the little tricks and magic behind them (sort of like the satisfaction of solving a different Rubiks cube for each variation).  What a wonderful man J.S. Bach was.  I cannot imagine a world without him and his music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?f...ge&v=NEuaKv4sGrQ

I guess I like Jeremy Denk's style, humour and his gift of explaining music.  On June 13th of this year I enthused as well about many of these same things.  I include that here again below as the similar youtube videos of his Goldberg explanations are very important as well and were the start of my heightened interest in this music and Jeremy Denk already.  Second is that I just love his wry sense of humour.  As a classical pianist I can so relate to him and this maybe explains my own quirkiness.  On the first link (from the group of four) listen from about 30 seconds on for a few seconds.  To play the Goldberg variations is such a feat beyond my imagination.  To hear the guy on the street say, "...are you guys kooky?...I've been in this neighbourhood since 1950....play some f*@%&#! real music...?

I understand why he included this clip.  Every time I hear this I find I am conflicted in two ways.  At first it makes me laugh hysterically but ultimately it makes me very sad as this represents the majority.....

\\\\\\\\\\\\from June 13th, 2013////////////

Jeremy Denk (Piano) 

Etudes (6) for Piano, Book 1 by György Ligeti 

Sonata for Piano no 32 in C minor, Op. 111 by Ludwig van Beethoven 

Etudes (8) for Piano, Book 2 by György Ligeti 

http://www.npr.org/event/music...y-denk?autoplay=true

This was my transition into the Goldberg Variations via Dinnerstein.  I really enjoy Jeremy Denk and his amusing but interesting thoughts on everything music http://jeremydenk.net/blog/ 

I can only say if you have any interest in the music of Bach and in this case the Goldberg Variations, I implore you to spend the next half hour going through these.  I have paid for lessons with teachers that offer no insight into anything and for this reason, I would love to have a teacher like Jeremy Denk, who has an abundance of interesting ideas.  Here you get a free sense of how inspiring a good lesson can be like.  Notice he only ever talks about the music (intrinsic values) and its inner workings (history, counterpoint & theory etc.)?  Does it matter how you spell keyboard?  No, I think rather that Bach would be happiest knowing you too got joy out of solving the puzzles he created and experienced the real joy of music as a result.  There is a lifetime of fun and challenge here in this music.  The DNA video takes some time to load so be patient.

http://www.npr.org/event/music...ations?autoplay=true

http://www.npr.org/event/music...al-dna?autoplay=true

http://www.npr.org/event/music...ntrasting-variations

http://www.npr.org/event/music...rg-variations-pt-iii

On CD:-

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

On CD:-

On CD:-

Fiona Apple "Tidal"

Starting my lazy morning with some Beirut -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuxcI7nyKl0

The experience of listening to this music is not unlike swimming upstream.