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

Graham,

Imagine decadent 1920's Paris, rundown cabaret, and Dietrich singing stuff from Cave & Co, Tom Waits  and you'll get the picture.

Tony

Thank's Tony, will have a look out for it do you know if it is available on vinyl? G

Like many albums of this era, there is just a few too many fillers but some fantastic non single tracks also.

SJB

Graham, I don't think it's available on vinyl, at least not here in the UK but maybe as an import. I have it on CD. Do have a listen if you have the chance. Tony

Cheers

EJ

Simon Bolivar String Quartet:

Alejandro Carreno (1st violin), Boris Suarez (2nd violin), Ismel Campos (Viola) and Aimon Mata (cello)

Shostakovich String Quartets really are quite important for me in my listening and the 8th quartet is very special.  With three Largo movements and thematic material pulled from many different corners of his past this quartet was actually written very quickly by Shostokovich in a matter of three days.  The dedication is written quite frankly as "To the memory of the victims of fascism and war" yet it is also known that Dmitri's daughter Galina was told by her father that "I dedicated it to myself."

SBSQ here do a remarkable job with the first Largo by avoiding the usual tendency of the other big name groups to rush or even trivialize the pain and sorrow one should feel.  Here they keep focused on a beautiful deathly atmosphere which translates very aptly to what I feel Shostakovich was trying to express.  Of course, this movement is based on his own musical signature D S C H (or the notes D - E flat - C - B natural) starting with the cello to open and then in canon by the other instruments throughout.  

The second movement, Allegro molto - attacca easily brings back wonderful memories of playing the 2nd Piano Trio in E-minor.  Of course the third movement of this work was rife with Jewish themes or style and the main theme was plucked from there and placed here.   In either case though the sense the player feels (speaking for the piano part of the trio) is one of extraordinary anger / violence / rage.  It is such a fantastic conduit to relieve ones stress.

Music is such a wonderful way to fill the time and make sense of this corrupt world.

This remains a fine, well sung performance, but far from perfect: the singers' ornamentations and continuo support are distracting, and - courtesy of Jacobs vital but tight conducting - there is plenty of tension but at the same time lacking emotion. This Figaro isn't angry, there is no tension between him and Susanna, there is even less (sexual or otherwise) tension between the count and any of the ladies. The singers, by and large, are good but Gens' countess lacks beauty and sounds uncomfortable in Porgi amor. 

EJ

The Carnegie Recital:  Daniil Trifonov (Piano) 

Piano Sonata No. 2 in G sharp minor op. 19, "Sonata-Fantasy by Alexander Scriabin

Piano Sonata in B minor S 178 by Franz Liszt

24 Préludes op. 28 by Frédéric Chopin 

In my view there is much to like here.  Trifonov has the chops for sure and the good news is he is still young.  The question remains with every young artist is whether they mature nicely over time or this is what you get from me now and later too.

In all the repertoire here there is certainly room for much youthfulness yet there is also an equal amount of room for a mature view which one can only earn by living many decades more.  For instance, I personally felt myself wanting more depth in Scriabin's Presto - something a little more dimensional and perhaps with hints of grandueur or more potential for tension at the big moments.  Same applies to the Liszt and Chopin.  What I do like is his clear voicing and unique ideas - which come from a sharp mind full of ideas.  He has a another Chopin album out on Decca which I will for sure pick up too.

Ten Years After. A Space in Time. On Columbia vinyl from 1971.

My first listen, very enjoyable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpWUcI7bGmY

CSN&Y. So Far. On vinyl from 1974. What a warm, genuinely tubey, solid sounding LP. Vocals amazing as well.

The Rolling Stones. It's Only Rock 'n Roll. On vinyl from 1974.

A classic local Band from 1979, GODDO, on vinyl.

Great mix of classical strains with rock'n roll.  Especially on the tracks Anacanapanacana, Chantal and the rockin You're so cruel.

Sound is sublime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xauWhN2iHZ0

Bad Company. Desolation Angels. On Swan Song vinyl from 1979.

Buddy Holly. Rock On With Buddy. On vinyl from 1980.

20 great tracks on one LP. 

Fredrika has changed her style over the years - so it requires a certain stretch to like all her albums...

..ok some different way of mixing it - so ok and nice to listen to, not an invaluable new purchase

The Fine Art of Surfacing did not top the charts (unlike its rivals Eat To The Beat or Regatta de Blanc), and was, as far as the UK was concerned, done with in a matter of weeks, whereas Tonic for the Troops spent a year in the charts. At the time there was also a backlash to Geldof in the music press and, to an lesser extent, the popular press. No doubt this affected the album's popularity. Nevertheless The Fine Art of Surfacing is an album that more than matched much of what was happening back in 1979.