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

Posted by: Richard Dane on 31 December 2013

Posted on: 12 May 2014 by matt podniesinski

Posted on: 12 May 2014 by DrMark

Posted on: 12 May 2014 by bishopla

Delicate Sound of Thunder

Pink Floyd (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Posted on: 12 May 2014 by bishopla

You Go Now

Chroma Key | Format: Audio CD

Posted on: 12 May 2014 by winkyincanada

Originally Posted by matt podniesinski:

On vinyl. This one has really grown on me.

A truly excellent album. A modern classic in the making.

Posted on: 12 May 2014 by Florestan

Franz Liszt: François-Frédéric Guy (Piano)

Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S 173

I. Invocation

II. Ave Maria

III. Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude

IV. Pensee des morts

V. Pater noster

VI. Hymne de l'enfant a son reveil

VII. Funerailles

VIII. Miserere, d'apres Palestrina

IX. Andante Lagrimoso

X. Cantique d'amour

Sonata for Piano in B minor, S 178

I. Lento assai

II. Andante sostenuto

III. Allegro energico

Well, we have one of the most known piano works, the Sonata in B minor juxtaposed against one of my favourite works of music by Franz Liszt, Harmonies poétiques et religieuses. Dedicated to the Russian Princess Sayn-Wittgenstein (Jeanne Elisabeth Carolyne), whom Liszt lived with for twelve years. She was the second great love of his life. Liszt was 49 years old at this time in 1860. Ironically, he began working on this set in earnest just after meeting her but this was not his first crack at this idea. His first go at Harmonies poétiques et religieuses was a single piece from 1830 as a 19 year old and when he was with his first love of his life, Countess Marie d'Agoult. The poems that preface the work or that were placed before certain pieces were all by the Frenchman, Alphonse de Lamartine.

I find the ten works of this set to all be magnificently profound, hauntingly beautiful and some of the finest work in the whole of Liszt.

Poetic and Religious Harmonies for the Piano by F. Liszt

To Jeanne Elisabeth Carolyne

"There are some meditative souls that solitude and contemplation raise inevitably towards ideas that are infinite, that is towards religion; all their thoughts are converted into enthusiasm and prayer, all their existence is a mute hymn to the Divine and to hope. They seek in themselves and in the creation that surrounds them steps to climb to God, expressions and images to reveal him to them, and to reveal themselves to him: I would that I could lend them some of these!

There are hearts broken by sorrow, held back by the world, who take refuge in the world of their thoughts, in solitude of soul, to weep, to wait or to worship; I would that they might be visited by a muse solitary like them, to find sympathy in her harmonies and to say sometimes, as they listen: We pray with your words, we weep with your tears, we call on God with your songs!"

BEFORE 'INVOCATION'

Rise up, voice of my soul,
With the dawn, with the night!
Leap up like the flame,
Spread abroad like the noise!
Float on the wing of the clouds,
Mingle with the winds, with storms,
With thunder, and the tumult of the waves.

Rise up in the silence
At the hour when, in the shade of evening,
The lamp of night sways,
When the priest puts out the censer;
Rise up by the waves
In these deep solitary places
Where God reveals himself to faith!

BEFORE 'BENEDICTION DE DIEU DANS LA SOLITUDE' (The Blessing of God in Solitude)

Whence comes to me, O my God, this peace that overwhelms me?
Whence comes this faith in which my heart abounds?
To me who just now, uncertain, agitated,
And on the waves of doubt buffeted by every wind,
Sought goodness, truth, in the dreams of the wise,
And peace in hearts resounding with fury,
When barely on my brow a few days have slipped by,
It seems that a century and a world have passed;
And that, separated from them by a great abyss,
A new man is born again within me and starts anew.

QUOTED IN THE DE PROFUNDIS SECTION OF PENSEE DES MORTS (Thoughts of the Dead)

From the depths I have cried out to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplication.

(...this comes from the beginning of Psalm 130 and occurs over a very tense moment relayed through some intensely pounded chords).

QUOTED FROM THE LATIN TEXT OF THE MISERERE - MISERERE, D'APRES PALESTRINA

God have mercy on me following thy great mercy,
and following thy compassion, wipe out my iniquity.

BEFORE 'ANDANTE LAGRIMOSO'

Fall, silent tears,
Upon an earth without pity;
No more between pious hands,
Nor on the bosom of friendship!
Fall like an arid rain,
Which splashes on the rock,
That no ray from the sky can wipe away,
That no breath can come to dry.

Posted on: 12 May 2014 by joerand

Originally Posted by GraemeH:

'Y' is why I'm listening to this.

I bought a used promotional copy of this CD a year or so ago and gave it a single listen. Found it disappointing. No "magic". Maybe why they haven't recorded together since? Perhaps I'll give it a second spin.

Posted on: 12 May 2014 by Steve C

Steamhammer on vinyl

Posted on: 12 May 2014 by ewemon

Originally Posted by Char Wallah:

Jimi Hendrix - albert hall experience - 2cd.

Best version of Little Wing.

Posted on: 12 May 2014 by GraemeH

Originally Posted by joerand:

Originally Posted by GraemeH:

'Y' is why I'm listening to this.

I guess I had low expectations but it has grown on me quite a bit. The sheer professionalism shines through in a way.

Posted on: 12 May 2014 by Steve C

The Grounghogs- Who Will Save The World on vinyl.

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by Stevee_S

Streaming FLAC rip

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by Char Wallah

Hawkwind - AT THE BBC ~ 1972 - 2cd.

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by sjbabbey

Originally Posted by ewemon:

Originally Posted by Char Wallah:

Jimi Hendrix - albert hall experience - 2cd.

Best version of Little Wing.

Absolutely. This definitive version of "Little Wing" was wrongly credited on the original "In The West" album as recorded at San Diego and then sacreligiously replaced in the reissued CD by a Winterland version.

I hope Experience Hendrix eventually sort out the rights to the RAH recordings and issue a proper official release rather than the "semi-bootleg" ones now available although I suppose the Charly release isn't too bad.

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by Mike-B

Originally Posted by Char Wallah:

Jimi Hendrix - albert hall experience - 2cd.

I was there - an awesome concert that remains well fixed in my long ago memory's.

However, this CD(s) is not the whole RAH concert & has added tracks from other concerts in USA.

There is a CD of the full RAH concert "An Evening With The Jimi Hendrix Experience" Purple Haze # HAZE007

That said none of the RAH recording get close to what I remember of the show or are among the best Hendrix live recordings available. These have to be taken as individual tracks from different events. The best of all from my collection has to be “Hey Joe” from Monterey, the best from the RAH is "Little Wing"

Whatever, Hendrix was unique & his unique talent & style will never be matched.

He might get a gig at my place tonite - Mrs is out = volume is UP

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by Stevee_S

Qobuz Hi-Fi

For anyone like me who wishes that We Are The Fallen (WATF) had gone on to make more music, then this 2003 album Fallen by Evanescence offers a flavour with very strong undertones of WATF. Hardly surprising as WATF were formed by three former band members after Evanescence split up acrimoniously. It's not a bad album at all, sold 20 million copies and goes some way to being a musical prequel to WATF who recorded Tear The Word Down in 2010

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by Stevee_S

Qobuz Hi-Fi

Continuing my first listening to various Evanescence albums and liking them a lot. This is the 2nd album placed in my Amazon shopping basket this morning.

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by Mike-B

Originally Posted by Char Wallah:

Did you get to Isle of Wight, as well Mick? I have that one on triple vinyl and it is my favourite.

No 'fraid not, married life had taken over in 1970 & combining 2 jobs with studies & finals & saving for mortgages in the gazumping market on the back of out of control inflation kinda got in the way.

I only saw him live 3 times.

His first gig at the Marquee in jan '67, that was one hell of a night, I think it set the Marquee's all time record for cramming bodies in, packed does not come close to discribe that nite.

Then again at the Marquee in Oct '67. He came on for the 2nd half after Nice (one of my favorite regular Marquee bands) Somehow he did not gell for me that time, seemed to try too hard with visual & noise effects rather than music.

Then RAH, much better for quality all round, I guess better PA together with a pro mixing desk made it that way.

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by dav301

On CD:-

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by BigH47

On wobbly vinyl, that surprisingly plays fine:-

Singularity - Robby Krieger. Doors guitarist let loose on what sounds like a load of mid song solos, but not too bad saying that, tending to jazz type sonic rambles.

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by Stevee_S

Qobuz Hi-Fi

Yet more from Evanesence and very good it is too.

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by ewemon

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by Stevee_S

Qobuz Hi_Fi

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by Stevee_S

Streaming FLAC rip

Posted on: 13 May 2014 by Char Wallah

Pink Floyd : THE PIPER AT THE GATE OF DAWN - cd.