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

Japanese vinyl. Freshly cleaned on Steve "Dr Blues" J's record cleaning machine, and sounding great. We did a quickie comparison between this and the good Doc's UK first press - inevitably, the first press won, but this one still sounds extraordinarily fine:

Always pleasant while reading a newspaper..

Thanks for the reply Maurice - much appreciated! I Listened to a few of his songs on YouTube and I rather liked it. Too early to form an impression but does he paint with a broader brush than Molvær? I somehow feel Molvær use his trumpet more sparingly? Again, thanks for pointing me in his direction - I'm tempted to buy an upcoming box with his first 5 albums. It's very cheap as well 

Listening to a classic from Dexter Gordon "Go" . I have this on LP too but right now I'm listening to a ripped version and the sound quality is really really good!

Fancied a bit of Roxy and opted for this. One of their gentler albums which includes a number of lovely songs e.g. While My Heart Is Still Beating, India. And, of course, the well-know title track  which must have been played in clubs and discos numerous times when the 'slowies' came on - many a lad's favourite! 

Possible, but I only have Molvær's Khmer and Solid Ether, maybe his most famous albums here, when the nu-jazz was all the rage, so I couldn't say. Lost track afterwards. I'm such a snob.

Maybe you may want to have a look at Ibrahim Malouf as well, as Aleg mentioned above ? It's really nice.

Yes, I like classic Blue Note. Problem is, now I have so many albums in need of ripping...!

I think THE wrong cover, anyhow Haydn 88

Haydn Symphony No. 88 is a brilliant and joyful piece every person who wants to investigate classical music should almost adopt as their first symphony to listen to.

A real great invitation to the world of the classical symphony!

ATB from George

VPO with Leonard Bernstein!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQmkOQ59SJ0

How many did he do ? More than a hundred, and you're able to pick one ?

You're a mutant George, sorry to out you.

Dear Mo.

Yes I am a mutant!

I posted a link in previous post to a lovely performance! Evidence you see!

But I could send you to more great Haydn symphonies than Beethven and Brahms wrote between them even from Haydn's last thirty!

He wrote [so the catalogue has it] 104, and I doubt many were lost really!  They were all the rage all over Europe and Russia between 1770 and the first quarter of the nineteenth century. The stock of great concert giving of the time.  Every composer after Haydn [even to this day] owes a debt to Haydn's style even if they might not admit it or even perhaps particularly realise it.

After Bach the greatest music man was Haydn, though his fame is mitigated against because he wrote too much. But too much does not equate to a lowering of standards. He was born of peasant stock and understood the value of hard work.

Always making a new string quartet or symphony, whatever else work he was engaged in right into extreme old age. and his music never sounds the words of a tired old man.

ATB from George

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQmkOQ59SJ0

Same link again!

First play...

On vinyl...

As the film shows, the music is quite fun to play as well. It is rare to see the gentlemen of the Vienna Philharmonic smiling along with the music! Here we are presented with a real Hungarian Trio with drone bass [as given in the village by a hurry gurdy in the original setting of a Trio] but here brought to the classical orchestra in symphonic garb for the Austo-Hunarian concert going public. Haydn never forgot his routes however cultured he would become.

The Finale tops the lot with an energy hard to imagine from a modest classical kind of man!

I hope everyone who sees this does try the twenty minute long Haydn Symphony 88! And so they play the last movement twice! Quite right too. Pure joie de vivre in music! So it will take twenty four minutes of your life to discover something beautiful!

ATB from George

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQmkOQ59SJ0

Another first play...

On vinyl...

Enjoyed it so much this afternoon that I'm gonna give it another spin.  

Forgot just how good this album is.

Being There, a very special place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHg5U2oHiuU

It has been well over 2 years since I've listened to this album.
I still think that Gieseking *owns* Debussy but Michelangeli's a marvelous interpreter.

Richter's Estampes has a calming cleansing effect on the soul. 

Cool and refreshing this is more of chilly objective observation.

His tonal palette is shades of cool grays than rich Technicolor hues. His interpretation of Grenade is almost like improve. 

The whole tune is played like a monologue of half finished fragmented sentences. 

Lightheartedness and kindness run through Gieseking's Children's Corner.

There are no sharp objects in the playpen he creates. There is a child like simplicity in his playing which is very comforting to me.

Suite Bergamasque contains overplayed Clair de Lune. Geiseking's is the only set I can actually listen to the tune for once and realised what the composer meant to say. ( actually his earlier Columbia version is even better )

Haydn: The  Box set, Import         

Claudio Arrau's Images has a comfortable warm tone made up of many colours and extremely *impressionistic* and so far most vivid.

Arrau is savouring every note as if the time stands still. Altho there are a few awkward rhythmic accents in the Mouvement, 'Et La Lune Descend Sur Le Temple Qui Fut' goes even deeper than Michelangelli. He is in his own world. There seems to be a repeated Japanese National Anthem melody ( first 2 bars ) which I did not notice before. Never heard such a lonely right hand strumming alone. Poisson D’Or is exactly like the cover art there is a blurry carp under the water surface emerges in and out. The shift in colours is more noticeable than Michelangeli.

Wonderful Phillips recording retains much of harmonic richness throughout. 

Et La Lune Descend Sur Le Temple Qui Fut

(Descent of the moon upon the temple which used to be)

Streaming | FLAC rip

DCC (Steve Hoffman remastered) vinyl reissue of this classic. Cleaned yesterday on Dr Steve's RCM and sounding mighty fine:

The Enid -  Touch Me  -   cd.

Streaming | FLAC rip

CD 1 of 2

I like this more every time I play it.