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

Hi Ewemon,

See these are finally available.  What format did you get?  SQ worth getting another copy? 

Best regards,

Pat

Borrowed briefly from a friend.

Good job it's borrowed. Not their finest hour!

Suzuki's recording of the Clavier-Übung II, i.e. the Italian concerto and the French overture (both are basically suites for keyboard instrument, the biggest such works that Bach wrote).The concerto suffers from a somewhat heavy-handed approach to the Allegro, but thereafter things improve considerably.

EJ

Sacd not my most favorite band I have to say and gave away the Rhino version of this to a friend earlier on in the year so have to borrow it back before I pass judgement on the sq. Though Shawn Britton over at MFSL has done some really good work on some albums in the past few years.

Agreed.

The Japanese 1st pressing which easily beats any other version that has been available for sq. Smooth as a babys bum.

Just for you Tony because I know you are a secret admirer of this album. Lol

Excellent album!

Marillion,  Clutching at Straws, streamed flac

Oh, that was really fracking"" low... hate the freckers! ...and I thought you were my friend! You bartsteward!

After tonight's posts I had to give this a listen again.



The late Jeremy Beadle's finest hour! He was co-promotor of the Bickershaw Festival, which was the Dead's first outdoor gig on their Europe 1972 tour.  I was there, it was one of the wettest, coldest festivals I have ever attended.  The Dead played a very decent 5 hour set, most of which seems to be on the Bickershaw 40th Anniversary box set CDs.

After the Dark Star fix... a track by Captain Don from the same event

Was going to play some Phil Collins for Ewe but on second thoughts...

Great band

Vinyl.

LP - Embryo 2010 reissue : )

Some very good late night hairy Herbie jazzfunk

Debs

Understood.  Thanks ewemon. 

Kuma,

Since you are not allowing me to cut & paste, here are my two cents.

Edwin Fischer's playing of The Well-Tempered Clavier Books reminds me of an honest pre-amplifier, leading you straight, without any detours, to the source and essence of the music. The two element that come to mind are measure and depth that are always with him even during dynamic passages. He is so good at it that you get the notion that he never had to rehearse this music, it is so much in his blood.

The Fantasias of disc II are played with more of free spirit where "..he allows himself to make some modifications to the score or play certain passages in a different register of the piano, almost always an octave higher".

I was less thrilled by the concertos (BWV 1052, 1055 &1056) mainly because of the strings but I will have to listen to them again more carefully.

The sound of the discs is good considering the age (more than 55 years) of the recordings, but at times the piano sounds woody or a little distant. Never the less, the playing is just outstanding and the two discs are a must have to any piano lover.

Here is his Prelude (Fantasy) and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 922 recorded in 1937:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxzwlByH1DM

George, thanks again for pointing him out.

Haim,

Much better than *hack* music reviewers!

As you found out that the attraction of Fischer piano style is as if he's improvising. ( Kempff has the same ease and spontaneity )

Fisher’s piano playing always have a human warmth and soul to my ears.

Those piano concertos do sound undeniably antique and distant. Concerto No.1 is a over 80 years old recording. Concerto No.5 was recorded 5 year later and I can hear a slight improvement in clarity but loses composure quickly when all the musicians get going. 

Audiophiles won't have anything to do with these recordings but I don't have any problems due to the excellent contents. 

Winterreise for metrosexuals.

Deutsch’s piano is frilly with an extra filigrees and flourish coming off a tad frivolous.

Sony engineers who worked on this CD ought to be fired for EQing so hot. There isn't an ounce of naturalness left in the final mix. 

But the great soundstage recreating an acoustic space. 

The balance between the voice and piano is about equal. Much more natural mix. It is a relief from a *hot* sounding Kaumann set. 

Guru's rendition is heart felt and real. Berner's piano forte equally thoughtful and reflective albeit it does not have the modern Steinway crystal clear clarity. His style is more of a Gerald Moore approach. I like this simple natural performance where neither performers do not try to reinvent and both self effacing letting the voice of the composer in an emotional toil.