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

Streaming | CD FLAC rip

Buena Vista Social Club (1997)

Just the job while I take a break.

Streaming | CD FLAC rip

Alison Krauss ~ Forget About It (1999)

An old album but new to me dropped on the doormat today. I never imagined that I would like bluegrass, how wrong I was when this woman's voice is involved!

On CD:-

That's a great album. I can't work out why I haven't bought it? I will now - thanks for reminding me!

It is Mr Fjeld. It's one of those albums that on certain days at certain times its good to be able to reach for and enjoy.

On original vinyl...

Hoping there will be another Horowitz in this century before I kick a bucket. 

Streaming | FLAC 16/44.1 [Bandcamp] Download 

Cousin Silas & Kevin Lyons ~ Amazing Tales of Time and Space (13 April 2015)

“Amazing Tales of Time and Space" by the enduring partnership of Cousin Silas and Kevin Lyons transports me to alien landscapes and disreputable townships, the kind imagined by visionaries such as Lovecraft or Aldiss; It makes for captivating listening albeit not entirely restful if one is gifted with a vivid imagination." - waag_rel067 Bandcamp commentator

Enjoyable album, quiet but very melodic jazz..., is a bit comparable to Thore Gustavson in my mind...

Marvellous!

Fall from the sky should be falling through my letterbox in the next few days.

On vinyl...

Kuma,

You pointed me to French pianist Samson Francois who passed away in 1971. You are right: he plays a brilliant Piano Concerto in G - wow! Recently I compared some 10 concertos (yes, thank you dear Spotify), and on top of my list came:

1967 Martha Argerich, Claudio Abbbado & Berliner Philharmoniker

2004 Pascal Rogé & Radio Symphonieorchester Wien

2007 Yundi Li, Seiji Ozawa & Berliner Philharmoniker

2010 Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Yan Pascal Tortelier & BBC Symph. Orch.

 I may have to add Samson Francois to these favourites!

Will now explore Gaspard de la Nuit - the first impression is excellent.

With musical thanks,

John Southworth "Niagra"

This was mentioned on another forum today.  It is available on Spotify Premium (US).  A singer-songwriter that is new to me.  Most enjoyable.

Mr. Fjeld - you are having what I consider a near perfect day.  Thanks for sharing it.  I am making a playlist of your selections and will listen to them tomorrow.

Started to work my way through the famous Winterreise written in 1827 by Franz Schubert, probably the most famous cycle of Deutsche Lieder. Although the 24 songs are simple in form, there is a incredible depth and sorrowness in this music.

For weeks I have been listening to versions, and I agree with other's on this forum that it takes time to fully comprehend. It helps if you understand German

Anyway, Spotify allowed me to compare dozens of versions, and it's like with Bach's Matthaus Passion: there is no perfect version. All have their strength's and weaknesses.

My current favourite is from Peter Schreir & Andras Schiff (1991)

A fantastic tenor with a beautiful voice and perfect technique, accompanied by such a delicately playing Andras Schiff. Songs like Wasserflut, Auf dem Flusse, Irrlicht, Frühlingstraum, Einsamkeit, but especially Der Wegweiser (those last notes....) and the last 2 songs are so moving.....

Absolutely brilliant.

Other favourites:

1962 Dietrich Fisher-Diskau & Gerald Moore - the great Master for so many followers

1988 Carl-Heinz Müller & his wife Helle - great harmony

1988 Olaf Bär & Parsons - beautiful bass voice, bit slow & formal.

2001 Christian Gerhaher & Huber - kind, humble, very human, warm piano sound

Any other recommendations?

I was listening to this earlier and it seems to me that Francois Couturier's piano is distorted when he is playing high notes. I have thought this before but I have just installed a HiLine on my CDS3 and it seems more noticeable. Other piano recordings seem to be all right. I know some others have got this - has anyone else noticed this or do I have a problem?

Tangerine Dream - Soundmill Navigator

One of the more contentious TD releases. The basic album is the recording of them in 1976 at the Berlin Philharmonics (available as Tangerine Tree Vol 8 or on the Tangerine Dream Bootleg Box Vol 1, so it's a Franke/Froese/Baumann line-up)), but in 2000 Edgar and Jerome tarted it up by overlaying modern synth lines.

In some eyes this is a travesty but to me this makes the whole thing come to life - the original concert was a trifle lacklustre by their standards of the time, and is one of the very few occasions where their modern-day meddling with classic stuff adds value (see also Macula Transfer).

Anyway, it's one of my favourite Tangerine Dream albums of any era and that's saying a great deal as they're one of my all-time favourite bands.

Anyway, here it is, just one long track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qIfGZCDpUw

I haven't done a like for like comparison. But I have the Matthias Goerne series of Schubert lieder and I very much like the series. I am not sure if the Winterreise version of that series is on the same level as the others you mentioned - but it's worth a try. Another version I have and again this is not the type of music I listen to on a daily base, so it's difficult to compare it like you did - is the combination of Matthias Goerne and Alfred Brendel