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

CD rip. I've given up on JB vinyl as they sound so compressed.

On CD:-

A classic album and Supertramp's best in my view, Steve

I'm still luxuriating in the memory of seeing Mary live the weekend before last so am revisiting many of her albums 

Continuing the Mary Black theme.  I think this is her most recent album. A number of lovely songs on here especially Mountains To The Sea. 

Superb R & B album out on 18th May

Brahms Sonata No 3 & Scherzo Op. 4.

de Larrocha's Ravel G Major Concerto is a creamy American chocolate. 

She gets finally cooking on the 3rd movement, but the over all styling is heavy handed lacking elegance and sense of freedom. Tympani sounds boosted for an extra *bang* further cheapening the score.

It must have done ok at the box office since it won 1974 Grammy.

Ciccolini/Martinon/Orchestre de Paris

Polished and laid back compared to the François/Cluyten set but a lot more *French* than de Larrocha/ Foster above.

There are textural interests and details but rhythmically off. 

The showcase piece is the Adagio. Thoughtful, pensive and the orchestra and piano create  foggy dream like scene well. Sweet orchestration with touch of soundtrack feel.

Poppy type of jazz, ok in the morning

switched to this before with my non upgraded system sometimes this album had these nagging singing tones, now it sounds very relaxing ........, you could use it as one of the albums to test your system

Streaming | CD FLAC rip

Tangerine Dream ~ Ricochet (1975)

This live album was remastered to good effect in '95.

Good to be playing this quietly on the morning after the night before, sunlight filtering through the half opened curtains. The rest of the world is up, but there's no hurry.

C.

Streaming | FLAC ripped CD 1 of 2

Andrés  Segovia ~ The Art of Segovia (2002)

This lovely Deutsche Grammophon double CD running to over two and a half hours from well remastered originals. He's heard here in familiar recordings between 1952 and 1969. Very few age allowances need to be made for the sound quality reproduced, his interpretation and delicacy of playing shine through from over half a century ago.

I ordered this over a year ago as a Kickstarter pledge, when Kimiko was raising money for the recording. I ended up paying $30 for a CD that sells for about $18, and that you can download for "pay what you like". But I was so happy with her Hi-res recording of the Goldberg Variations that she had provided for free a couple of years back, I felt it was the right thing to do; to support this new record.

And it is is just fabulous. One of my records of the year.

(Interesting factoid: Kimiko was/is a competitive weightlifter)

On CD:-

Chick Corea - Mad Hatter

Love the concerto for the left hand, written on a commission from Paul Wittgenstein, a pianist who before his career could lift off, lost his arm in military service in WWI, and determined to break through as a pianist, started commissioning music for left hand only. Ravel's work has become the most famous of these. The unlikely combination of Zimerman and Boulez works marvellously.

Cheers

EJ

Streaming | CD FLAC rip

Mark Knopfler ~ Shangri-La (2004)

Old album but new to me and arrived today. 

On CD:-

Never thought i could talk to a pressure washer