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

Streaming | FLAC

(1980)

Exciting early days with these various iterations of krautrock variations from la D', this one echoing some  Neu!'

Nice lyrical music....

Milstein/Steinberg/Pittsburgh Symphony : Brahms Violin Concerto 1953 recording

Smooth and suave orchestra opens the score. Milstein enters with a unflappable laser precision, swimming in and out effortlessly. As Heifetz he’s a full of confidence and effortless. He also offers up his own cadenza which has a fiery fluidity and perhaps more in keeping with the score than Heifetz’s *modern* all angular cadenza. He has more of cerebral and cleaner approach than hot blooded double/triple stops everywhere Heifetz but hard to fault his seamless articulation. He never lets the music soft and floaty offering substance and focus at all time. The final movement does not have the earthy feel but what a fun gliding up and down the hill alongside him. 

Marianne Muller - viole de gambe et direction 

Sylvia Abramowicz - viole de gambe 

Violaine Cochard - clavecin 

Charles-Édouard Fantin - guitare baroque

Claire Antonini - théorbe 

Recorded: St Michael Church, Paris. October 2005

Style Council: Internationalist  1985 release

US version of 'Our Favourite Shop' with alternate cover.

Yep. U.G. was the beginning of the end. What was he thinking?

Debs,

I will join you with a Marais pour la violle et le theorbe;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJQjNg_8A70

Stern/Ormandy/Philly: Brahms Violin Concerto 1959 recording

Surprisingly well preserved later reissue with no peaks or gross congestions unlike usual Columbia Studio recording from the same era. 

Straight away Stern's fiddling sounds forced and anemic. The notes quite don’t flow like they should and some phrasing are slurred making the performance untidy compared to Milstein. The consonants are not quite firm and the music seems *just about* missing articulation and precision. His corner handling is a bit sloppy than I would like. Stern also does not have a commanding presence or effortlessness of  Heifetz, Oisrakh, or Milstein.

While I agree with 'Uptown Girl' being the beginning of the end for Joel's music, "what was he thinking" should be rather obvious ....

Juggling Elle Macpherson and Christie Brinkley could tend to alter the focus of a man's career.

Lux aeterna - Visions of Bach:  Beatrice Berrut (piano)

A wonderful assortment of Bach transcriptions for piano played in a softer, reflective way on a specially prepared Bösendorfer.

My most played album of his.

Francescati/Bernstein/NYP  Brahms Violin Concerto   1961 recording

A greater urgency and drama from the top.  Violin has a strong presence and bold tone albeit a touch dry in this recording ( figures it's Columbia from the 60s ). Not as fluid as Milstein but he too has that *ease* of the master violinist. Yet Francescatti's fiddlin' is full blooded and dramatic as Lenny’s orchestra. A lot of jagged hard corners give earthy and bold disposition.  Weightier than Milstein and lot more fleshed out than Stern he's got a solidity and frankness that I like. His rendition of Jochum's cadenza is most exciting and beautiful as well as unique.  Lenny’s orchestra doesn’t quite have the polish of Klemperer/Philharmonia.

Was checking out, the store was closing, and I walked up to the counter and slapped my stack of new (old) vinyl on the counter...the clerk a cute black girl asked if I wanted a bag.  Sure!

Then she asked if I wanted two bags...absolutely!  She was wrapping and clicking and stuff...and she then asked me: "Did you see the Smokey Robinson record?"  "No?!" 

"Yeah its really good, I saw it earlier."  She told the customer behind me to wait...and said: "Come on."  She walked me right to it and I said: "I missed that."  Snatched it, rolled the vinyl out to examine.  It was VERY hard vinyl...THICK on the edge...where many vinyl get razor thin, or even there is a weird valley before the edge of the record...this one was like a plug nickel on the edges.  Solid feeling.

So I took it home...and I gave it the Loricraft Lovin' and I can't hear a damned pop or scratch... $4.99

Oistrakh/Klemperer/French National Orchestra : Brahms Violin Concerto 1960 recording.

I decided to pull my reference for this work. 

Yep. No doubt about it. This is still a great performance from very mature artists playing together nearly ideal on all counts.

Exciting but romantic. Out going but oh so intimate. So sophisticated yet they can let their hair down in a flash keeping it real. These guys have more emotional range than most any readings coupled with laser sharp technique and know-how.

When are we going to have a super talent like them?

good album, will be liked by the fans....

vinyl -- yup, yup!

Nice story - thanks.

Streaming | Deezer Elite

(1992)

This is a good way to start the day, his playing on this is superb and the recording sound quality excellent. 

Listening to this via Bandcamp, this is a definite buy...

Streaming | FLAC

(1978)

Not up to the standard of their previous albums, this one is more like a series of tracks all trying to be singles which, unlike their earlier albums that had more of a unified theme. Having said that there are some good tracks on here and they definitely have the Camel l sound.

Listening to this album whilst watching the soft autumn rainfall, both beautiful in their own way... 

Music Matters Vinyl.