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

and now the soothing sounds of...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta0a3DFUU0Y

Denis,

 You should have mail about the Thirst playing live .Stu.

Spinning an original German pressing

Live recordings. A side: mono / B side: stereo

Very basic outer-cover - doesn't say where or when ?

Unadulterated pop, but very good never the less.

Cheers

Flettster

A moment of retro nostalgia

Debs,

I bet that's good as I like her No.19 with Fricsay.

EJ,

I bet you'd like the Stephan Bishop playing the 20?

I like his No.21 with Colin Davis albeit a bit too *genteel* for my taste.

So far I like Pletnev's 20 the best. It's mind boggling how many 'covers' of this popular score!

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Oboe Concerto in C, K.214

Richard Strauss (1864-1949)

Oboe Concerto in D

~<>~

I'd love to hear it. There are a couple of records by Kovacevich that I haven't heard: his Mozart, some chamber music. Not religious about it - I did have his recordings of 20th century music on the Greatest Pianist series, but gave that issue away as I wasn't convinced about the music itself.

Besides Gulda, in #20 I love Perahia (I've just ordered Sony's new remastering, hopefully they did a better job than last time), and Uchida's new one with the Cleveland. About the latter, if you haven't heard it, it may surprise you how powerful Uchida's playing has become, compared to her earlier accounts.

EJ

Mmm. Listened again this morning but I'm not very impressed I'm afraid. Dull and repetitive.

Thanks both for all the Music Matters posts.

Adrian, having looked on their site this morning and seen the delivery price, I can see now why it makes sense to buy a few at a time. Couple of Qs: is it the same shipping cost for a couple or more, and roughly how much will Customs & Excise hit me for?

Even if they won't all be worth as much as that Grant Green, and I wouldn't part with them, it's good to know they're kind of an investment. I think I shall have to go for some, especially as one of my first and favourite Blue Notes is out some time this month and avaialble for pre-order - on now...

Tks, CC

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, 28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012

Cheers,

EJ

Chief, if you want to buy the odd one or two, then Diverse Vinyl is probably the best way to buy. £50 a piece and no hassle with shipping from the US and custom charges.

Otherwise I buy normally from Acoustic Sounds or Elusive Discs and then take my pick between the Music Matters releases and the Analogue Productions 45rpm releases. As you say, this is when it makes sense to do  a good sized order so that your unit cost per item is not so bad. I find that shipping for one item is not too much different from shipping for several. As for custom charges, it is hit and miss, sometimes I do not get charged. I do not know how Music Matters themselves calculate shipping but when I was subscribed it was getting crazy receiving two a month, with high shipping and customs so I stopped and pick and choose what I want now in a block order, or buy from Diverse when I see them at a show.

As for an investment, these are going to be very resaleable in time. I am not sure why Grant Green sold out so quick and is commanding a very high price. As you can see though, once gone, it will be the secondhand market only for these beauties.

Cheers

Chief,

I do the same as Lontano, buying mainly from Acoustic Sounds. I don't have to worry about custom charges though as my 2 kids go to the States 3-4 times a year and bring back an order of 4-6 records for me. My son has recently 'sold his soul to the devil' and starts working for Goldman Sachs in July after he finishes his Economics degree at Bath. He's going to New York in July so I'll be placing an order with AR soon. Children have some good uses. Bless 'em.

Steve

Discovered a new record label with great musical performances ....

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aleg

After finishing the previous one, continued directly with the next great one, with chamber music by Guillaume Lekeu.

Beautifull or even exceptional music by a Belgian/French composer who died at the tender age of only 24.

Worth a listen ....

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Lekeu, who was born in Verviers, Belgium, took his first lessons at the conservatoire in that city. In 1879, his parents moved to Poitiers, France. There, he finished school while he continued his music studies autodidactically. At the age of 15, he composed his first piece.

In 1888, his family settled down in Paris where Lekeu became a student of César Franck. After Franck's death, Vincent d'Indy became his new teacher. He obtained in 1891 a second prize in the Belgian Prix de Rome for his cantata Andromède.

The famous violin virtuoso Eugène Ysaÿe, who had been friendly with Franck, asked Lekeu to write for him a violin sonata. Ysaÿe played this composition for the first time in March 1893, and it remains Lekeu's most popular piece. At the age of 23, Lekeu fell ill with typhoid fever and died in Angers only one day after his 24th birthday. He was buried in a suburb of Verviers.

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aleg

On vinyl, as part of a big meaty box set:

On top of the core Wanderer-Fantasie and a few miniatures comes a nice selection of some of my favourite Liszt transcriptions of Schubert lieder.  I guess I am clearly myopic when it comes to the piano; everything just makes more sense to me in hearing everything through the context of a piano or a handful of strings.  Since I don't know any singers to come over and read through the lieder with me on any given day, I am thankful beyond words to Franz Liszt for bringing many other invaluable worlds to the keyboard.  Now I can play some of these lieder in my own home which is always the best place to learn, grow and cultivate the musical experience.