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

On CD:-

Disc 2

Steve,

I bought it second hand(mint condition) from a shop in north London for a £5. Brazil has a history of producing some great jazz/bossa musicians and they don't get any bigger than Baden. I have always been a great admire of his work. He is huge in the US and europe(especially Germany) and,  of course, his homeland Brazil.. Album can be found on a certain auction site or as an import. Worth every penny.

KR

Tony

Yes Kuma, the White Album was the last LP mastered primarily for mono but the stereo mastering by this time had significantly improved compared to the early albums. I have the WA UK 1st press in mono and a German 1st press in stereo. The stereo version is good, especially 'Helter Skelter' and 'Back in the USSR'. 

I've listened to the new BFS LP tonight and, without getting the 1st press out of it's sleeve, the new pressing is still quite enjoyable. I can see why a lot of people who don't have '60s/'70s pressings in good condition like them. I would imagine the new Sgt Pepper will have a better SQ than your '80s pressing.

ATB

Steve

Frédéric Chopin: Maurizio Pollini (Piano)

Twenty-Four Préludes for Piano, Op. 28

Nocturnes (2) for Piano, Op. 27

Mazurkas (4) for Piano, B 105/Op. 30

Scherzo for Piano no 2 in B flat minor/D flat major, B 111/Op. 31

Their was a time in my life where I literally looked forward to a Pollini recording.  Old habits die hard but if only I wasn't so compelled to be an obsessive completist just for the sake of it.  I may have stopped a long time ago.  Don't be alarmed; there is nothing wrong with Pollini.  He is still very adept  at what he does.  It is just that as "I" age it seems he and I are growing ever wider apart in our views and outlook of the world in in this case, Chopin.  

Maybe it is as simple as the possible difficulty when two cooks sit at the same table and try desperately to not speak aloud the thoughts going through each of their heads about the others food--too much salt, overdone, not done enough, this has no taste, yuk etc.

Polllini's style of playing doesn't seem to suit a great deal of Chopin, IMHO.  It strikes me as to rigid and maybe too cold.  I hear no sense of life, passion, depth, struggle and it simply feels very metrical.  Music must breath.  Tasteful rubato when applied judicially is sometimes a good thing.

The majority of the Préludes, Nocturnes, Mazurkas really are character pieces.  Pollini's viewpoint may come off as just being a highly skilled and competent technician.  

Frédéric Chopin: Lang Lang (piano)

Etudes (12) for Piano, Op. 25

Nocturne for Piano, B 152/Op. 55: no 2 in E flat major

Nocturne for Piano, Op. 15: no 1 in F major

Waltz for Piano in E flat major, B 62/Op. 18 "Grande valse brillante"

Andante spianato et Grand polonaise brillante in E flat major, Op. 22 

Nocturne for piano in C sharp minor, KK Anh.Ia/6

Waltze for Piano, B 164/Op. 64: no 1 in D flat major "Minute Waltz"

Now here is the baffling thing.  I used to like Pollini more when I was young and this relationship has become difficult and strained.  In the opposite fashion, when Lang Lang first appeared, I wasn't really enthralled with him.  In fact, I actually swore I'd never buy one of his recordings.  Then maybe 2 to 3 years ago, in listening by chance I started to hear something different than what I remember of a decade ago.  The turning point for me was the Trio album with Repin and Maisky and then more importantly, the Live in Vienna album.  Lang Lang just turned 30 now.  Pollini just turned 70.  

I like the fact that this child prodigy who is growing musically and proving me wrong.  I still would have some criticisms but they are so minor in comparison to his strengths now.  And whether I like his interpretations or not doesn't really matter.  He is putting something out that has some character to it.  What is most evident is that he is playing with his heart and mind.  

Occasionally, he may get a little heavy handed but this is a minor quibble.  His Chopin is one of strength and then within a breath he can turn it into something tender.  The Etudes (and Preludes) are extremely difficult technically and also require a high degree of interpretive skill.  Lang Lang walks all over these like I don't believe I've heard before but he also is very creative.  This is a wonderful skill and attribute for a pianist his age.

My vinyl copy has been on pre-order for some time already and I can't wait for it to arrive.  In the mean time, I can enjoy his Live in Vienna and Liszt now!

Doug,

Is his new Chopin album better than his Beethoven Piano Concerto No.1? :x

A friend told me it's very good, too so I'll proably get the vinyl when it comes out next month. 

How's current Sony vinyl sound quality wise?

Kevin & Steve,

Thanks for the info.

Pardon my ignorance but Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper and Let it Be, Magical Mystery Tour are originally recorded in Stereo, correct? ( post White Album )

I think I am going to wait for the White Album mono.

James Taylor: Never Die Young

Hi Kuma

The only ones that were recorded in stereo (and not available in mono) are Abbey Road and Let It Be, plus bits of Yellow Submarine.

Pepper you can get in mono and stereo - the mixes are rather different.

Since the 1980s, the Fabs' catalogue globally has been based around the UK release schedule, thus:

Please Please Me '63

With the Beatles '63

A Hard Day's Night '64

Beatles For Sale '64

Help! '65

Rubber Soul '65

Revolver '66

Sgt Pepper '67

Magical Mystery Tour '67

White Album '68

Yellow Submarine '69

Abbey Road '69

Let It Be '70 (but recorded before Abbey Road)

plus:

Red '73

Blue '73

Past Masters '88

At The Beeb '94

Anthology 1 '95

Anthology 2 '96

Anthology 3 '96

Yellow Submarine Songtrack '99

1 '00

Let It Be... Naked '04

Love '06

Stereo box '09

Mono box '09

Stereo LPs box '12

All the other compilations, repackages, live albums and the Capitol albums have been deleted (although the Capitol albums are available on two box sets should you want them) 

Just to warn you, the mono CDs are not available separately, only in the box set. I suspect the same may be true of the mono vinyls.

iMac/iTunes:-

Vinyl. From my Blue Horizon collection. Great West Coast blues. George Smith was one of the first to use an amplified harmonica. On this album he's backed by Bacon Fat with Rod Piazza. The title track is so mellow. 

The original vinyl will cost hundred now but I believe the album is available on CD.

Steve

Vinyl 1970 Deram. This is a blast from the past. Remember the single 'House of the Rising Sun' taken from this LP?

On "new" vinyl:-

Morning sparkle 

Listening & Watching on DVD  sounds much better than the compressed CDs

Vinyl

On Vinyl

On CD:-

On Vinyl

Karl

Castle Music Ltd © 1999 [and compilation] 2 x CD : )

Kevin,

Thanks for that.

So to summerise:

Abbey Road: Stereo

Let it Be: Stereo

White Album: Mono

Yellow Submarine: Mono & Stereo

Sgt. Pepper: Mono & Stereo

Magical Mystery Tour: Mono

Robert Schumann: Murray Perahia (piano)

Davidsbündlertänze for Piano, Op. 6 (recorded December 1972 & June 1973)

Phantasiestücke (8) for Piano, Op. 12 (June 1973)

Karl, I bet that is CD 23 from The First 40 Years box set?

Mine was just pulled from the mailbox 30 minutes ago (damages and all) and still has frost on it but forget Christmas time.  I couldn't wait.  Disc one is going strong.  One of my favourite living pianists so this is going to be a very special present to me.

Didn't buy this in 1998, got it lately s/h (there really is some great value in cd out there) and my son couldn't believe it was from 1998 when he was only  2. He thought it sounded very modern ( I wouldn't know!)

My daughter ( 6 months old on release) thought it sounded "interesting"

the old man thinks its superb. 

SJB