Eileen Rose - Come the storm.

criminally under the radar the excellent Eileen

SJB

Bob Dylan Selfportrait.

Haim,

They are all the same variants as mine (138 815 ). This Japanese Universal reissue sounds just awful. A high surface noise plus overall muddy balance. This is not the first time I had a problem with Japanese pressing. The mastertape must have been sourced from the same place.

This Italian release is much better yet it's the same gig!. The performance sounds a whole lot different even.

I wonder how much good the original Germany pressing is altho, lately i have had a good luck with DG Italian pressings sounding better than some of German reissues.

I will try Abbado vesion and see.

Hi Doug,

I have found those Praga Digitals cd's to seem slightly warm and earthy on a first play, but they always warm nicely as growers too.

I like the Prazak Quartet and particularly the sound from Michal Kanka's cello,

is he playing with this group?

On the subject of Schumann's quartet's/quintets, i was recently very impressed by the Beaux Arts Trio playing op.47 and op.44 on the Philips (Decca) 'duo' which is a very affordable 2 x cd set from amazaon.

I'm relatively a newcomer to Schumann's works, a colleague-friend tried to get me into Schumann a few year ago but i just didn't quite take to it...

But my interest was sparked a few weeks ago by a film score music - while watching the film 'Colonel Charbert', and have since been researching, expanding and enjoying all the music used on that film set, bit of a treasure trove imho.

Funny how the emotional stimulus of a film (with sympathetic music) can pivot ones preferences.

Debs

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

Etudes Symphoniques op.13

Sonate no.2 op.22

Scènes de la Forêt op.82

Michiko Tsuda piano : Steinway & Sons Modèle D

Recorded at studio Tibor Varga (Sion - Suisse) 1997

[DDD] Cypres CD © 1997

~~<<>>~~

The other recording that the Emersons made with Menahem Pressler, again very well played. Pity this group didn't go for the Brahms as well!

Cheers,

EJ

Cheers,

EJ

Evgeny Kissin

"Mozart Piano Concertos 20 & 27"

on Spotify (US)

Trio Italiano

"Schumann Piano Trios" vol. 1

L.E.O. - Alpacas Orgling

A nice way to start a sunny day with a tribute to Jeff Lynne by William 'Bleu' McCaully III.

Randy Porter

"Modern Reflections"

"The violin-and-keyboard sonatas of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach are as wild as his better-known keyboard sonatas and symphonies -- perhaps even wilder, for the composer fools at times between the quite conventional relationship between the two instruments. The four works recorded here have the advantage of being genuine works for violin and piano, not the piano-with-accompanying-and-almost-optional violin configuration that prevailed during much of the era of High Classicism. Bach's conceptions depend on the equality of the instruments' roles, for these works are primary examples of the empfindsamer Stil or sensitive style that had roots in various strains of philosophical thought of the time. Plenty of drama is generated as the musical lines are broken up into irregular little fragments, with each instrument taking the music off into new directions."

EJ,

I just saw the Emersons perform a couple of weeks ago Quartets of Haydn, Bartok and Schubert. It was a pleasure to see a group play with such deep emotions as well as technical skills.

Haim

Gordon Lee

"This Path"

On Spotify (US)

looking forward to Kasabian's new album in a couple of months

atb

kk

Kenny Barron Trio

"Landscape"

on Spotify (US)

Emily Jane White

"dark undercoat"

on Spotify (US)

Hi Debs,

I agree about the Praga Digitals.  Yes, Michal Kanka is the Cellist in the Prazak Quartet.  I quite like his playing.  I've been on to him after only recently becoming aware of him so he was the reason of some recent purchases like the Shostakovich Cello Sonatas and the Brahms disc as well.

For me, movies are mostly about the visual and aural senses.  If only one could smell them too then I think we'd always have real winners!  Strange but I am more affected by anything that involves the senses than perhaps, something incidental like the storyline .  I'm being facetious, of course, but I get your point.  I have become aware of some great music simply by that I heard it in a movie.  I find if I relate to some music visually through a movie I always will have that image or sense whenever I hear or play that particular piece in the future.  If I come to some music on my own I create some sort of imagery or feeling about it on my own.

This demonstrates how complex music is in its effect on us.  The visual aspect helps me understand that music is also about character and maybe something real in life (the emotion) where words fall short.  If one focuses on the structure and only values the lucidity of the lines then that might eventually leave one cold as it is possibly only part of the picture.  Great music is always about structure and character.  Music that leaves us cold is often due to the fact that we still haven't figured out the character of the music (or vice versa).  It is all very individual, as to what you decide the character might be, but a movie often is a great way to kickstart us to some imagery we relate with to let our imagination run wild.

A great deal of the music I value most now also only came after years of struggle so you are not alone with taking in Schumann or anyone else.  Often, I might only like a one minute long section out of a 45 minute piece but this is just the start of a journey and the way most great relationships develop.

Best Regards,

Doug