What are you listening to? (Vol VII)

On 180g Rhino black stuff.

Its still under a tenner at hmv inc post.

Stu

U2 "The Joshua Tree" (remastered)

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The swan song disc of the Florestan Trio.  I still haven't grown to appreciate the Songs for Soprano but I am very fond of the Piano Trios but this wasn't an automatic relationship.  The e minor trio was really my first piece of 20th century that I accepted and it was only because I had to spend a year of my life learning it since my piano trio of the time wanted to play it.  I was very apprehensive for the initial period but they were growing tired of Beethoven and Brahms.  It was during this time I came to really like this man, Shostakovich, with all his wit, sarcasm, and basic, gritty humanness.

Last night, I finally fooled my seven year old "perfect pitch" son.  I usually ask him to identify things in the music we are listening to and so I asked him what instrument starts the opening of the e minor trio.  Of course, he said a violin and I said, ha, ha, it's a cello!  This trio starts with a cello playing far above its normal range by using the harmonics.  It is a very eerie, cool opening, and probably one of the most interesting openings around.  The atmosphere he creates just draws you in.

One of my favorite parts of the e minor trio comes in the Largo.  It is a passacaglia reminiscent of Bach but with a 20th century flare to it.  The piano is the ground bass and the violin and cello simply intermingle but musically there is such depth here.  It is a fantastic relationship between two individuals who share their soul.   It was also really a brilliant opportunity for me to learn how to really listen as it is one of the few opportunities for the pianist to sit back and enjoy.  My favorite part comes where the Violin line actually goes lower than the Cello line.  Whatever the reason, emotionally, this part gets me every time.  I have to think about peeling potatoes or something to make it through.  I often wonder how the real pros can convey emotionally moving music to a listener yet keep their own composure?

In the fourth movement, Shotakovich wraps up elements of everything that came before, like the bleakness, the irony, the lament.  Also introduced is some Klezmer music.  It is this theme that he also used in one of his String Quartets.  So it is from this trio that it lead me to the String Quartets and then the Cello Sonata and Piano Quintet and appreciation of his instrumental chamber music.  The rest, I have to work on.  

On vinyl(DMM):-

Laura Gibson "Beasts Of Seasons"

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Joseph Arthur "Graduation Ceremony"

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This brilliant 4 LP box set.

Pete Yorn "Back & Forth"

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Intermezzo to Wagner's Ring: Verdi's "Il Corsaro". The opera itself is pleasant enough as middle period Verdi goes, but like the other issues in the Philips/Gardelli series, the casting was beyond excellent, with Carreras in his absolute prime, singing to two prima donnas, also in their prime: Jessye Norman and Montserrat Caballé. 

Cheers,

EJ

Paul Simon "So Beautiful or So What"

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On vinyl:-

Miles ,not sure Sally would like anything form Sheffield tonight. Football reference.

Leonard Cohen "I'm Your Man"

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Organ music in attempt to temper the storm outside.

Michael Dean Damron "Plea From A Ghost"

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On CD:-

Richard Thompson - You? Me? Us?

Joe Henry "Blood From Stars"

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John Hiatt "Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns"

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Band Of Horses "Everything All The Time"

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Bloody great album.

Cheers

Flettster