What are you listening to right now? (VOL I)

Prompted by an evening with a prog-loving friend I haven't seen for ten years.

A little early morning Moon-worship to blow the cobwebs away. Some music just begs to be played at 11 on the dial and this is one. Shame it is only 8am and we have neighbours!

quote:

Originally posted by Ian G.:

Now that is a very nice album indeed.

quote:

Originally posted by munch:
RAM Paul McCartney.Before Wings Wild Life.

And so is that - one of Paul's best.

Shawn Colvin - A Few Small Repairs




Depeche Mode - Ultra



Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Marianne Faithful - 20th C Blues and Broken English

Elgar Enigma Variations and Holst Planets Suite. Boult and the LSO on an EMI reissue CD. Wonderful.

With the first coffee of the morning.

In a hot sunny summer afternoon.
Good morning Haim!

Wilco sky blue sky

SJB

quote:

Originally posted by Gianluigi Mazzorana:
In a hot sunny summer afternoon.
Good morning Haim!

Good morning, Gian.

Same here, though tomorrow it is supposed to be the hottest day of the year. Better do all the yard work today.

Regards,

Haim

Schubert's Quartet in D Minor, "Death And The Maiden." Adolf Busch Quartet. This is rather dark and volatile piece, which aspects the Busch capture in a very powerfully straight reading. The final dash home [fourth movement coda] sounds anything like a relief at reaching home, but rather like a realisation that the journey has been one seeking and not finding a solution to the mystery of life. The 1930s HMV recording [EMI transfer] is more than up to conveying the subtlely painted tonal expressive colours that the Quartet uses. Busch was a revolutionary musician who brought quartet playing forward in a way that is similar to what artists like Fischer Dieskaw did for lieder. They are more classically restrained with regard to tempo fluctuation than many quartets of the day. They are not afraid of rather broad tempi though. That must have frustrated the HMV recording team where timings frequently run to an extra side, but only by a minute or so.

Busch was not happy to be advised how to record, and he collaborated with Fred Gaisberg [the cheif EMI producer] in a rather remarkable way. Busch was concerned that musical balance between the four instruments was completlely equal. In the morning when a studio rehearsal and a few trial sides would take place, he would move the microphone about himself, and go into the conrol room to asses the quality. Often the recording would be a virtual performance of first takes in the afternoon, and only any faulty sides retaken at the end. There almost no take twos among the issued recordings, and the balance still sounds modern, and not dominated by the leader as in many older quartet recordings. There was no effort to taylor speeds to fit the time constraints of the old shellac discs, and this even led EMI to question the famous Brandenburg recordings they achieved [with the chamber orchestra], so what was done there was to spread movements over two or three sides, but take the begining of the next movement into the remainder of the side. There are several examples of this though the original 78s, though a transfer shows none of this as Busch had a tremendous control of mood and tempo, so the result, when rejoined up, becomes seemless.

He had less luck working for American Columbia [after 1939], and was often quite dissatisfied with the recordings. He even stopped the release of his only recording of the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the NYPSO under his brother Fritz, "because the solo is too prominent!" That says something about his attitude about the importance of the musicians compared to the music!

Adolf Busch was not only one of the great violinists, but one of the greatest musicians in the 20th Century!

ATB from Fredrik

No work here Haim.
At least till i get the sander spares.
Thing that will not happen today.

Very loud

My Morning Jacket - Okonokos

Truly excellent CD...

...but absolutelybloodymarvelous on the 4LP box set that arrived this morning.

quote:

Originally posted by Gianluigi Mazzorana:
No work here Haim.
At least till i get the sander spares.
Thing that will not happen today.

Great Gian,

Now you are using the very familiar story of no spare parts for an excuse not to work.

I can tell that Berlusconi is not in power any longer....

EZ Rollers - Conductors

Go Go Electro is a massive slice of Electro D&B that gives a the bass drives a huge work out.

quote:

Originally posted by Haim Ronen:

quote:

Originally posted by Gianluigi Mazzorana:
No work here Haim.
At least till i get the sander spares.
Thing that will not happen today.

Great Gian,

Now you are using the very familiar story of no spare parts for an excuse not to work.

I can tell that Berlusconi is not in power any longer....

You can change the governement but i'll have to sand those beams and frames on my own the same.
When i'll get the spares, of course.
PS: when Naim will make orbital sanders i'll take the whole set.

Haydn: String Quartets Op 77 /Quatuor Mosaiques


Some beautiful music on here.



SJB

The Wallflowers
"Bringing Down The Horses"
(1996)