title: music to chase hares down holes to - quelques chansons brillantes

text:
This is one of my favorite albums of all time.  Ces mecs sont pure seventies.  Imagine the Beatles mixed with a touch of Crosby Stills Nash & Young and Jefferson Airplane cut with someone like Leo Kottke- but in Quebecois French.

The entire album is mostly mellow acoustic- guitar driven 70's folk rock. They're aptly named, because the harmonies & melodies here will catch you.  The lyrics are really exquisite, too, I think. Pretty sure quite a bit of chemical inspiration went into the writing of these songs. Par example, from the title song, Harmonium:

Imaginez qu'un homme musicien vienne voir si je suis vivant, chargé par ses milles instruments.  y'en avait un pour moi, justement. il est entré sans rien me dire, l'encre s'est mise à couler dans ma tete et sur un vieux papier.. il m'a dit de vous dire qu'il n'y a plus rien a dire, il m'a dit de vous dire d'ecouter.

Roughly: Imagine, a music man come to see if I'm alive, bearing his thousands of instruments. He had one for me, only one. He came in without saying anything.. Ink has begun to flow in my head onto an old paper.. He told me to tell you that there's nothing more to say, he told me to tell you to listen.

It's more poetic in French, but you get the semantic thrust. Anyway, can't be sure, but I think someone dropped a couple tabs, there. It must have been fun.  The result is quite nice & trippy, anyway.

This album is a very good tool to improve your French with, btw, having very clear enunciation - excepting that there's a bit of l'argot quebecois here, but that to me only adds to their allure.

Highly recommended. Seek it out if you like French music at all.


title: Arrived as promised.

text: The packaging was secure and acceptable. The CDs themselves have exceeded my expectations. This is a great collection of songs. One after the other, each is a hit.


title: Three Stars

text: The music is great but the sound leaves much to be desired


title: Excellent

text: Very pleased with the product and all transactions


title: Great product

text: Great product


title: Must have!

text: By far the best Duval collection I have seen. All my favorites are here and the price was excellent!


title: A pleasant, rocking mix of musical styles

text:
Although this is music from a cartoon that played overseas and has yet to play in America, some of this music is down right entertaining. The most surprising aspect of the album is the blend of various musical genres in each track. For example, the alternative themed "Obviously" has a few measures drawing inspiration from the big band era.

The music comes from the mind of Magnus Fiennes, who wrote and produced a huge chuck of both albums by the all girl-quintent "Bond."

The highlights of this album are "They'll Make a Monster Out Of You", "Best I've ever had", and "Born to It" - this track should have been a major radio hit in its own right. The opening rhythm of track 1, "Kickin' in the Beat" makes the song worth listening to, and "No Place Like Home" samples from the music of "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" western.

The only downside is a couple of tracks that hammer the rhythm so hard it loses the overall charm of the song, such as "We Rule the Playground." The music also has an "all about me" feel to it, which may be something parents may not want to encourage in their young ones.


title: A diamond in the rough.  Michael Hedges Clone

text: If you like Michael Hedges you will love this artist, and CD.  Technical just as Michael Hedges was.  You will not be disappointed in this purchase.  Found this CD at a flea market.  A gem.  Enjoy!  Steve


title: Five Stars

text: awesome


title: Five Stars

text: This is more comfortable then the plastic ones but could have a more rigid piece so wouldn't bend


Great recording from an extremely talented musician. I can't wait to buy more CD's from this artist, so get busy Nathan :)


title: Five Stars

text: Absolutely fascinating.  A must for all Americans!


title: Let's Rock~

text: I absolutely love this CD, I'm a big fan of the Original DMC games and this soundtrack is simply gorgeous. It goes from eerie gothic to haunting melodies, up to the most beautiful song I used to listen to sleep: Pillow Talk (version 1). If I'm not replaying this game I'm listening to this amazing OST. Certainly recommend it to those who loved the Original Devil May Cry!


title: Five Stars

text: NO problems whatsoever.


title: Beautiful and magical

text: I am really enjoying this set.  I had not heard Leontyne much despite having many other opera discs but saw the fascinating documentary about the Met Opera opening, which featured her.  I was glad to see this newly created set and have enjoyed hearing her beautiful voice, across many different operas.


title: BEST SELLER EXPERIENCE EVER!!!

text: What made this product amazing was the seller.  Yes, the packaging and everything are perfect and the live versions of the songs I love are awesome but, when I learned that this was CD and not a DVD, the seller was very kind and responsive and even offered to take the item back if I was not satisfied.  I kept it and I'm so glad I did.  I will order from them again and again.  Thank you!


title: Beautiful Bluegrass

text: Gal has a nice voice! Heard her do "Highway 40 Blues" on the radio when driving through SC, and was really impressed. Was so happy when the DJ said the name of the group so I could buy it as soon as I got home. Their musicians have a cohesion that I would compare to Blue Highway or Union Station. A lot of bands don't have what Jett's Creek has. The pieces just fit together seamlessly.<br />I'm a long time bluegrass guy - since I was a young kid to now, 20 some years


title: Very disappointed

text: This CD has exactly 20 minutes on it!  I know it is level 1, but I expected a bit of a challenge.  I am more than mature and not in very good shape.  Most of the 20 minutes is 2mph or below with a peak of 3mph for probably less than a minute.  And the music?  I'm not picky.  Anything upbeat would have been fine, but this feels like a cocktail lounge from the 50s.  It does time a 20 min workout nicely, but I doubt I can tolerate the music day after day.  And it does keep my mind engaged to override the relaxed pace.  If you can tolerate the slow jazz and are looking for a really easy pace and don't mind paying full price for shipping (The actual price of the CD if it was shipped for free would have been okay) for 20 min, then you may be happier with this than I.


title: As Expected

text: CD is exactly what I expected and with no defects.


title: Excellent CD

text: This is an excellent CD, light, smooth jazz. Where did you go Steve?


title: Price is guaranteed to never sell

text: Sure, it's obscure, but nine hundred and two dollars?  You gotta be kidding or not paying attention to your listing.


title: Russian pop music "rocks"

text: If you like Russian pop music this is a good one to get.  Many great songs.


title: Great CD

text: All songs are great


title: Great CD

text: Great CD


title: New stuff

text:
This collection will be good as an addition rather replacement to a best of/survey, such as 2003's "Essential Sly & the Family Stone."  I had deleted that album in prep for the arrival of this collection but will go back and add the stereo versions of some of these songs.

The materials are first rate and I look forward to digging in!


title: Five Stars

text: GREAT


title: What a wonderful memory.

text: The album was in excellent condition.  I've been looking for it for years.  Saw this group in concert in 1984 and the memories still seem fresh.


title: GOOD RECORDING

text: GOOD RECORD All sound effects are there


title: sad to say

text: Although I loved the concert, my experience has been the same as other reviewer Christopher.  And to make matters worse, I was only interested in the CD for the "Chrono Trigger/Chross Medley" that reviewer Pierre says is incomplete on the cd.  Devestatingly disappointing.


title: Awesome! great recordings

text: Awesome! great recordings, and the remastering was spot on. It is basically a bunch of live spots Hank did for the radio, comercials and lead ins and all, it is really cool to listen too.


title: Didn't work-arrived on time

text: The cd did not work. I tried it in several different cd players and it went in, didn't play and I took it out. Tried it in my dvd player and still no go. last try in my Bose radio/cd player and it got stuck. I finally got it out and pitched it. It only cost $7 so it wasn't worth it to return. I won't buy a used cd again.


title: B-Side Players

text: This cd is a good mix of slow and fast music. It is a fresh mix of music style's. If you are looking for somthing new because you are bord of all the usual out there! This is the album for you. I loved it and Fire in the Youth is even better!


title: Highly reccomend this cd!

text: Good musicians, and great arrangements. This band really knows how to capture the style of the big band era!


title: excellent condition

text: I loved this cd, in excellent shape and made the person very happy


title: liked it

text: grew up with this music love it  my cds stolden from car found this replacement for one listened to all the time


title: Easy listening

text: Nostalgic<br />Just what I needed


title: Good seller

text: Great remembering


title: Very funny lyrics

text: Good product


title: Three Stars

text: too much repetition


title: Great gift

text: Great gift


title: Sweet

text: Great music


title: Five Stars

text: I love anything Waylon! Happy to have it for my collection! Great album!


title: Five Stars

text: Love both sides of this one. It’s like a new one


title: Five Stars

text: All of his are great!! He could sing the phone book!!!


title: Recording good

text: Quality of recording good and it’s an excellent cd


title: Recording cleat

text: Quality of recording good


title: I Liked It

text:
I'm going to be honest, I hated this cd when I first heard it. I actually had a free download, but deleted it because I thought it was garbage. Okay, I didn't think it was garbage, it just wasn't what I wanted to hear from Trent Reznor. Sometime later, I heard a song from the band and really liked it. I didn't realize who it was by until later, and was shocked when I found out because of how I felt upon first listening to the band.

So, all in all, a good cd and band.


title: Great new band worthy of a United States audience!

text:
I was in the Philippines for three weeks from July 29th to August 18th. While browsing the television stations at night while my wife was away, I heard the funky rythm section of this band on the MYX (like a Philippine MTV) channel. I didn't speak a word of Tagalog and I was eagerly waiting to see the credits at the end of the video. They didn't list the song or the album name so my only memory of the band was the lead singers necklace.

I watched MYX day after day after day until i saw that necklace again and I rushed to the Mall of Asia in Manila to get a copy of the album "Manila High"

Don't let the album title fool you, this isn't your average high school garage band type of music. THese guys are talented. Im very glad that in my travels to the Philippines that I was able to discover and bring back some local music to the States. Id love to see these guys get big and if I could, I'd help them.

The music reminds me alot of Jamiroquoi and has some 70's dance style beats going on at times. The Bass player lays down some nice basslines that woudl be a challenge for some to learn, and with the drums, they are a really tight and funky rythm section.

THe guitarist has a good clean tone sound, some funky licks and some decent solos. Very smothe style if you ask me. WHat really attracted me to this band is the great use of the synthesizer that is not overdone or underplayed. The other keyboard sounds include a dusty Fender Rhodes or Wurlitzer sound and really give these guys a unique sound for a group of young musicians. THe vocals arereally smoothe and even though i don't speak Tagalog (the most widely spoken of the native filipino dialects) I really enjoy the overall content of the album. THese guys have a playfulness that is heard in their music, and listening to the album, it is very aparent that these are talented musicians. Some of the songs are Funk/disco sort of hybrids, some are balads, some have latin rythms and some have dramatic changes in the tempo and style. Kala definately should get some audiences outside of the Philippines and hopefully the english lyrics will help them a bit.

THe disc starts out with the making of their Video "Jeepney" followed by the actual video. The audio tracks begin on tracks 4.

Normally when one hears one song from a band and gets the cd, its a major gamble as the rest of the album is usually lacking. This wasn't the case with "Manila High" as the first song was a great intro to the album.

"Pulis Pandkalawakan" This is a slower tempo synth driven groove with a heavy bassline. Vocal harmonies in the chorus. I really like this one.

"Parapap" THis song is an up-tempo groove that has a little of Jamiroquoi influence in it. THe drums are workin really well, lots of licks and rests in the song, and it has some funky guitar and some good changes.

"Jeepney" I think this is probably one of the main singles for this album. It sounds a bit more mainstream, and is a slower ballad. My wife didn't translate the lyrics but she said that aparently its about a guy who meets a girl on a Jeepney (One of the unique methods of public transportation and symbols of Filipino culture.)

"Sync of 8" This is one of the English language songs on the disc. Has some funky guitar riffs, and some truly great Synth licks and tempo changes. It sounds like it has a little Jamiroquoi influence and some hip hop touches as well, but the synth really makes this song shine. Its a really great song.

"Salamin" THis is one of my favorites on the album. It starts out with a really pretty piano piece and morphs into what I think is the best song on the album. Up-tempo, strong bassline, more of Kala's great tempo changes and arrnagements.  I absolutely love this song and I believe that this is the vodeo that I saw on television. Great vocal harmonies as well accent this song. Salamin is translated as "Mirror"

"Southside" starts out with some slow keyboards and acoutistic guitar that reminds me of a band that i can't place now, and ends up in some nice latin flavored melodies. Its one of the english language songs as well. I didn't like this song at first but it is really growing on me. On this song the album starts getting a little slower pace.

"Piso Pisons Paraiso" This song starts out really slow and mellow with some electric piano and a rainstick and then quickly transforms into a heavier rock with very interesting changes.

"Manila High" also has some very interesting changes and it starts out kind of clow but it has some musical suprises

"Bakbakan" has some Hendrix influenced sounds and some Led Zepplin sounding riffs on the synth, and some interesting rests and overall its a very good song. Its different from other songs that ive heard from alot of recent artists and I really enjoy it.

Tubero" is the person that works on broken sewer pipes. Its a nice sounding song with some mellow beats and some good sounding melodies. THese guys do a really good job of mixing individual styles in the same song.

"Weather Forecast" features a guest Female singer. THe song is a groovin' sort of ballad. THe lady sings in english in a breathy sort of sexy way. Just one of the songs that seems to have the Kala signature stamped on it.  I really like the way that they feature each instrument in each song.  Overall this song is really groovin and has alot of old school influences in it. Near the end of the song is alot of blank space followed by some material done in a "Bonus track" fashon. some music with some tagalog talking I really wish that I knew what they were saying.

"Jeepney" This is a remixed version of the song and while ive only given this disc a handfull of listens I can't tell that its much different except the drums are replaced by congas and bongos.

Conclusion:

Overall im very glad that i purchased this disc. Im glad that i discovered this band and can bring it home to share with my friends.  I wish that they would get some play in the States.

THe music overall if very "feel good" and while its definately not "soft rock" it doesn't get too hard.  THe up tempo songs are really nice and the musicianship is great.  They seem to really have some collective songwriting efforts going on between the keyboardist and the bassplayer i think.  I honestly dont' know enough about this band except for what i have seen on tv in their Live Performance on MYX and the video on the disc and whatever i saw on television that first night i heard their music.

If you really like bands like Jamiroquoi (I keep comparing Kala to them but they don't rip them off)and Puya (I mention Puya because of the foreign language similarities as well as the great combination of lots of different styles into one song) then I think it would do your ears a great justice to check these guys out.  THey have a tight rythm section.  THe album is produced really well, they have alot of effects in their music on different instruments at the same time that do not drown eachother out. They do different mixing effects in some of the songs that really seem to pull out all of the stops to give these guys a unique sound.  I was really impressed with what i heard because as i stated earlier, most of the time when you buy a cd from a band when you only hear one song of theirs you are dissapointed.

Experience Kala for yourself and be glad that you did.


title: Excellent First Effort

text:
MARK SARNO is a multi-talented keyboardist, drummer, percussionist, and composer has been a musician since age five. In the early years of his career, he played in jazz, fusion, rock, new wave, and progressive rock bands. However, throughout those experiences, a hunger grew to create his own form of musical expression. The goal: to produce a unique blend of Electronic and Progressive Rock music which reflects the myths, truths, and mysteries of the human journey.

The first CD produced, Sarno's Throw off the Mask, was released in 1995 to auspicious reviews. The NAPRA ReVIEW's Carol Wright called the CD "...a contemporary instrumental fusion release that has true depth..." and notes that the "...combination of style and high intention..." is unique and may cross the boundaries between New Age, Jazz, and other genres.

In 1996, Sarno crafted Passages Through and Beyond. As a long-time student of all mythologies, Sarno used the metaphor of the mythological Hero Journey to weave the story of Passages Through and Beyond.

Three years in the making, the 1999 release of Sarno's Dark Matter marked a coming of age. In high-energy electronica and progressive rock, the relationship of cosmology to psychology is explored, consumed, and released in a musical composition sure to change the face of progressive instrumental music.

Anything Sarno does will raise a brow and peak your interest, the man is a treat for the ears!


title: Like Actually  Being  There!  ...

text: This  is a superb  recording  from  the 2006 North  American  Tour  by  both  bands.  Those  use  to  the  standard,  sort  of  flat  sounding  band  CDs  are  in  for a  surprise  here!  This  is  like  you're  actually  there  in  the  concert  hall  with  both  bands.  Very  powerful,  deep  sound  with  many  layers  of  fine  detail  to  savor.  Some  interesting  music  as  well.  British  Isles  theme  which  has  become  standard  for  these  Columbia  Artists  Tours  in  recent  years.  Still,  there  are  a  lot  of  interesting  marches  of a  Welsh  character  by  DoM  Cresswell,  and  several  new  tunes  from  the  BW  of  which one  was  composed  from  recent  service  in  Iraqi.  One  of  the  moving  highlights is a  Drum  Salute  by  the  BW  Drummers  for  one  of  their  comrades  who  was  killed  in  service  over  there.  Great  combined  band,  and  pipes  selections.  A  classic  recording  of  its  kind  done in  true  rich  sound  by  SRC.


title: The  Tattoo  Keeps  Going  Down  Hill!

text: The  producers  of  the  Tattoo  continue  to  drive  forward  modern  sounds for  inclusion  within  the  show.  This being  2015  one  would  have  expected  some references  to  Waterloo  and  The  Great  War.  Instead  the  pipe  tune  Battle  of  Waterloo  played  as  part  of  the  Massed  Pipes  &  Drums  display in  clipped  fashion is about  all  we  get  for  Waterloo  200  and Piper  of  Loos  played  by  the lone  piper  at  the  end  is  our  sole  reference  to  WW1! The  rest  of  the  recording  has  Synthesizers,  Children's  Choirs,  Asian  sounds  and  to  top  it  all  off  Bolleywood  tunes  from  India!  Should  all  this  stuff really  be  in  the  Tattoo?  Are  the  producers  driving  the Tattoo  down  the  road  of  just  a  mindless  spectacle  while  losing  track  of  what  the  show  should  be  all  about.  The  answer  is  YES!  Finally  when  we  get  the  RAF  bands  in their  70th  Salute  to  the  Battle  of  Britain  we  again  get  clipped  parts  from  some  of  the  signature  music long  associated  with  this  event.  Sad  to  say  but the  Tattoo  is  just  becoming a  pop  show  now  to rope  in  the  sales  at  the  gate  each  year.  The  finale  is a synthesized  mess of  choirs  and  amplified  sounds  with  Fire  Works  and  the  usual  quote  be  Alisdair  Hutton  Thrown  in  about  Scotland.  In  its  current  form I  would  not  recommend  the  show  to  those  who want  to  see  martial  spectacle.  If  you  just  want  big time  entertainment  with a  castle  backdrop  then  buy  the  CD  and  go  see it!


title: Superb band that must be saved!

text:
This historic band has served Sweden's Navy since around 1685. Seven trumpeters and 2 kettle drummers were the modest origins of what became the Royal Swedish Naval band service.  Over the years many bands have come and gone but this current one is the last remaining professional band in the Swedish Navy.

Herein is a fine selection of Swedish nautical marches played with real verve and precision. Twenty-seven marches and over 75 minutes are presented here with distinct Naval and Coastal Defense associations.  Many of the marches are by famous Swedish band composers such as Sam Rydbergs,  while a few others are from the  German march king Hermann Blackenberg no less!  The band has a full and wonderful sound despite its small size.

With this band once again on the chopping block for Sweden's defense cuts it is indeed more poignant than ever to hear the fine quality of these 35 musicians. It is sad that a rich nation like Sweden would consider trashing an essential part of their naval history. There is a petition to try and save this band online. If its not too late to do so I would urge listeners to find it. After hearing this CD you will want to save it too!


title: Shalom Isreal!

text: This lively CD set is a re-issue of LPs that were made back in the 1970s.  Most likely after the 1973 War when there was surge of patriotic feeling in Isreal.  Considered a no frills kind of army even the Isreali's understand the value of good martial music for certain ceremonial occasions.  No doubt influenced by British military bands when they were posted in Palestine they likely saw the need to have some music in their army.  This is probably the main or central band serving the entire Isreali forces as it seems unlikely they would have others for individual units or Brigades.  The band sounds distinctly Russian at times, as do the choir on the second CD.  The tiles of the music reflect their patriotic or historic origins referring to certain units, battles or locales within Isreal.  The quality is very lively, and the music is played with much spirit and passion.  There has probably been some enhancement from the original LPs, but the sound quality does not seem that different from what it would have sounded like back then.  Those wanting an exotic, unique march collection reflecting the heroism and pride of a small nations armed forces can't go wrong here.  Shalom!


title: Caun Na Righ (Defend the King)

text: "Cuan Na Righ" was one of the old gaelic sayings that the Queen's Own Highlanders took as their regimental motto.  Formed in 1960 from an amalgamation of the Seaforth Highlanders and Cameron Highlanders the Queen's Own Highlanders were probably one of the most truly Highland regiments.  Their tartan was the old Cameron of Erracht which was the original Colonel who raised the early regiment that became known as the old 79th Highlanders.  The regimental pipe band of the Queen's Own was one of the finest in the British army in its day.  These recordings from the 1980s should easily support that claim.  Many fine tunes can be heard on this CD.  Many are lesser known compositions by Pipe Majors of the band. The regiment soldiers on today as The Highlanders (4th Bn. Royal Regiment of Scotland) after their latest amalagation with the Gordon Highlnaders in 1994.  Recommended for those who seek a great regimental pipe band which is sadly no more.


title: great

text: this is the most experimental album from Trent Reznor is a great instrumental masterpiece, loved both discs, its also great that it includes one track from the social network soundtrack!


title: Five Stars

text: this vinyl was perfect it was not scratched


title: Five Stars

text: I came back for more but there wasn't any


title: Five Stars

text: I came back for more, but couldn't get any...


title: friday Night

text: this cd was hard to find in this beautiful shape, quite happy to have it in my collection, enjoy it!!


title: 21 jumpstreet german edition

text: the quality of the cd is just perfect, mixes and some good covers, i have the first one and is not as dance type as this.


title: The easiest way

text: I guess they are no more of this cds, anyway was a perfect purchase, that cd had my name on it...


title: tik tok

text: It's the first song i knew from kesha, and I like it a lot. Who the hell cares about it's so called messages if any and if it's pop or electronic or whatever. It's just a song. Don't get so into all the extra crap around it. It's fun to dance to and has a good beat. And this song is a hell lot better than other crap out there. Her Animal cd is good. all the songs are fun.


title: The Beatles, warts and all!!

text: Finally a commercially released version of bootlegs diehard fans have had for years. Cleaned up for optimal sound! A must have for diehard fans!!


title: Great Guitar Album

text: Sure, alot of my friends say he sounds too much like other players(Satriani, Vai, Morse, etc.), but who the hell cares. This guy is amazing, and all 8 compositions here are just as worthy as anything else in this genre; A few songs are a little longer than they need to be, but this album just inspired me to work harder and practice longer. 'Curve' and 'Wishful Thinking' are my 2 faves, but this whole album gives you exactly what you wanted....Lots and lots  of amazing guitar! Great production, too. Good stuff here.


title: God save Dame Mirren

text: We really didn't need any further proof that Helen Mirren is one of the greatest actresses alive, but yet again she proves that to be true with her performance in "The Queen." The film itself uses the death of Princess Diana as a metaphor for the modernization of the UK. Tony Blair (a brilliant Michael Sheen), in convincing HM Elizabeth II to make unprecedented showings of grief to the public, illuminates the UK's gradual distancing from the overly strict traditions of the monarchy and into a new, more Republic type of society. The Queen is aware of this, and through Mirren's nuanced performance we see the Sovereign shift from a protocol-following figurehead to a more accepting and approachable woman. The whole movie of course rests on Helen Mirren, and she in turn is incredible- warm (to a point), witty, fiercely regal and independent, she oozes integrity. The movie itself was brilliant in using a very recent historical event to illuminate the changing culture(s) in one of the oldest and strictest countries on Earth. It's impossible not to be impressed.


title: Fantastic Sales Training

text: This program by Brian Tracy can help anyone to become a better salesperson.


title: Personal Success - Coaching Program...  Brian Tracy

text: Brian Tracy is a full-fledged master when it comes to achieving success in his personal and business lives, and he can help you achieve success in your life too.


title: Awesome! Love it!

text: Awesome! Love it! I recommend this to everyone because it is awesome! It is a very cool item to have!


title: Ahhh... The Moodys...

text: Here is an album of music that has no equal. It's deep and powerfully mellow... it gets into your soul. The lyrics are like a breath of fresh air and make you want to keep breathing. Break out the head phones and experience some of their best work.


title: My first and favorite D minor

text:
We had this record around when I was a kid. I used to play the D minor all the time and the power of this performance rocked me every time. Unfortunately we did not treat our records well in those days.  I was thrilled to find a copy recently in decent condition (VG+).  I thought I was the only person in the world who still knew about this great recording!  Glad to see I'm not.

I concur - I'd loved to see a nicely mastered version on CD.  But for now, the slightly ticky vinyl will do.


title: Five Stars

text: Wonderful!


title: not very useful really

text: This is kind of boring and really didn't help much.  Listened once only.  John Bradshaw's books are much more helpful with many issues.


title: Oistrakh-Kubelik performances of hair-raising urgency - but dismal sound

text:
This CD documents live performances given at the Prague Spring Festival (founded in 1946). The two Oistrakh performances were given at a same concert, held during the 2nd Festival on May 15, 1947, in which Oistrakh and Kubelik also gave Brahms' Concerto, no less.

Any recording by David Oistrakh of Khachaturian's Violin Concerto will have special authority, as the violinist from Odessa was the work's dedicatee and first performer in 1940. Oistrakh left three studio recordings: the first was with Alexander Gauk and the USSR State Symphony Orchestra in 1946 (I have it on LP only, but it has been reissued on CD by Pearl, [[ASIN:B000000WSO Khachaturian: Concerto for violin in Dm; Myaskovsky: Concerto for violin in Dm]]). Then came one with the London Philharmonia under the conductor, made for HMV in 1954 (now conveniently available on [[ASIN:B000I2ISM2 Khachaturian: Violin Concerto/Taneyev: Suite de Concert - David Oistrakh, Aram Khachaturian, Philharmonia Orchestra]] - but the earlier CD reissue on EMI's "Composers in Person" series, [[ASIN:B000002RTZ Khachaturian: Gayane Suite for orchestra No1; Concerto for violin in Dm]], avoids the duplication of Taneyev's Concert Suite, which I have on the "Introuvables de David Oistrakh" set published by EMI-France, [[ASIN:B0007LCNQG Les Introuvables De David]]). Finally there was a stereo remake for Melodiya in 1965 with again the composer leading the USSR Radio & TV Orchestra, which has had a variety of releases, first on a French Chant du Monde CD, volume 3 of the David Oistrakh edition they released in the late 1980s, paired with Kabalevsky's Concerto, [[ASIN:B005LG2PZG Edition David Oistrakh - Khatchaturian, Kabalevski Violin Concertos]]; on Russian Disc [[ASIN:B000001LNG Khachaturian: Concerto for violin in Dm; Concerto for piano in Df]] paired with the Piano Concerto, in another composer-conducted performance with Nicolai Petrov; on [[ASIN:B000023ZS7 Khatchaturian: Symphony No.1, Violin Con]], a 2-CD set from Melodiya with various composer-conducted Khachaturian compositions; on a Mobile Fidelity CD with Sibelius' Violin Concerto (Rojdestvensky conducting), [[ASIN:B00000DWQN David Oistrakh: Khachaturian / Sibelius]]; and on a a 2-CD set from Vox which apparently reissues the previous, paired with the same Sibelius, plus Franck and Shostakovich's Violin Sonatas played by Oistrakh and Richter ([[ASIN:B000027EJ4 Sibelius: Concerto Op47; Franck: Sonata for violin in A]]).

It is fascinating to compare Oistrakh's different takes on the Concerto (I haven't dished out of the shelves my old LP of the Gauk premiere recording). While the 1965 stereo version is certainly not wanting in vitality and brilliance in its outer movements, there is marginally more in the 1954 recording - but this one with Kubelik is simply incredible. The outer movements dash forth with near-frenetic urgency, and the Prague Radio Orchestra bravely sustains the hectic tempos, playing even with explosive drive in the finale. Just compare the timings: in the first movement, 14:57 in 1965, 14:02 in 1954, 12:47 here; in the finale 10:07, 9:20 and 8:24. As in his other recordings Oistrakh plays in the first movement not the printed cadenza but his own, and practices a minor cut in the finale. One notable feature of Oistrakh's interpretations lies in his refusal to milk the more lyrical passages in the first movement and fuss over the phrases, keeping the forward momentum: it makes the lyricism is all the more searing. Even the slow-movement is forward-moving, while Kubelik and the orchestra mold the introductory phrases with angry muscularity. It entails no loss of the movement's harrowing lyricism. Oistrakh plays with passionate vehemence and longing plangency. In the transfer the music is cut abruptly slightly before the end of the last phrase: I bet the producers tried to erase the applause that must have erupted then in the hall. Given the level of emotion elicited by Oistrakh, it was well deserved.

Oistrakh was only 15 when Prokofiev's 1st Violin Concerto was premiered in 1923 by Marcel Darrieux and Koussevitsky at the Paris Opera, but he presented it on his 1926 graduation concert at the Odessa Conservatory and became one of its most renowned champions, befriending the composer along the way and premiering his two Violin and Piano Sonatas. Oistrakh made two studio recordings of the Violin Concerto, one on Melodiya with Kondrashin in 1953 (reissued on CD by Monitor in 1991, [[ASIN:B000001010 David Oistrakh plays Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. Op. 99 - Leningrad Philharmonic with Eugene Mravinsky and Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 Op. 19 - State Radio Orchestra with Kiril Kondrashin]]) and the other with the London Symphony Orchestra under Lovro von Matacic, one year later on HMV (but I've used my 10 authorized product links; search B0002VEPNU for the CD reissue, with the two Violin Concertos of Prokofiev and his 2nd Violin & Piano Sonata). The one whose conductor is credited as Prokofiev himself on various labels appears to be Kondrashin's. A number of subsequent live recordings have also surfaced, but this one from 1947 is particularly significant as Oistrakh's earliest available recording of the piece. As with Khachaturian, all the parameters of his later interpretations are already present, but the same kind of extra urgency can be heard, especially striking, as could have been expected, in the middle scherzo, which dashes like a nimble-footed elf.

There is a huge "but", unfortunately: this live recording was made with the technical resources available in Prague in 1947, meaning that the sound is very poor, with some minor surface noise indicating that it was first engraved on acetates, and sonics so distant (ghostly even is some passages, as the coda to the first movement of Prokofiev) as to make it sound like a 78rmp from the 1920s or earlier. Some of the orchestral details are to be reconstructed in one's mind's ear rather than heard, and without a score much more will be lost. The first two introductory measures of the Prokofiev have also been cut, so that it starts directly with the soloist's entry. The violin comes out clearly but distantly and with muffled tone. It's like hearing the music after being deafened by a shell blast. I find it even more penalizing in Prokofiev's subtle filigree than in Khachaturian's dollops of sound. Ultimately then this is a document reserved to the diehard Oistrakh collector. A pity, given the interest of the interpretations.

I'll pass on Richter and Ancerl's Liszt 1st Piano Concerto, as this is not repertoire for which I've done the same kind of detailed discographic comparison as with the two other pieces, and I'll mention only that the recording from June 3, 1953 comes in much better sound. The programmers of the Prague festival must have had a soft tooth for these mammoth concerts: on the same program Richter and Ancerl gave Schumann's and Tchaikovsky's respective Concerto.


title: Best reserved to the diehard fans of violinist Josef Suk

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First, the TT of 47 minutes all but rules out this disc. The recordings date from 1979 (Bartok, Janos Ferencsik conducting - it is a live recording, as revealed by very occasional coughs and various stage noises, and the final applause) and 1980 (Berg - studio, Vaclav Neumann at the baton) and were originally published in the ending days of the LP - but this is LP duration, and the CD reissue should have been augmented. The interpretations would have to be really exceptional to warrant purchase, when those works are available in so many other and great recordings.

They aren't.

Since Isaac Stern and Eugene Ormandy's 1961 premiere recording of the newly discovered youtfhful concerto of Bartok ([[ASIN:B000002A8I A Life In Music: Isaac Stern, Volume 9]], it was first performed in 1958 in Basle, by Hanz-Heinz Schneeberger and conductor and wealthy patron of music Paul Sacher), there have been a number of very successful recordings  that have underlined the ecstatic, time-suspended quality of the first movement, from David Oistrakh ([[ASIN:B0000713AB Szymanowski Violin Concerto No 1; Bartok Violin Concerto No. 1 ; Hindemith: Violin Concerto (Urania)]]) to Midori ([[ASIN:B00000270Y Bartok - Violin Concertos No.1 & No.2 / Midori, Berlin Phil., Mehta]]) and Kremer ([[ASIN:B001AVZN3W Bartok: Concertos]]). But at 10:23 minutes, Suk is the slowest of them all (other than Stern's premiere recording, everybody is under 10 minutes), and with his pulse by the note rather than by the beat, which makes you loose entirely the lilt of Bartok's 6/8 time signature, I feel that the Czech fiddler has overstepped the line between ecstasy and sluggish boredom. His beauty of tone also works against him: stressing the elegiac, he remains somewhat placid and lacks the throbbing bow tension of Oistrakh and Stern. His second movement is better, but you need only to turn to Stern to realize what the soloist and orchestra's greater muscularity and hair of extra drive, added to the Philadelphia's better sonics - with Ferencsik, the violin tuttis are so distant that they deprive the lush, romantic climaxes of any impact - and Stern's fatter tone bring to the music. Again, while hearing Suk play this un-typical, Strauss-indebted music, a sense of boredom insinuates itself, which is dispelled hearing Stern.

In the LP days, when recordings of Berg's Violin Concerto were a really rare commodity (before 1970 you didn't need a third hand to count them), Suk made a really exceptional recording in 1965, one that led the field (the merits of Stern-Bernstein [[ASIN:B0000026EP Berg: Kammerkonzert]], Ferras-Prêtre [[ASIN:B00005RFTE Les Introuvables de Christian Ferras [Box Set]]], Grumiaux-Markevitch [[ASIN:B00000E3TN Berg / Stravinsky: Violin Concerto - Grumiaux, Markevitch, Bour]] and Menuhin-Boulez [[ASIN:B000FULXH4 Berg: Violin Concerto / Bloch: Violin Concerto - Menuhin Edition]] notwithstanding), with the same orchestra (Czech Philharmonic, a supremely virtuosic group) but under its then music director, Karel Ancerl ([[ASIN:B00006IZPL Ancerl Gold Edition 3: Mendelssohn - Bruch - Berg/Violin Concertos]]). It benefited from the clear and vivid sonics affording great detail and pungency to the orchestra, from Suk's pure and stellar tone and also from his relatively cool and unsentimental approach (there's enough emotion in the notes and one doesn't necessarily need to milk it) - although it was perhaps a little too uninflected and matter of fact in the first movement.

The new recording is very similar in conception, a tad faster and still somewhat uninflected in the first movement, and imperceptibly faster as well in the final chorale. In the intervening years Suk has lost little of his purity of tone. But the sonics are muffled, the orchestral details are dulled and the orchestra doesn't approach the bite and pungent power it had under Ancerl. This would remain a valuable version still today - if not one to put on top of the pile - if Suk hadn't done his earlier recording, but as it is, it doesn't add anything to his previous version, but rather subtracts from it.

A disc better reserved then to the most diehard admirers and collectors of Josef Suk. Music-lovers without this particular agenda will do better with Suk's previous recording of Berg's VC under Ancerl, and will have a number of better options in Bartok, and particularly, in the same general conception, those mentioned in the course of this review.


title: World Music in Bucharest

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label is absolutely not EMI, but Mute Records, and this is the UK/European edition of this CD published in 2005, Mute STUMM 242, barcode 0724386027504. US edition,  Mute 9286-2 barcode 724596928622can be found here [[ASIN:B00080ETRM Maria T]]. Other than label number and barcode, they're exactly the same, so go for cheapest.

The Maria T. of the title is Maria Tanase, a popular singer very famous in Alexander Balanescu's native Romania, active from the end of the 1930s to her death of cancer in the early 1960s. Her own songs were often adapted from the Romanian treasure-chest of folk songs, and were apparently often of bittersweet nature. The reasons of Balanescu's choice of that source material are obvious, very intimate and clearly stated in the liner notes. "As an eternal foreigner, I attempt repeatedly to reconnect myself to the cultural background f the country where I grow up".

Balanescu's intent, stated in the liner notes, was not to do just transcriptions, but to take the Tanase source as a point of departure to entirely new and personal compositions. He says it better than I do: "my intention was not to make transcriptions or arrangements of the ethnic material but to develop through my own particular musical perspective a new personal language, while always remaining true to the sprit of the original source material". Yet, those familiar with the two previous Balanescu albums on Mute, [[ASIN:B000003Z5X Possessed]] and [[ASIN:B000003Z67 Luminitza]], will not discover here any unfamiliar territory. The compositional formulas are pretty repetitive: soaring, lyrical phrases, often plaintive and nostalgic, over repetitive accompaniment, either rhythmic and dance-like or slow-moving. The music is intensely lyrical in its plaintive way, never more Gipsy-sounding (which somehow sounds also very Jewish) than on track 2. Track 6, "Mountain Call", is especially mesmerizing in its otherworldliness. Balanescu adds a pop-music drum accompaniment at the end of track 3, around the 7:30 mark (some of these songs are quite long, some of them a bit too long I found: too much repetitive music tends to outstay its welcome). Sometimes he uses the original song as a kind of "background music" or accompaniment over which he elaborates (track 4, 6, 10). What you can hear of Tanase's voice is confirmed by a website on which you can hear a selection of 59 of her songs in original form. To find it, go to her entry on the invaluable people-processed and free on-line encyclopedia, and at the end of the article you will find the link. In the selection I sampled, the voice sounded like that of an old woman - you can fancy a village singer alright:  a (powerful) viola rather than a violin. Balanescu's compositions put a nostalgia therein that I don't always hear in the original songs. So Balanescu has, indeed, transcended his source material. Yet I find his first album, "Possessed", more varied in its moods and sonic invention and therefore more accomplished and entertaining. For this one I'd rate 3 1/2 stars if I could: 3 because it is a little to uniform in its compositional processes and plaintive/nostalgic mood, 4 because it is pleasurable and easy listening.

TT 77:44


title: Good luck on finding this one!

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Good luck on finding this one, so badly it is listed: no label indication, no performers, just "Berio Laborintus Ii" (no, it's either "2" or "II"). Not that Amazon is necessarily at fault, but rather the person who originally listed it - but Amazon is at fault for having made it, throughout the years, nearby impossible for customers to submit changes and improve those listings: you've got to be a seller, and even then it's a complicated, long and tedious process. I found it only because I had the barcode, 3149021607649. It is the original Harmonia Mundi reissue, from 1987, HMA 190764, of a recording originally published in 1970. It's been reissued (and is easier to find) in 2000 on HMA 195765 (what? No more product links, now???? I've got to type it by hand???? Well, just in case I had forgotten why I don't review anymore on this website), [[ASIN:B00004TVH4 Laborintus]], where you can find my 2009 review. The CD has also been compiled in 1997 in a 3-CD set gathering two other Harmonia Mundi avant-garde recordings of those years, Boulez' Domaines and Stockhausen's Aus den sieben Tagen, [[ASIN:B0000007LN Classics of 20th Century]] (and there again, good luck on finding it by typing, say, the composers, since the ignoramus who created the entry typed "Stockhousen"!).

Nope, the most customer-centric company in the world is no more amicable, and even downright hostile, to serious review. For accurate and complete information about this CD and its reissues, see my profile and visit my website.


title: Jean Fournet offers a "Liturgique" with a major difference

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You're lucky - or Japanese - if you chance on this entry, since its credits are in Japanese only. This is in fact the first CD release, Denon COCO-78831, from 1995, of Jean Fournet's Honegger recording. In capsule: Jean Fournet isn’t a conductor much associated with Honegger, and in fact I’m not aware of any Honegger recording of his other than this CD, recorded in 1993, with Rugby, Pacific 231, Concerto da Camera, Pastorale d’été and Symphony Liturgique. Also, you wouldn’t expect an 80-year old conductor to have the energy and drive to fully convey the tension, bite, motoric energy and even rage of the two “Mouvements symphoniques” and the Symphony. To an extent, this is verified: Fournet’s Rugby is the most sluggish committed to disc, rugby players mired in mud. His Pacific is much better, although it lacks momentum. Not surprisingly, the two more gentle pieces, Pastorale and Concerto da Camera, fare well and are very atmospheric.

But it’s Fournet’s Liturgique that comes as a great surprise: while the first two movements seem modelled after Karajan’s recording and are not wanting in bite and tension, the Finale is truly something else: where the slowest versions, like Karajan’s, took that grim march at the very deliberate tempo prescribed in the score (many taking it significantly faster – including the composer -, to great effect, and no one I’ve heard taking it faster than Mariss Jansons), Fournet takes it almost 20 beats SLOWER (almost half the speed of Jansons). Subjective reaction and judgment will differ: I find it great, and if only for its radicalism this is a version that every serious Honeggerite should know.

Note that there is a Blue-Spec-CD edition of this recording from 2012 on Denon COCO-73290, [[ASIN:B007JLLSYA Pacific 231/Symphonie Liturgique. Etc.]]. However, whatever sonic improvement it has permitted (I haven't heard it), there is a price to pay for it.

This is the summary, from February 11, 2018, of a review that I had posted under the CD's other entries and was originally much longer and way more elaborate, detailed and substantiated in its interpretive comparisons, and provided many links to other versions. To know more about it, see My Profile.


title: Even for Munch, an extraordinary account of Honegger's Symphony - but still, Milhaud is the disc's main interest

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In capsule: great performance of Honegger’s Second Symphony by Munch, live with the Czech Philharmonic in May 1957, his most raging and intense among his many studio versions and some of the live ones that have been published, although the harsh sonics and and various audience noises don’t make it a first choice (that should be his stereo studio version with Orchestre de Paris, or his previous studio recording with Boston in 1953, in great mono sound that could almost be confused for stereo). So the two Milhaud compositions, Music for Prague and the 10th Symphony, will be the main interest of this disc, especially since both are conducted by the composer on May 20 1966 and the first was a world premiere. I haven't always warmed up to the music of Milhaud - I hear something contrived in his all-pervading humor that I find very artificial, and his typical polytonality can be grating on the ear. But I enjoyed these two compositions, because there is more in them than Milhaud's contrived joy. Is is, as always, present, but both works alternate between that mood and much more powerful, violent and dissonant utterances. They sound really, at times, like "contemporary music", and suddenly the sunny Milhaud from Provence breaks in. I like the combination, for its very unpredictability, even if the slow movements of both compositions are somewhat diffuse and rambling. That said, again because of the harshness and sonic limitations of the 1966 recording, these versions must be taken as documents.

Although very poorly informed (no performers' names, no label name), this is the CD's "legitimate" entry, corresponding to its barcode. There are other entries, indexed on what appears to be distributors' barcodes.

This is the summary, from February 5, 2018, of a review posted under those other entries, which originally was much longer and way more elaborate and detailed in its interpretive comparisons, especially with Munch’s other recordings of the Second Symphony. To know more about it, see My Profile.


title: Indispensable historical Honegger

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In capsule: as an early champion of the music of Honegger, Munch had unique legitimacy in this music, and he leads two great performances of the 2nd (recorded 29 March 1953) and 5th Symphony (27 October 1952, shortly after he premiered it in March 1951), uniquely urgent, fiery, raging and biting, on the opposite pole from the brooding approach illustrated by Karajan in 1969. The Boston mono sonics are great too for their vintage, so spacious that they could almost be confused for stereo.

I'll limit for the time being my comments to Honegger, except for mentioning that the two Milhaud pieces, among his most popular and joyous (but to my ears lighter fare) were recorded in great 1960 and 1961 stereo. To me, they are bonus to the historical Honegger.

This is the summary of a much longer and way more detailed and substantiated review, the kind of which I now, for reasons explained in My Profile, post only on my own website. So for in-depth interpretive analyses and comparisons of Munch's various recordings of the same works and recordings of others and links to those and to the Japanese editions of these recordings, do pay me a visit (link on My Profile) !


title: A wed wose, how womantic: much Eusebius, little Florestan

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It takes more than casual hearing to suck out all the beauties of Schumann’s Der Rose Pilgerfahrt (The Pilgrimage of the Rose).

Those old enough to remember Blazing Saddles will get the pun of my review’s title, sorry about it, I couldn’t resist, but it isn’t totally gratuitous either. The cantata, written at the end of Schumann’s life, during his ultimately unhappy stint in Düsseldorf and when the first signs of his mental illness were taking their toll, is described by the composer as a “fairy-tale” (Märchen) and, with its rounds of elves, there are some similarities with Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. The poem was submitted by a poet of only local fame, Moritz Horn, but its romantic and sentimental imagery flared up Schumann’s imagination. It is the story of the Rose – perhaps the daughter of the Queen of the Elves, or perhaps just a rose – who requests to live the bliss and pangs of human love. Wish granted by mom, but with the condition that, as a rose, she will in the end falter and die. Which she happily does while giving birth to her child after wedding the forester’s son.

The music is very lyrical. Wagner comes to mind at times, but it’s the lighter Wagner of the chorus of spinnstresses in Fliegende Holländer or the Rheinmaidens in Rheingold. The rounds of the elves (track 3, track 10) are straight out of Mendelssohn. There is fine pathos also in the funeral procession (track 8). But, despite the few scherzando moments (among which the dances of the elves and the chorus of foresters track 15 are the most notable), there is hardly any dramatic contrast, much Eusebius and little Florestan.

I also find the orchestration fairly bland, much reliant on strings and with little contrasts of color from woodwinds and brass, and the melodic invention, while illuminated by the vocal beauty of the stellar cast of this recording, isn’t absolutely top-drawer Schumann, without any tunes that really catch one’s attention and stick in one’s mind. It is a composition that one would more easily associate with one of the second-rate composers of Schumann’s circle rather than with Schumann himself, as many of his compositions from his Düsseldorf and post-Düsseldorf years. One dreams of what Berlioz might have done with the same material (other than setting it in Hungary, that is).

EMI’s version, recorded in 1974 (the CD reissue is from 1988), would seem insurpassable: as mentioned, the vocal cast is absolutely stellar, and the Düsseldorf choir – the distant heir of those who created the Cantata (the liner notes mention that Schumann's manuscript was purchased by the Musikverein in 1974) – acquits itself more than well. But I wonder if part of he problem I feel with the music’s lack of contrast doesn't derive at times from Rafaël Frühbeck de Burgos’ conducting, and particularly his choice of tempi, not always animated enough. Looking at the score, available (in its first edition from 1852) on the International Music Scores Library Project (and gratitude again to those who scanned and uploaded it), the character indication of the opening movement is “in joyous tone”, but there Frühbeck, though is tempo is somewhat but not dramatically slower than the score's metronome, sounds to me more relaxed and pastoral than truly joyous, and his rounds of elves, although again his tempo is fairly close to the score's, sound rather heavy-footed - they sing "wir tanzen", but it isn't a very excited dance.

I’m not going to comment on each bit of the score, and the problem isn’t across the board. Besides, the problem may come from Schumannn's own tempos as much as from Frühbeck's rendition of them. But at any rate I am left wondering if more animation sometimes might have lent more character.

Also, the excellent and informative liner notes mention that Schumann first conceived and wrote the cantata not at all as an orchestral cantata, but as one with piano accompaniment, and was very happy with that version: “I actually composed the piece originally with only pianoforte accompaniment, which, because of the delicate material, seemed to me completely sufficient, and still does. But now I have been approached by friends and acquaintantces to orchestrate the whole piece. It will make the work thus accessible to larger ensembles.” The notes also quote another letter from Schumann, who apparently hated having to return to his work and orchestrate it, “for once a thing is finished, it is no longer of interest to me, is a closed chapter whith which I do not want to have anything further to do”. Maybe my feeling of an orchestration that is not very interesting derives from that. Unlike, say, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, conceived for orchestra and where playing the piano reduction is, in effect, a bastardization of what the composer conceived, in the case of Schumann it is probably more “authentic”, closer to his true intentions, to play the piano version.

And indeed, turning to recordings with piano accompaniment, as the one published by ebs in 1992 with pianist Roberto Szidon and a Stuttgart Choir under Rupert Huber which claimed being a premiere ([[ASIN:B000026BW9 Der Rose Pilgerfahrt]]), the piano, together with a more chamber-sized choir, lends the music sharper edges and more transparency in the more scherzando moments. In comparison, for example, Frühbeck's two penultimate choruses (tracks 21 and 22) sound way too grandiose and thick for the music, likening it to grand opera or the Finale of Beethoven's 9th rather than to the wedding and drinking songs they are supposed to depict. On the other hand, I find moments like the funeral procession or Rose's prayer more effective in the orchestral version.

Set in two parts, the Cantata is mostly continuous, but has 24 numbers, and the CD’s cueing is fine. But a big drawback for audiences not familiar with German is that the booklet provdes no translation – but in the age of the Internet, there is no such problem that isn’t offered a… translation, and one can be found online. TT 65 minutes, it looks like Schumann had the CD in mind when he composed his cantata.

The recording was reissued in 2006 on a convenient 2-CD set with Schumann's late Requiem, Requiem for Mignon and Mass, [[ASIN:B000EMSPLU Schumann: Requiem Op. 148, Der Rose Pilgerfahrt Op. 112, Requiem fur Mignon Op. 98b, Mass Op. 147 - Wolfgang Sawallisch, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, Bernhard Klee]], and again in 2010 in a 9-CD box with all of EMI's recordings of Schumann's choral works, [[ASIN:B003EXVU7C Schumann: Great Choral Works]].


title: As good an introduction to the Art of Narciso Yepes as any

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Exploring the early CD catalog of the French independent label Accord. This is a compilation of tracks from various dates and origins and Accord is very uninformative about what exactly those sources are, giving only recording dates of 1954, 1956, 1961 and 1963. Apparently the recordings fell into Accord’s copyright bag through the LP label Festival / Musidisc, but they had origins further back, presumably in French Decca. Festival / Musidisc FLD 718, had, in addition to the famous music for René Clément’s film “Jeux Interdits” (“Forbidden Games”), the classical stuff, Sor’s Rondo and Two Menuettos and Bach’s Gavotte (tracks 1, 3, 9 14 - see track listing on the backcover photo that I've uploaded), together with works of Rameau, Scarlatti, Sanz, Milàn. Note that what is played is not just the popular and short (1'50) anonymous "Romance" that Yepes once claimed was his own composition, but also Yepes' arrangements of Robert de Visée's Sarabande and Bourrée and of an anonymous Catalan Song, "The Testament of Amelia". Same program was on French Decca 105.017, 115.008 and various other Decca and Ace of Clubs editions. Nine out of the ten tracks of Spanish music (Albéniz, Tarrega, Falla, Rodrigo and Granados’ Spanish Dance No. 4, tracks 4-8 and 10-13) comprised the program of Festival / Musidisc FLD 752, “Musique espagnole pour guitare”, which had the same cover art as this Accord CD reissue. Contrary to what Accord indicates, the Sonata played on track 4 is not by Isaac Albéniz: it is an arrangement for guitar of the famous Sonata in D of Mateo Albéniz. Accord also calls Rodrigo "Joaquim". No, it's Joaquín.

That leaves out only Granados’ Spanish Dance No. 10 (track 2), but there were two early French Decca LPs, FST 133076, also found under label numbers FST 153.076 or 215.076 "Musique espagnole pour guitare du XVIe au XXe siècles", and  173.717 or 215.717 “Récital de guitare No. 2” , which had all the tracks of those later LPs (including those not gathered on Accord, and with Matéo Albéniz duly credited on Récital de guitare No. 2) except for Jeux Interdits. And these seem to point back to even earlier issues from Spanish Decca, as LXT 2974 "Musica Española Para Guitarra", which Discogs.com dates from 1955, or CCL 38010 "Recital De Guitarra", dated 1960. But differences in sonics on the Accord CD suggest that all those tracks had various origins, probably from 45 rmps, and were later compiled on those LPs.

Not that those minutiae matters all that much. In the Accord reissue, all the tracks sound good, with limited tape hiss and guitar sounding full and present, and the solo guitar is an instrument that doesn’t absolutely require stereo anyway; in fact, I can’t tell which tracks are in mono, although recordings made in 1954 and 1956 imply that some of those tracks are indeed mono.

The author of the guitar arrangements of the piano pieces of Granados and the two Albéniz, and of Falla's Farruca (Dance of the Miller) from the ballet The Tri-Cornered Hat, is not credited - they are great, they make it sound as if the music had been originally composed for the guitar, then transcribed for piano or orchestra. For the record, the piece of Albéniz known as Leyenda is the prelude of Chants d'espagne op. 232 (posthumously included under the title "Asturias (Leyenda)" in the First Suite española op. 47 - see Wikipedia for the details on this and eternal gratitude again); the other one, Rumores de la Caleta, comes from the cycle Recuerdos de Viaje op. 72 (No. 6).

The CD is a good introduction to the art of Yepes and a good recital of guitar music. There is the inescapable Jeux Interdits, and a good mixture – good because slanted in favor of the Spanish –of the classical (Bach), the Romantic (Sor) and the Spanish (the rest). Many of the Spanish guitar warhorses are there, the Granados Dances, Falla’s Homenaje for Debussy and Farruca, Albeniz Leyenda. TT 57:26.

Accord’s first CD edition was 139225, and it came without barcode, but it seems the one listed (here) under ASIN B000004CIE and indexed on what is probably a distributor's barcode, 723722160523. What I have is Accord's undated reissue, Accord 222 032, with almost exactly the same cover art (in fact, the cover photo of the present entry is the one of that later reissue. Accord's original release had the label number, 139225, in small type on the upper left corner - see upload) but barccode 3229262220323, ASIN B00004UL5J, [[ASIN:B00004UL5J Jeux Interdits]], very badly listed, which is probably why it sells so cheap at the time of writing. So check it out.

Visit my website, discophage dot com, and the review of this disc, in which I have included much more information and iconography than Amazon allows me here.

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title: Music of the French Revolution played on unauthentic instruments and in unauthentic editions

text:
When I hear (rarely) old recordings of Haendel operas, from the 1950s or 1960s, I always wonder how music lovers could have believed in it - I mean, how the thick and overblown orchestral textures, the ponderous tempos, the heavy wagnerian voices lacking the proper style and required virtuosity could have convinced anybody about the beauties of the music and the genius of the composer. And I marvel that some believers were convinced enough that they kept the flame alive, for better interpretive times to come.

There's something of that with this compilation of recordings made in the 1950s by French EMI of composers from the French Revolution. Mind you, it isn't nearly as distorted as those early Haendels, and nonetheless, it seems here the flame didn't catch, and Gossec, Méhul and Lesueur remain almost as rarely performed and recorded now as back then. Fortunately the sheer passing of time - more than half a century! - has allowed for a small process of accumulation, and new and better recordings did eventually trickle along.

The symphonies of Gossec and Méhul are the main offerings, and would have made fine companions on LP, although the two recordings were made independently, by different orchestras and conductors: Gossec's Symphonie à 17 parties - his last symphony, from 1807 - by George Tzipine conducting the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire in October 1954, part of a program which included the other processional pieces gathered on the disc as well as Johann Christoph
Vogel's Demophon-Overture (2 LP-set Columbia FCX 383-84 "Musiques impériales"), and Méhul's 2nd Symphony by Fernand Oubradous at the helm of the "Association des Concerts de Chambre de Paris" in May 1957 (originally paired with works of Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer and Simon Le Duc on Pathé Marconi DTX 249).

Tzipine's Gossec is powerful and not without pathos in some movements (Menuet), but it is also overblown and heavy, lacking the kind of bubbling zest and spirit Concerto Köln brings to the outer movement and Menuet, or their galant elegance and lightness of poise in the Larghetto, as well as their variety of instrumental colors and of dynamic contrasts ([[ASIN:B001UUNBBY Gossec: Symphonies]]). The best I can say in its favor is that, if I heard it without any comparative reference, I think I'd find it enjoyable, and would hear its sweep, its energy, its passion, its humor, its liveliness (the finale in particular comes out as a wonderfully spirited and boisterous movement), and it would make me want to hear more Gossec. Well, unfortunately, it seems that back then nobody thought that way, and Tzipine's LP heralded no signicant Gossec revival. The same saddening comment can be made with Méhul's Symphony No. 2 in D Major under Oubradous. Apparently, back in 1957 when it first came out, nobody heard or was interested in how close it was, in style AND quality, to Beethoven's first two symphonies, and displaying not just good craftsmanship, but some wonderful touches of genius too. One had to wait another 30 years, and the celebration of the bicentennial of the French Revolution in 1989, for modern recordings to appear. Among these, the most sigificant were those of Swierczewski on Nimbus, based on "Urtext" editions but interpretively heavy-handed, and in fact, in the 2nd Symphony, very similar to Oubradous, but in stereo ([[ASIN:B00000E07Z Symphonies 1-4]]) and those of Minkowski (only Symphonies Nr. 1 & 2), on period-instruments and played with Minkowski's customary energy and zest, but paradoxically (and lazily) based on Oubradous' inauthentic editions, [[ASIN:B000009IGT Symphonies 1 & 2]]. Swierczewski remains indispensable for offering all four of Méhul's symphonies, but interpretively Minkowski is much preferable. Sadly again, those recordings heralded no significant Mehul revival. In another 30 years, maybe?

Of the other pieces contained on the disc, the two funeral marches are great. We are not told whose edition of Gossec's Marche lugubre is played, and it is certainly not authentic - the original is for winds and percussion (it is performed by John Wallace heading the band called "The Wallace Collection" and aptly paired with [[ASIN:B00000E07T Berlioz: Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale]] on Nimbus, and by Jean-Claude Malgoire on [[ASIN:B005V74V9S Chantons La Revolution - Let's Sing the Revolution]] on an early CBS CD, an otherwise flawed recital of musics from the Revolution era), this one has strings, which makes it sound more like music Honegger might have written for a film of Abel Gance than like music Gossec would have written to accompany the translation of the ashes of Mirabeau (April 4, 1791) or the remains of Voltaire's body (July 11, 1791) to the Pantheon Church, but nonetheless it is powerful and impressive. Same comments apply with Paisiello's "Funeral Music for the Death of General Hoche" - the body of strings of the version played here does not seem likely to be part of anything that could have been played on the occasion and outdoors. But as Tzipine plays it, and lasting 10-minutes, it sounds like slow funeral movement of a full-blown symphony, and is quite effective that way, to make one regret that Paisiello didn't indeed compose the full work. The two other marches, written by Paisiello and Lesueur to celebrate Napoleon on various occasions, seem to indicate that the undertaker of the French Revolution liked his music to be grandiose, bombastic, hollow - and short. But then, comparing Tzipine's March of Paisiello and the same performed on what seems to be a more authentic wind band conducted by Lucien Mora on Cybelia CY 825 "Musiques de la Révolution française" (not listed), much of the trudging solemnity and bombast is a matter of edition and interpretation. The original of Le Sueur's March and other music for Napoleon's coronation is here, [[ASIN:B000001SRQ Coronation Music for Napoleon I]] and apparently there is quite a following for that kind of music - that's one of the great perks of being an autocrat, you get a great following of devotees).

A document on the history of recording and interpretation, then. Check out the disc's other entry for availability and price, [[ASIN:B00000DTME De La Revolution a L Empire]]


title: I would have easily welcomed twenty more minutes, and two other sopranos

text:
Not that I have any memories of the actual event, but I still have the program leaflet to remind me that I attended the live concert that was given at the Sorbonne, March 18, 1989, a few days or weeks after the work was recorded (February 1989 says the CD booklet, with two different soloists: haute contre Gérard Lesne and tenor Howard Milner made the recording but not the concert). 1988 and 1989 were good years for Gossec, thanks to the celebration of the bicentennial of the French Revolution. Erato published a reference recording of his great and groundbreaking 1760 Requiem in 1988 (it was recorded in April '86), under Louis Devos (see my extended review, [[ASIN:B00000E6T3 Gossec:Requiem]]), and his "Dernière Messe des Vivants"/"Last Mass of the Living", his ultimate choral work, composed in 1813 - whose title may be an ironic (or desperate) reference to the early "Mass for the Dead"/Requiem - got what purported to be its world premiere performance, on April 23 1988, in Chantilly near Paris, and was subsequently recorded, in December 1989, for Koch/Schwann ([[ASIN:B000025PY2 Francois-Joseph Gossec - Derniere Messe des Vivants (1813)]]).

Unfortunately, that spurting of events did not herald a long-lasting revival of Gossec. As for the choral works, other than a spate of later recordings of the Requiem (on Capriccio by Frieder Schernus, [[ASIN:B000001WT7 Gossec: Messe des Morts]], actually recorded in 1980 but released only in 1992, by Diego Fasolis on Naxos in 2001, [[ASIN:B000058UU0 Gossec: Grande Messe des Morts / Symphonie à 17 parties]], and by Jean-Claude Malgoire on K617, 2002, [[ASIN:B0000C8WXH Gossec - Missa Pro Defunctis]]) and a lone Motet (Jean-Claude Malgoire on K617, 2006, [[ASIN:B000F8MH8U Grands Motets]]), nothing was added. A little more than a handful of discs of his symphonies came out (I've reviewed a number of them, by Concerto Köln on Capriccio, [[ASIN:B001UUNBBY Gossec: Symphonies]], Matthias Bamert on Chandos [[ASIN:B00000IYMV Gossec: Symphonies]], Stefan Sanderling on ASV [[ASIN:B0000631BT Gossec: Symphonies 2]] and Guy Van Waas on Ricercar, [[ASIN:B0012Y1J7G Gossec: Symphonies, Op.8]] and [[ASIN:B000088SUT Symphonies Oeuvre Xii]]), but nothing like a comprehensive, complete recording. A biography came out in 2000 in French, [[ASIN:2738496784 François-Joseph Gossec, 1734-1829 : un musicien à Paris, de l'Ancien Régime à Charles X]], by Claude Role, the musicologist most active with his colleague Charles Hénin in the research on and rediscovery of Gossec (hence the RH calalog number of Gossec's works, for Role-Hénin). In fact it was Charles Hénin who was the mastermind behind the revival of both the Te Deum and the Dernière Messe des Vivants.

The "Te Deum" (the complete sentence is in fact "Te Deum Laudamus", "God, we praise Thee") was the Mass performed to celebrate festal occasions and glorious events, military victories, royal crownings or healings and the likes (the Pope had one celebrated on the occasion of the Saint-Barthelemy massacre, when the Catholics mass-murdered the Protestants of Paris, in 1572. These guys sure had a sense of the occasion). Te Deums did not always have auspicious results, though: it is while he was conducting his own, in 1677, that Lully inflicted upon his toe the fatal cane blow that would cause gangrena to propagate and kill him! Given the number of such occasions, an enormous number of Te Deums were composed and performed under the three last Louis of the Ancient Régime. We are not told on what occasion Gossec's Te Deum was composed and performed, only that it had its premiere on June 3, 1779 at Notre Dame. A search on the Internet yielded that the occasion was the birth of Marie-Thérèse Charlotte, daughter and first child of Louis the 16th and Marie Antoinette.

In the text he contributed for the concert and that is reproduced in the liner notes, conductor Jacques Grimbert feels the need to disparage Gossec's Requiem in order to promote the Te Deum. Quote (my translation): "of Gossec's output, only a few works were known until now, "Missa defunctis" [that's the Requiem], "Symphonie à 17 parties" or "Dernière Messe des  Vivants" [that one sure hadn't been know for very long, since it had been premiered only the year before Grimbert wrote this]. Those works, as interesting as they are, weren't enough to establish the composer among the greatest of his contemporaries. Not so with his "Te Deum", a composition of much greater craftsmanship [the meaning of the liner notes, "d'une toute autre lecture", is incomprehensible here, even in French. Referring to the concert program shows that it is in fact a typo. The original was "d'une toute autre facture"] and importance."

That's gratuitous hype. The "Te Deum" is a fine piece, with a few striking moments even, but it doesn't approach the impact, originality and invention of the Requiem. Even the most striking of these moments ,the "Judex crederis" - "We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge" - with its antiphonal fanfares and thundering timpani, track 8, is directly imitated from the Requiem's Tuba mirum. In turn, it is clear where Berlioz' inspiration for his own Requiem came from.

Grimbert says that he's had to substantially revise and reorchestrate the score. He is quite ambiguous as to whether he worked after Gossec's own manuscript or only a contemporary manuscript copy ("the copy we were given as well as the manuscript we consulted"), and you need to go to his last paragraph to clarify that the only source is a manuscript copy now held by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France that is not in Gossec's hand. Anyway, consulting the manuscript, he says he found numerous "omissions", "weaknesses" and "inconsistencies" which he attributes both to Gossec's haste in providing the music, and his lack of attention to his copyists' work. Says Grimbert, "we often had to rewrite deficient viola parts, correct melodic errors, revise the harmonic background, re-establish the balance of the polyphony, secure the base line which was sometimes misplaced by one or more bars, check rhythms and finally restore the prosodical order and insure thematic coherence, especially in the two great fugues". Woof! One wonders what's left of Gossec in that process, and what gave Grimbert, despite all these weaknesses, the impression that in the Te Deum were "united what had only been found scattered in the other vocal works of Gossec, the splendor, the vocal magnificence, the melodic invention, the irresistible sweep, the continued lyricism of the musical flux" (same untranslated paragraph). The booklet nicely reproduces two examples of such revisions, one involving the bass line and one the prosody (the way the syllables fall on the notes).

The Te Deum is richly scored (large orchestra including clarinets and trombones, five soloists, singing individually or making up the "small chorus" opposed to the "large chorus"), has its suitably grandiose and/or triumphant moments (as the introductory Te Deum or that Judex credevi), its mighty choral fugues with "concertino" ensemble of soloists dialoguing with he choral "ripieno" ("Et laudamus", track 11, and the finale track 13), its beautifully brooding moments ("Te ergo quaesumus", "We therefore pray thee, help thy servants, Whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood", wrongly tracked on the CD: it starts at 1:30 in the Judex credevi, track 8), its fine arias  (ofen with chorus), written predominantly for soprano (tracks 3 and 9, and add the duet for two sopranos, track 12) and for baritone (tracks 2, 4, 8), and fine ensembles (track 4, "Te gloriosous", is a very extended one and lasts 8:30) - and they are often accompanied by gamboling woodwind filigree (tracks 3, 4, 10, also in the final fugue track 13). But as enjoyable as these arias and ensembles are, I find them rarely as strikingly unique and catching as those of the Requiem; there are some nice orchestral touches in the aria for baritone and chorus "Te aeternum Patrem", track 2, and wonderful concertante violin and clarinet in the orchestral introduction to the "Dignare dominum" duet, track 12. But don't quite expect here a revelation of equal stature as the Requiem, or Mozart's C-major Mass, or Haydn's Nelson-Mass. But an excellent and enjoyable specimen of late 18th Century vocal/choral music is good enough.

Hard to judge Grimbert's conducting in the absence of an alternative version. His tempo in the "allegretto" track 4 seemed a tad slow compared to the way period-instrument ensembles like Concerto Köln now perform an allegretto, but it didn't hamper enjoyment. I don't know what exactly is the "Orchestra of the University of Paris-Sorbonne", but they sound like professional instrumentalists to me, not students.

Unfortunately soprano Jill Feldman is the one major flaw of this recording - compounded by Gossec's very scoring, which places her in prominent position not only in her arias, but in the ensembles as well. In itself the voice is pretty and she doesn't actually shreek, but her vibrato-less emission seems to lacks support and sounds almost constantly slightly off-pitch, making it not so pleasurable to hear. Frankly, she sounds here like an unexperimented student in singing. Feldman had until then worked mainly with Christie's chamber-sized Arts Florissants, and, I don't know, maybe she simply didn't have the kind of technique necessary to produce those decibels above the Te Deum's large orchestra. Mezzo (more a soprano II, really) Brigitte Lafon is no better in her solo aria, "Aeterne fac" (track 10), and even painful on her high note at 1:23. At least the two are well-matched, so to speak, in their duet, track 12 (Lafon better than Feldman). Too bad.

Another more minor problem is with "haute-contre" (alto) Gérard Lesnes. The CD track listing credits him as a co-soloist in the "Te aeternum Patrem"  (track 2), and I simply DO NOT hear him there. He does appear sonically, though, at 2:15 in the ensuing ensemble, track 4, and in the fugue with ensemble, track 11. Tenor Howard Milner could have stayed home, for what you hear of him in the ensembles (and, as Lesne, he did on the day of the concert!).

Despite those weaknesses, the best tribute I can give to Gossec's Te Deum is that, at 52 minutes, it seemed too short. I would have happily welcomed twenty more (and two other sopranos). There's another entry for the same CD, check it out for availability and best price, [[ASIN:B004TLB974 Gossec: Te Deum a Grand Orchestre]].


title: Time flowing very slowly - French edition

text:
Three years after “[[ASIN:B000001TXQ Dante and the Troubadours]]”, recorded in December 1993, which explored the art of the 12 century secular musician-poets from Aquitaine, Benjamin Bagby and Barbara Thornton’s precious Sequentia offer interpretations of manuscripts from 12th century Aquitanian monasteries now held at the French Bibliothèque Nationale de France and the British Library. “With a profusion of thriving spiritual communities, both male and female, [Aquitaine] provided the natural cradle for nurturing and innovating tradition in ways that were to ultimately form the very essence of Western musical thinking and poetics”

“Interpretations” indeed. As Thornton and Bagby say in the liner notes, “in all the polyphonic sources, the musical notation is reasonably clear and set on a staff with clefs, but uses symbols which are devoid of inherent rhythmic significance. This fact is reflected in our performances, in which the texts themselves serve as rhythmic focal-points and rhetorical guides. The notation of the monophonic songs, in certain sources, is found written without a staff or c-clef, making a reconstruction necessary”.

Well, we’ll never know if this is really how this music was performed in 12th century Aquitaine – but it doesn’t matter much. Ultimately, what counts is not historical accuracy (even supposing this accuracy could be firmly established), but the musical pleasure derived by the listener. And once again Sequentia sends you in another world of sublime, contemplative beauty.

Texts are about Mary and the birth of Jesus, and track 4 about Saint Nicholas. Besides a few monophonic settings, the songs offer examples of early polyphony, two-part (although Sequentia’s rendition makes Lux Refulget, the one that opens the disc, sound like a three-part setting).

The recital offers a lot of variety within its apparent “monotony”. It alternates nicely between female and male voices, and intersperses a few instrumental interludes (tracks 5, 8) and a postlude (20) as they would, might, or could have been played in the monasteries (“especially in a celebratory, non-liturgical context”). Some of the polyphonic songs are also underpinned by medieval fiddle and/or rebec (11 male, 18 female). Even in the few monodies (14, 18), Sequentia vary by introducing a solo-chorus responsorial (14) or instrumental underpinning (18).

Some of the polyphonies are of the simplest kind (tracks 3, 16, 19), with a bass pedal (I think those were originally known as the “tenor” part, holding – “tenir” – the note) or “vocal drone” as the liner notes call them, usually sung here by choir, over which the upper voice (usually solo, but partly chorus in 19) unfolds its melismatic garlands. All are sung here by men.

But the polyphony can be more complex. Track 2, “Verbum patris humanatur” offers the kind of dogged two-part polyphony for men’s voice reminiscent of Leonin and Perotin – underlined by the recurring repeat of the vowels “O-O” and the jubilant refrain “eya nova gaudia” (“hurrah, such are the good news”).But most songs present the free and florid interlacing of two voices, female (tracks 4, 7, 9, 10, 17) or male (6, 11, 13, 15), in which again Sequentia provides much variety by alternating solo and choir. The disc opens with such a two-part female polyphony in which the voices gambol and interlace sensuously in the stratosphere, as an adumbration of eternal bliss. In the poem “Virga lesse floruit” (“the branch of Jesse flowered, flowering it grew radiant”, track 12), the liner notes refer to “a very structured poem [which] serves as a trellis for the intertwining ‘viney’ voices as they curve and curl and ornament around meaning” and that describes it perfectly. If you listen carefully to track 15, it is fascinating how some specific harmonies sung by the two men seem to “buzz”.

A contemplative quality emerges from the music, with time flowing very slowly.

Deutsche Harmonia Mundi published two editions of this disc,  the English edition, DHM 05472 77370 2, "[[ASIN:B0013AWTFU Shining Light--Music from the Aquitanian Monasteries]]" and this one, the French edition, DHM 05472 77662, Liner notes come only in French on the latter, they are in English, German and French in the former, but paper quality is (consequently?) better (thicker) in the French edition. Texts of poems and translations provided (in the three languages in both editions).


title: The concertos Paganini could have written

text:
Not being very familiar with composer Alessandro Rolla and his music, it is only after I had started listening to track 1, the Viola Concerto, that I looked at his dates. 1757-1841, almost exactly what I thought: early 19 century, because the piece sounded very much like the viola concerto Paganini could have written. The music is entertaining, but also fluffy and formulaic, very reminiscent in its turns-of-phrases of early 19th century opera – preferably Italian.

In fact, when you look at Rolla’s dates, his music sounds both advanced and retarded: 1757, that makes him born a year after Mozart, but because he lived so long, Rolla also outlived Paganini (born 1782) by a year. And indeed, the music gathered here sounds more early 19th century than Mozart – but that’s not necessarily for the better: Rolla’s music is anchored specifically in the Italian early 19th-century, an era and country where composers had simplified to a great extent the vocabulary of the Classical era, and turned it into formulas, the Italy of opera, one churned after the other and in most cases without the unbridled invention of a Rossini, mellifluous but with an orchestra reduced to mere background underpinning, without aiming at the kind of emotional turbulence of German early romanticism that was already in germ in the late works of Mozart. It is significant of Rolla’s roots that the third movement of his Divertimento in E flat major should be Variations on Figaro’s “Voi che sapete”, and it is also very typical of where Rolla stands in the development of music that his “Sinfonia” is NOT a symphony in the classical sense in four movements, not even in three, but a Sinfonia as Vivaldi wrote them, a single movement with slow introduction and Allegro, in the manner of an opera overture. The most genuinely Mozartean work here is possibly the Basset-horn Concerto, but it remains anchored in a galant and charming style that harks back to rococo and doesn’t come close to the emotional depth of Mozart – Spohr’s and Crusell’s respective clarinet concertos may be more appropriate references.

Still, since the music sounds so much like Paganini could have composed it, if you look for a possible influence of Paganini on Rolla, it is in fact the other way around: young Paganini, aged 13, impressed by Rolla’s reputation, went to Parma to learn with him. Even young Verdi approached Rolla in 1833 (he was 20) and, yes, certainly, that is where Verdi’s roots are, although he moved far beyond.

Rolla’s output was gigantic, concentrating mainly on the two instruments at which he was a master, the violin and the viola (21 violin concerti, 15 for viola). So far as it can be ascertained, the works presented here date from Rolla’s 19th century. The liner notes claim that, stylistically, Rolla began “writing music… basically classic” but “later, as soon as the early nineteenth century, this style evolved into a technique that was pre-Paganini, with pre-Romantic inspiration (…), resulting in a typically Italian, singing melody that was very close to Rossini” . The last part may be an exaggeration – Rossini’s genius is precisely that he exploded those formulas, but otherwise that is indeed what I hear. It provides an hour of charming if superficial entertainment, but no deeper impression.

Scimone and his I Solisti Veneti ensemble had a function and importance in the 1970s, for bringing a lighter and more passionate touch to the interpretation of Vivaldi and other Italian baroque composers. But it’s the fate of the avant-garde of yesterday to become the arrière-garde of tomorrow, and heard now, with everything that has happened since, his Vivaldi interpretations sound way too sentimental and thick. I haven’t been bothered by that in this Rolla program – maybe for lack of comparison, or maybe because Scimone’s interpretive style is ideally suited to that kind of music, early 19th-century Italian opera.

It probably speaks a ton about Rolla’s posthumous success that, so far as I could establish, this early Erato release was never reissued. I haven’t even found a Japanese edition, even searching online with Japanese characters: アレッサンドロ・ロッラ クラウディオ・シモーネ.


title: Great discoveries, but there are much cheaper offers under the CD's "legitimate" entries

text: The "legitimate" and cheapest entries for this CD are here, [[ASIN:B000001WR1 Brunetti: 3 Symphonies]] and here, [[ASIN:B00005YBHH Brunetti: 3 Symphonies]]. These recordings, from 1993, are great discoveries. See my detailed review under either of those entries.


title: stopgaps, but the thick and pedestrian interpretation doesn't do justice to the music

text: This entry doesn't see mactive, and in fact its barcode,  794268211642, isn't the one of the CD, 5015524404253. It's probably a distributor's barcode - whoever distributed the Olympia label two decades ago. See the CD's "legitimate" entry, [[ASIN:B000027IN7 Dittersdorf: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2]], for current offers and my detailed review. In capsule, this CD, published in 1993 and volume 2 in a series of three, was a useful stopgap for the music lover interested in the byways and composers from the Classical era now seen as "minor masters", but the interpretation of Romeo Rîmbu and the Oradea Philharmonic is too flawed, thick and trudging, to do justice to the works.


title: Dittersdorf is not to blame if it is so boring

text:
Hearing some recordings, one wonders if some composers are considered to be "minor" because their music is inferior, or because they are plagued with inferior interpreters. This one is a good case in point. I discovered Dittersdorf's Sinfonia Concertante for double-bass and viola on a Romanian CD devoted to "[[ASIN:B000A2GWPA Five Centuries of German Music in Transylvania]]" - quite a niche interest, that (see my review) - and enjoyed it so much that I decided to purchase an alternative version. This Supraphon CD seemed attractive enough, as it offered in addition a Dittersdorf Concerto for double bass and one for viola.

But hearing it, I was surprised to find the music very boring. What happened, I wondered ? - What happened ? Quite simple, as a comparison of the two interpretations shows. It is crazy what a tempo can do. Going from the Romanians to the Czechs is jaw-dropping. The Romanian performers sound like they are enjoying themselves, their reading is lively, full of bounce and joie-de-vivre. The Czech performers sound like they are bored, or old, or mired in a pit of thick molasses, or like they've just ingested heavy doses of narcotics, or a combination of all four possibilities. Just compare the timings of the finale: 3:05 vs 5:50! That's almost twice as slow! No wonder they are so boring. And not only that: the orchestral textures are thick. You'd think you were hearing an alternative version of Brahms' Double Concerto. This is a caricature of Klemperer at his worst. Appalling. The Czech soloists may have more vivid presence than their Romanian counterparts, it doesn't save their badly distorted basic option. The only interest of the Czech version - and it is very modest - is the long first movement cadenza (5:29 to 7:23) that is not played in the Romanian version.

So now, if the Double-bass Concerto and the Viola Concerto sound equally old, thick in textures, superficially elegant in a bored and boring manner, at least I know, even in the absence of any comparison, that it is not the compositions and the composer that are the problem. Too bad, the program was engaging.

Avoid this disc. You'll be mislead into believing that Dittersdorf is a boring composer. He isn't. double-bassist Frantisek Posta, violist Lubomir Maly and conductor Frantisek Vajnar are boring interpreters.