Spinning Today (Classical version)

[Marco]

Right now this, before bed:



Rather lovely to wind to after a hectic day [not]

Marco.

[Barry]

A few more charity shop vinyl finds:

John Williams – ‘Plays Paganini’



Paganini: Caprice No.24
Paganini: Sonata in A major
Paganini: Terzetto For Violin, Cello & Guitar
Giuliani: Variations on a Theme by Handle

John Williams, guitar Alan Loveday, violin Amaryllis Fleming, cello

CBS 73745 (1978)


Mendelssohn - ’Symphony No.1 in C major’ and Schubert – ‘Symphony No.1 in D major’



The Cleveland Orchestra, cond. Louis Lane
CBS 61134 (1968)


Vaughan Williams – ‘Fantasia on Greensleeves, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, English Folk Song Suite’



Vienna State Opera Orchestra, cond Sir Adrian Boult

The World Record Club T 391 (1965)


Beethoven –‘Sonata No.14 in C sharp minor, Op.27, No.2 (“Moonlight”); Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 (“Pathetique”) and Sonata No.23 in F minor, Op.57 (“Appassionata”)

Joseph Cooper, piano

The World Record Club TP 22 (1959)

[Barry]

Lang Lang – ‘Dragon Songs’



I’m not at all sure about this modern re-working of a 1940’s propaganda composition: the “Yellow River piano Concerto”. Lang Lang’s so-called virtuosity wrings out any subtlety that might have originally existed. I’m with Frank Graves (commenting on Amazon):

This album may be important musicologically or culturally as documentation of trends in Chinese music, but the pieces are extremely trite and unsatisfying. The Yellow River Concerto is drenched in propagandistic tones of happiness and heroism, with no depth and excessive bombast throughout. It sounds like a bad satire on both Ferde Grofe and Liszt. Even the more attractive melodies are never developed with any thematic continuity, and the trite, obvious decorations of pounding chords or ecstatic runs in the piano or harp are intolerable after a few minutes. The dragon songs are little better. They sound like etudes written to give Chinese children a politically acceptable introduction to western music. Again, there is no depth, no poignancy. Even in Lang Lang's expressive hands, the piano does not prove to be a hospitable vehicle for the tonality of Chinese music. The most successful aspects of the album are the last three songs, in which he is accompanied by traditional instruments -- and they are far more compelling than he is. All in all, a must-skip album, unless you are doing doctoral research on Chinese piano compositions.

DGG 477 6229 (2006)


Erik Satie –‘Jack in the Box and Other Favourites’



Do I need another ‘Best of Erik Satie’? I thought not until I found this – and have to say I found Angela Brownridge’s playing insightful and made me realise how much of a pioneer Satie was.

EMI Eminence CD-EMX 9507 (1985)


Delius – ‘Orchestral Works’



[1] The Walk to the Paradise Garden

[2] Intermezzo and Serenade from ‘Hassan’

[3] A Song before Sunrise

[4] Intermezzo from ‘Fennimore and Gerda’

[5]On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring

[6] Summer Night on the River

[7] Air and Dance

[8] La Calinda from ‘Koanga’

Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, cond. Neville Marriner

Decca London 4210390-2 (1979)