What are you listening to Part the Third

*skullguise* · December 5

🤣 I got that same question form Karen when I was listening to Diamanda Galas' "Plague Mass"

*mikeymad* · December 5

Black Cream
by The Harold Wheeler Consort (1974)

https://album.link/i/1294912180

Example:

Smooth 70 soul - right on the edge of being disco. One and only Album.

*mikeymad* · December 8

La Tresse
by Ludovico Einaudi (2024)

https://album.link/i/1718940638

Example:

I have not seen the movie - but I know that it will at least sound good.

*mikeymad* · December 9

https://youtu.be/mZmJ3Q7SfHE?si=-xToSvRb8wnXJK25

It wont embed - but I wanted to share anyway. The show after the show ended.

*mikeymad* · December 9

Use Your Illusion II
by Guns N' Roses (1991)

https://album.link/i/1389971138

Example:

Put in my queue for the Example tune. Prepping for the future. Anyway I had not listened to the album in a long time, maybe 1992. It is a good, but not great album for me. Some highlights with a handful of forgettable tunes. If it were tightened up to just one Album length I think it would be a lot better. And I skipped the 2.5 hour DELUX version. Regardless I do enjoy when they get into a groove and Slash is on top of his game.

*robm321* · December 9

I'm overdue for a listen too. Perhaps decades since my last listen. I remember a lot of waste of time material and about 1/3 of it was up to the standards of their first album.

*mikeymad* · December 10

The Waiting Sky
by Anna Lapwood (2024)

https://album.link/i/1769985170

Example:

I have been following Anna for a little while now as the principal organist for the Royal Albert Hall. But she also works with Pembroke choir. A very nice EP.

*mikeymad* · December 10

The Old Country
by Keith Jarrett (2024)

https://album.link/i/1766716830

Example:

Lots of pretty notes on this one. From a 1992 performance. Not too much of what I call the Keith kazoo (him singing along).

*swt61* · December 11

Not listening via speakers or headphones, but in my head I've been hearing Cher's "Believe" but in a Country format. I've been internally interpreting this for a few days now, with a baritone, male vocal. I think this song would lend itself to Country quite well.

Edited December 11 by swt61

*nikongod* · December 11

I've been listening to the audiobooks of the hobbit & LOTR on my commute

*mikeymad* · December 11

On 2/29/2024 at 12:52 PM, robm321 said:

Beethoven's 3rd Symphony is probably my favorite of his. The 9th is epic and amazing but clunky and is kind of disjointed, especially in the beginning of the first movement. And doesn't it get too much credit for it hooky melody? . The 3rd is perfect as a whole IMO.

So, this dude let me know about the supposedly, generally agreed on, reference recording for this piece. He points out that "it may not be your favorite but it is the reference."

So, I meandered over to Qobuz, had a listen. I've heard several of them, and this one wipes the floor with all of them. In fact, it made me realize just how complex a composition it is. It's easy for conductors to go overboard on the big moments or heavy parts making it sound almost like you're just waiting for the cool parts once they get through the meanderings in between.

The opposite happens here. It's hard to put into words, but the big moments are actually reserved and there is so much sophistication going on throughout that becomes much more transparent with this performance. Regardless, it is my favorite Eroica now and there's no close 2nd.

So based on this post I took some time and loaded my queue up with a pretty good pile of versions of the 3rd. A couple weeks ago I started listening to just under 50 of them. Well, I am here to say that after listening to the following I have stopped the project. There are still many in my queue. There are just too many versions and only a few that I am really excited about.

So. I don't really have write-ups on these. But the last three, I didn't like.

Those are the ones that I got to and the rest of these I touched on.. Mostly the first and third movements as a reference.

So - what did I like.

I did like the Szell/Cleveland that started this. A very balanced performance and recording. Makes lean into it rather than it coming at you. It got me more interested in the second movement more than just about every other recording.

The rest of these were at the top of my list (not in order) when I pulled the plug on this project. They are all worth a listen for various reasons from pace, to recording, to getting some of the complex/awkward parts right. For me that is.

I really do like the piece, but I did find it hard to listen to this over and over.

An interesting project for sure.

That said, if there is a recording and performance that I 'have' to listen to, please recommend. I have no issues listening to it, I am just no longer interested in a survey. I had a friend recommend the Manze/Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra - and it was very good.

Cheers.

*jamesmking* · December 11

4 hours ago, mikeymad said:

I really do like the piece, but I did find it hard to listen to this over and over.

An interesting project for sure.

That said, if there is a recording and performance that I 'have' to listen to, please recommend. I have no issues listening to it, I am just no longer interested in a survey. I had a friend recommend the Manze/Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra - and it was very good.

Cheers.

you might want to try

stereo:

Gunter Wand;Ndr Symphony Orchestra (specialist in Germanic symphonies c.f brahms, bruckner)

herbert blomstedt;Gewandhausorchester Leipzig

Staatskapelle Dresden;herbert blomstedt

André Cluytens;Berliner Philharmoniker

igor Markevitch;Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux

mono:

erich kleiber;vienna po (dad of carlos kleiber)

felix Weingartner;london so (first complete recorded beethoven symphony cycle)

paul van kempen;berlin po (conductor of kempff classic 1950s beethoven piano concerto cycle)

The marmite option: if you like "period instruments historically informed":
roger norrington;london classical players

Edited December 11 by jamesmking

*mikeymad* · December 11

The Astrud Gilberto Album
by Astrud Gilberto (1965)

https://album.link/i/1469584204

Example:

We all need a little more Gilberto in our lives...

*mikeymad* · December 12

Great White North
by Bob & Doug McKenzie (1981)

https://album.link/i/1444092587

Example:

I was feeling left out....

Also...

Featuring the great Geddy Lee. I still have this album on vinyl and know it very very well...

*robm321* · December 12

Re - Beethoven 3rd: That's amazing, Mikey. I'm not sure if I could stomach that much of the same piece.

I'll have to listen to some on your list.

*Grahame* · December 12

On 6/26/2024 at 8:55 AM, Torpedo said:

I can't help agreeing with him. Nothing that is produced in vast amounts and costs next to nothing, other than oxygen in the air and water from the faucet, can be appreciated. Truth is that the human work feeding the AI to produce "new" music is already done. I think I posted time ago a video by a jazz musician who said that the future of human music surviving AI will probably be live improvisation. He believes that AI would need quite some time (yet) to meet the standards to improvise listening and interacting with other musicians in real time.

Apropos:

https://www.alexmurrell.co.uk/articles/the-age-of-average-encore