What are you listening to? May 2023

[Ojai Sam]

Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 4 (Ivan Fischer/Budapest Festival Orchestra/Miah Persson)
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I haven’t yet explored Ivan Fischer. Do you like him?

 

[axolotl]

I haven’t yet explored Ivan Fischer. Do you like him?

I too await Dr. Zeeb's reply.

There are some lavish reviews of Fischer's treatment of the Mahler 4 on Amazon, and I am now tempted/persuaded to listen to it.

Iv n Fischer, G. Mahler, Gustav Mahler, Iván Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Miah Persson - Symphony No 4 - Amazon.com Music

Iv n Fischer, G. Mahler, Gustav Mahler, Iván Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Miah Persson - Symphony No 4 - Amazon.com Music

www.amazon.com

Ivan Fischer writes of Mahler's masterpiece, 'There is a unique purity and transparency in Mahler's 4th Symphony. The enchanting slay bells take us to his inner child, to his dreams of angels, fairy tales, angst and pure, divine love. This child-like symphony needed a different orchestra: no dark tuba, no heavy trombones, no large arsenal of massive brass. A chamber orchestra in fact, where the clarinets act as mock trumpets, the solo violin tunes his strings sharper in order to scare us and the lightness of the whole orchestra lifts us up to his lovely, childish vision of paradise.'

 

[Ojai Sam]

I too await Dr. Zeeb's reply.

There are some lavish reviews of Fischer's treatment of the Mahler 4 on Amazon, and I am now tempted/persuaded to listen to it.

Iv n Fischer, G. Mahler, Gustav Mahler, Iván Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Miah Persson - Symphony No 4 - Amazon.com Music

Iv n Fischer, G. Mahler, Gustav Mahler, Iván Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Miah Persson - Symphony No 4 - Amazon.com Music

www.amazon.com

Yes, I’ve heard that his slay bells are to die for.

 

[axolotl]

Yes, I’ve heard that his slay bells are to die for.

I saw that.

Sometimes we just need Nick to do all our translations from German.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

SQÜRL - Silver Haze (2023)

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

I haven’t yet explored Ivan Fischer. Do you like him?

I did indeed - several classical board and Grammophone had this recording of Mahler’s 4th well reviewed
Though I was tempted to try this new release of the same

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Various Artists - Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (2023)

Not the score (as picture suggested) - I'm listening to the pop song compilation. Vol. 3 moved songs away from 1970s classics integrating a mix including Radiohead, Mowgli's, Spacehog all well used in the film. Still some oldies though with a hilarious use of Earth Wind & Fire song
Marvel has had a few misfires with their films lately, but I enjoyed this one - cast is fantastic.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Badfinger - No Dice (1970)

 

[Ojai Sam]

John Kirby And His Orchestra (1951)

Vinyl Rip Of The Day.

This early Columbia 12 inch LP featured recordings by the then recently deceased bassist Kirby and his supergroup: Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Russell Procope, Billy Kyle and O'Neil Spencer. In an era of blasting big bands, Kirby went for a subtle, classically influenced sound reminiscent of Raymond Scott.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Wooden Shjips - V. (2023)

 

[axolotl]

Bliss ~ They Made History (2005)



Downtempo, Ambient, Modern Classical

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Frank Sinatra - Nice 'n' Easy (1960)

 

[Ojai Sam]

Dexter Gordon - Homecoming (1976, Columbia Jazz Masterpieces 1990)

Dexter Gordon - tenor saxophone
Woody Shaw - trumpet, flugelhorn
Ronnie Mathews - piano
Stafford James - bass
Louis Hayes - drums

Action packed from start to finish. Stafford James is giving my new subwoofer a real workout.

on the Sam-O-Meter.

Go for this 1990 CD reissue with two bonus tracks.

 

[Ojai Sam]

Various Artists - The Rough Guide To Gypsy Swing (2004)

 

[Ojai Sam]

Buck Owens - Buck Owens Sings Tommy Collins (1963)

Bucko pays back his former boss for giving him a big boost early in his career.

Buck and Tommy (ne Leonard Sipes) in the studio.

Here's another of Tommy's protegees you may have heard of:

 

[axolotl]

Hoover ~ The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 (1994)

 

[Ojai Sam]

The Philadelphia Orchestra (Eugene Ormandy, cond.) - The Pleasures Of Paris (1954)

 

[axolotl]

Hood ~ Cold House (2001)

 

[Ojai Sam]

Ella Fitzgerald & Roy Eldridge - In Concert (rec. 1959, rel. 2022 )

Another astonishing vault find, this was a previously unknown show featuring just Ella and Roy fronting her road band while they were part of a big Norman Granz Jazz At The Philharmonic tour. The music and sound quality are both outstanding.

on the Sam-O-Meter.

 

[Ojai Sam]

Carlo Badioli, Franco Calabrese, Ebe Stignani, Eugenia Ratti, Graziella Sciutti, Luigi Alva
Orchestra De la Piccola Scala (Nino Sanzogno, cond.) - Cimarosa: Il Matrimonio Segreto (1956)

What better way to spend a pleasant spring Saturday than to enjoy an opera at the "Piccola Scala" Theatre in Milan?

This 209 seat venue, known formally as the Teatro Girolamo was built in 1868 as a miniature version of La Scala for marionette shows. In 1955, legendary impresario Giorgio Strehler used it to mount this production of Domenico Cimarosa's "Il Matrimonio Segreto" ("The Secret Marriage"), a comic opera from 1792. Largely forgotten today, Cimarosa wrote more than 80 operas and gave Mozart a run for his money at the time.

This performance, recorded by the original cast on stage conveys both the lighthearted charm of the original music and the intimate warmth of the theater. Conductor Nino Sanzogno keeps things moving at a brisk pace. The singers are uniformly excellent with soprano Eugenia Ratti deserving of special accolades for her ability to convey emotion without overstatement.

on the Sam-O-Meter. Even if you're not wild about opera, this one is well worth a spin.