What are you listening to? November 2022

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Teresa Berganza - Canciones Espanolas (1974)

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Gorgeous collection of Spanish songs from the Middle Ages and The Renaissance performed by the renowned mezzo-soprano. Many of them are accompanied only by guitar master Narciso Yepes. The depth of emotion reminds me of the Portuguese fados I am so enamored with.

:5.0: on the Sam-O-Meter.
 
Musica Antiqua Koln (Reinhard Goebel, Dir.) - Telemann: Tafelmusik (comp. 1733, rec. 1989)

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As I work through them in order, by my count this is #97 of "1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die". So my demise is apparently not imminent. :worm:

The authors of this indispensable compendium tell us that Telemann was a close friend of Bach as well as being prolific enough to create over 3,000 works. This delightful 3 disc set gathers three full "productions" consisting of an orchestral suite, a quartet, a concerto, a trio sonata, a solo sonata and a "conclusion" by the full orchestra. This highly entertaining sequence offers lots of textural diversity and Telemann packed each component with beautiful melodies that allow the players plenty of room. With all this rich variety, the overall impact is not unlike that of a well-paced vaudeville show. Goebel and his Music Antiqua Koln are the perfect players to tackle such a challenging project.

:5.0: on the Sam-O-Meter.
 
Musica Antiqua Koln (Reinhard Goebel, Dir.) - Telemann: Tafelmusik (comp. 1733, rec. 1989)

MS5qcGVn.jpeg


As I work through them in order, by my count this is #97 of "1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die". So my demise is apparently not imminent. :worm:

The authors of this indispensable compendium tell us that Telemann was a close friend of Bach as well as being prolific enough to create over 3,000 works. This delightful 3 disc set gathers three full "productions" consisting of an orchestral suite, a quartet, a concerto, a trio sonata, a solo sonata and a "conclusion" by the full orchestra. This highly entertaining sequence offers lots of textural diversity and Telemann packed each component with beautiful melodies that allow the players plenty of room. With all this rich variety, the overall impact is not unlike that of a well-paced vaudeville show. Goebel and his Music Antiqua Koln are the perfect players to tackle such a challenging project.

:5.0: on the Sam-O-Meter.
Teleman was played in our house often when I was growing up. The translation from German to French is odd. "Tafel" means blackboard, or any board hung on a wall for writing. But it's translated into French as "table". I guess that's why everyone on the cover is crowded around a table for drinks, instead of a blackboard for a math lesson.
 
Saturday Classical Listening:
A variety of 20th century pieces

Igor Stravinsky - Apollo
Arnold Schoenberg - Variations for Orchestra
Benjamin Britten - Sinfonia da requiem
Arthur Honegger -
Symphony No. 3 ‘Liturgique’

All good but my favorite is the Honegger

Both the Britten and Honegger pieces were written in setting of WWII (Britten during, Honegger after) using Catholic Mass themes to covey pacifist purpose.

Interestingly the Britten piece (written 1940) was commissioned by Japan (and rejected after composition) to commemorate the 2600th year anniversary of founding of Japanese Empire
 
John Barry - Thunderball (soundtrack 1965)

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Vinyl Rip Of The Day.

Nice to be back at last. I had a three day bug at the first of the week but it abated just in time for the holiday. :worm:

Seems like every year I use the holidays to clear out my accumulation of vinyl waiting to be ripped. I've already done a batch of 45's singles, EP's and a couple of 10 inch albums. My first 12 incher for this year is this vintage soundtrack from the fourth James Bond film, John Barry's third with the franchise. Back in the day, I saw this film in its first run in Westwood Village and was suitably impressed with its big screen aquatechnics. As the films evolved toward bigger and bolder effects, Barry kept pace with the soundtracks. This one borrowed some of the themes and the martial mood of Goldfinger and immersed them in dreamy, occasionally jazzy soundscapes to reflect the deeper waters inhabited by 007. It all works very well as does Tom Jones' heroic if impossible effort to follow Shirley Bassey's title homage to the man with the heart of gold, only gold.

As a kid, I collected Barry's early 007 soundtracks (as well as Monty Norman's highly entertaining Jamaican flavored one for Dr. No) because they sounded so good on our Magnavox home stereo. This one got away in one of my misguided efforts to cull the herd but fortunately, I found a sealed copy just like the one I had before.
 
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