Gym But No Gymnastics

Three Gymnopedies and six Gnossienne are surveyed along with other piano works by Erik Satie on this disk by Pascal Roge. Satie's output was not large anyway but the Gymnopedies and Gnossienne are by far the most well known and they do inhabit this restrained miniature world that is so atmospheric and evocative. It is apparent that they share time and space with such as Debussy but the pared down minimalism of them is totally individual but thoroughly charming. Roge takes the Gymnopedies fractionally faster than some but not in a way to jeopardise their hypnotic effect and the playing of the Gnossienne is pretty well perfect. The other piano works included are given strong advocacy by Roge but they do suffer in comparison with the famous pieces, several showing touches of very early jazz and ragtime and of French music hall. If Satie achieved nothing else, with these two cycles he began an influence that resonated down through the 20th century to figures as diverse as Cage and Bill Evans and their followers.

Never Yet You Heathen Dog

Given access to his entire back catalogue, I might have been able to come up with a slightly better selection of tracks for Martin Carthy The Definitive Collection. But this one is pretty good to be going on with. One of the problems, if problem it is, is that Carthy has revisited many of the songs most associated with him several times over the years and made different versions. These versions might be solo, as a duo with Dave Swarbrick, as joint leader of the ensemble Brass Monkey or with Waterson : Carthy ( no mention is made of the time in the original Steeleye Span )And it is a matter of subjective preference as to which version of the song might be the best and whether one prefers the more mature Carthy voice to that of the younger firebrand. I don't have too many issues with the selections, though would have preferred a couple more songs / versions from the Swarbrick era. But it is good to have such perennials as Sovay, Prince Heathen, The Maid and the Palmer, The Bows of London and Jolly Tinker all in one place. It complements very well the other Carthy and Waterson: Carthy disks that I have. I have already mentioned in earlier posts concerning these the pivotal place that he holds in the English folk revival / post revival / nu revival !

Young Turks

Although not a youth orchestra, there are some similarities between the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra. Both are from countries perhaps not previously noted for being in the forefront of classical music and both are intent on making a major international reputation for themselves ( with the Bolivars admittedly having a head start ) But what really brought the comparison to mind when listening to this first recording by the Borusan orchestra is the way in which they have decided to feature pieces with what might be termed a Turkish feel, in the same way as the Venezuelans have championed South American music. Though none of the composers are Turkish, there is that kind of Arabian, middle eastern orientalism apparent in much of the music here. They may not have included Sheherazade but Respighi's ballet Belkis, Queen of Sheba owes a fairly large debt to Rimsky, while also incorporating elements of typical Respighi bombast but all displayed with superb orchestral colouring which helps show off the ensemble under conductor Sascha Goetzel. Much of what I have said about Belkis could also be applied to Florent Schmitt's ballet music The Tragedy of Salome which concludes the disk and occupies the same sound world. Not quite so oriental but still a fine orchestral showcase, Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber lies sandwiched between the two ballets. This is the second recording I have of this piece and the Borusan Istanbul Phil do not suffer in comparison with the LSO under Abbado.

Heaven and Hell And The Earth Between

An atmospheric and almost completely acapella disk from Gothic Voices ( director Christopher Page plays medieval harp on one track ), The Marriage of Heaven and Hell presents motets and songs from 13th century France. I was expecting a mix of the sacred and the profane, plainchant and troubadour airs. But I learned from the booklet notes that it was a much more intertwined situation and that motets, a term I had associated purely with church music, could also encompass more wordly subject matter. The songs often seem to take the form of a round, passed among the voices of the group who appear on the disk in various groupings of five comprising alto, three tenors and baritone. The notes also explain the differences between the motet world and that of the troubadours from further south in France but the lyrics tend to occupy that same region of courtly love, with the object of desire worshipped from afar. The eroticism sometimes spills over into the Marian settings too. The singing throughout is beautifully rich and the polyphony and dissonances in the music constantly stimulating.

Mozart Marathon

The first 12 days of 2011 on BBC radio 3 were devoted to programming that would play the entire works of Mozart. Every note that he wrote. There were worthwhile programmes and fine performances contained within this marathon but the concept was a banal one and gave rise to the real danger that a force fed diet would ultimately lead to indigestion. Nobody would have been able to listen throughout the 12 days, no matter how much recording and time shifting was attempted. I wonder about the point of all those juvenile operas being broadcast in the early hours of the morning. Anyway, the reason I am bothering to comment on this is that the latest edition of BBC Music magazine was a tie in with the Mozart fest and the free cover disk contains performances of the Mass in C Minor and Symphony No 40. I happen to have both of these works on disk already and so don't propose to comment on the music. Suffice it to say that both pieces receive very competant performances. The mass is played by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by David Robertson and with soloists Jeremy Ovenden ( tenor ) James Rutherford ( bass ) and sopranos Laura Aikin and Emma Bell. Both are live recordings, the symphony from last year's Proms by the BBC Philharmonic and Gianandrea Noseda.

Completing The Trilogy

The final disk in the Californian trilogy that marked Ry Cooder's return to recording solo albums after such a lengthy gap goes by the somewhat gnomic title of I,Flathead. The theme this time seems to revolve around a fading drag racer and there are various automotive references but these tend to pass me by since I am no kind of petrol head. The sub title, the Songs of Kash Buk and the Clowns, is similarly impenetrable and the packaging is less lavish than on the two previous releases. All of this is of no consequence to the music of course and the disk contains a fine set of songs. The styles range through Tex Mex, western swing and country with a touch of early rock 'n' roll and pop thrown in and as on the two other disks in the trilogy there is a cocktail jazz track. I think that it is fairly clear now that there is to be no sentimental return to the slide guitar blues that marked the very early first stage of Cooder's career. The guitar here is strictly at the service of the songs, to complement and embellish but not to overwhelm. On the whole, the disk seems less angry and political than the other two with much sardonic humour. The pervading sense of melancholy for a passing age remains however, especially evident on two of the standout tracks which bookend the album, Drive Like I Never Been Hurt and the gently poignant 5000 Country Music Songs.

Riley's Rainbow

Released as a vinyl album in 1969, A Rainbow In Curved Air by Terry Riley was a cult hit with those whose normal listening might have encompassed the lengthy psychedlic jams and meanderings of such as the Grateful Dead and the Quicksilver Messenger Service and it came out of the same Californian ambience. It also had a lasting influence on rock musicians of the more adventurous ( pretentious ? )kind. But fewer of the listeners at that time, amongst whom I include myself, were aware of the founding father status of Riley within the minimalist movement. What set Riley apart and on this album in particular, was his status as composer / performer. The title track features him playing electric organ, electric harpsichord, a hydrid christened a rocksichord, and percussion. Not a synthesiser in sight but it presaged many of the synth experiments that were soon to follow. The piece has an irresistable forward momentum that never completely loses control and is in fact meticulously put together. The companion work on the disk, Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band, is a piece for soprano saxophone and electric organ and incorporates a Coltranesque sax style with oriental and middle eastern modes and drones. Whereas Rainbow powers forward relentlessly, Poppy just seems to emerge and hang around in a timeless static fashion before taking its' leave. Enough time has now passed for this to be called a timeless album.