The Ego Has landed

BBC Music magazine latest free cover disc featuring a solo piano recital from Vladimir Horowitz from May 1982 at the Royal Festival Hall in London, his first European concert for over 30 years. The kind of concert where the performer is more important than the music and not really to my taste. The pieces featured : four short Scarlatti sonatas, Kinderszenen by Schumann, Ballade No 1 and Waltz in A flat by Chopin, Rachmaninov Sonata no 2 and Polka de V.R. and a Scriabin Etude.

Top Of The Range

Schubert Arpeggione Sonata, Schumann Funf Stucke Im Volkston and Debussy Cello Sonata. Performers Mstislav Rostropovich cello and Benjamin Britten piano. Truly inspired chamber playing with everything placed at the service of the music.

Tip Top

Tippett, Symphony No 2 and Suite From New Year. Performers : Bournemouth Symphony Orchetra conducted by Richard Hickox. Distinctive and intriguing symphony. Jazz rock / prog rock influence detectable in the suite.

Giddy Up

Sing A Song Of Basie + Sing Along With Basie by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Two vinyl LP releases on one disc. The epitome of jazz scat singing transformed into something even more special by the lyrics of Jon Hendricks which fit the arrangements like a glove.

Massive Mass

Berlioz Grande Messe Des Morts. London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir, Barry Banks tenor soloist, conducted by Sir Colin Davis. Difficult to balance huge forces in a live performance in such a spacious acoustic as St Paul's cathedral but in what turned out to be his final recording, Davis holds it together.

No Ordinary Word

Squeezing Out Sparks by Graham Parker and the Rumour. The final one of the first quartet of GP albums and the final one featuring the Rumour in its entirety ( prior to the recent reunion )Bonus track Mercury Poisoning probably explains why the collaboration ended at this point ( record company incompetance ) But a high note to go out on.

A Bunch Of Fives

Latest BBC Music magazine free cover cd, featuring Nielsen's Symphony No 5 and Sibelius's Symphony No 5. I have the Nielsen already but the fifth is one Sibelius symphony that I did not otherwise have. Performers : BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Thomas Sondergard.

Look At Those Cavemen Go

Hunky Dory by David Bowie. Precursor to Ziggy Stardust, arguably with better songs, and showcasing the arranging talents of Mick Ronson. Classics like Changes, Life On Mars, Oh You Pretty Things, Andy Warhol and Queen Bitch alongside forgotten gems like Quicksand and the Bewlay Brothers and a few throwaways.