September 2013 - Classical Music

Bach, J.S.

• Ich hatter viel Bekümmernis (I had many afflictions) - 1723 version
• Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe (There is no health in my body)
• Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgend ein Schmerz sei (Behold and see, if there is any sorrow)
• Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget (Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us)
• Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele I (Praise the Lord, O my soul, No.1)
• Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (Heart and mouth and deed and life)

Barber

• Medea's Meditation and Dance of Vengeance
• Excursions
• Nuvoletta

Beethoven - Piano Sonatas 28 and 29
Beethoven - Cello Sonatas 4 and 5 
Brahms - Horn Trio
Bridge

• Enter Spring
• Oration
• Phantasm 

Dvorak

• Symphony No.9
• Cypresses for string quartet
• Songs my Mother Taught Me (transcribed for violin)

Faure

• Piano Quintet No.1
• Barcarolle No.7
• Impromptu No.4
• Le don silencieux
• Chanson
• Vocalise-etude 

Janacek - Říkadla (Nursery Rhymes) - choral version
Janacek - Suite for string orchestra
Liszt - Faust Symphony
Liszt - Anees de Pelerinage, Third Year
Mozart - Piano Sonata No.15
Poulenc

• Sonata for 2 pianos
• Sonata for piano, 4 hands
• Violin Sonata  

Rachmaninov

• Symphony No.1
• Suites 1 and 2 for 2 pianos
• Prelude in C sharp minor for piano

Ravel

• String Quartet
• Jeux d'eau
• Pavane pour une infante defunte (original piano version and orchestral version)

Schumann - Carnaval
Schumann - Symphonic Etudes
Vivaldi - Ascende laeta (Gladly climb) with Dixit Dominus, RV 595


My approach of listening to some composers chronologically seemed to be hitting some very rewarding moments in several cases this month.

Of all the magical things that Faure composed, his first piano quintet is one that holds an extremely special place for me.  It sometimes seems to be regarded as a difficult work - difficult for the composer, who took many years to complete it, and difficult for the listener because of it's somewhat withdrawn and reticent nature.  But it's exactly that reticence that makes me adore it.  This is not the music of big, grand tunes, but something inhabiting a deep inner world.

Beethoven is heading that way, too, as my listening reached the works that seem to be generally regarded as marking the start of his late style.  There's certainly a lot of inner depth here, although piano sonata no.29, the 'Hammerklavier' has its showy side too.

And then there's Bridge.  All three works I listened to this month are considered to be pretty major works from Bridge's later, more modern period.  Oration, which is essentially a cello concerto, is often considered the pick of the bunch, but while I did enjoy it I responded to it less than the other two.  I found Phantasm, essentially a piano concerto, to be particularly appealing.  It seems I may have a thing for single-movement piano and orchestra works from this period, as I've realised that Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini and Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand are nearly contemporaneous.  Rhapsody in Blue isn't that far off in chronology either.

I haven't been listening to Poulenc chronologically, but I'm continuing to notice a trend of appreciating some of the later works, and the Sonata for 2 pianos is probably the first larger-scale work I've listened to from that period, and also one of the best yet.  I'm definitely intending to explore this composer's later years more extensively once I've finished with the current set.

Elsewhere, from composers where I'm not focused on late works, Barber delivered a very nice surprise with the Excursions for piano.  I'm sure I've listened to these before, but probably in the midst of a lot of other pieces without the same sense of focus.  This time I thoroughly enjoyed the work, and was particularly taken with the second piece, 'in slow blues tempo'.

Hope you are too.

September 2013 - Popular Music

Tori Amos

• Little Earthquakes
• Talula (UK single, part 2)
• Garlands (from The Beekeeper DVD)
• Audience bootlegs - Seattle 6 May 1992, Seattle 29 August 1992, Seattle 20 March 1994, Seattle 17 July 1996 (late show), Seattle 3 May 1998, Seattle 11 September 1998, Seattle 7 October 1999, Seattle 9 November 2001, Seattle 10 December 2002, Seattle 8 September 2005, Seattle 10 July 2009

Kate Bush - Aerial
Something for Kate - Leave Your Soul to Science

I honestly didn't realise until I consulted the spreadsheet just how little pop music I'd listened to during the month, with one glaring exception.  I knew about the 'exception' of course, I just hadn't realised it was exceptional.

I had barely touched live Tori Amos recordings for over a year and a half. So why the sudden explosion in activity? The main trigger, I think (and this is a sign of how my brain works) is that my collection became relatively organised again.  In the first half of 2012 I suffered a computer crash, and while I don't think anything was lost in the process, things did become rather messy and it has taken until now to sort out the Tori Amos bootlegs to my satisfaction - not just the way they were before, but organised in a better system that should make it much easier to find a home for stray material.

The other trigger, arguably, was having travelled earlier this year. This at least partly explains my inclination to go back to an idea I'd had before - choose a city and listen to recordings from there - and actually implement it.  The other explanation for that tactic is that I think it will provide a more varied listening experience.  Last time that I was working through these recordings, I was following a particular tour (first 1999, then 2001).  While that is quite an enlightening approach, enabling me to hear how songs evolved over the course of a tour, it also risks becoming monotonous even with Tori's great skill at varying the setlist from night to night.  With my new approach, some songs do still turn up quite frequently but they are more likely to be in different guises.  Sure, I've heard Precious Things 9 times in 11 shows, but there would have been at least 5 quite distinct versions of the song within that list.

The choice of Seattle as my first destination was influenced by a few factors. I quite like the city, it has a reputation of being a city that Tori likes and where she gives some memorable performances, and it's a regular stop on her tours without the number of shows there over the years being completely overwhelming (unlike, say, New York).  When I started researching for recordings I didn't already possess, it was pleasantly surprising to find how many Seattle shows are available - by my count, 15 out of 18 shows over the years are in the vaults, most of them in complete form.

To me that seems a pretty remarkable testament to the dedication of fans to sharing and remembering the concert experience. I don't know how it compares to other performers, but I'd like to think it's a pretty good hit rate.

However, the other thing I'm aware of is that even with a performer who has a dedicated, obsessive fan base, the hit rate per tour is showing signs of decreasing.  People are abandoning the full concert bootleg in favour of displaying individual songs on Youtube. I can understand this trend, even while I personally am disheartened by it.  We live in the age of the playlist. My commitment to enjoying the architecture of a larger listening experience is becoming peculiar.  People aren't interested in following the course of an hour-long album unshuffled, never mind a 2-hour concert.