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Post by jandl100 on Feb 1, 2020 6:03:36 GMT
I think I'll probably offer a duo of classical albums for my month's choice, one modern and one baroque. Starting with the very much still with us contemporary composer Nigel Clarke. Wiki -- Nigel Clarke (born 1960) is a British composer and musician. He is a former head of composition and contemporary music at the London College of Music and Media. Clarke began his career as a military bandsman, then studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Clarke_(composer)Something of an academic failure early on, probably due to his dyslexia, he has won through to a successful musical compositional career, creating innovative but accessible pieces, often of high and percussive energy ... as exampled on this month's Naxos album. This album is mainly for small forces or solo musicians - but nonetheless is often large in scale. Superb sonics are to be heard that will stretch your audio system to some of its limits.   open.qobuz.com/album/0747313042975tidal.com/browse/album/7887817 |
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Post by Slinger on Feb 3, 2020 22:33:02 GMT
Sorry, Jerry, not my cup of meat at all. No redeeming features whatsoever as far as I was concerned. Bring on the baroque.
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 4, 2020 7:06:11 GMT
Sorry, Jerry, not my cup of meat at all. No redeeming features whatsoever as far as I was concerned. Bring on the baroque. Ah, hmm, an unexpected response, I think it's fairly amazing! Oh well, thanks for trying it. Yes, the baroque album I have in mind is a bit different. |
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Post by MartinT on Feb 4, 2020 7:16:14 GMT
Well, I quite enjoyed Samurai but the rest is entirely forgettable. Track 1 reaffirms why I find Birtwistle-type modern noise-making such a turn off. 3/10.
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 4, 2020 8:55:48 GMT
I think track 1 is totally awesome.  |
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 4, 2020 9:09:07 GMT
I had been planning to say that if, as I anticipated, you folks really liked the Nigel Clarke album then you should try this album as well ... I don't think I'll bother now.  |
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 4, 2020 12:33:17 GMT
^ actually, have a listen to track 3 on that Simaku album, Albanian folk song, absolutely gorgeous!
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Post by MartinT on Feb 4, 2020 13:56:46 GMT
Well, that's a lot more melodic than the Clarke!
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 4, 2020 14:07:43 GMT
I must admit I'm struggling with this one but will see how long I can persist with it!
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 4, 2020 15:10:12 GMT
As the cover of the album suggests, there are only really three tracks on here and some filler - I couldn’t listen to all of Pernambuco as it’s everything I don’t want a violin to be, a complete aural assault … The mournful atmosphere of The Miraculous Violin immediately reminded me of the film The Red Violin. I can admire rather than enjoy this work, it’s certainly very skilfully constructed but find it rather relentless. Samurai reminds me of Jerry Goldsmith’s score for Planet of the Apes! Definitely the best work on here, very interesting and admirably constructed, but not something I can sit down and enjoy just yet; I will give it another go though, as the tension it creates is quite something. Black Fire continues in the same disturbing vein but doesn’t maintain the same degree of tension for me so I didn’t stay the full course. I’m wavering between 3 and 4. |
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 4, 2020 16:33:12 GMT
Curiouser and curiouser. For me the strongest work is Pernambuco, although I do enjoy the whole album. -- I do recall struggling a bit to get into it (I've had the album on CD for years) but I quickly became quite entranced by it. The slammy transient power of the end of Pernambuco is always a grin-inducer for me - a real system tester - love it! It is far from 'mainstream' classical, and definitely comes under the heading of 'contemporary', so I wonder what occasional dabblers in classical like John and MikeMusic might make of it? Assuming they can be bothered! |
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 4, 2020 16:47:11 GMT
Always good to challenge one's listening habits Jerry.
I would give the whole album a 3 but Samurai a 6 or 7 so haven't got a scooby how to score now.
Yes John might like aspects of this but Mike I'm not sure, I could only find Baroque that he enjoyed!
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Post by MikeMusic on Feb 4, 2020 17:35:21 GMT
Noted Jerry. Queued for when I'm in my office again..... |
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Post by Pinch on Feb 4, 2020 18:04:07 GMT
I will listen to this - sounds like my cup of tea! - once I figure out how to do so without a streaming subscription
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 4, 2020 18:15:11 GMT
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Post by John on Feb 4, 2020 18:17:47 GMT
I promise to give it a go
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Post by Pinch on Feb 4, 2020 18:20:03 GMT
Ah ha! Turns out it's free to stream with Prime. I'll check it out once the kids are down  |
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 4, 2020 18:22:13 GMT
Good plan - don't traumatise the little ones with 'Pernambuco'! |
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Post by MartinT on Feb 5, 2020 6:34:00 GMT
It is far from 'mainstream' classical, and definitely comes under the heading of 'contemporary', so I wonder what occasional dabblers in classical like John and MikeMusic might make of it? You make a good point and I can't even understand why it is that I love Glass, Ligeti, McCabe, Richter, Reich for instance, but I can't be doing with most of this or Birtwistle or Rihm, for instance? |
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Post by John on Feb 5, 2020 7:00:03 GMT
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