Olivier Messiaen-Visions de L'amen-1973(Yuji Takahashi-Peter Serkin)RCA ,ARL-0363 LP

 

A slight digression from the usual fare here at 9 Grey Chairs, this is repertoire I like to revisit often, this piece being rather special in that it was the first Messiaen piece i heard many years ago, having acquired many versions over the years , this superb performance by Master Pianist Peter Serkin and Yuji Takahashi (also known to exploratory music aficionados,as a master improviser) has always been a favourite, for one its much less impressionistic , and romantic in treatment than many lauded contemporary performances..(see the Martha Agerich-Alexandre Rabinovitch,version as a prime example of the latter)


 Olivier Messiaen -Visions De L'Amen, For Two Pianos         RCA Red Seal – ARL1-0363,1973          
Tracklist▼
 Visions De L'Amen 
A1  Amen De La Création
 A2  Amen Des Étoiles, De La Planète À L'Anneau
 A3  Amen De L'Agonie De Jésus
 B1  Amen Du Désir
B2  Amen Des Anges, Des Saints, Du Chant Des Oiseaux
  B3  Amen Du Jugement
  B4  Amen De La Consommation
Peter Serkin-Yuji Takahashi Pianos
No Processing of anykind employed, including superfluos track seperation!

Enjoy!!
S                          

William Pijper & Henk Badings -Orchestral wks- phillips lp-A o2242l-1962

A glimpse at 2 relatively little known Mid 20th century Dutch composers
William Pijper, & Henk Badings
Phillips -lp o2242.1.l- 1962?

Side -A- W.Pijper
1-Piano Concerto-1927, H.Henkemanns -pno, The Concertgebouw O- Eduard van Beinum
Badings is now much better Known for his later Music , especially the Electronic music which was exclusive to his later period.

2- Six Symphonic Epigrams- Concertgebouw O. Van Beinum.

3-Six Adagios- 1940, the Hague Philharmonic O, Eduard Flipse

Side-B-H.Badings-

1- Concerto for 2 violins and Orchestra- 1954, Herman Krebbers and Theo Orlof- violins, The Hague Philharmonic O, Willem Van Oterloo.

Pijpers Language appears the more conservative , and his music is largely tonal.
the liners refer to "a creeping bi-tonality" in his music by 1920....

lovely music , and there's not a whole lot out there by either composer, i cant imagine this ever being reissued, the phillips Modern Music series from the late 50's through to the mid 60's , was a great showcase for composers who these days seem out of favour and outmoded.
there was another Badings disc in the series, and a few contemporaneous ones by dallopicolla , Krenek , and Janarch , which i wouldn't mind hearing...
Do any visitors have any , at all?

Dmitri Shostakovich-the 2 piano Sonatas-Victoria Postnikova (Melodia, lp-C10 1785 0042)

A Dynamic , rather Splashy reading of some seriously brooding Music,in the first Sonata at times Postnikova,sounds as though she's Lazar Berman playing liszt,or some other llate 19th C ,romantic composer.

A Rather ,non Canonical performance perhaps ( maybe why this particular lp hasnt been reissued , at least not to my knowledge) , but Visceral ... i love it .

there is an Available CD version of Postnikova ,playing the preludes and fugues ,which i havent yet heard ... this is the only recording of hers that i own.

Melodia lp C10 1785 0042
Dmitri Shostakovich
1-Sonata #1 op12- 1926
2-Sonata in B Minor op 61-1942
Viktoria Postnikova -piano

ENJOY!

PS. Given that i seem to be back at I.Sol posting ,more improvised,& jazz orientated musics.
from now on I 'll probably stick to Short posts of 20th C Classical Music.
I'm also posting these and Others Here on SFRP
A great forum which anyone seriously interested in such musics ought to investigate.

Frank Martin-6 monologues for Everyman 1943-Fragments from the opera de Sturm, (DC, LPM 1871-1964)

a truly Magical performance of Frank Martin conducting his own, music

The 1st piece is based on a text by Hugo von Hofmannstals -6 monologues for everyman , a cautionary moral tale , about the death and life of a rich man.
these pieces are so richly orchesatrated ... there are serial elements , but overall its much more Berg and Mahler than Webern , distinctive though too.
And Dietrich Fischer Dieskau's Baritone voice , is a marvel!!

this actual pressing is from 1964 !!46 years old ... and not in perfect condition by any means ,so i had to do a little de click here ...
still a bit of crackle , The music is so captivating one ceases to notice.

The 6 Monologues in this version , was the first F.Martin i ever heard .. on a distant late night Sydney Radio station,, a thousand Kilometres from the source.
An odd period in my life , i was living Alone in a run down Caravan on the Edge of a Banana plantation , working 6 days a week as a plantation Labourer.


A- 6 Monologues for everyman-(1943)
8- Fragments from the opera the Tempest....

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra- Frank Martin conductor
Dietrich Fischer Dieskau-baritone

DG-LPM 18-871- 1964

More ,Frank Martin !!!!!

CE 31065 S - 1972
Martin: Harpsichord Concerto (JACCOTTET);
Ballade for Trombone (ROSIN)
; Ballade for Piano (S. BENDA). Lausanne CO
Frank Martin- conductor

a very nice listen!



downsampled from 48hz-24 bit
a little bit of declicking

PS- more Out of print Frank Martin.. on 6the horizon , Including The magnificent, 6 monologues for Everyman, featuring Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau , with F.M conducting!

Frank Martin- Basf lp-25-21638-1 eight etudes for Piano, string trio, ect 1974

Something different , moving away from Free Jazz and improv , occasionally is a great thing.

Lately i've been Ripping some of my records , and burning cds , with a wiew to maybe taking them down to the local charity thrift store.

they take up a lot of room.. so i think i'll give someone else the opportunity to enjoy them!
i may as well share a few here too!

Frank Martin -b-1990 - d-1974, is a somewhat neglected composer these days , but i like his music a great deal.
A short bio, by no means extensive herehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Martin_(composer)

1- trio for pno, violin and cello- 1925 ( this piece isn't a favourite , i guess its rooted in folk music , and in a similar style to say vaughn williams)
2- eight etudes for piano 1948- ( free atonality . a bit of serial organization )
3-trio for violin, viola and cello- 1936.... ( the album cracker!!!)


featured performers

Werner Genuit- piano
+ the new york string trio
Paul Doktor-va
Charles Castleman-v
Jennifer Langham- vc

enjoy!!!

the Frank Martin Society website

BTW-downsampled from 48hz -24 bit to ----16-bit burnable wav- then converted to Flacs, not because my turntable is especially super fuckin' hi fi,just simply to obtain the best possible sound quality i can achieve.
in most cases i wont do more than eq and raise volume levels , and perhaps a little very light De crackle ,if any ... no compression though ... ok

THIS PARTICULAR LP IS IN GOOD NICK...although the first piece which doesn't thrill me (but must have been overplayed by the previous owner) is fairly crackly!