24 December 2010

Shuffle into Christmas

From Wednesday the 22nd through today, when I was on my way from here to there, and from there to somewhere else again, this was what I listened to, to keep the musical mind engaged:

1. Shostakovich, String Quartet № 2, Opus 135, iii. Recitativo. (Emerson String Quartet) [1112/1507]
2. Shostakovich, Four Pushkin Romances, Opus 46 № 1, Renaissance. Moderato. (Mikhail Lukonin, bar; Yuri Serov, pf) [360/1507]
3. Beethoven, Symphony № 1, Opus 21, iv. AdagioAllegro molto e vivace (Gewandhausorchester, Masur) [1187/1507]
4. Prokofiev, Four Pieces, Opus 4, № 3 Despair (Eteri Andjaparidze) [357/1507]
5. Genesis, “Please Don’t Ask” (Duke) [832/1507]
6. Jethro Tull, “Too Old to Rock ’n’ Roll, Too Young to Die” (Too Old to Rock ’n’ Roll, Too Young to Die) [1327/1507]
7. Captain Beefheart, “Dachau Blues” (Trout Mask Replica) [266/1507]
8. Ravel, Rapsodie espagnole, ii. Malagueña (Béroff & Collard) [488/1507]
9. Stravinsky, Requiem Canticles, Interlude (Ollie Knudsen, cond.) [870/1507]
10. Nielsen, Flute Concerto, FS 119, i. Allegro moderato (Gareth Davies, fl; Bournemouth Symphony; Kees Bakels) [348/1507]
11. Stravinsky, Symphony of Psalms, i. Psalm 39, vv. 13 & 14 (Rbt Craft, cond) [1214/1507]
12. Beatles, “Got to Get You Into My Life” (Revolver) [388/1507]
13. Jethro Tull, “Cheerio” (The Very Best of) [231/1507]
14. Genesis, “Misunderstanding” (Duke) [725/1507]
15. Frank Zappa, “Alien Orifice” (You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, vol. 6) [151/1507]
16. Beatles, “Good Day Sunshine” (Revolver) [385/1507]
17. Stravinsky, Orpheus, Interlude. Moderato assai (LSO, Craft) [540/1507]
18. Mannheim Steamroller, “Pat a Pan” (25th Anniversary Christmas) [805/1507]
19. Palestrina, Missa Aeterna Christi mundera, Kyrie (Oxford Camerata, Summerly) [601/1507]
20. Messiaen, Quatuor pour la fin du temps, Intermède (Ensemble Incanto) [541/1507]
21. Robt Fripp, “First Inaugural Address to the I.A.C.E. Sherborne House” (Exposure) [344/1507]
22. Vaughan Williams, Dona nobis pacem, from v: O man greatly beloved (Atlanta Symphony Chorus & Orchestra & al., Robt Shaw) [309/1507]
23. Nielsen, Symphony № 6 (Sinfonia semplice), FS 116, ii. Humoreske (Allegretto) (LSO, Ole Schmidt) [1023/1507]
24. Jethro Tull, “Sweet Dream” (The Very Best of) [1148/1507]
25. Ginastera, Variaciones concertantes, Opus 23, Ripresa del tema per contrabasso (Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Josep Pons) [1359/1507]
26. Ginastera, Concierto para arpa y orquesta, ii. Molto moderato (Magdalena Barrera, hp; Orquesta Ciudad de Granada; Josep Pons) [1359/1507]
27. Berlioz, L’enfance du Christ, Opus 25, Part I « Eh, bien! » (BSO & al., Munch) [427/1507]
28. Robt Fripp, “You Burn Me Up, I’m a Cigarette” (Exposure) [1503/1507]
29. Beethoven, Symphony № 6 in F Major (Pastorale), Opus 68, iv. Allegretto (Gewandhaus Orchestra, Masur) [1170/1507]
30. Prokofiev, Visions fugitives, Opus 22 № 18 Con una dolce lentezza (Béroff) [1400/1507]
31. Prokofiev, Visions fugitives, Opus 22 № 3 Allegretto (Béroff) [1404/1507]
32. Hindemith, Ludus tonalis, № 20 Fuga Decima in D-flat. Moderately fast, grazioso (John McCabe) [678/1507]
33. Shostakovich, Two Pieces from Scarlatti, Opus 17 № 1, Pastorale. Allegro non tanto (Winds of the USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Rozhdestvensky) [1344/1507]
34. Captain Beefheart, “Steal Softly Through Snow” (Trout Mask Replica) [1080/1507]
35. Hindemith, Suite 1922, Opus 26 № 3 Nachtstück (John McCabe) [1143/1507]
36. Shostakovich, Symphony № 8 in c minor, Opus 65, i. AdagioAllegro non troppo (Prague Symphony, Maksim Dmitriyevich) [966/1507]
37. Shostakovich, Symphony № 1 in f minor, Opus 10, iii. Lento (Prague Symphony, Maksim Dmitriyevich) [924/1507]
38. Bartók, String Quartet № 1, Opus 7, Sz. 40, ii. Allegretto (Emerson String Quartet) [1087/1507]
39. Shostakovich, Symphony № 4 in c minor, Opus 43, mvt iii (Prague Symphony, Maksim Dmitriyevich) [952/1507]
40. Prokofiev, Cinderella, Opus 87, Act I, № 5 The Fairy Godmother (Cleveland Orchestra, Ashkenazy) [101/1507]
41. Prokofiev, Romeo & Juliet, Opus 64, Act II, Scene 3. Dance with Mandolins (BSO, Ozawa) [59/1507]
42. Genesis, “Cul-de-sac” (Duke) [263/1507]
43. Bartók, String Quartet № 2, Opus 17, Sz. 67, i. Moderato (Emerson String Quartet) [1089/1507]
44. Prokofiev, Romeo & Juliet, Opus 64, Act III, Scene 8. At Juliet’s Bedside (BSO, Ozawa) [82/1507]
45. Bartók, String Quartet № 4, Sz. 91, iii. Non troppo lento (Emerson String Quartet) [1089/1507]
46. Prokofiev, Sarcasms, Opus 17, № 1 Tempestoso (Eteri Andjaparidze) [898/1507]
47. Penguin Café Orchestra, “Yodel 2” (Penguin Café Orchestra) [1502/1507]
48. Hindemith, Ludus tonalis, № 18 Fuga Nona in B-flat. Moderate, scherzando (John McCabe) [676/1507]
49. Shostakovich, Prelude & Fugue in G Major from Opus 87 (Tatiana Nikolayeva) [522/1507]
50. Prokofiev, Cinderella, Opus 87, Act II, № 31 Promenade (Cleveland Orchestra, Ashkenazy) [116/1507]


The Fripp track with the longest title above (№ 21) may likely be the shortest track on the player, at 4 seconds. Not sure which may be the longest track, but the third movement of the Shostakovich Opus 43 (№ 37) must be in the running.

At first when I heard the piece from the Shostakovich Opus 17 (№ 33), I wondered if it might be . . . Mannheim Steamroller. Soon there were just too many wind instruments, though. A curious head-fake.

The immediate juxtaposition of two substantial Shostakovich symphony movements (№ 36 & № 37) was musically interesting, and a statistical curiosity. As was the stretch of five pop songs (№ 12 through № 16) . . . and that both the Beatles tracks are from the same album, as are all the Genesis tracks.

The faux attacca from the Prokofiev Despair into the piano intro to “Please Don’t Ask” was especially tasty.

Disappointed with the clarinetist in this movement from the Messiaen quatuor (№ 20).

Moving from the Humoreske from the Nielsen Sixth to “Sweet Dream” was another lovely moment. In general, many of these random musical shifts, I find wonderfully stimulating.

Not that I am in any danger of becoming John Zorn, for instance . . . .

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