# La chronique du disque (February 2013)



## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

En français



> *The rules will be kept simple:* _here's what I found, here's where I found it, here's a couple of sentences about it and (possibly) some opinions_.
> 
> Not unlike Olympic Figure Skating, I will provide *two sets of marks *(letters A to D) on _sound quality (SQ)_ and on _overall impression (OI)_. These grades are entirely subjective, but here are some guidelines:
> 
> ...


My Acquisitions for February









*The Art Of The Fugue Glenn Gould*
[Torrent]​Now, for our obligatory organ selection for Lent. Glenn Gould graduated with full honours from the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, including organ studies with Frederick C. Silvester (1942-49). He also performed in churches, likely as an organist, throughout his studies at the Conservatory. It is therefore not too surprising that Gould would explore a Bach piece that is suited for either Organ and piano - The Art of the Fugue - and that he would provide interpretations on both instruments. There are similarities and contrasts in both the texture and the interpretation of these works with each instrument; I found that where the piano version is much more personal (as personal as, say, the Goldberg variations) and has the usual excesses in dynamics (at both ends of the spectrum) we have come to know and accept from Gould, what I found more interesting was the rather tame and middle-of-the-road approach to the same pieces on the organ. I have to assume that Gould must have done repetition after repetition of the works on his own piano, whereas the access to the organ would have meant less "quality time" with the instrument. Do not take this to be a slight against Glenn as an organist - his choices of register and his dexterity at the instrument are up to snuff, just that it sounds less Gould-like (if I can use those works), although quite musical and refined. The choice of the instrument (a Casavant modern organ rather than a German mammoth organ) also adds to the more refined, less powerful sound, letting you appreciate Bach's craft as a fugal master. These were MP3s… *A- for SQ, A for OI*.









*The Jacques Loussier Collection (1959-2007)*
[Torrent]​In 1959 Jacques Louissier formed the _Play Bach Trio_ with bass player Pierre Michelot and percussionist Christian Garros. They used Bach's compositions as a base for jazz improvisation and had many live appearances, tours, and concerts, as well as a number of recordings The bit torrent link I found provides over 7 GB of flac files that span Loussier's work, from 1959 to 2007, with all of the Play Bach studio and live recordings, as well as similar attempts at jazz-baroque using Vivaldi's Four Seasons, as an example. As was the case for my Wendy Carlos review of last year, this is both nostalgic and at times anachronic, but always satisfying. Loussier can play the works outright (there are many times where he performs sections alone where that is obvious), but he does have a mischievous side that breaks out when the trio jazzes it up. The digital transfers are fair to good. *B+ for SQ, A for OI*.









*Dom Quichotte... Cantates & concertos comiques*
[eMusic]​Located on Saint-Catherine street in Leipzig, Gottfried Zimmermann's coffee house would host weekly concerts by the Collegium Musicum back in the 18th century. The ensemble, founded by Georg Philipp Telemann and conducted by J.S. Bach between 1729 and 1739, performed secular cantatas and instrumental music for an audience of experienced music-lovers: duet or trio sonatas, pieces for solo instruments, concertos for violin, harpsichord, oboe, etc. It was in this spirit that the Café Zimmermann Ensemble was formed in 1998 to explore the orchestral music of that era. The ensemble is featured here in some French baroque secular cantatas and concertos, featuring a quite light-hearted Don Quichotte cantata. This is a different way of approaching a HUP performance. *A for SQ, A- for OI*.









*SULLIVAN: Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures*
[eMusic]​Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842 -1900) is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. These works, direct forbears of the modern musical comedy, are full of great songs and music, and the overtures (which, as you would expect, combine many of the tunes in a medley format) are only occasionally programmed as stand-alone pieces in pops concerts. This NAXOS recording provides all the favourites, played with all the lilt required by a ballet orchestra (The Royal Ballet Sinfonia) and will bring a smile to your face. I quite enjoted this! *A for SQ, A for OI*.









*Carole King - Tapestry (1971) *
[Torrent]​Every so often in these pages, I have proposed "classic" (as opposed to classical) recordings. According to Wikipedia, Carole King's 1971 album _Tapestry _is "one of the best-selling albums of all-time", with over 25 million copies sold worldwide and certified diamond by the RIAA with more than 10 million copies sold in the US alone. Winner of the 1972 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, Tapestry was ranked number 36 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2003. This is a long-time favouite in my record collection, another one of those old vinyls that I played so much you can almost hear the flip side of the album when you play it… So many of these songs are part of the pop music folklore that to single one out is simply impossible. Carole King is the standard-bearer for hit songwriting from the early 60's, and it's hard to imagine that she needed lots of coaxing before she finally decided to perform her own songs… Nostalgia attack! *A for SQ, A for OI*.

*March 1st 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "Ein Deutsches Requiem" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more March 1st on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog.*


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