Music recommendations

[Econoline]

Take Five...

[Burning Petard]

I think Paul Desmond is smiling.

snailgate

[Joe Guy]

That's great!

[Sue U]

India has a super-hot jazz/fusion scene that produces some really creative stuff. I found out about it after hearing bassist Mohini Dey, who appears in this video, bringing the funk to the tradition (skip ahead to about 10:30 for a great extended bass solo):

[Gob]

Sweet!!

[Burning Petard]

I am not one BUT--I think "In fernem Land" from Act 3 Scene 2 of Lohengrin is the most beautiful and saddest Tenor piece in all Opera. And the prelude is pretty good orchestral. That's just me and you are welcome to disagree. Unhappily the only version I have is the complete opera with Jess Thomas as Lohengrin ,in a '63 version which gets general good reviews, but I think Thomas is completely outclassed by Fisher-Dieskau as Telramund

Anybody have any suggestion for a great recording of "In Fernam Land" ?

snailgate

[ex-khobar Andy]

Jussi Bjorling can do no wrong. In Swedish - I don't know if he recorded it in German.

Edited to clarify.

[BoSoxGal]

Try this one:

[Burning Petard]

Andy and BSG, I wish I could hug you and give you both a big kiss. I am such an old fart. I never thought to go to You Tube (although I go there often for my Boogie Woogie fix and "fast laps at Nurburgring') Blessings to you both. A wealth of different performances to float away with; complete abandonment of the troubles of the world and my personal grief. We may never see a HOLY KNIGHT to save us, but the human imagination has such soaring possibilities that there must always be hope. The followers of Q Anon cannot succeed.

snailgate.

[BoSoxGal]

Happy to help. Also, I had not heard that piece before and watching the performance I found for you on YT was a very moving and rewarding experience that really brightened my day. Thanks!

[Sue U]

A wealth of different performances to float away with; complete abandonment of the troubles of the world and my personal grief. We may never see a HOLY KNIGHT to save us, but the human imagination has such soaring possibilities that there must always be hope.

Well, if you're looking for the Aryan Knight of the Grail to vanquish those pagan Magyars, you can't get any more archetypical than Peter Hofmann. Plus he has a really lovely voice. This DG recording with Claudio Abbado conducting the Vienna Phil is pretty lush, but there are several others of him on the Yu-Toobs, each with its own pluses and minuses to my ear:



To be honest, most of my engagement with Lohengrin has begun and ended with the Prelude to Act I, which really is exquisite -- the Philadelphia Orchestra played it last week on their SiriusXM slot -- but I can't stand the subtext of the story, so l've never really explored the various artists who have performed the vocal roles. But in poking around the various offerings this evening, I found I like the way Rene Kollo handled the part as well:



BSG: I know there are like 142 videos of Jonas Kaufmann doing Lohengrin, but there's something about his voice and articulation that just bugs me. I'm glad his performance brought you joy, though, and I I hope you find many more operatic pleasures (there are lots!).

[ex-khobar Andy]

My favorite tenors are Bjorling and Domingo; and I can take quite a lot of Pavarotti. Domingo was wonderful on Verdi's Requiem (Bernstein; London Symphony Orchestra 1970) and of course Bjorling died in 1960 so his latest recordings suffer from the recording technology of the day. I have never managed to like Bocelli. Domingo seems to have managed his transition to baritone well. I have to admit that I was not familiar with Kaufman and I wasn't keen on the version of In Fernem Land BSG posted. It feels closer to a baritone than a tenor and there's a sort of back-of-the-throat timbre to his voice which didn't appeal to me. But I readily admit that it's like saying I prefer Messi to Rooney or Navratilova to Evert when they all possess skills beyond anything I could begin to comprehend.

Words by Shakespeare, music by Schubert, recorded 80 years ago.

[Sue U]

Well, if you're looking for the Aryan Knight of the Grail to vanquish those pagan Magyars, you can't get any more archetypical than Peter Hofmann.

Ack! That's not Peter Hofmann! It's Siegfried Jerusalem-- IT EVEN SAYS SO RIGHT ON THE CD BOX DISPLAYED ON THE VIDEO!! Ugh and gah! However, in my defense, I will say I listened to a shit-ton of these last night and was focusing only on finding performances I liked, not which tenor was which. And I thought Jerusalem's take was really very good and the orchestra was well-recorded.

Anyway, here's the actual Peter Hofmann at Bayreuth (in a clip that also includes some of Elsa's regrets for daring to ask who the fuck her husband actually is):

[Econoline]

[TPFKA@W]

I have posted this different places and cannot recall if I did so here. Still it's worth posting twice if I did.

Ladies and Gentlemen and Joe, I give you Glen Campbell performing the William Tell Overture.

[Joe Guy]

It has always bothered me that he leaves out two notes in one of the simplest parts. Rossini would be upset.

[Sue U]

Why am I just now finding out about Birds of Chicago??? Why are they not being played everywhere all the time???

They are awesome. Go buy all of their music right now and tell everyone you know.

[ex-khobar Andy]

Never heard of them: which just goes to show I need to get out more. (Well, we all do.). What a voice Allison Russell has. If I had to describe it to someone I'd have to say Emmylou Harris meets Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks stops by.

ETA And after I posted that, I found this cover of Landslide in French, translated by Allison Russell.

[Sue U]

If I had to describe it to someone I'd have to say Emmylou Harris meets Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks stops by.

Yes, she fits right in there. I'd add Joni Mitchell to the list of apparent influences.

[Big RR]

I love Landslide, and that is a nice arrangement. My daughter chose it at her wedding for the Father-daughter dance, which made me appreciate it even more (she chose the version by the Dixie Chicks which, while not Fleetwood Mack, is listenable).