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© 2006-2008 by Sarah Beach. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced without permission.
TRUE
BLUE, THE TOPS 
RECOMMENDED 
NOT RECOMMENDED
A
BOMB, BUT YOU MIGHT ENJOY IT 
ABSOLUTELY DEADLY, FORGET IT
MUSIC
BEETHOVEN:
THE 9 SYMPHONIES
John Eliot Gardiner, conductor; The Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique (Archiv Production)
Beethoven is, of course, one of the Greats of classical music. But other than the Pastoral (the 6th) Symphony, I've found most recording of the symphonies hard for me to listen to. And until I heard these recordings, I couldn't really articulate why.
Gardiner and the Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romatique have recorded all nine symphones on period instruments. One of the consequences of that is that the stringed instruments are not using modern metal-wound strings. The use of catgut strings takes a harsh edge off the extensive string passages. Without the hard edge of the metal, the native agressiveness of the music itself is allowed to take the forefront in the sound. Additionally, Gardiner conducts the pieces at the speed (apparently) which Beethoven himself designated: this is considerably faster than many orchestras have performed some of the pieces. And yet, to my ear, these two factors suddenly opened up symphonic Beethoven to my ears: this was the way the music was intended to be performed, and it feels right to my internal responses.
Full of energy and verve, I think this is the very best recording of Beethoven's symphonies.
STILL THE SAME ...
GREAT ROCK CLASSICS OF OUR TIME
Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart has one of those voices that shouldn't really work for a singer. He's got a rough edge to his sound. It is the fact that he can sing in tue, and has a knack for meaningful phrasing, that has kept Stewart working successfully all these years. The rough edge of the voice reminds us that a genuine human is sharing his musical love with us (unlike other singers, whose over-processed and perfectly smoothed-out voices might as well be synthesized).
In this collection, Stewart gives us fresh renderings of several classic rock standards. "Have You Ever Seen the Rain", "Still the Same" and others have both the familiarity of their long history and also a re-energized freshness by being delivered by a singer who knows them well and loves them. Oh, most certainly, Stewart is "Still the Same." And that "Same" is good.
GRUNT from Sandra Boynton
I'm reviewing this here as "music", but it's a delightful confection for the over-educated (I suppose). This work was released with there was a spate of recordings of Gregorian chants. In Grunt, Boynton gives the listener, and reader a very humorous play on chants in the Latin language. Because how can a playful mind not go from "Latin" to "Pig Latin"?
In the dulcet tones of choirs practiced in Gregorian chants, we are given a musical setting of the activities of one day on a farm – Old MacDonald, in fact. And everyone "speaks" in Latin. Except, of course, the pigs. Because they speak in, yes, Pig Latin. The text playfully has fun with onomatopoeic sounds, such as having the ducks asking "Quaqua, quaqua" (for "anyway"). There are plenty of other English/Latin jokes thrown in to find. The booklet that the CD comes with has both the Latin and the English texts, so you can enjoy the fun.
It's educated and silly. And well done.
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
composed by John Williams.
Williams is well known for bold, brassy fanfares for heroic films. Some of those scores I find a bit too much like each other. But Memoirs of a Geisha is different.
Williams captures a sound that evokes Japan, without being alien to Western ears. The score features Yo-Yo Ma on cello. It is lyrical and graceful. I confess that I did not see the movie. But I definitely like the filmscore recording. It is a pleasure to listen to.
THEY CALLED HER BABYLON – Steeleye Span
The traditional music band Steeleye Span has a long history of recording old ballads and songs with modern accompanyment and musical sensibility. They Called Her Babylon, released in 2004, continues that practice: songs about exile ("Van Diemen's Land"), long lost love ("Mantel of Green"), foolishness cured ("Heir of Linne"), or the anger of a woman scorned ("Child Owlet"), all tell us more about human nature. The album's title track, "They Called Her Babylon" celebrates a woman's effective leardership in one of the clashes of the English Civil War. (And you though feminism was a late 20th Century stance?)
Now, when it comes to traditional music, I'm an easy touch for Steeleye Span. I love their work. The harmonies of the band here are, as always, excellent. And they shine with the luster of Maddy Prior's incomparable voice.
It's a pleasure to listen to. Give it a try.