HutchFan

Thanks for the tip.

I'm not familiar with that one. I'll check it out. CORRECTION: I actually have this recording. It's in the big EMI box that I posted above. I'd just never seen that cover photo before, so I didn't recognize it.

We're all learning from one another! Wow. I didn't know about that set. Thanks!

Eddie Gomez - Down Stretch (Trio/Blackhawk, rec. 1976) with Takehiro Honda (p, el-p) & Eliot Zigmund (d)

Haitink's recording of DSCH's 15th has its advocates, for sure. Give it a listen and see what you think. For my money, the finest 15th is the first -- the premiere recording -- made by DSCH's son Maksim for Melodiya: Pictured above: the U.S. release on Angel-Melodiya. IMO, this LP is one of the most powerful DSCH recordings ever made. Yes, I agree.

I love Haitink's DSCH 8. The others . . . not so much. They're a bit too staid and by-the-book for me. OTOH, others listeners love Haitink's cycle. IIRC, the Penguin Guide authors did. It all depends on what you're drawn to. For me, Shostakovich's music -- at heart -- should sound anguished and driven and despairing and sardonic. Haitink's temperament -- his coolness and reserve -- serves him very well in certain repertoire. But I think Shostakovich fares better with more extroverted conductors. And I think Russian/Soviet conductors who lived in the USSR can bring a special insight to DSCH's music. My 2 cents.

Disc 4 - Oistrakh plays Beethoven: - Violin Concerto in D, Op. 61 - with André Cluytens & the Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française - Violin Sonata No. 9 in A, Op. 47 'Kreutzer' - with Lev Oborin and Over the last decade or so, I've probably played this Tchaikovsky/Sibelius VCs album as much as any classical disc in my collection. And I've definitely heard more from Oistrakh than any other violinist (in a soloist's role).

Speaking of Shostakovich . . . Harrowing, brilliant music. Unsurpassed performances.

Do you mean other Shostakovich symphonies in Haitink's cycle? Or do you mean other Shostakovich symphonies -- in general -- among the 15 that he composed? If it's the latter, I would suggest looking into the Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, Tenth, Thirteenth, and Fifteenth. IMO, the two most impressive recorded cycles of Shostakovich's symphonies were both made in the Soviet Union -- by conductors Kirill Kondrashin (with the Moscow PO, recorded between 1962 and 1975) and Gennadi Rozhdestvensky (with the USSR Ministry of Culture SO, recorded in the 1980s). Yes. It's magnificent.

Schubert: Symphony No. 4, as heard on this set: Earlier this evening:

Now listening to Sir Adrian Boult's Ralph Vaughan Williams set: Disc 2 - A London Symphony (No. 2) and Tallis Fantasia . . . with the LPO

Now playing: Disc 2: - Hunnenschlacht (Battle Of The Huns) - Die Ideale - Von Der Wiege Bis Zum Grabe (From The Cradle To The Grave) - Mephisto Waltz No. 1 (The Dance In The Village Inn)

Now playing: Kenny Drew Trio - Dark Beauty (SteepleChase, 1974) with NHØP & Tootie Heath

First listen:

Leon Thomas - In Berlin (Flying Dutchman, 1971)

Now: Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia - Wilde Tales (MCA UK, 1979) Earlier tonight: Joni Mitchell - Mingus (Asylum, 1979)

Now: Disc 2 - Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 and The Isle of the Dead Up next: Disc 6 - Wagner: Orchestral Music from The Ring -- with the LSO This repertoire is right in Stoki's wheelhouse. IMO, Haitink's Shostakovich symphony cycle is very inconsistent; however, that recording of the Eighth is bonkers -- and I mean bonkers in a good way. It's EASILY the high point of Haitink's cycle.

This is great news, Jim. I will definitely be reading -- and listening -- along with you.

Earlier today: These are glorious performances, and I love the cover painting nearly as much as the music. It's titled View of Oxford from a Distance by William Turner. Is that also Turner on the cover of the Elgar DG disc above? EDIT: Just did a bit of Googling. Not Turner. Monet.

For me, that's a desert-island disc! Last night and again this morning: Such a terrific LP -- one of Jarrett's strongest, I think.

Cedar Walton - The Trio 2 (Red, 1986) with David Williams & Billy Higgins

More from Masahiko Togashi: with Masahiko Satoh, Sabu Toyozumi, and others Like Togashi's Guild for Human Music, Essence was released on the Denon Jazz imprint. I'm curious: Does anyone know who owns the rights to these recordings now? Have they been pulled under the new Concord umbrella / conglomerate? I'm only asking because there were many outstanding releases on the label. (And it's not just Japanese jazz. Don't forget: Max Roach Quartet - Live in Tokyo, Vols. 1 & 2.) These LPs deserve to be reissued; in fact, an entire reissue series dedicated to Denon Jazz would be fantastic. What about Solid/Ultra-Vybe? They could do it. This stuff would be right up their alley. I realize that it's unlikely. But I can dream, can't I ?!? Dan - If you want to dig into Gonsalves' playing, these Private Collection recordings are the MOTHERLODE. He's featured throughout.

Now streaming this: Masahiko Togashi - Guild for Human Music (Denon, 1976) Beautiful.