stuartr
Loyal member of Team Useful Post.
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2001
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I hope not, because I am going to review your cd's now Huy...
Beth Orton's Central Reservation is a fantastic cd. I had not heard of Beth Orton before I got this cd, and now I listen to the cd several times a week. I told my best friend about it, and he said, oh yeah, she is really good...you have not heard her? Hmm. She has a wonderfully sincere voice. I think her greatest strength is her versatility, almost none of her songs sound similar, which is a rare talent. She can go from strong to sweet with equal facility. I like her when she is sweet though...you feel like you want to cuddle up next to her. I think I share my favorites with Huy...the second track, Sweetest Decline is my favorite along with the title track. I dislike none of the tracks, though I am not ecstatic about Devil Song. Hmmmm. Her style is folky with some hip-hop or electronica-type sounds thrown in. Rather fun. I would recommend this album to anyone. I am very happy with it.
The second CD was also a hit, though not as surprising for me. It is the CD single of the Emerson quartet's version of Shostakovich's 8th quartet. A fantastic piece, one of my favorites. It was actually the cornerstone of my undergraduate thesis, and I spent about ten pages on it, so instead of reviewing it in depth here, I will attach that section of my thesis, if anyone is interested...This particular recording is very good, though I must admit it is not my favorite. I love the Emerson quartet, they are fantastic musicians, and I have had the opportunity to listen to them and even meet them several times. All four musicians are brilliant performers. Their version of the eighth is fantastic, but not quite as good, in my opinion, as the Borodin quartet's version made behind the iron curtain during the Brezhnev era. The recording is relatively pristine, and the tension and simultaneous catharsis are palpable in the recording -- it sounds like they are afraid of being caught playing the music, which is exactly how it should be played. The Emerson recording has great virtuosity, but the parts are more defined -- the Borodin sounds like a wall of sound. When listening to this piece for my thesis, I listened to the Emerson to focus on individual instruments, and the Borodin to get a feel for the piece as a hole. I cherish both recordings of this intensely personal and tragic piece.
Thanks to Huy for choosing such incredible recordings, and making my month with his excellent letter -- such calligraphy as to make it a work of art itself. I am also excited to try and listen to the other recommendations in the letter, as I have not heard them either. Uh, fantastic.
P.S. sorry for taking so long to post, I just wanted to put some effort into it, as opposed to just saying, "great, thanks!"
All the best,
Stu
Beth Orton's Central Reservation is a fantastic cd. I had not heard of Beth Orton before I got this cd, and now I listen to the cd several times a week. I told my best friend about it, and he said, oh yeah, she is really good...you have not heard her? Hmm. She has a wonderfully sincere voice. I think her greatest strength is her versatility, almost none of her songs sound similar, which is a rare talent. She can go from strong to sweet with equal facility. I like her when she is sweet though...you feel like you want to cuddle up next to her. I think I share my favorites with Huy...the second track, Sweetest Decline is my favorite along with the title track. I dislike none of the tracks, though I am not ecstatic about Devil Song. Hmmmm. Her style is folky with some hip-hop or electronica-type sounds thrown in. Rather fun. I would recommend this album to anyone. I am very happy with it.
The second CD was also a hit, though not as surprising for me. It is the CD single of the Emerson quartet's version of Shostakovich's 8th quartet. A fantastic piece, one of my favorites. It was actually the cornerstone of my undergraduate thesis, and I spent about ten pages on it, so instead of reviewing it in depth here, I will attach that section of my thesis, if anyone is interested...This particular recording is very good, though I must admit it is not my favorite. I love the Emerson quartet, they are fantastic musicians, and I have had the opportunity to listen to them and even meet them several times. All four musicians are brilliant performers. Their version of the eighth is fantastic, but not quite as good, in my opinion, as the Borodin quartet's version made behind the iron curtain during the Brezhnev era. The recording is relatively pristine, and the tension and simultaneous catharsis are palpable in the recording -- it sounds like they are afraid of being caught playing the music, which is exactly how it should be played. The Emerson recording has great virtuosity, but the parts are more defined -- the Borodin sounds like a wall of sound. When listening to this piece for my thesis, I listened to the Emerson to focus on individual instruments, and the Borodin to get a feel for the piece as a hole. I cherish both recordings of this intensely personal and tragic piece.
Thanks to Huy for choosing such incredible recordings, and making my month with his excellent letter -- such calligraphy as to make it a work of art itself. I am also excited to try and listen to the other recommendations in the letter, as I have not heard them either. Uh, fantastic.
P.S. sorry for taking so long to post, I just wanted to put some effort into it, as opposed to just saying, "great, thanks!"
All the best,
Stu
