Grasshopper

DeRank ™: 5,88

DeAge™ : 7973 days • Here since 11 august 2004

Vangelis Themes

2 mar 06

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But I was serious, there was no double meaning. For me, "didactic" is truly a compliment. I understand it as "precise, comprehensive," and therefore ideal for a review. If someone at the time used this adjective towards me in a critical sense (never as an insult, anyway), that's another story, and besides, at the beginning I was really a bit too... didactic? (no, better "schematic").

Vangelis Themes

2 mar 06

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Welcome back Enea, with an excellent review ("didactic" for me is to be considered a compliment, also because I've been told that dozens of times) for a collection of high level, very similar to the one I know, titled "Portraits." I'm not a huge fan of Vangelis, but certain tracks like "La petite fille de la mer" and "Chariots of fire" captivate even the most skeptical. And after an evening where I saw the Fiorentina fans applaud Del Piero, how can one be skeptical about anything? Everything is possible, evidently.

Gustav Mahler Sinfonia n° 6 "Tragica"

2 mar 06

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I have Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic for the Third and Fourth, both phenomenal, so I suppose the Sixth will be as well, but unfortunately, I am not familiar with it in this version. However, more generally, when I recommend some versions of classical works, I wouldn’t want to be misunderstood: I make sure not to claim it is the absolute best. I only say that so far it is the most beautiful I have ever heard, but since there are dozens of interpretations of masterpieces like this, there is surely a better one than Solti's somewhere out there, which I do not know. This could very well be it, for example.

Fabrizio De André Canzoni

2 mar 06

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Response to the above question: I don’t know who he is; there are so many that it’s often said that their mom is always pregnant. And they are everywhere, even on a site that talks about music. Unfortunately, Fruttero & Lucentini were not heard, even though they tried to warn us with that beautiful book: "La prevalenza del cretino." Words in the wind (just like mine now, after all).

Riccardo Cocciante Concerto Per Margherita

1 mar 06

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No laughter or retching: this was a maestro Cocciante, great in his own right, still far removed from the Sanremo decline and from the projects, which I find a bit too grandiose, of literary musicals. Whether or not his genre can be appreciated is another matter. For instance, I prefer a different kind of singer-songwriter, but it’s just a matter of taste. A review worthy of the occasion.

Fabrizio De André Canzoni

28 feb 06

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On this, there's no doubt (Britti who, by the way?). I consider it slightly lesser mainly due to the recycling of some songs from another era, which I mostly didn’t mention because they seemed like a kind of filler to complete the album. Apparently, it would have been better to focus on those as well, particularly on "Ballata dell'amore cieco," as I’ve been reminded. But I felt the review was already long enough, so I glossed over it.

Francesco De Gregori Calypsos - 9 canzoni nuove

28 feb 06

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Given my extreme poverty, before I can somehow get my hands on this album through indirect means (mastering), it's likely that some time will pass, considering I've known "Pezzi" for about a month now. What a pity, because the detailed yet passionate review really makes me eager to get to know it.

Claudio Baglioni Tutti qui (disc. 1)

28 feb 06

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It's curious how I see Baglioni from a completely different angle than Logic Probe, that is, as a decent (in his time) creator of pleasant melodies, albeit a bit syrupy. Meanwhile, it’s the lyrics that have always made it hard for me to digest him: banal and cloying (almost always), sometimes decidedly false and sycophantic (I vecchi). In any case, calling him the "cardine della musica italiana" seems really a bit too much. The 1 is out of respect for the current Baglioni; I’ll gloss over the review to avoid being harsh.

Fabrizio De André Canzoni

28 feb 06

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Dear Odradek, first of all, I’m glad to have you back among us living, that is, among us in bold. Not that you ever disappeared: your spirit in gray, "Mr. Nobody (add your own tail)," has spoken on your behalf, and almost always with good reason, which isn’t bad for a ghost. I wanted to clarify that in this case the 4 I gave to the record is neither a 4.5 nor a 3.5, but a full 4, which is explained by the presence of 5 songs (out of 11) recycled from the ’60s and practically unchanged. An entire album of translations at the level of the 6 I mentioned would surely have earned a 5 from me, as would much of what De André has done. Anyway, as our father (Hal, not Bertoncelli) says, scores have relative importance: what matters is being able to discuss music passionately and, as far as possible, competently.