Grasshopper

DeRank ™: 5,88

DeAge™ : 7973 days • Here since 11 august 2004

Erik Satie - Alessandra Celletti (piano) Esoterik Satie

30 jan 06

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Finally, someone who gives Caesar what is Caesar's. With all due respect to Brian Eno and company, ambient music is about a century old, and its inventor is named Eric Satie. At this point, it would have been nice to talk about it a little more. I don't know the interpretation in question, but Gymnopedies and Gnossiennes alone deserve a 5 "regardless."

Bruce Springsteen 18 Tracks

30 jan 06

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I agree with Massimo, acknowledging Bruce Springsteen's enormous prolificacy, which makes even the "leftovers" excellent. 5 seems a bit too much, though: otherwise, what do we give to "The River" and "Born To Run"?

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Concerto per Clarinetto e Orchestra in La maggiore K. 622

30 jan 06

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For Nobody: the version by Benny Goodman is from 1956, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Munch. On the same record, Benny Goodman also plays the Clarinet Quintet in A major, K 581 (beautiful as always, although not as much as the Concerto) in a recording from 1938, which miraculously sounds quite good. At this point, I could go to Fazio on "Che tempo che fa," prepping on Mozart and win an umbrella.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer Trilogy

30 jan 06

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I consider it their best, for the absence of elephantine suites lasting 20 minutes and more, and for the presence of pure class gems like "From the beginning," "Abaddon's bolero," and the very "Trilogy." Lake, in my opinion, has asserted himself more than in the other records, and the effect has been positive. Great review, beautifully detailed as I like it.

Francesco De Gregori Titanic

30 jan 06

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Perhaps De Gregori's last masterpiece before his Dylan-esque shift, which nonetheless produced excellent albums.

Johann Sebastian Bach Passione Secondo Matteo

30 jan 06

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What do I see on Debaser? The sacred masterpiece of Bach and of the entire Baroque, the work that, thanks to the recovery of the mistreated Mendelssohn, saved Johann Sebastian from a level of oblivion that was absurd. Talking about such a work is a bit like talking about an immortal monument: there’s always the risk of stating things that have already been said, but it seems to me that you have managed to discuss it eruditely and at the same time with originality. As can be seen from my profile, this is one of the five works I would bring to the classical desert island.

Renato Zero Cattura

30 jan 06

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Before singing "I sell myself" and then actually doing it, Renato Fiacchini didn’t promise too badly. Too bad that his last interesting album was "Trapezio," which dates back to 1976. Then, thirty years of fifth-grade-level lyrics, fake sugary ballads from a poor man's Claudio Villa, with a few nice songs here and there, but never a decent entire album. What a shame.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Concerto per Clarinetto e Orchestra in La maggiore K. 622

30 jan 06

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Personally, I really enjoy that Mozart's music is in my DNA, and I never miss an opportunity to imprint that even more. As you rightly say, the best way to celebrate it is to listen to it, and since it never gets old, you can do so "ad libitum," not to mention that it has an almost infinite repertoire that touches on practically every field of classical music. This Concerto, after more than 2 centuries, remains the best ever composed for an instrument that had just been invented at the time. I recommend the curious performance by Benny Goodman, who, as a good jazz musician, emphasizes the lower tones but manages quite well. Hal, as usual, is impeccable.

Mozart K331, K332, K333

30 jan 06

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legegrino is an ancient word from the 18th century that stands for "leggerino," or rather, it is a typographical error.

Mozart K331, K332, K333

30 jan 06

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Even though it's a bit lighthearted, in essence it's a very "Mozartian" way of reviewing Mozart: from biographies it seems that Amadeus didn't take himself too seriously, despite being fully aware of his genius. Indeed, I have this very specific album, performed by Andras Schiff, and the effect it has on me is that of a beneficial shower of notes, very purifying. But I imagine this holds true for most of Mozart's sonatas as well, and any competent performer is capable of extracting their therapeutic virtue from these sonatas.