#37: Rossini: The Barber of Seville

#37: Rossini: The Barber of Seville. Decca,  1964 (CD 1999). Total time (2 discs): 144:52.

#36: Jeff Buckley: So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley

Details: Jeff Buckley (1966-1997), So Real: Songs From Jeff Buckley. Legacy, 2007. Total time: 72:37.

Jeff Buckley drowned in the Mississippi River near Memphis in 1997 at the age of 30 -- which always makes one wonder what he would've done in the nearly two decades since he died. 

That said,  what he did in his young life is remarkable still. He took a song composed by the wizened genius Leonard Cohen, "Hallelujah," and at a young age recorded what still stands as the definitive version of a truly great song -- one that has been recorded by countless other people since.  Yet Buckley's haunting, heartfelt version still shines beyond any other -- including maybe even the original.

He contributed other great song performances that as my father used to say stand the test of time: the great "Last Goodbye" which I remember hearing on the radio, one of the very few singles that was released in Buckley's lifetime.  

Other notable songs on this collection include So Real, Grace, a passionate version of Lover You Should've Come Over, a truly mindblowing remake of a 1930s song by French chanteuse Edith Piaf (!) and the epic closing song, I Know It's Over, a live performance that you don't want to end.

#35: Lunasa: The Kinnitty Sessions

Details: Lunasa: The Kinnitty Sessions.  Compass, 2004. Total time: 40:30.

#34: U2: Wide Awake in America

 

Details: U2: Wide Awake in America.  Island,  1985. Total time: 20:44.  

#33: Rachmaninov: The Piano Concertos; Paganini Rhapsody

Details: Rachmaninov: The Piano Concertos; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Stephen Hough and Dallas Symphony Orchestra, conductor A. Litton. Hyperion, 2004. Total time: 145:35. 

Personal. Emotional. Romantic.  These words can be used to describe Rachmaninov's music especially these pieces. Also he is a bridge between 19th and 20th centuries: perhaps more accurately his music sounds more 1800s than 1900s.

Ultimately it is musical and melodious--so much so that Eric Carmen lifted much of the 2nd movement of the 2nd concerto for his 1970s pop hit, "All By Myself," and parts of the soundtrack to the hit movie "Home Alone" sound inspired by Rhapsody on a Theme By Paganini  (which itself was inspired by someone else).

My favorite is the 2nd concerto which is full of reflection and sounds very personal which it is. Rachmaninov reportedly struggled to compose it during a time of personal difficulty in his life and overcame creative challenges with the help of a therapist and wrote the beautiful opening chords of the 2nd concerto's first movement. This is a crowdpleasing, iconic piece of music and was featured in an iconic Marilyn Monroe movie, The Seven Year Itch.

The 3rd concerto is known as one of the most challenging accomplishments for any pianist to achieve and Stephen Hough is up to the challenge.  The Dallas Symphony does a great job throughout.  The 4 concerti were all recorded live while the Paganini variations apparently were not.  

#32: Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto -- Mutter/Vienna/Karajan

Details: Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto,  Anne-Sophie Mutter and Vienna Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan, conductor. Deutsche Grammophon,  1988. Total time: 38:34.

#31: Peggy Lee: At Last: The Lost Radio Recordings

Details: Peggy Lee (1920-2002), At Last: The Lost Radio Recordings.  Real Gone Music,  2015. Total time (2 discs): 92:57.

Holy Toledo! Talk about old-time radio.  Just released on CD this week, the 45 songs here are from the legendary jazz singer-songwriter, Peggy Lee. In 1951 and 1952 during some of her peak performance years Miss Lee had a radio program, The Peggy Lee Show, and all these superb song performances are from then. 

More than 60 years later this material sounds so damn good and how exciting that these long lost intimate radio performances, many of them romantic ballads, others swinging numbers, are finally being made available.

I believe although she is no longer with us Peggy Lee is still relevant in music today.  Even here with recordings that sound just a little scratchy, it is delightful to listen to her distinctive voice singing classic songs backed by a great band and pianists. One of the words I use to describe Peggy Lee's singing voice is this: smile.  Listening to her singing you can hear her smile so clearly. 

My only complaint is while reaching inside one of the pockets of the cardboard CD holder for the liner notes I ripped the front cover a bit. Other than that this 2-disc album is perfect.