#24: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli: Claude Debussy -- Preludes Vol. 2

Details: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920-1995): Claude Debussy -- Preludes Vol. 2.  Deutsche Grammophon, 1988. Total time: 39:09.

As good as the first disc of Debussy piano works by Michelangeli that I previously wrote about (#23), this one is perhaps even better. 

What a wonderful exhibition of thoughtful virtuosic playing here. It seems a little dismissive to refer to the Debussy pieces here as mere "preludes" (vol. 2) as they are very complex, developed compositions. For example one of my favorites, "Bruyeres" (v.), sounds more like a nocturne or ballade a la Chopin. 

The piece de resistance, of course, is the final work, Feux d'artifice (Fireworks), a brilliant piece that could be called a nocturnal etude. Having seen this piece played up close and personal (in the home,  as a child) and hearing Michelangeli's recording of it gives an interesting sensation of the visual along with the aural. 

As mentioned in #23, very few people have achieved the level of artistic quality with these Debussy compositions as Michelangeli did on these recordings (this one from 1988 and the prior ones from 1971 and 1978).

#23: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli: Claude Debussy -- Preludes, Vol. 1; Images I & II

Details: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920-1995): Claude Debussy -- Preludes Vol. 1; Images I & II. Deutsche Grammophon, 1971/1978. Total time: 72:48.

Michelangeli was a true virtuoso of the piano and his recordings of Debussy here are for the ages -- really brilliant stuff.  It's remarkable to hear him conquer this material when more often I associate him with Beethoven, for example.  

The Italian Michelangeli was legendary for his precision, even perfection. On recordings and in recitals he is known to have made perhaps two audible mistakes...In total. Which makes it all the more remarkable to hear his technical expertise at the keyboard matched by a subtle, thoughtful interpretation of the French composer's musical paintings.

Debussy creates illusions in a way, including the illusion of improvisation when in fact his composition is precise and intricate. Debussy's magical music seems to blend Oriental sounds with Western, visual with sonic art forms, melody and chords into sound effects, and seems to have predicted jazz before it was invented.

Of course once again here is a parental influence.  I heard several of these preludes played on the family piano by my mother,  most memorably the Feux d'artifice (Fireworks) from Preludes Vol. 2 (subject of the next blog entry) and I can still see my mother's hands flying up and down the keyboard playing arpeggios, scales and chords.

My mother's three favorite composers were (in order) Bach, Beethoven and Chopin. Debussy might've been #4. This music is hardly ever played in live recitals anymore, and hasn't been for a long time.   I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it's just a phase and the pendulum will come back at some point?

#22: Joan Sutherland: The Art of the Prima Donna

Details: Joan Sutherland (1926-2010): The Art of the Prima Donna. Decca, 1960 (CD: 2000). Total time (2 discs): 108:32.

Another parental influence I suppose. Joan Sutherland was far and away one of my mother's favorite singers and the near-unanimous assessment of 20th century sopranos is that she is second only to Maria Callas.

One of my mother's favorite habits was cooking and baking on Saturday afternoons while listening to the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. Undoubtedly Sutherland was a frequent performer on these broadcasts and was one of the first singing voices I think I learned to recognize.

Sutherland, an Australian, had an incredibly advanced vocal gift--superb technical skills and the ability to convey emotion and drama while hitting every note perfectly and delivering a dazzling array of trills and runs.

This album is an intentional collection of well-known arias and from what I have heard has been used by many sopranos over the years as a learning tool.

It was recorded in Aug. 1960 in London, and the second track on disc 1 (Let the bright seraphim, by Handel) was the song that made her famous in 1958, also in London. Then, after her performance of this aria, the audience gave her a sustained 10-minute standing ovation.

The album includes her brilliant renditions of Bellini's Casta diva and Verdi's Sempre libera as well as 14 other arias from Rossini, Bellini, Gounod, Mozart and Verdi among others. 

Listening to this album left me with a taste for lasagna, salad, garlic bread and cannoli.

#21: Billie Holiday: First Issue: The Great American Songbook

Details: Billie Holiday (1915-1959): First Issue: The Great American Songbook.  Verve, 1994. Total time (2 discs): 136:42.

I am pretty certain that this one was once my late father's. This two-disc set is invaluable.  One of the all-time great American singers and a generous collection of her recordings of about 40 of the best standards from the great American songbook--American classical music in a way. 

The instantaneously recognizable voice of Billie Holiday, rich with character, the emotions of her vocals as visible as a smile, as tangible as a tear. She is supported by superb musicians--pianists,  drummers,  horn players and so on. 

The instantaneously recognizable songs: Day In, Day Out. Our Love Is Here To Stay. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road). A Foggy Day. Classic songs from the best songwriters: Rodgers & Hart, Gershwin, Kern, Porter, Ellington, Mercer, Berlin, Van Heusen, Arlen.

And that Voice. So human with perfect imperfections. This is great artistry and so help me if it ever goes out of style or is forgotten....

#20: Walking Stones: A Celtic Sojourn

Details: Walking Stones: A Celtic Sojourn. Dorian, 1997. Total time: 63:49.

Traditional music like this is best heard in an Irish pub--and better yet a pub in Ireland where all pubs are Irish pubs. 

Listening to this album's reels, jigs and airs should set a toe to tapping and a face to smiling. If not then a pulse check may be in order. 

One element on this album that makes it particularly attractive is the hammered dulcimer, an instrument that when well played has such a sparkling joyous sound.  It's a well-named instrument too as dulcimer comes from the same word for sweet.

The sweet sounds on this particular album helped me get through a bittersweet  time in my life a number of years ago.  That is one of the values and benefits of music to life. 

#19: Leonard Cohen: More Best Of

Details: Leonard Cohen (b. 1934): More Best Of. Sony, 1997.

As I steadily and slowly work my way through my CD collection, I realize that several of my albums rather defy categorization. Here is another one. And here is another album made by a very unique voice -- one of those that you recognize quickly once you've heard it before.  Cohen is a brilliant Canadian songwriter whose voice isn't the purest but it fits his songs like a glove.  He's a storyteller and a troubadour and a poet, more than a pure musician.

This album contains what will make up the few of his truly memorable songs: 

* Everybody Knows, a midtempo number in which he quietly tends to a slow burn

* Anthem, which lives up to its title in every way possible

* Democracy, from the 1980s and still relevant today, which both celebrates and pleads for it to come to the USA

* Hallelujah -- which may become his singular contribution to songwriting, or maybe it has already.  His version is the original by the original, of course, and along with Jeff Buckley's legendary interpretation of it (which I think is a bit better), there are no two better versions of this remarkable song despite countless renditions of it performed and recorded over the years by others.

When I put this album on or hear anything by Cohen, I feel like I'm being spoken to, and taught, by a wise man who pushes up against conformity. You don't want it to end or stop because the wisdom is so good to hear and be present to.

#18: Frank Sinatra: In the Wee Small Hours

Details: Frank Sinatra (1915-1998): In the Wee Small Hours.  Capitol, 1955. Total time: 50:00.

The cover.  The album title.  The track list. The opening song's lyrics: "In the wee small hours of the morning, while the whole wide world is fast asleep,  you lie awake and think about the girl and never ever think of counting sheep. When your lonely heart has learned its lesson...."

Is this the original concept album?  Even if it's not the first one it surely is one of the best ever recorded.

All of these songs were recorded by Sinatra, the master, at or near his peak artistic performance in a matter of about 4 weeks, in Los Angeles with Nelson Riddle's orchestra. This was one of the early LPs. Most recording sessions were in February 1955 (60 years ago!) with a few the following month.

While this album represents a peak artistic,  musical and recording achievement in a legendary career, it was also inspired by heartbreak: Sinatra's painful breakup with Ava Gardner that left him reeling. This truly wonderful album has no weak points and is a great exhibit of great pain inspiring great art.

After six decades the songs still sound fresh and immediate. The songwriters represented on this album are the creme de la creme: Ellington.  Rodgers & Hart. Van Heusen.  Carmichael.  Porter. Arlen.   Great singing, great songs, and genuine heartbreak are things that will never go out of style.

#17: The Monks of l'Abbaye du Bec-Hellouin: Gregorian Chant and Polyphony

Details: The Monks of l'Abbaye du Bec-Hellouin: Gregorian Chant and Polyphony. EMI, 1995. Total time: 66:07.

The early to mid 1990s saw a huge revival of interest in Gregorian chant,  so much so that recordings by obscure European monks began to sell like crazy and win awards. 

This album is a hybrid of CD and book. The recordings are by monks (both male and female) from a French monastery. 

The chants include songs designated for Holy Week, Easter,  Pentecost,  and Advent. The price tag -- from the now-defunct Borders -- is still on the back which is a clue that this was a gift from my dad.

A peaceful way to spend some contemplative time indoors on a snowy windy Sunday.