Writing the liner notes for the Columbia/Legacy single-CD anthology Robert Johnson: King of the Delta Blueswas a great pleasure, since I’ve loved and admired Johnson’s music since the 1960s. I’ve listened to Robert Johnson so much – along with his contemporaries Son House, Willie Brown, and others – that this music feels ingrained on my soul. Recently […]
Q and A: Music
Found 209 results
I think I have very good hearing, probably better than average based on occasions when listening together with others. I have years of experience listening to a huge range of systems and equipment, a-b comparisons etc., and I have also read an enormous amount about the subject. No doubt many here are at a […]
Quite a few interesting suggestions HERE
We are told: The Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons are pleased to release their latest recordings on BSO Classics–a three-disc set of the four Brahms symphonies, recorded live during concert performances at Symphony Hall in November 2016, engineered by the same in-house team that produced the BSO’s Grammy-winning Shostakovich recordings under Maestro Nelsons […]
The Principal of the Birmingham Conservatoire talks to James Jolly Continues HERE
Dip in and out HERE
Continues …..
From the archives Tim Wong writes: I grew up listening to a recording of Verdi’s Il Trovatore my father bought. It’s the Franco Corelli version with Thomas Schippers conducting. I was instantly captivated by his heroic style and especially how he threw himself into the aria Di quella pira. In an extremely silly plot, it’s […]
Dip in and out HERE
Harrison Boyle (composer) replies …… In terms of music as music – apart from some of the social/political afflatus mentioned in the answers so far – the major candidates for controversial in terms of the actual notes (or absence thereof) are probably, from oldest to most recent: Stravinsky Rite of Spring Schoenberg Pierrot Lunaire George […]
Genre-hopping can enrich players and audiences alike. If anyone doubts the astonishing range and quality of classical music recordings being made today – and, I hope, regular readers of these pages would harbour no such perception – then they should really take heed of this month’s releases. There’s always a slight seasonality to release schedules, […]
Dip in and out HERE
They dominated the record catalogues of the 1950s and 1960s. Orchestras trembled at their every irate, intemperate word and record company executives scuttled to do their bidding. When the CD arrived, their recordings were again released in swathes. And then, like the dinosaurs, they suddenly disappeared. The once-mighty maestros Pierre Monteux, Fritz Reiner, Charles Munch, […]
The thread starts: There is something about Bach that can simultaneously soothe my often aching brain while also stirring my flagging soul and nothing more so than the sonatas and partitas for solo violin (though I don’t mind a bit of flute or oboe now and again either. I’ve been listening to quite a few […]
Stereophile: Over the last several weeks, one newspaper after another has made note of Nielsen Soundscan’s 2006 point-of-purchase data, which showed classical record sales up 22.5%, making it the “fastest growing” category for the year. Hip-hop was down (-20.7%), R&B was down (-18.4%), alternative was down (-9.2%), jazz was down (-8.3%)—soundtracks were up (+19%), but […]
I just was thinking that I usually listen to music with the volume pot at 9 o’clock, rarely more. And was wondering if something could be done technically to the amp to have better sound quality. I mean, if I take an amp, find a way to lower its output gain, I’ll be able to […]
Hi Howard. I know you are into this type of 60’s music and so what can you tell me about The Blues Magoos please? What should I avoid of theirs? Thanks Laurence Rode. Hmm, well ….. the short answer is ‘not much’. But yes, I am into this genre and many similar ones too. I […]
“Confession time what was the first live band you saw and what was the first record you bought, come on now you know you need to unburden yourself of your guilt. You will feel better for it, though I can’t guarantee you won’t get the p**s taken out of.. I’ll go first. First live Gig […]
“Slash, 45, was born Saul Hudson in London and raised in England and Los Angeles. He was an original member of the rock band Guns N’ Roses which formed in 1985 and sold 100m albums worldwide. Slash – considered one of the greatest rock guitar players of all time – left Guns N’ Roses […]
Previously published: Martin Chilton writes: Randy Newman is touring the UK this month and has a new album out next year. In additional extracts from a recent interview with the 71-year-old Oscar-winning songwriter, Martin Chilton presents 10 answers to questions about music. Please click HERE to continue
There are only a handful of record labels that can claim to have changed the course of popular music. Chess Records is one of them. Responsible for signing and developing some of the greatest names in music, such as Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Howlin’ Wolf, Chess provided the blueprint for The Beatles […]
Born in London, Yusuf Islam, 66, began his career as Cat Stevens and became a star in the 1970s with songs such as Morning Has Broken and Moonshadow. In 1977, he converted to Islam and left the music business to concentrate on his family and charity work. He began recording again in 2006; his latest […]
It is crucial, with Callas, to allow the strengths ascendancy over the technical frailties. It was her genius, for example, that restored Bellini to us and rescued Lucia from ridicule. By Andrew Porter Continues HERE
Al I. Husain writes ….. This is an interesting question as my interpretation of the answer is people who intentionally left and/or voluntarily left rather being dismissed or succumbing to illness or death, which is also leaving I suppose, but not necessarily by someone’s own volition. I’m also trying to apply some measures around the […]