Whats on your turntable tonight?

Holst, "Capriccio" and "Double Concerto for Orchestra", Imogen Holst/English Chamber Orchestra, Lyrita SRCS 44 -- the Capriccio is "big music" tuneful Holst with full orchestra, the Double Concerto is "I can be atonal, too" Holst. Excellent performances and recording.

Vaughan Williams, "Lark Ascending" and "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis", Marriner/ASMF, Argo ZRG 696. My favorite performance of the Lark Ascending with the marvelous Iona Brown as the violinist; this is "died and gone to heaven music" for me.

Holst, "Planets" -- reconfirming once again my preference for the characterfulness of the Andre Previn/London Symphony performance on EMI ASD 3002, even though the sonics on my copy could be better. Pulled out the Mehta/LAPO performance on the King SuperAnalogue reissue for a refresher check: just no where near as good a performance, and the sonics are overrated based on what I hear on my copy. I'll listen to the Previn performance for the music!

Hmmm, getting sucked into the Holst/"Ballet Music from the Golden Goose" as I'm typing and listening. Time to drop the laptop and just listen to the music...
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Beethoven / Appasionata - Ikuyo Kamiya (Pianist – on Bozendorfer Piano) 45 rpm Direct Mastering LP - RCA # RDC4 - A big wow – just stunning
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Aja - Steely Dan Reissue – Japanese Pressing (Geffen Records).
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Steve Tibits - “Big Map Idea” - great guitarist / great recording 1989 ECM Records - # 839-253-1
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Stravinksy - “The Firebird” Mercury SR-90226 - (M pressing) – What can you say that Rushton has not already said.
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Carly Simon “ The Best of Carly Simon” Volume One Electra - Wonderful LP – Surprisingly good recording. I just ordered the Japanese and German pressings to see how they compare. It would be hard to imagine they could be much better, but one can hope.
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The last couple of evenings have found us listening with friends to a variety of music, and this afternoon we listened with a group of fellow vinyl nuts at a friend's house. The music has ranged from Zappa to Prokofiev to Talking Heads to Wild Child Butler to Armstrong/Elington to Tchaikovsky to Bill Evans.

After two hours of listening to vinyl, one of our group wanted to hear a CD mastering of the Armstrong/Elington and then listen to the vinyl ("Great Reunion"). Well, that also presented an opportunity to try out Walker Audio's Ultra Vivid cleaner on the CD to see if it really made a difference. So, with 11 of us listening, we listened to the cut "Azalea" as the test cut listening first to the untreated CD. Then our host applied the Ultra Vivid according to the directions and we settled in for a second listen to the same cut. About half of the group (those sitting closest to the sweet spot of the system) said they heard a very immediate and obvious improvement with the Ultra Vivid, with consistent comments about improved resolution, greater clarity and transparency, better rendition of the overtones, etc. We then put on the vinyl: the Classic Records reissue Roulette SR 52103. Well, as many of you would expect, the sound of the vinyl made the CD in any incarnation irrelevant. You expected a different outcome, maybe? Of course not.
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Sonny Rollins......"Way Out West"
Allman Brothers Band........."Live at Fillmore East"
Ella Fitzgerald........."Mack the Knife"

A largely Celtic evening tonight:

Silly Wizard - Live in America
Andy Stewart - At it again
Planxty - The Well Below the Valley
Planxty - Cold Blow and teh Rainy Night
Altan - S/T
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh/Frankie Kennedy - Ceol Aduaidh
Tannahill Weavers - Land of Light

Earlier we played a bit of classical:
Prokofiev, Romeo & Juliet (Highlights) - Ansermet (London)
Tchaikovsky, Nutcracker Ballet - Ansermet (Speakers Corner reissue)
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