CD Odyssey Disc 1955: Mozart

Welcome back. Today we dive once again into a genre I know very little about, which is a bit surprising how long both it (and I) have been around. At least for once I’m younger than the composition I’m writing about.

Disc 1955 is…Requiem

Artist: Mozart but also some other bloke named Sussmayr

Year of Release: 1791 (recording is from 1989)

What’s up with the Cover? This cover could be metal as easily as Mozart, with a dope-as-fuck skeleton rocking a shroud. It’s got hands on chest like it plans to sing along to the tune, but without any lungs that’s not going to go well for him/her.

I expect this photo is in some church somewhere (maybe All Saints Church in Newcastle-on-Tyne, where this album is recorded) but I couldn’t find definitive proof of that.

We also learn from the cover that this bit of Mozart magic is coming to you from Northern Sinfonia, which sounds like the name of some magical kingdom in a fantasy novel but is, in fact, a symphony in England.

How I Came To Know It: I found this album in a thrift store in Sidney. Classical treasures on the cheap – yeehaw!

How It Stacks Up: I have five Mozart albums. Well, actually only four – I got rid of the Coronation Mass after I reviewed it back at Disc 736 but it got reviewed, so it gets stacked. Anyway, of those five, I put “Requiem” in at…#4.

Technically, this isn’t 100% Mozart, since his widow had it finished with the help of some dude named Franz Xaver Sussmayr after Mozart died. Sussmayr, I have since learned, was a bit of a thing back in his day but in 2026 not so much. Wikipedia quotes some 19^th century dude named Max Dies who says Sussmayr is “smooth, pleasing, singable, but generally fashionably superficial,” which throws some shade, but frankly sounds kind of alright.

But I digress.

Ratings: 4 stars

Ever want to feel like something very important is happening, but do it safely seated in your living room or car? Mozart’s “Requiem” has what you need. For a song that is supposed to be a mass for the dead, this little ditty from the late 18^th century is quite lively.

Being a mass there’s a bunch of choral singing, delivered delightfully by the aforementioned North Sinfonians. The lead soprano is Yvonne Kenny and while the overall recording of this record suffers from the low-end loss of many of the CDs manufactured in the late eighties, her powerful tone cuts through all attempts at diminishment.

As I noted in the lede, this record swells with import and bombast. It’s practically a Carmina Burana minus the gallop. It is best played loud and then – when you realize the quieter parts are getting lost in the thrum of the car engine – louder still.

Across 46 minutes of playing time (classical music fits rather perfectly on a standard record, which I doubt is coincidence), Mozart finds ways to bring the melodic structure of the piece to a climax multiple times, all the while never making it feel repetitious.

Kenny’s vocals slice through the top of the tune like a cavalry saber (again, minus the gallop), and down in the low end there is a grounding bass (a guy named Gwynne Howell) if that’s what floats your boat (or ballasts it). Cursory research reveals both these folks are a bit of a big deal in the opera world (Kenny moreso), but despite some honest effort, I’m not a fan of opera, so they’re new to me. Anyway, they sound great as does the whole chorus and orchestra.

In terms of the lyrics, you’d think a requiem for the dead would be a somber and majestic sort of affair, but once you translate the Latin you’re in for shock, as Mozart goes for a fire and brimstone approach that would be equally at home on a heavy metal record.

That’s right, my friends, in the late 18^th century a mass for the dead was an opportunity to remind listeners that HELL awaits any miserable unbeliever. We’ve got God sitting in judgment:

“Then the judge seats himself and tries;
No shifting from his all-seeing eyes
Nor ‘scaping then. Who e’er deserves it dies.”

Rather disconcerting. Later our narrator cries out to the “Dread King” for clemency (you can see why) and later still appeals for Christ to save the souls of the “faithfully departed from the hand of hell, and from the deep pit.”

The language of the piece is beautiful and while harsh and threatening at the front end, takes on a repentant and merciful tone as it unfolds. Also, it would make a great music video. Someone should do that.

But I digress.

The whole of “Requiem” is sung in Latin, but even without a translation, the piece has a rousing and metaphysical quality that appeals to something beyond the earthly. You will feel wrapped in the arms of both Death and that angels at the same time, which I am pretty sure what Mozart was going for.

On that note, there is a reason that even 235 years later certain composers are still part of our daily lives, musical soundtracks and (this week at least) commutes to work. It’s because they’re damned good at what they do. Even with the late intervention of an allegedly fashionably superficial composer, “Requiem” shows once again why Mozart endures.

Best tracks: Um…it may be divided into 12 tracks on the CD but this is one song. That’s how they did it back in the day…

CD Odyssey Disc 1865: Richard Wagner

This next artist held some reprehensible views. Fortunately he’s been dead for over 125 years, and I bought this album second hand, so I can enjoy his music (mostly) guilt free.

Disc 1865 is…The Best of Wagner

Artist: Richard Wagner

Year of Release: 1993-1997, but featuring music from 1840 - 1874

What’s up with the Cover? In the upper right we also have a caricature drawing of Wagner which makes him far more whimsical than his real-life photos suggest (where he looks more like the curmudgeon I imagine he was).

We are also presented an aerial photo of Neuschwanstein Castle, in Bavaria. A magical place that is now a tourist destination that charges 21 euros to wander about. I would happily pay to wander about there, as it looks quite magical.

Odd fact about Neuschwanstein, if you are a senior, a student or handicapped they give you a discount of…wait for it…one euro. I imagine this leads to interesting moments of outrage from visitors, as patient castle staff explain that that is the full amount of the discount, and you’re welcome.

How I Came To Know It: Everyone has heard of Wagner, and I’ve always loved “Flight of the Valkyries”. His catalogue is immense (and long) and I decided to dip my toe in instead of buying the entire Ring cycle on CD. Because while it sounds great, it’s also a serious time commitment.

Besides, I got a great deal. One Canadian dollar at a local thrift store! Close in value to the massive windfall a college student could realize on a visit to Neuschwanstein Castle.

How It Stacks Up: This is the only Wagner currently in my collection AND it’s a compilation, so it is not stackable on two accounts.

Ratings: Compilations don’t get rated. I will go on about it for a bit, though, if you decide to keep reading.

While I’m not going to get into it, for a guy who so clearly loved fantasy and adventure, a lot of crazy stuff actually happened to Wagner through his life - some of it well-deserved. Fortunately for the world, Wagner seems to have channeled that drama into swelling and enchanting compositions that transport us to a place of breathtaking adventure and excitement.

If you are looking for in-depth explorations of Wagner’s compositional style, or how his concept of Gesamtkunstwerk influences these selections, you should be looking elsewhere. My classical music knowledge is woefully low. I only know that Gesamtkunstwerk is a word because I lifted it from Wikipedia.

Instead of letting my own considerable ignorance get me down, I like to fall into classical music with the same blissful abandon I approach modern popular music and see where it takes me.

In the case of Wagner, I felt like I was listening to something Very Important all the time. These snippets of larger works are impressive in their ability to lift you up and soar your spirits with knights, ghost ships and Valkyries.

Sometimes there is bombast from the opening notes, as is the case with “Die Walkure (“The Valkyrie”) and the famous “Ride of the Valkyries”. This tune is movie magic excitement from a time before modern motion picture action films existed (If they had existed, Wagner would have definitely been scoring them).

“Ride of the Valkyries” is pure adrenaline from the opening notes. If I was ever to be lifted from a field of the slain by a host of flying warrior woman (yes please!) this is definitely the song I want playing while it is happening. Given this is unlikely to happen (the occasions I find myself on a field of the slain is mercifully rare), listening to “Ride of the Valkyries” is the next best thing. And when it’s over, and I’m parched from all that top-tier air conducting I can go grab a glass of water rather than being, you know, dead.

Yes, I digress, but I found it very hard to listen to Wagner and not engage in a little digressing. Dude is fanciful.

Another favourite on this compilation is the overture to “Der Fliegende Hollander (the Flying Dutchman)” a story of love, ghost ships and a bit of Satan. I’ve never seen (or heard) the full opera, but if there is anything near the adventurous spirit present in the overture, count me in.

Even when Wagner is not getting all boisterous and heroic, he brings inspiration. The section lifted from “Tristan and Isolde” (“Liebestod”) is the height of romance. I loved the tragic romance of this story since I first read it in Mallory’s Morte D’Artur and Wagner captures all the right feels in his interpretation.

There were a couple of times I got fidgety – most of the prelude to “Lohengrin” is just ambient mood music, reminding me of the third song you hear at the end of a movie with super long credits. However, even here Wagner throws in some fanciful swells about two thirds of the way through that will leave you certain your heart will burst out of your chest before it settles back down again and fades out.

Wagner is one hell of a composer. Shame about his rotten opinions (that he shared all the time) but the music – great stuff, and even better knowing he didn’t get a single cent of the dollar that I paid for it.

Best tracks: They are all pretty great, but I’ll go with “Tristan und Isolde – Liebestod”, the overture to the Flying Dutchman, and Ride of the Valkyries for reasons noted above.

CD Odyssey Disc 1772: Mozart

Ready to foray into classical music for a spell? If so, read on! If not, um…read on and see if it will change your mind!

Disc 1772 is…Serenade No. 13 “A Little Night Music” and Piano Concerto No. 17

Artist: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Year of Release: 1992, but with music from 1784 (Piano Concerto No. 17), 1787 (Serenade No. 13) and 1791 (The Magic Flute Overture),

What’s up with the Cover? This is a close up of a section of Edouard Manet’s painting “The Fifer” also known as “The Young Flautist”. I don’t usually care for Manet, and that predisposition was reaffirmed upon looking at both this segment of “The Fifer” and then later the whole thing (you can decide for yourself by looking here).

One thing that is certain is this is not an original Mozart pressing, because this little fifer was painted in 1866, almost 80 years after the music was composed. We must therefore safely conclude that the CD I purchased does not hail from the 18^th century. Logic!

Also, given that the only part of the “Magic Flute” that is on this collection is the Overture, this is also a bit of false advertising. Think you’re going to get a bunch of songs about a flute? Think again! You will get a bunch of piano and a little night music and you’ll like it!

How I Came To Know It: I knew this Mozart guy was a bit of a thing, and upon seeing this CD at a local thrift store for $2, it felt like a bargain. Not so much if you bought it for that much back in 1790 though, where $2 was about two-weeks’ wages.

How It Stacks Up: and have already dabbled in a couple of prior Mozart albums and this was my third foray into his extensive catalogue. Of the three ‘albums’ I have reviewed, I put this particular collection in at #2.

Ratings: 4 stars

On my first listen to this record I suspected I’d made a mistake and bought a bunch of Mozart music I already owned. It turns out this is because like everyone I’ve been immersed with Mozart music my whole life in the background of a hundred movies. It is also because I don’t know much about classical music and rarely know the title of a piece I’m hearing. At least I know what I like and generally, I like Mozart very much.

This record has two compositions, but before we get to those we start with the Overture to his 1791 opera “The Magic Flute”. Just the Overture though, in what I’m sure the Soulless Record Execs planned as a classic bait and switch. I could talk about this, but putting just the overture doesn’t count as a full song and since this isn’t a late-night advertisement for an 8-CD set where you can “buy all the classics” I refuse to engage in such piecemeal chicanery. Which is hard, because that Overture is, like, really good…

Damn it, no! Let’s move on to the heart of the record.

Serenade No. 13 “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” aka “A Little Night Music”

The opening violin riff of this song is possibly the most recognizable classical riff in history. Certainly tied with Beethoven’s 5^th. It is also pretty Goddamn great.

When it comes to classical music I cleave closer to the violin than the piano, and The ole No. 13 did not let me down early. I wanted to spin around the room in a powdered wig, my red long-tailed dress coat flailing out behind me, a beautiful woman – held in perfect frame – in my arms (in my fantasy I always maintain a perfect frame).

After all that initial bombast, Mozart settles in with some serious brilliance. Sometimes it just feels like a piano sawing at the silence, but it saws at it with such perfection, it is like it is rending the universe so you can look into the resulting rift and see heaven.

By the third movement the whimsy completely overwhelmed me, and I was under the spell of this little bit of night music, wishing there could be just a little bit more of it.

Piano Concerto No. 17

This little ditty starts out with some great energy. Again with the party atmosphere, as Mozart trills a little birdsong along like only he can. It was easy to forget with all that great violin action that a bunch of dirge-y piano was just around the corner.

But no! When the piano does arrive, it is equally trill-heavy, and it was easy to accept this newcomer to the melody, as piano and violin called and answered one another with an effortless grace.

Unlike our little night music, however, the momentum could not be maintained. Before we are halfway through the song’s second movement we get a bit of what we modern rock fans would call…a noodle. I didn’t love this noodle either and dare I say this second movement needed to move along just a little bit faster than it seemed inclined to.

Things recover in the third and final movement, although the dude on the piano still gets pretty frantic in places. You just forgive him because 1) he’s so damned good at tinkling those ivories 2) the increase in pace (from andante to allegretto) is overdue, but welcome and 3) the violins are there to ride in victorious and rescue everything the piano threatens to overdo.

Overall, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is five-star glory that still slays after more than 230 years on the earth. Piano Concerto No. 17 is also solid, but I can’t go above a high four due to the bit of andante in the middle. What can I say? I’ve got the impatient ear of a modern music listener. Classical music snobs may sneer if you like, but Mozart belongs everyone, even us old school metalheads, and that’s a good thing.

Best tracks:  Of the two tunes, I’ll go with A Little Night Music

CD Odyssey Disc 1702: Handel

Greetings, gentler readers. It is a rare and exciting day here on the CD Odyssey – I’ve randomly rolled classical music! I know very little about classical music, other than as with every other kind of music, I like what I like. So, if you would like a scholarly or high-brow approach to Handel, go buy a book or take a course. If you’d like a more whimsical approach to the music itself and how it affects me (and maybe glean some details on how you might feel about it) then read on.

Disc 1702 is…Handel: Compact Companions

Artist: George Frideric Handel

Year of Release: 1993 but music from 1717 - 1749

What’s up with the Cover? It’s an old-timey painting! A more cultured person could have told you exactly what old-timey painting is, but I am not that person. Therefore, I'm going to make up my own story.

The gentleman depicted appears sweet on the lady, but if he wants to be taken seriously he needs to tone his ‘swoon’ down by several degrees. No one respects that much swooning, as you can see from the slightly amused and haughty look on said lady’s face. She might like the attention, but she’s not remotely close to handing him her calling card.

How I Came To Know It: Sheila bought this album at a book store more than twenty years ago. It is actually a small commemorative book providing historical and musical details of Handel’s life and works. What I’ll be discussing here is only that oval on the cover that reads, “Includes a 60-minute CD”. That’s this. I feel like the advertisement should end with an exclamation point, but given this is a classical work, maybe the cover designers were going for tasteful restraint.

…

Nope. That ship sailed when they slapped an advertisement on a famous painting.

How It Stacks Up: This is our only album by Handel, so it can’t stack up.

Rating: Is this a true album or a “best of” Handel, and thus not eligible for ranking as per house rules? I considered this very solemnly for a good 10 minutes or so (an eternity in cognitive time). I found that with the exception of “Water Music” and “The Messiah”, the majority of the stuff on this record represent the complete work. Also, it wasn’t like Handel was out there pressing vinyl in 1717, so I’m going to rank away - 5 stars!

The winds of time are harsh and unforgiving, which means that you don’t hang around in famous town for long without having some talent. Handel’s “Messiah” is still performed every Christmas, and the other tunes (or ‘works’ for the toffee-nosed amongst you) on this record are also all instantly recognizable. 300 years have passed with his reputation undiminished. This is as it should be, because Handel is a revelation. He was famous in his day, and he’s famous now, and when you’re this good, that’s as it should be.

The record starts off with a goodly chunk of “Water Music”. I don’t know if it is the best parts of the piece, but based on how much I like it, it seems likely. This tune is the first of many that showcases Handel’s mastery of melody. Don’t expect a bunch of double base action here – Handel is going to keep it light and let the top end of the orchestra have its way. Violins to the fore, and don’t spare the bow hair!

The tune seems like something you’d like to hear played by a small orchestra on the shore of some lake while you get rowed about and enjoy a bottle of wine. I’m sure its been done.

After this we get the complete “Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, No.1”. Again, it is sublime. My favourite instrument in classical music is the violin, and while Handel is famed for his organ (hee hee), he is also gifted at featuring the mighty violin, as he does here.

“Coronation Anthem ‘Zadok the Priest’” reads like something out of a Conan novel (where Zadok is worshipping Dagon and eventually gets beheaded by Conan). In fact it has been used in the coronation of British (and Canadian) monarchs for most of the past 300 years. That bit in the middle with the choir dropping “God save the king! Long live the king!” is a triumphant march down the streets of London, with the trill of violin feeling like a choir of songbirds that whorl and spin in the back eddy of all that pomp ceremony. There aren’t actually songbirds (more likely pigeons) but it feels like it.

The other major “full” piece is “Organ Concerto No. 6” which is masterful and along with Op. 6 Concerto above, had me thinking that Handel perfected each of his ideas around the sixth iteration. That’s a wild guess though – I haven’t heard the other five, so it is just as likely they are all awesome. Anyway, I saw a bit of the live action on this Organ Concerto and I was left thinking “that looks hard to play.” The result doesn’t sound hard though, it sounds like a whimsical fairy dance party.

Things end with the last part of the “Messiah” aka “the part everyone knows. This may seem like an overly obvious choice, but I challenge you to listen to the “Hallelujah Chorus” and not want to shout out a few of them. Inspirational to hear irrespective of your religious leanings.

I tend to like my classical music like I like my rap: clean production, and space to appreciate what’s going on. That’s Handel, who lifted my spirits with every one of these selections. This is a record meant to be played at high volume, and with your full attention for maximum enjoyment. You will not be disappointed.

Best tracks: all tracks, which are all the ones noted above, plus the overture for “Music for the Royal Fireworks” which is…exactly that. For best results, pair with a bold valpolicella…and fireworks.

CD Odyssey Disc 992: Tchaikovsky

Monday has arrived and the Odyssey isn’t going to write itself, so let’s get to it.

Disc 992 is…Tchaikovsky Box Set Disc 5 (of 5)

Artist: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Year of Release: 1875 through 1892

What’s up with the Cover? Not much. Pytor’s portrait oversees the stately business of the album’s contents. He doesn’t smile but that doesn’t mean he isn’t happy; no one smiled for photos back then.

How I Came To Know It: Back in university I decided to get into classical music and quickly gravitated to Tchaikovsky. I bought this box set because it was reasonably priced and the folks in the A&B Sound’s classical department said it was a good recording.

Yes, there was a time when music stores were so plentiful there were entire sections dedicated to different types of music, and folks working in them that knew their stuff.

How It Stacks Up:  This is not an album so much as a “best of” compilation of three operas. Consequently, it can’t really stack up.

Ratings: I shouldn’t rate this at all since it is only sampling from three operas, but I’ll give it 4 stars overall since I created the precedent on previous discs from the same box set.

At last we reach the end of a journey begun back at Disc 9 when I reviewed the first of this five disc box set of the incomparable Tchaikovsky. I can safely say that over 900 reviews later I still know next to nothing about classical music but I know what I like and I like this guy plenty.

What I don’t like is that this album is only “excerpts” from the three ballets in question. Sure the excerpts are fairly extensive (maybe 25 minutes of each one) but I feel like I am missing out. So following are my thoughts on the parts of these operas that EMI has deemed to consider important from these famous works of art.

Swan Lake, Op. 20 (composed 1875-76)

I listened to this opera while walking home from downtown on Saturday afternoon and at the risk of overselling it, it felt like the music carried me all the way to my door step. “Swan Lake” is majestic, playful and pastoral and even a little creepy in places – but only just the right places.

There are parts of this tune that are instantly recognizable (doubt having been used for movies and commercials for decades) but none of it ever felt tired or overdone.

There were places that I thought I was in some enchanted forest, and in others it felt like I was in some stately throne room, sunlight streaming through stained glass windows onto a massive marble floor. Listening to this music everything just felt bigger and more important.

It made me want to run out and buy the full opera, but I’m a little afraid it will wreck my experience. I’ve never been to the ballet (I’ve been to two operas and I’m not a big fan) but if anything was going to get me to the ballet, “Swan Lake” is it. 5 stars.

The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66 (composed 1889)

My reaction to “Sleeping Beauty” wasn’t quite so amazing. Given that the Tchaikovsky opera was made in the nineteenth century and based off the Brothers Grimm version, I was excited to have some of the creepy dark fairy tale magic of the original tale.

Instead the opera felt whimsical and lighthearted. Frankly, it reminded me more of the 1959 Disney version. “Sleeping Beauty” is probably the best of those early Disney animations but it is still a bit schlocky for my tastes.

Tchaikovsky’s brilliance as a composer comes across well, but I didn’t feel engaged emotionally like I was with “Swan Lake”. Maybe it was the selective editing process by the Soulless Record Execs at EMI, but this one just didn’t grab me. 3 stars.

The Nutcracker, Op. 71 (composed 1892)

If “Swan Lake” was a revelation and “Sleeping Beauty” was a disappointment, “The Nutcracker” was somewhere in between.

It isn’t like there isn’t anything to get a hold of here – this thing is the top 40 hit machine of the 1890s, with earworms a-plenty. Maybe that’s the problem, though. “The Nutcracker” is like that song that was too big of a hit. You’ve heard it a thousand times and you’re just a little sick of it now. Like Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” or anything by Duran Duran. Yes, screw you, Duran Duran.

What “The Nutcracker” needs is to be shelved for a decade or two, but instead it gets hauled out every Christmas for another round. Brilliant composition? No doubt, but there is so much other stuff by Tchaikovsky I would rather play. Some of it even features cannons; something I wish I had handy whenever I hear the dance of the sugar plum fairy.  A begrudging 3 stars.

Overall I still love Tchaikovsky and while I don’t put him on that often, that is more a function of my belief that classical music is best enjoyed in its entirety, while sitting quietly in a dark room. It is complex stuff and it is worth your full attention.

On those rare occasions when I do choose to have a listen, it is usually something from Discs 1-4 of this set, despite the brilliance that is “Swan Lake”.

Best tracks: Swan Lake 

CD Odyssey Disc 736: Mozart

Today I shared a walk home with a colleague. I like my musical interludes, but you should always make room for some human interaction when the opportunity presents itself. Otherwise, we’ll all turn into a bunch of headphone zombies stumbling past one another, eyes half-focused in the middle distance.

Don’t get me wrong, headphones have their place. For example, I wish I’d had them on when some crazy lady ladled abuse on Sheila and I outside of Island Blueprint for no reason. I ignored her. To me she was just a mild annoyance, but any engagement from me would have been the highlight of her week.

So instead, although I had no headphones I acted like I did. Today I had headphones, but acted like I didn’t. You gotta read the situation, people.

In any event, my album only had one two and a half minute song left, so I worked that in as I walked up the drive and waited for the elevator.

Disc 736 is…. Coronation Mass, Vesperae solennes

Artist: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Year of Release: Recorded in 1972 and 1980, but the music is from 1779 (Coronation Mass) and 1780 (Vesperae solennes).

What’s up with the Cover?  Behold the Crown of Generic Non-Descriptness! If this is actually the crown of some country, I feel badly for the king. I generally like my crowns to have some pointy bits at the top. The whole balloon shaped thing that’s been in for the last few centuries just doesn’t work.

How I Came To Know It: I bought Mozart’s Piano Concertos #23 and 24 (reviewed back at Disc 499). I liked that album and wanted more Mozart, but I know next to nothing about classical composers, so I asked my friend Kelly (who knows considerably more) what to try next. He suggested the “Coronation Mass.”

How It Stacks Up:  I have only two Mozart albums, although together they represent four of his complete works. Of the two albums, I prefer the other one.

Ratings: 3 stars

It could be that I wasn’t feeling the classical vibe this week, but this Mozart album did not impress me like the last one I reviewed.

For music to survive 250 years is quite a feat, so I give Mozart his due. Not unlike my earlier Mozart review, I was once again struck by the intricate and thoughtful constructions of his pieces. I was just not picking up what Wolfgang was putting down.

It could have been that this music is much more focused on choral arrangements, with the orchestra supporting the singers, and my other collection let the instruments stand on their own. Classical music appeals to me when the various note progressions seize my frontal lobes and twirl me along whatever merry (or morose) path they choose. The choral elements here made me feel grounded, like I was stuck on a hard bench somewhere being forced to listen out of a sense of duty.

This would be fitting for the “Coronation Mass” in C major. According to Wikipedia (which is never wrong) it was a common piece of music for the coronation of monarchs – notably a couple of Holy Roman Emperors. I imagine these events in the 18^th century were long drawn out affairs; kids in silly outfits and tight shoes fidgeting in the pews and old people passing out and being propped up by their daughter-in-laws. I expect there was lots of standing, sitting, kneeling and maybe walking around the altar seven times or what-not. Yeesh.

I’m being a bit unkind to the “Coronation Mass” which is only 26 minutes long (a pop single by the standards of the day) and moves along in places at a pretty good clip. It just never grabbed my attention.

The second big piece on the album is “Vesperae solennes de confessore” which was apparently performed for specific religious ceremonies. For my thoughts on how exciting this would be, you can see my comments above for the “Coronation Mass” – same audience, same venue, and likely the same fidgeting/snoring involved.

It isn’t just the singing that had me off here, because I love the choral elements to “Carmina Burana,” it is just that the whole thing just feels a bit…staid. The funny thing is that it really isn’t staid at all. Mozart was the pop star of his day and these songs have plenty of dynamics in them. The music is inspiring in many places.

However, in other places it feels like the vocal elements are designed to showcase the singers’ skill rather than serve the song. It was a bit like listening to a reality singing show finale between two divas trying to outdo each other with vocal acrobatics.

The album ends with a  couple of excerpts from other pieces: 15 minutes of “Litaniae Lauretanae” and a mere 2:30 of “Exsultate jubilate.”  

“Litaniae Lauretanae” definitely suffers from the vocal gymnastics. I think I’m supposed to like that part, which made me feel a little guilty when I didn’t. “Exsultate jubilate” is mostly a very talented singer finding different ways to enunciate the hell out of the word “hallelujah” “rain in Spain” style. It was a catchy tune and she could really sing, but after a while it was like listening to later Shania Twain albums – too many “ooh oohs” and not enough storyline to carry the song.

Mozart is a brilliant composer and I feel a little bad about being so flippant in my review (also a little naughty). Given how influential this music is to everything that came after I thought it would grab hold of me emotionally. Instead, it felt like one of those cultural events that you go to out of a weird obligation. You think it’ll be good for your development as a person, but half-way through you are mostly wishing you’d brought a pillow.

Best tracks: Exsultate jubilate was pretty good but this one is destined for the “sell/giveaway” pile. Sorry Wolfgang – I need the space.

CD Odyssey Disc 571: Orff

I’m right in the middle of a four day weekend which has had a little bit of everything (music, friends, Arkham Horror, football).  I’m just home from a lovely lunch out with Sheila and ready to add ‘music review’ to the list.

Disc 571 is…. Carmina Burana

Artist: Composed by Carl Orff and performed by Andre Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra

Year of Release: recorded in 1975, but composed in 1935 (music) and the 13^th Century (words).

What’s up with the Cover?  It looks like a bunch of very old playing cards – I think depicting the Jacks of each suit three times.  I expect they were trying to get across the “whimsical nature of fortune” theme of a lot of the music.  I appreciate the effort, but the result is a bit busy and unfocused.  I might’ve gone with just a King and a Joker, or maybe a picture of the monastery where the words to the songs were first found.

How I Came To Know It:  From the 1981 classic movie “Excalibur,” which used portions of “Carmina Burana” as its soundtrack. I love this movie, and the music was great so I set about finding what it was.  Once I discovered it was “Carmina Burana” I went to A&B Sound and asked the guy in the classical section to hook me up with a really good recording of it – this is what I got. 

How It Stacks Up:  I only have this one composition by Carl Orff.  Similarly, this is my only collection of 13^th century Bavarian manuscripts.  So on both counts, it can’t really stack up.

Rating:  4 stars

Carmina Burana is composed of some thirteenth century lyrics (in Latin), discovered in the nineteenth century and set to music (by Carl Orff) in the twentieth.  You’d expect a piece eight hundred years in the making to be pretty good, and “Carmina Burana” doesn’t disappoint.

From the opening boom of the kettle drums, you know this composition is going to be big, bombastic and full of pounding energy.  “Carmina Burana” is all of these things, particularly the opening and closing track, which sing about the rise and fall of a person’s luck in a way that makes chance seem like an approaching apocalypse.

No surprise that these sections were used in the movie “Excalibur” to make all the horse-riding, and questing and nation-building take on added weight.  If you haven’t listened to these sections of “Carmina Burana” while you watched King Arthur and his knights ride into battle one final time – trees spontaneously bursting into bloom at their mere passage – then you’re missing out. In fact, this stuff is such great movie soundtrack material it is used in action movie trailers even where the song doesn’t appear in the actual movie.

These sections were also used as a kick sample for industrial dance song by a band called Apotheosis back in the early nineties complete with an “Apocalypse Choir” mix, which is a pretty good description of all the crazy Latin chanting in the original as well.

The “fortune’s a bitch” sections are not the entirety of “Carmina Burana” however, just one part of it.  The original words uncovered in the monastery ranged into a lot of different subject, chief of them love and sex.  These sections dominate the central part of the record, and range from beautiful and melodic opera solos, to lively choral numbers, all of which I found very uplifting on my walks to and from work.

When translated, the lyrics are pretty sexy considering their origins.  From section XVII:

“A girl stood

In a red shift

If anyone touched it

The shift trembled

Eia.

“A girl stood

Like a rosebud

Her face was radiant,

Her mouth in flower.

Eia.”

Eh…yeah indeed.

The range between the softness of certain sections and the pounding symphony of others is so large that it is a piece of music best enjoyed on headphones.  Even so, it is hard to get the volume at the right level – it will always either be too quiet in places or too loud.

In fact, if you really want to fully appreciate it, see it live.  In 2003 I was fortunate to see “Carmina Burana” performed at UVic’s University Centre Auditorium (my thanks to our friend Chris D. for suggesting it).  It was absolutely amazing, with a full orchestra and a choir of around one hundred people.  Seeing it live you truly appreciate the power of the composition; it is like heavy metal for the classical set.

Since you can’t do that every day, however, you have other options ranging from sitting and listening to the whole composition on CD or even just one short song used to buoy the grand climax of an Arthurian legend.

Best tracks:   In the absence of repurposing sections for a movie, you can’t really single out individual songs on a classical recording so just listen to the whole thing.  Or if you just want to get blown away with some bombast, check out the Apotheosis dance hit.

CD Odyssey Disc 499: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

My apologies for the week of silence (hey, Tennyson took ten years people!).  My excuse is far less morose, thankfully.  It is just I rolled an album with a full eighty minutes of music on it right over the Easter holiday, so it was a bit of a slog to find uninterrupted listening time.

I gave it a full listen eventually, but it admittedly wore me out.  Today I even put it away early and walked to work listening to Nightwish instead.  Later in the car I switched to Motorhead.  Not exactly a ringing endorsement of interest.

Disc 499 is… Piano Concertos Nos. 23 & 24

Artist: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Year of Release: recorded in 1965-68 with the excellent London Symphony Orchestra, but the music is originally from 1782 to 1786.

What’s up with the Cover?  When you’re this big in the music scene, you get a statue.  What is Mozart’s statue idly pointing at, though?  Giving directions to some Vienna tourists?  Telling someone to move along?  The answer is lost in the mists of time.

How I Came To Know It:  Everyone knows Mozart.  This was just me trying to flesh out my classical music collection a bit, which remains woefully inadequate.

How It Stacks Up:  I only have two Mozart albums; this one and the Coronation Mass.  I prefer this one.

Rating:  4 stars.

I guess with titles like “Piano Concerto No. 23” you should expect a fair bit of piano, but whoa, little did I realize just how much would be involved when I got into this stuff.

Both Concerto No. 23 and No. 24 start off pretty promising, with great flourishes of string sections.  I love the sound of a fiddle even when it is played as the more sedate violin, so the opening movements of both Concertos appealed to me.

However, it isn’t too long before the opening bars are being repeated by piano, and the violins are kicked to the musical curb so somebody can noodle his way up and down the keys.  A violin sets the stage, and a piano repeats and then runs off with it.  It reminded me of when Jimmy Page and Robert Plant would riff off of one another on a Zeppelin song.

Like with Zeppelin, I found myself admiring the virtuosity of the experience but falling in and out of the mood because of the excess noodling.  Usually this was because the piano solos go on a little too long.  It’s like the composer is deliberately focused on the piano for some reason…

Anyway, a quick word on Mozart, who is self-evidently brilliant and a huge influence not only on later classical artists but a lot of modern music.  I think it no accident that when I grew tired of repeats of these concertos my first instinct was to play Nightwish, which is symphonic metal.  Obviously it isn’t as complicated, but the intricate relationships between the instruments (in Nightwish’s case, vocal, guitar power chords and double bass) take a lot of their inspiration from classical music.

Both Piano Concerto No. 23 (in A Major) and No. 24 (in C Minor) were written in 1786 and they have a lot in common.  Both have three movements, the first and third of which are more up tempo and bright and the second more thoughtful and introspective.  These large shifts is what keeps a piece of classical music like this interesting over the long haul (the two ‘songs’ are twenty-five and twenty-nine minutes long respectively). That said, the middle frames have sections that are a bit too “fifties Disney” sounding.  Maybe I first heard them in fifties Disney movies and that’s why I think that, but I couldn’t shake it, and it lessened the experience a bit.

Although not advertised in the title of the CD, this disc also had two Rondos (both written in 1782); “Rondo for Piano and Orchestra in D Major” and that Rondo I’m sure you were hoping I’d mention, “Rondo for Piano and Orchestra in A Major.”  O, Rondo in A Major, you sly minx, you.

I wasn’t sure what a rondo was, but to my ear they sound like a little musical call-and-answer session between two themes.  They fit well on this album, as they tend to establish the theme first with strings, then answer with piano, and then spend a third section blending them together, as though Mozart wants to say “behold how cleverly my two themes blend together into one!  Huzzah!”  Presumably he would say this while wearing some outrageous outfit and a curled wig; puffing his chest out and making exaggerated flourishes with his hands.  Such were the times.

Anyway, the musical progression takes four or five minutes and then repeats with a slight variation, so the two rondos are eleven and eight minutes long respectively, and both are lively and enjoyable.  One person I talked with about them thought they were used for dance music in the day, and I could totally see that.  On balance I prefer a girl who can do the hustle to a girl who wears a bustle but I could make it work.  You know what they say - when in Vienna…

As with all classical music, it is best when you take the time to relax and let it soak over you; even playing it right now on headphones while writing this review I am enjoying it more than I did on my walks to and from work, principally because there is less visual distraction.  Classical music is not background music, and if you play it that way you are missing out on the experience.

Overall I liked these tracks, but I didn’t love them.  I think the answer is next time to go with a violin concerto and put the focal point on the instrument that makes my ear the happiest.

Best tracks:  I think I like the rondos more than the concertos overall, but maybe that’s just the modern rock music guy in me looking for my music in more digestible bites.

CD Odyssey Disc 356: Tchaikovsky

Whew! A busy day of work, workout, laundry and (after this review and dinner) vaccuuming the house. It is a busy day for me today.

As for the CD Odyssey, Alice Cooper has finally released it from his death grip (enjoyable as it was) and returned us to that hard rock composer of the 1870s, Tchaikovsky. Dude rocked out.

Disc 356 is...Tchaikovsky Box Set Disc 4 (of 5)

Artist: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Year of Release: 1875 through 1878 for these pieces

What’s Up With The Cover?: Just the boring photo of my Tchaikovsky Box Set. I discussed this cover briefly back at Disc 265, when I reviewed Disc 3. However, you will note that I have not just recycled the same cover, but instead taken a fresh photograph for this review - this one taken after sunset and noticeably darker. We spare no expense here at acreativemaelstrom.

How I Came To Know It: As I mentioned in my last review, Tchaikovsky is my first true love in the classical genre, and remains one of my favourite composers to this day. I got into him in my first year of university, in 1988/89, which is when I bought this compilation. I am fairly certain that for some time after I tried to impress girls with my Tchaikovskian knowledge, with mixed results.

How It Stacks Up: Because this album has excerpts from complete works (more on that below) it is a 'best of' by the CD Odyssey definition, and therefore is not permitted to stack up against other recordings. Rules are rules, Pyotr!

Rating: 4 stars, because it has an excerpt from a larger piece. Ordinarily, it wouldn't qualify for a rating at all as a 'best of', but since classical music doesn't really follow modern conceits, I'll let it go.

As I've indicated in many previous classical reviews, I know very little about classical music, other than what I like. Describing just how I like it in terms that a classical music enthusiast would appreciate is pretty much out of the question, so I'm going to steer hard in the other direction.

Ordinarily, I comment largely on the album as a whole and highlight a few tracks of particular interest, but since there are only three compositions on this album, I think I'll just cover each one individually.

Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op.23 (composed: 1875)

Let me start by saying that classical musicians really needed to put in a better effort on their song titles. "Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor" is a bit of a mouthful, and "Opus 23" is a fine title if you're filing something in the Library of Congress, but doesn't inspire flights of musical fancy.

Which is too bad, because from the first flourish of this track, listeners will recognize it as something they've heard a hundred times before. This is the classical equivalent of a hit.

I gave it three listens on this go-around and on each one I found it increasingly beautiful. Through its three movements and roughly thirty two minutes it covers a range of emotion as well, conveying romance, adventure and whimsy with equal skill.

I am admittedly not a big piano guy, and I preferred the parts in the composition where other instruments were forward in the mix. That said, this piece is written principally for the piano, and the parts that feature it sound damned hard to play. My hat is off to Andrei Gavrilov, the guy who delivered the piano mastery on this particular recording (as part of the Berlin Philharmonic).

Interested if the Berlin Philharmonic is any good? Me too - I have no idea, but given the stiff competition to be in any major city's orchestra, I'm going out on a limb and saying, 'pretty damn good.' But I digress...

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 (composed: 1878)

This is my preferred song of the two major works on this album, probably for no better reason than I just tend to prefer violin concertos to piano concertos. This particular performance features the legendary Itzhak Perlman, playing with the Philadelphia Orchestra. I'm a pretty good judge of fiddle playing, but not as confident on the violin. That said, the violin parts sound damned hard and yet well played.

This piece was less familiar to me, but so exceptionally beautiful. I walked to work on both Friday and Monday listening to this album, plus two drives to and from the gym. Every time this song came on, I found my spirits lifted. I believe on at least one occasion I played at conducting with my coffee mug as I walked to work.

If wikipedia is to be believed (is it ever wrong?) this piece was written by Tchaikovsky to help him get over a deep sadness. I can believe it; they could prescribe this song as a cure for clinical depression. It is worth a listen in the proper classical manner - in the dark, with no other sound to interfere with it's beauty.

Waltz from "Eugene Onegin," Op. 24 (Composed: 1878)

The last track on the CD is a six minute waltz, pulled from the much larger opera, "Eugene Onegin" which is based on a Pushkin novel. I can't express enough how frustrating I find it when these classical compilations decide to try to please the masses by pulling a chunk of recognizeable music out of a larger work. Someone should tell them that we're talking about classical music here, so it isn't like your audience has a short attention span.

To which the Soulless Record Exec would say, "yes, but it does help sell the record!" Well played as always, Soulless Record Exec, well played.

I will say that this waltz is one of the most beautiful I've ever heard. I imagine this song being received at high society European gatherings with great enthusiasm. Women grabbing their men by the hands and drawing them in close to plead, "o darling, don't you just love this song! Please, let's dance, shall we?" And dapper gents with ridiculous facial hair happily acquiescing to the demands of their girls.

Even though I don't waltz, this song makes me want to cross a crowded ballroom and take a lady by her gloved hand and give it a whirl. It is like a high school dance favourite, one hundred years ahead of its time.

So this album, ultimately was like the first three in the Tchaikovsky Boxed Set; filled with amazing music that has survived the test of time for over 130 years. It is an impressive and well-deserved achievement. It may even make you want to dance.

Best tracks: There's only two full works here, with a piece of a third, but I'll take Violin Concerto in D Major (Op. 35) over the rest.

CD Odyssey Disc 279: Beethoven

What does it take for a piece of music to survive two hundred years and still be wildly popular? Well, it has to be pretty damned good, that's what.

Disc 279 is...Symphonies Nos. 2 and 5

Artist: Ludwig Van Beethoven

Year of Release: 1802 (Symphony No. 2) and 1808 (Symphony No. 5)

What’s Up With The Cover?: Not surprisingly, a pleasant little classical painting. This one is "Grape Harvest at Heiligenstadt" by Baltasar Wigand. It was painted around 1820. Significant, because Heiligenstadt is near Vienna, and music lovers go there during wine season to take in Beethovenhaus. Or so I am advised by some travel website by a guy named Rick Steves, a fairly well known writer of travel guides.

As a person who enjoys using classic art for covers for mixed CDs from time to time, I heartily approve of this cover for doing what I would do.

How I Came To Know It: Um...it's Beethoven. I bought this because I wanted some Beethoven, this one had not only his most famous work, but the 2nd Symphony as well, and it advertised "Triple D" production value (see top right of photo). Many years ago a former coworker pointed out to me to look for this as a sign of higher quality recording. Classical music in particular can be a crapshoot on this front, so I was pleased this one worked out.

How It Stacks Up: These are the only two of Beethoven's Symphonies that I have, and they are both awesome. I am going to go with the obvious though, and put No. 5 ahead of No. 2.

Rating: 5 stars.

Again, classical music brings me face to face with my utter lack of knowledge of this genre. Except to say off the top that I know when I like the sound of something, and these two symphonies are absolutely incredible.

Of the two, No. 2 is a little bit more of an easy listen, with beautifully soft horn and violin sections, and No. 5 is the more memorable, with a bit more jump for the modern ear to catch hold of.

It is fitting I should roll this album now, as I recently had an inspirational experience relating to Beethoven's 5th while channel surfing waiting for a hockey game to come on. I don't know what possessed me to go to PBS to see something called "Discover Beethoven's 5th" but there I went.

For the next fifty minutes (I missed the beginning) I was enthralled as I sat and listened to something called the Discovery Orchestra, directed by George Mariner Maull, an affable conductor who takes a live audience through a discovery of classical music, breaking down each piece and showing you why it is pleasing to the ear, and how it works.

Because of this program, I learned what a Sonata is constructed of (an Exposition, a Development and a Capitulation), how he uses syncopation and (for that matter) what syncopation even is. In short, I got an inside look at exactly why Beethoven's 5th is so pleasing to the ear. It was like "Classic Albums" for the classics.

All this dissecting of the music might incline some to think you'd ruin its spontaneity to the ear, but the reverse was true. The show only covered the first movement, but as soon as it was over, I wanted to rush over and listen to the 5th over and over again.

Since then I've forgotten 90% of what Mr. Maull so energetically taught me, but it reinvigorated my love for this piece, and listening to it for the last couple of days was the reactive agent I needed to cement my love in place for what is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written.

I won't steal the Discovery Orchestra's thunder any further - if you want a small taste you can see a five minute youtube trailer for the concert here. Of course, to see the whole thing, you need to buy it from pbs - something I just might end up doing when I am again 'with job.' In the meantime, if you see it on your TV schedule do yourself a favour and PVR it.

In the meantime, if you don't own any classical music and are wondering wear to start, you can't do much better than a little of the old Ludwig Van. It will mess with your gulliver - but in a good way. Just remember to get the whole Sonata, not some 5 minute piece of it. Doing that to classical music is a crime against humanity.

For sentimental reasons I'll always regard Tchaikovsky as my favourite classical composer (you always remember your first), but if I were to take personal bias out of the equation, I can't see anyone matching these two works by Beethoven - especially the 5th. Incredible stuff, that still inspires the emotions to new heights over two hundred years after they were written.

Best tracks: Um...you can't really have a best track in this genre - they're meant to all go together in one listen.

CD Odyssey Disc 265: Tchaikovsky

It is a constant struggle right now to find time to blog (my book writing time is completely out the window - but I am driven ever onward by my desire for new music in the car.

Here we return to that rarest of islands in the CD Odyssey's archipelago - classical.

Disc 265 is...Tchaikovsky Box Set Disc 3 (of 5)
Artist: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Year of Release: Music from 1840-1893

What’s Up With The Cover?: The last two times I wrote about Tchaikovsky I eschewed the cover for a handsome portrait of the fellow (see my last review of him back at Disc 132 to take a look). This time you get the album cover which also has a small portrait of him featured. This cover is boring and utilitarian but it as a nice clean look to it that says, "I am a man of learning, sir!" Or something like that. I guess I like it well enough.

How I Came To Know It: As I've noted in previous reviews on this box set, I got into Tchaikovsky back in University, and he remains a favourite composer in a genre I explore very little.

How It Stacks Up: I only have this 5 CD Tchaikovsky box set, although it covers a lot of music (about 400 minutes or so). This one I liked less than the first two volumes, but it wasn't bad.

Rating: 4 stars.

I don't have much to add about Tchaikovsky - I love his bombast and how he weaves an intricate melody throughout that bombast, but I won't pretend to be wiser than I am in the workings of classical music.

In fact, I recently watched a PBS show that dissected exactly how Beethoven's 5th symphony worked, including why it is pleasing to the ear. The show was a full hour, and only covered the first of four movements (to get the other three you had to order the DVD of course).

I found the show fascinating, and it has added a whole other depth of understanding to classical music construction. Mostly, though, it has just shown me just how little I know.

This is fine though - the number one rule of music is to know what you like, and approach it with an open heart. OK, that's two rules, but you get the idea.

This album features three smaller pieces of music, "None But the Lonely Heart", "Marche slave Op. 31" and the fantasy overture "Romeo and Juliet", and one complete symphony, "No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74."

Still awake? OK - because there are some gems in that list of uninspiring song titles, chief among them "Marche slave" which is one of those pieces that is so ultra-famous the moment you hear it you'll remember having heard it a thousand times.

It is a song that conjures up danger and majestic action sequences, and I'm sure it has been used as such in many a film. It is what Howard Shore wishes he could write if he weren't busy converting his theme music from "Gangs of New York" for use on "Lord of the Rings" (listen to them both and tell me I'm wrong).

Anyway, much as I enjoy Howard Shore scores, there's a reason we are still listening to Tchaikovsky over a hundred years after his death, and "Marche slave" will remind you exactly why if you give it 9:34 of your undivided attention.

The other gem on this record is the "Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture". This song ranges from tender and sweet, to tragic and dangerous and does so with a pacing so perfect, you don't notice unless you're sitting there looking for it (which would make for a great part of a future PBS special).

My favourite memory of this piece is through a former Shakespeare prof I had. He was passionate for Shakespeare as seen through the lens of a series of psychological character studies. His lectures infuriated some, but I found the passion he brought to the classroom both fascinating and inspiring.

One day he was in full throat about Shakespeare's amazing ability to capture emotion, how it could never be equalled or interpreted when he stopped and interjected to himself - 'except Tchaikovsky's interpretation of Romeo and Juliet of course." He then proceeded to wax poetic about this piece of music for a while with the same zeal he would usually use to detract from any latter day interpretation of said play. It was awesome, and if I've botched the actual memory of the lesson, I certainly remember his passion for this piece of music. I'm also sure it influenced my decision to buy this boxed set.

The disappointment on this particular disc is "Symphony No. 6". It is competent enough, but there are large stretches where it loses me. In previous reviews I am sure you will remember me singing the praises of "Serenade in C Major", "Symphony No. 4 in F Minor" and to a lesser degree, "Symphony No. 5 in E Minor" (who could forget those salient moments in the CD Odyssey!) "Symphony No. 6" just didn't hit me the same way. I can't say why, but it just wasn't the same emotional impact of previous Tchaikovsky symphonies.

Nevertheless, this has been an enjoyable couple of days returning to Tchaikovsky's music, and renewing my acquaintance with his greatness.

Best tracks: Marche slave, Romeo and Juliet

CD Odyssey Disc 241: Rachmaninoff

For those of you wondering where I've been, I rolled a rather long album last Sunday, and I've only just now completed it. It is actually three 'albums' in one, but my general rule is if it comes in the same jewel case, it counts as one review.

In the past I've done the rating as a whole, but from here on, I'll break it out by record for the rating. If this creates a strange accounting error at the end of the Odyssey, so be it. I'm a writer, not a book-keeper.

So without further ado, here it (they) is (are).

Disc 241 is...Symphony 1, 2 and 3
Artist: Sergei Rachmaninoff

Year of Release: 1896 (Symphony 1), 1908 (Symphony 2) and 1936 (Symphony 3)

What’s Up With The Cover?: Not much. If this is a famous piece of art, the name of it escapes me. I sincerely hope it is not a famous piece of art or that if it is, some pretentious jerk paid too much for it at some long forgotten auction.

How I Came To Know It: Therein lies a tale. It is the tale of a girl - a girl long in my past, but a girl nonetheless.

In my early twenties I briefly dated a classically trained musician. We often talked music, and one night she decided she would introduce me to Rachmaninoff. She came over to my apartment and turned out all the lights. Then she had me solemnly swear to not say a single thing for the entire time we listened to "Symphony No. 2" in the dark, because (as she told me) that was how classical music should be appreciated.

I readily obliged, and we sat there for the rougly 48 minutes it took to hear the whole song, me dutifully making no sound. To this day I am convinced that the reason many people don't enjoy classical music is they won't take the time to just sit and listen to it in the dark, and not let themselves be distracted. It is meant to be heard that way, but sadly is often put on as background noise.

I didn't date that girl long, and don't know where she ended up. However, I still owe her for introducing me to Rachmaninoff in particular, and helping to open my ears to classical music in such an inspiring way.

How It Stacks Up: I only have this one album, but since it has all three of his major symphonies on it, I'll rank them in the following order: No. 2, No. 3 then No 1.

Rating: 3 stars (Symphony No. 1), 4 stars (Symphonies 2 and 3)

Rachmaninoff is another great Russian composer, in the same style as Tchaikovsky, who I have reviewed on A Creative Maelstrom twice prior. Rachmaninoff lived from 1873 to 1943 and as a young man actually knew Tchaikovsky, which is very cool.

I don't properly know how to review classical music (hence the anecdotal fill throughout) - I'm simply not trained well enough to know what is going on for sure, or why. However, I do know what I enjoy, and I enjoyed these symphonies very much over the last four days.

"Symphony No. 1" is the weakest, and seems a little obvious and clunky in places, but considering Rachmaninoff wrote it when he was 23, I think we can give him a break.

By far the best Symphony (and most famous) is "No. 2" (written in 1908). Funnily enough, the CD I have is two discs, and I got it cheap because "Symphony No. 2" is split up between them. The guy at A&B sound where I bought it said that it was a great recording, with a strong orchestra (Philadelphia) but because of this little hiccup was much cheaper, since it was the song most people were buying it for. Back then the cheapness factor was a strong consideration, and now I can just burn it whole onto a new disc, so it doesn't really matter anyway.

"Symphony No 3" (1936) is almost as good as No. 2 but doesn't pack the same wow factor. It is still amazing, but I strongly suspect Rachmaninoff of doing the classical music version of noodling in places. I do like the title of the second movement in "Symphony No. 3", "Adagio ma non troppo" which I think translates roughly as "in a slow tempo, but not too slow". That is my kind of preciseness!

All three have that bombastic 'heavy metal' feel I get from Tchaikovsky, but it is mixed in with a quiet whimsy that makes me think of lounging under a big beach umbrella on the French Riviera in the twenties, particularly "Symphony No. 3". I don't know why that comes to mind, but it does.

Tacked on the end of the album is a short composition called "Vocalise" which I could've done without, but I guess they figured they had room.

Overall, Rachmaninoff has become one of my favourite composers, and I was glad to spend a few days with him. Therefore I hope it won't seem to impolite when I say I hope my next roll is some good old fashioned rock and roll.

Best tracks: Symphony No. 2

CD Odyssey Disc 132: Tchaikovsky

It has been almost a year since I rolled another classical album. Hardly shocking - I probably have ten total, or about 1% of the collection.

Disc 132 is...Tchaikovsky Box Set Disc 2 (of 5)
Artist: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Year of Release: 1980 and 1965, but music from 1840-1893

What’s Up With The Cover?: I didn't post the cover - it is just a boring graphic with "The Tchaikovsky Box" written on the front. Instead, let's take a second look at Pyotr in all his grandeur. That is a fine fitting suit you're wearing, Pyotr - I wonder how long you had to sit there until the image was captured...

How I Came To Know It: I explained this when I reviewed volume I back at Disc 9, but since you're here and not there - I was expanding my horizons in university back in 1989 when I got this box set on the cheap. I remember wanting it because it was mostly complete symphonies, rather than those cheapy deals you can get where they just sample parts out.

How It Stacks Up: It is a boxed set - not sure how that can really stack up. I will say that over the years I've listen to this volume a bit more than the other four.

Rating: 4 stars

I won't get too much into the nature of Tchaikovsky's music, since I covered as much as I know back in my first review of him. I'll just sum up - I think he is super-heavy for a 19th century dude, and he's my favourite classical composer.

This particular album came at a bad time - it is hard to hear on the highway with the top down, and today was the first sunny day in about two weeks, so I desperately wanted the top down.

I compromised, and left it up for the first half of my drive, then once I got into town and slowed down, I took it down. Classical music is awesome when tooling about in a convertible. I even had on a suit and a little British driving cap. I imagine I looked like quite the pretentious twit. I should have waved and shouted 'toodles!' as I left each stop light. Another lost opportunity...

This particular album is funny for me. It is like a record of two halves. The first two pieces are stand alone numbers, each about fifteen minutes in length (Capriccio Italien Op. 45, and "1812" Overture Op. 49). I really dig both of these, and 1812 Overture has long been one of my favourite classical pieces - no amount of overuse in film and TV will alter my love for this blast of pomp and bombast.

As a kid I used to dig that the song was accompanied by cannon shot at the end, fired far away, but calculated to be in time with the music. That is very cool. Of course, when you are eleven any song that has frickin' cannons in it is cool by default. Kind of like the car crash at the beginning of Kiss' "Detroit Rock City" or the fighter pilot banter at the beginning of Prism's "Armaggedon". I was eleven or so for that Prism song, too. Man, there is a lot of cool stuff out there when you're eleven.

Anyway, back to Tchaikovsky. The major piece on the album is "Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64". As usual four movements, yadda yadda yadda. This is an amazing composition (we are talking about one of the all-time greats here) but for some reason left me a little unsatisfied. It starts out all right, but it doesn't have the same rousing ending that I loved on "Serenade in C Major" from Vol. 1...I think - I'm a little shaky on this classical music thing.

Or maybe it is just that "Capriccio Italien" and "1812 Overture" are simply too awesome by comparison (they are the reason I played vol II all the time). Or maybe it is just that after a couple of fifteen minute 'pop hits' my 20th century ear doesn't have the patience to delve into something more complicated.

Who knows - it was fun, and Pyotr can party, so this album still earns 4 suggestive cello placements out of 5.

Best tracks: Capriccio Italien, Op. 45, '1812' Overture, Op. 49

CD Odyssey Disc 114: Elvis Costello

The CD Odyssey does not stop. It can't be reasoned with, and it can't be bargained with. It doesn't know pity or remorse and it absolutely will not stop - ever - until all the discs have been listened to.

Disc 114 is...The Juliet Letters
Artist: Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet

Year of Release: 1993

How I Came To Know It: This is Sheila's disc, and here's a spoiler alert - if you need to hear good things about it, ask her (she quite likes it). At the very least you should stop reading.

How It Stacks Up: We have only one other studio album by Elvis Costello, 2002's "When I Was Cruel" - that one is better. We also have a best of from his glory years in the late seventies and early eighties. As you know, it isn't fair to compare a studio album with a compilation (but here's a hint - it's also better).

Rating: 1 star

I think to be average is easy in life. Consider the third "Blade" movie, for example. To be really bad takes a little ambition - like the third "Matrix" movie. With this in mind, Elvis Costello's work on "The Juliet Letters" is definitely ambitious.

This is a record which is a crossover of Costello's pop stylings, and the Brodsky Quartet playing classical string instruments.

On my first listen, I thought it was a bad and excessively obtuse re-imagining of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" through letters - and that I just wasn't getting it. Thoroughly confused, I resorted to the liner notes (including lyrics).

It turns out it is actually a bad and excessively obtuse re-imagining of a strange story involving a Veronese professor writing letters to some kook who thinks he's corresponding with Juliet Capulet. Now that is actually a good idea - ambitious even! (uh...oh...).

Unfortunately, the lyrics to these songs are a strange and disjointed exploration of the different types of letters people write, very few of which relate to anything cohesive about professor or kook.

The Quartet are the bright spot on the record, and they play with great skill. Unfortunately, each time I am trying to get into their virtuosity, Costello breaks in, singing some hard-to-follow lyrics with that affected-voice of his (except more affected). The story isn't worth following, and so I constantly want him to shut up and listen to the strings.

I did manage to find a couple passable songs - primarily "Jacksons, Monk and Rowe", which at least had a melody to follow. It is (loosely) about a law firm, but I preferred to imagine it was about three kinds of cheap wine. I liked my version better.

I recently have been enjoying Costello's television show (name escapes me) where he interviews musical acts in a theatre environment, and they play a few songs for the audience (with Costello joining in from time to time).

This show highlights the good and bad of Elvis Costello. On the plus side, he is a courageous artist, who - while having his fair share of misses - is always willing to swing for the fences. Our best of album exemplifies some home run songs, which I'll talk about when I review it.

On the minus side, he can come off as a pretentious artist, more interested in seeming clever than in being clever. It always bugs me, because the guy has talent, and I hate it when he loses his own narrative in his zeal to have us look behind the curtain all the time.

So if you like Elvis Costello, go get some of his other albums, by all means. If you like the Brodsky Quartet - grab some of that. But think of them as pickle juice and milk; it might sound creative, but putting them together just makes the whole drink sour.

Best tracks: Jacksons, Monk and Rowe (It is worth noting here that the album has twenty songs).