Nico b

Nico - The Frozen Borderline 1968-1970 (2007) {2CD Set Rhino 8122-74885-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 752 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 318 Mb
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© 1968-70, 2007 Elektra / Reprise Records / Rhino | 8122-74885-2
Rock / Avant Rock / Art Rock / Experimental Rock

A companion to the same label's masterful reissue of John Cale's Paris 1919, The Frozen Borderline remasters the two albums that Nico recorded (with Cale in attendance) for Elektra and Reprise in 1968 and 1970, adding a heap of bonus tracks and the kind of deluxe packaging that fans – accustomed to the cheapness of other Nico repackagings – have previously only dreamed about. Spread across two discs, one per original LP, the two albums sound spectacular. Neither was exactly a production tour de force, their instrumentation dominated, of course, by harmonium, and the handful of flourishes that Cale layered on.

The Velvet Underground & Nico documents a concert of the famous band with the typical style of Warhol: long sequences, ‘dirty’ images, etc. It was Warhol who had the idea to create the band in 1966 which was formed by Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, John Cale and Maureen Tucker. Warhol himself strengthened the band by calling German actress and singer Christa Paffgen, aka Nico, who also starred in other films of Warhol’s among which, the Chelsea Girls. The Velvet Underground & Nico is also the title of the band's first album which, apart from becoming one of the symbols of the Factory, also took part in the experience of the Exploding Plastic Inevitable Show, a show made of lights, performances and multiple projections in which the Velvet Underground had the function of creating a live sound track…

Violinist Pekka Kuusisto and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra present First Light, the first fruit of Kuusisto’s tenure as the ensemble’s Artistic Director, on which two eminent New York composers are cast in a Nordic light. The album offers the world premiere recording of Nico Muhly’s Shrink (Concerto for Violin and Strings), a unique, remotely-recorded rendition of Philip Glass’ The Orchard by Kuusisto and Muhly, and Kuusisto’s new string orchestra arrangement of Glass’ “Mishima” String Quartet No. 3.

This 2007 recording of J.S. Bach's Johannes Passion, featuring Concerto d'Amsterdam and the Flemish vocal ensemble La Furia, uses the 1725 version of the piece, which substitutes some movements (most noticeably the opening chorus) more staid than those of the 1724 version. That decision to go for restraint rather than passion carries over to the performance style, as well, which tends to be reserved and tastefully correct rather than stirringly dramatic. It couldn't be characterized as flaccid because there is certainly a high energy level when appropriate, but even in these sections the performers seem more concerned with brisk precision than with stirring the blood.