Nonetheless

This of Sandro Fazio album, called Growth is part of a trilogy. The first cd Birth, is followed by Growth and the last album will probably be called Wisdom. Sandro: "The path along the 3 chapters should emphasize a growing maturity and a more wise approach towards concept, composition & performing. I also have a PhD in Chemistry, and I think, directly or undirectly, I use the scientific forma mentis in this process."

This album is dedicated to those who are inclined to branch out and explore new sounds but are hesitant to make the leap of faith. As a world-class percussionist, Evelyn Glennie's complex and meaty nature will appeal to the open-minded, and its moodiness and overall proficiency make it worthwhile for anyone else. Moods vary from dark and brooding to exhilarating and light (but never in-between, and always with an avant-garde edge). Not for all tastes for sure, but a compelling listen nonetheless.

On a lesser note, I regret to inform you that all my previous publications have gone up in flames with the demise of FTP2Share. This is a repost of one of the previous publications. Enjoy!

Between 1961 and 1986, Herbert von Karajan made three recordings of the Mozart Requiem for Deutsche Grammophon, with little change in his conception of the piece over the years. This recording, from 1975, is, on balance, the best of them. The approach is Romantic, broad, and sustained, marked by a thoroughly homogenized blend of chorus and orchestra, a remarkable richness of tone, striking power, and an almost marmoreal polish. Karajan viewed the Requiem as idealized church music rather than a confessional statement awash in operatic expressiveness. In this account, the orchestra is paramount, followed in importance by the chorus, then the soloists. Not surprisingly, the singing of the solo quartet sounds somewhat reined-in, especially considering these singers' pedigrees. By contrast, the Vienna Singverein, always Karajan's favorite chorus, sings with a huge dynamic range and great intensity, though with an emotional detachment nonetheless. Perfection, if not passion or poignancy, is the watchword. The Berlin orchestra plays majestically, and the sound is pleasingly vivid.

Paolo Conte is the most internationally successful of the Italian singer-songwriters who emerged in the 1960s and 1970s. He is also among the most idiosyncratic, eclectic and unusual exponents of what Franco Fabbri has defined as the canzone d’autore (author’s song). Nonetheless he remains a rather arcane, cult figure in the Anglophone world – an example of what Simon Frith has called ‘the unpopular popular’. A combination of apparent opposites – the provincial and the cosmopolitan – his music appropriates a global sweep of influences without being definable as ‘world music’. Characteristics of both his rough, untrained singing style and wry, ironic and opaque compositions have strong affinities with US singer-songwriters like Tom Waits and Randy Newman, and he draws heavily on early American jazz influences, although he remains quintessentially Italian. This makes him difficult to categorise in the world music market.

True, this album was recorded at a time when Slade were working hard at cracking the American market, but, nonetheless, produced another perfect Slade album for all! Whether you're looking to round out your Slade collection or for a great inroduction into the British/Glam/Platform Shoes phenoms, I would highly recommend this album!