Sound Poetics

For the most part, Taylor Swift’s various eras have been distinctive and well-defined. There were her country beginnings, a crossover to both sharp pop and global superstardom, the era of cozy indie folk she briefly detoured into with the 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore, and a deeper embrace of throwback synth pop on 2022’s Midnights, to name just a few. The era presented in Swift’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, is harder to pin down. Produced with long-time collaborators Jack Antonoff and the National's Aaron Dessner, the album pulls from Swift’s previous phases rather than introducing any new overarching identity or sound, with songs loosely connected by scenes from a bitter, messy breakup.

This very generous (79 min.) program of Rachmaninov and Liszt is a sterling representation of Horowitz's mastery in these two composers. It was issued in 2003 as a centennial tribute to the pianist, and quite a number of readings derive from live concerts. the span of time is relatively short - most of the performances come from 1967 and 1068, with several more from 1962, before he ended his self-imposed exile from concertizing. The sonics from that period could be a bit thin and shallow, but they are good enough, and at times, as in Rachmaninov's Etude-Tableau Op. 39 no. 5, Horowitz's full range of sound jumps out, making one wish that everything was this present and engrossing.

Sought-after jazz funk rarity from reed-master Roger Glen. Produced by the Mizell brothers and featuring Bill Summers and Paul Jackson from the Headhunters.