Christoph Willibald Gluck - Iphigenie in Aulis

"The action takes place at Aulis, at the outsets of the Trojan War.

"Act 1: The Greek camp. The Greek army waits for a favorable wind to take them to Troy. Calchas, the priest, has told King Agamemnon that the goddess Artemis demands the sacrifice of his daughter Iphigenia if he wants the revenge on Troy to be successful. Agamemnon wants to renounce the victory rather than sacrifice his daughter. Therefore, he sends his major, Arcas, to Mycenae to prevent his wife, Clytemnestra, and his daughter from coming to the camp, by using the pretext that Achilles has been unfaithful to his bride, Iphigenia. But Arcas misses the two ladies. Admired and praised by the Greek soldiers, they enter the camp. Here at last Arcas can reach and inform them. Achilles, at first greeted with much reserve by Iphigenia, swears his unchanged love and honesty. Together they ask for Jove's benediction.

"Act 2: The royal tent. The women adorn Iphigenia for her wedding. Achilles appears to lead her to the altar. The people rejoice and the wedding ceremony is about to start. At this moment Arcas comes and tells the people that Iphigenia shall be sacrificed according to the demand of the goddess and that Agamemnon is agreeable. A great protest arises. Achilles wants to save his bride with his own life. Now Agamemnon himself is unable to execute the sacrifice and asks Arcas to flee with the two ladies.

"Act 3: In front of the royal tent. The Greek soldiers, burning to fight against Troy, challenge the sacrifice. Iphigenia is willing to die for her people. In spite of Achilles' supplications and her mother's and the women's despair she remains firm.

"While everything is prepared for the execution Achilles rushes on with his warriors, takes Iphigenia from the altar and puts her into the arms of her mother. Calchas announces that Artemis, calmed in her rage by Iphigenia's courage, the faithfulness of her mother and Achilles' brave interference, renounces the sacrifice. (In Wagner's adaption, which this recording presents, the goddess apears on a cloud and carries Iphigenia away to Taursis.)" (Synopsis from the liner notes.)

Performers: Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Kurt Eichhorn, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Trudelise Schmidt, Anna Moffo, Ludovic Spiess, Thomas Stewart, Arleen Auger, Bernd Weikl, Nicolaus Hillerband

1.1. Ouverture

1.2. Akt I: 'O Artemis, Erzürnte!'

1.3. Akt I: 'Langer Darfst Du Nicht Widerstreben!'

1.4. Akt I: 'Du Siehst, Wie Laut Das Heer Schon Wütet'

1.5. Akt I: 'Klytemnestra Mit Der Tochter'

1.6. Akt I: 'Grausame Götter!'

1.7. Akt I: 'Wie Gerne Hort Mein Ohr Dieses Schmeichelnde Lob'

1.8. Akt I: 'Laßt Uns Allein!'

1.9. Akt I: 'Hab' Ich Recht Gehört?'

1.10. Akt I: 'Ist's Ein Traum, Der Mich Tauscht!'

1.11. Akt II: 'Laß Deine Brust Freude Durchwallen'

1.12. Akt II: 'Umsonst Wähnet Ihr Meine Sorgen Zu Täuschen!'

1.13. Akt II: 'Meine Tochter, Bald Macht Hymen Dich Glücklich'

1.14. Akt II: 'Singt Laut Und Erhebt Eure Königin!'

2.1. Akt II: 'Der Ehe Holder Gott!'

2.2. Akt II: 'Achill! Sieh Hier Vor Dir Mich Knie'n!'

2.3. Akt II: 'Fürstin, Beruh'ge Dich!'

2.4. Akt II: 'Folg Mir, Du Treuer!'

2.5. Akt II: 'Ha, Er Kommt!'

2.6. Akt II: 'Ihr Wachen Her!'/'O Du, Die Ich So Innig Liebe'

2.7. Akt III: 'Nein, Nein, Nimmer Dulden Wir Das'

2.8. Akt III: 'Das Los, Das Mir Beschieden (Iphigenia, Achilles)

2.9. Akt III: 'Weh Mir! In Welchem Wahn Seh Ich Dein Herz Befangen!'

2.10. Akt III: 'Er Geht, Er Flieht!'

2.11. Akt III: 'Meine Tochter! Wo Ist Meine Tochter?'

2.12. Akt III: 'Du Gottheit, Groß Und Hehr, Sei Gnädig Unserm Werk'

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Duke Ellington - "...And His Mother Called Him Bill"

"When Billy Strayhorn died of cancer in 1967, Duke Ellington was devastated. His closest friend and arranger had left his life full of music and memories. As a tribute, Ellington and his orchestra almost immediately began recording a tribute to Strayhorn, using the late arranger's own compositions and charts. The album features well-known and previously unrecorded Strayhorn tunes that showcased his range, versatility, and, above all, the quality that Ellington admired him most for: his sensitivity to all of the timbral, tonal, and color possibilities an orchestra could bring to a piece of music. The set opens with a vehicle for Johnny Hodges called 'Snibor', written in 1949. A loose blues tune, its intervals showcase Hodges against a stinging I-IV-V backdrop and turnaround, with a sweeping set of colors in the brass section before Cootie Williams takes a break and hands it back to Hodges to take out. The melancholy 'Blood Count' was written in 1967 for the band's Carnegie Hall concert. It proved to be his final composition and chart. Hodges again gets the call and blows deep, low, and full of sadness and even anger. The music is moody, poignant, and full of poise, expressing a wide range of feelings as memories from different periods in the composers' and bandleaders' collective careers. Given all the works Strayhorn composed, this one - with its muted trumpet section set in fours against Hodges' blues wailing - is both wistful and chilling. Also included here is a remake of 1951's 'Rock Skippin' at the Blue Note', in a spicy, funky version with a shimmering cymbal ride from Sam Woodyard and a punched up, bleating Cootie Williams solo as well as one from Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet, smoothing out the harmonic edges of the brass section (which features a ringing break from John Sanders). In cut time, the tune shuffles in the groove with Ellington accenting on every eight as the brass and reeds mix it up joyously. There are two versions of 'Lotus Blossom'. Ellington claimed it was the piece Strayhorn most liked to hear him play. The LP version is a quiet, restrained, meditative rendition played solo by Ellington, with the most subtle and yet emotional nuances he ever presented on a recording as a pianist. Finally, closing the album is a bonus track, a trio version played in a whispering tone with only baritone saxophonist Harry Carney and bassist Aaron Bell accompanying Ellington. The piece was supposedly recorded as the band was packing up to leave. Its informality and soulful verve feel like they are an afterthought, an unwillingness to completely let go, a eulogy whose final words are questions, elegantly stated and met with only the echo of their last vibrations ringing in an empty room, full of wondering, longing, and helplessness, but above all the point of the questions themselves: 'Is this enough?' or 'Can there ever be enough to pay an adequate tribute to this man?' They are interesting questions, because only five years later we would all be saying the same thing about Ellington. For a man who issued well over 300 albums, this set is among his most profoundly felt and very finest recorded moments." (Review of the Bluebird re-issue by Thom Jurek. From AllMusic. See here.)

1. Boo-Dah

2. U.M.M.G.

3. Blood Count

4. Smada

5. Rock Skippin' At The Blue Note

6. Rain Check

7. Midriff

8. My Little Brown Book

9. Lotus Blossom

10. Snibor

11. After All

12. All Day Long

13. Lotus Blossom

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Don Gibson - No One Stands Alone

Touching gospel collection by country singer Don Gibson. Doesn't attempt to innovate but a stunning example of this breed of 1950s-early 60s country/gospel LP. Gibson's voice is sonorous and sincere, backed by comforting arrangements and a vocal ensemble. Released in 1958 on RCA Victor.

A1. Satisfied

A2. (Prayer Is The Key To Heaven) Faith Unlocks The Door

A3. That Lonesome Valley

A4. Evening Prayer

A5. Known Only To Him

A6. Canaan's Land

B1. Where No One Stands Alone

B2. My God Is Real

B3. Wait For The Light To Shine

B4. Taller Than Trees

B5. Lord I'm Coming Home

B6. Climbing Up The Mountain

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Elvis Presley - He Touched Me

"He Touched Me was a different kind of gospel album, a conscious updating that mixed a 'contemporary Christian' approach with familiar gospel classics. It was a deliberate broadening of style in both music and repertoire and included material from adventurous new sources both black (Andrae Crouch) and white (Bill Gaither). Like each of the previous religious albums, it sold reasonably well to start off with (200,000 copies) but continued to sell (more than a million copies to date), while also earning Elvis his second Grammy award." (From the Elvis the Music website. See here.)

A1. He Touched Me

A2. I've Got Confidence

A3. Amazing Grace

A4. Seeing Is Believing

A5. He Is My Everything

A6. Bosom Of Abraham

B1. An Evening Prayer

B2. Lead Me, Guide Me

B3. There Is No God But God

B4. A Thing Called Love

B5. I, John

B6. Reach Out To Jesus

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Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band

"Duke Ellington, I like to argue, ranks as America’s greatest all-around musician—composer, arranger, bandleader, accompanist, soloist and musical thinker. Who else did it all with such sit-up-and-notice style, originality and longevity?

"He and his band reached a new peak of musical expression when a refreshed roster first headed into the studio 80 years ago this week. Their recordings from 1940 to 1942, dubbed their 'Blanton-Webster' iteration, created one of the high points of American music.

"In 1940, Ellington began what some regard as his premier period. He had recently hired Jimmie Blanton, a 21-year-old who would revolutionize jazz bass playing, and Ben Webster, who brought the tenor saxophone to new prominence in the ensemble. They both sparked the Ellington Orchestra. 'Every time there was an addition to the band,' baritone saxophonist Harry Carney told jazz writer Stanley Dance, 'the new instrumentalist seemed to give Duke new ideas and something to draw from and add in his writing.'

"Another recent hire, arranger and composer Billy Strayhorn, began his ascent to becoming Ellington’s indispensable musical partner and an invaluable composer in his own right.

"The Ellington band with Blanton and Webster made its first recording on Feb. 14, 1940, but it took a few weeks to hit its stride. In March, Ellington began recording for RCA Victor, whose engineers captured the Ellington sound with resounding richness, fidelity and balance. Remarkably, the label allowed Ellington to choose most of his repertory.

"At its first recording session for Victor, the band laid down 'Jack the Bear,' a showcase for Blanton, who gave his instrument an expanded role and an outsize tone. A well-disguised 12-bar minor-key blues with an exotic, almost unearthly quality, 'Ko-Ko' fascinates with its drama, from its opening tom-toms to its final crescendo, each chorus building in intensity.

"In 'Concerto for Cootie,' Ellington, a master of contrast, provides bravura trumpeter Cootie Williams with three unlike themes for muted, open and growling trumpet, alternately poignant, sweet, bluesy, sorrowful and exultant.

"Alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, unmatched as a player of warm, lyric, romantic melody, renders 'Warm Valley' ravishingly. Webster’s inspired solo on 'Cotton Tail' became one of his most famous and enduring. In that recording, Ellington opened a window to the future, laying the foundation for what would soon become known as bebop.

"First recorded in 1941, 'Take the 'A' Train,' a feature for trumpeter Ray Nance, marked Strayhorn’s breakthrough as a composer. After this compelling dance number became a big hit, Ellington adopted it as his orchestra’s signature tune.

"What accounted for the luminosity of this period?

"Ellington was seasoned, and so were nearly all of his players—some of the best in the world—with an average tenure of 10 years with him. Blanton and Webster brought increased rhythmic drive and instrumental virtuosity. Strayhorn introduced new harmonic choices. Ellington was energized by signing new management and booking, and by moving in with a beautiful new woman. And the band was invigorated by a recent concert tour of Europe. Cornetist Rex Stewart recalled in his autobiography, 'Boy Meets Horn,' that 'the band started hitting on all cylinders like a wonderful musical juggernaut.'

"During this time and throughout his career, Ellington, unlike most of his contemporaries, wrote most of the music played by his orchestra and composed exclusively for it. He was the supreme creator of music for that essential American institution, the jazz orchestra or big band. Developing his own harmonic language and tone colors, he was a wizard of experiment.

"'A musician’s sound is his soul, his total personality,' Ellington told Nat Hentoff. 'I hear that sound as I prepare to write.' Ellington composed not for the instrument, but for the man and soul behind the instrument. Not for first or second trumpet, but for Cootie Williams or Ray Nance, to tap the gifts of each. When Ellington hired a new musician, he’d quickly learn his strengths and weaknesses, and write to bring out his very best. He alchemized his players’ musical and emotional personalities into a unique new sound, which Strayhorn called 'the Ellington Effect.' Rarely if ever had anyone assembled 15 musicians with such singular soundprints and transformed them into a distinguished e pluribus unum.

"Webster and colleagues deeply admired Ellington, who led an ingenious instance of what the business writer Warren Bennis termed a 'great group'—one in which the leader helps the members find greatness in themselves. In Ellington’s case, the inspiration worked both ways—he inspired his players, and they inspired him. It’s a lesson for leaders in all fields.

"[...] These magnificent works reward repeated, close listening. And they will continue to, I predict, for centuries to come." (From Steven Cerra's Jazz Profiles blog. See here.)

 

1.1. You, You Darlin'

1.2. Jack The Bear

1.3. Ko Ko

1.4. Morning Glory

1.5. So Far, So Good

1.6. Conga Brava

1.7. Concerto For Cootie

1.8. Me And You

1.9. Cotton Tail

1.10. Never No Lament (Don't Get Around Much Anymore)

1.11. Dusk

1.12. Bojangles

1.13. A Portrait Of Bert Williams

1.14. Blue Goose

1.15. Harlem Air Shaft

1.16. At A Roadside Dixie Diner

1.17. All Too Soon

1.18. Rumpus In Richmond

1.19. My Greatest Mistake

1.20. Sepia Panorama

1.21. There Shall Be No Night

1.22. In A Mellow Tone

2.1. Five O'Clock Whistle

2.2. Warm Valley

2.3. The Flaming Sword

2.4. Across The Track

2.5. Chloe

2.6. I Never Felt This Way Before

2.7. The Sidewalks Of New York

2.8. Flamingo

2.9. The Girl In My Dreams Tries To Look Like You

2.10. Take The "A" Train

2.11. Jumpin' Punkins

2.12. John Hardy's Wife

2.13. Blue Serge

2.14. After All

2.15. Bakkif

2.16. Are You Searchin'

2.17. Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'

2.18. The Giddybug Gallop

2.19. Chocolate Shake

2.20. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)

2.21. Clementine

2.22. Brown Skin Gal (In The Calico Gown)

 

3.1. Jump For Joy

3.2. Moon Over Cuba

3.3. Five O'Clock Drag

3.4. Rocks In My Bed

3.5. Bli-Blip

3.6. Chelsea Bridge

3.7. Raincheck

3.8. What Good Would It Do?

3.9. I Don't Know What Kind Of Blues I Got

3.10. Perdido

3.11. The "C" Jam Blues

3.12. Moon Mist

3.13. What Am I Here For?

3.14. I Don't Mind

3.15. Someone

3.16. My Little Brown Book

3.17. Main Stem

3.18. Johnny Come Lately

3.19. Hayfoot Strawfoot

3.20. Sentimental Lady

3.21. A Slip Of The Lip (Can Sink A Ship)

3.22. Sherman Shuffle

 

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Willie Nelson - Yesterday's Wine

"Before I begin this elaborate journey, portraying Earth's typical man..." Nelson lays out his aim for 1971's Yesterday's Wine, an album which has a distinctly religious tone he would not return to until after the completion of heartbroken epics 'Shotgun Willie', 'Phases and Stages' and 'Red Headed Stranger' spanning 1973-75. There are notable exceptions, of course, despite the singer's introduction: the boozy title track and 'Me and Paul' are obvious examples. This lacks the conceptual religious rigor pioneered by Johnny Cash with 'The Holy Land' (documenting his journey to that place) two years prior, but perhaps it was an inspiration. Nelson's faith and calling, as well as his honestly about himself and his troubles, are obviously sincere and this shows in the writing and execution of his songs. 

A1. Intro: Willie Nelson And Band/Medley: Where's The Show?/Let Me Be A Man
A2. In God's Eyes
A3. Family Bible
A4. It's Not For Me To Understand
A5. Medley: These Are Difficult Times/Remember The Good Times
B1. Summer Of Roses
B2. December Day
B3. Yesterday's Wine
B4. Me & Paul
B5. Goin' Home

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Guy Clark - Old No. 1

Johnny Cash wrote the following in his autobiography 'Cash': "I don't listen to music much at the farm, unless I'm going into songwriting mode and looking for inspiration. Then I'll put on something by the writers I've admired and used for years — Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Guy Clark, and the late Steve Goodman are my Big Four [...]". With the death of John Prine this week, Crowell is the only living of these five men. In commemoration, I will be posting an album from each.

An influential Nashville songwriter and an excellent musician in his own right, Clark balances urbane contemporary songwriting with down-home Nashville roots on excellent (and widely covered) originals like 'L.A. Freeway' and 'Desperados Waiting for the Train'. Clark's extant country pedigree is clear even on his debut, with backing vocals from the likes of Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle (the latter of whom he was a mentor to). Harris is certainly audible and in stellar form on 'She Ain't Goin' Nowhere', giving a wonderfully airy, sensitive accent to Clark's vocals. 

A1. Rita Ballou
A2. L.A. Freeway
A3. She Ain't Goin' Nowhere
A4. A Nickel For The Fiddler
A5. That Old Time Feeling
B1. Texas - 1947
B2. Desperados Waiting For The Train
B3. Like A Coat From The Cold
B4. Instant Coffee Blues
B5. Let Him Roll

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