Дмитрий Шостакович - Symphony No. 4

The clapping comrade, happy and joyous as ever :-)

Here is Symphony No. 4 by Dmitri Shostakovich in a 1960-something recording by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Download here (no password):

http://www.mediafire.com/?pacm5k6g7ds0378

Excellent version. Classic. If you like the music, though, check out the 2002 recording with Myung-Whun Chung and the same orchestra. The MP3 album is on Amazon - click here. Ormandy gets the silver medal. Chung is a genius. But start with the older recording - it works its magic just fine.

This is raw, exciting stuff - Shostakovich's heavy metal symphony. At first it sounds like it is all over the map, but I always come back to it, trying to understand the structure. It has structure - odd structure. Crazy structure. This is good Halloween music... definitely one of my favs.

Look here for the Wikipedia article, which goes into the logic of the symphony and the story of how it remained hidden for decades before gaining greater audience. 

The ending gives me chills. Spooky.

Cheers,

Angus

June Tabor in 1990

Totally hot! Check out "While Gamekeepers Lie Sleeping" around 4:50. Better yet, watch the entire video.

Cheers,
Angus

She even dances at the end of the set!

Let me add two more, the first and last songs from her album with Martin Simpson, "A Cut Above":

"Admiral Benbow"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-j4SKhclSg

"Unicorns"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPA1fH9wZIg

Plenty more on YouTube to sample (including her incredible rendition of "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"); also check out her albums on Amazon.

Sibelius: Symphony No. 7 - Mark Elder

Go Hallé Orchestra! John Barbirolli would have been proud of this.

Cheers,

Angus

Down The Hatch

I'm still looking for a copy of In Port, which I'm sure is a fine fine album, but meanwhile here is Cyril Tawney singing about drinking in Down The Hatch. Many of these songs regard beer, and when it's not beer, whisky... fine thoughts for the month of October. Have fun!

Download here (no password):
http://www.mediafire.com/?zzdwryrlr4wuwpl

Cheers,
Angus