What are you listening to right now? - Page 32

Just Like You (Hannah Montana).

Next: Totenfeier (G. Mahler).

Bloomfield, Kooper and Stills The Super Sessions

highly recommended...

AC/DC - Back In Black (Hell's Bells)

I needed a change of pace from my earlier selections:

Beck - Sea Change

The Wonder Stuff - The Eight Legged Groove Machine

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass

Dreams (Rumours) Fleetwood Mac on MCH DVD-A.  The way the MCH mix opens up the music and reveals so many background instruments and vocals much more clearly makes something so familiar seem fresh again.  Whenever I give it a spin it makes me glad I own the disc but sad that so much potential MCH goodness remains untapped (and likely always will).  No processing of 2 channel material I've ever heard comes close to the discrete MCH mixes on this and many other releases (though there is something called Penteo I've encountered that is the closest thing to it--sadly it is not available, yet, as a consumer product).

Can't Back Down (Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam) (Soundtrack).

Next: Give Me Some Truth (John Lennon).

John Williams' soundtrack to Jane Eyre (1970).

Incomplete, sadly.

There are several pieces in the film that aren't on the OSTs.

A masterpiece, pure and simple.

It makes the Star Wars stuff sound trivial and pretentious in comparison.

Next up: newly restored and released soundtracks of Barry's The Deep and Friedholfer's One-Eyed Jacks.

Hey I'm new to the forum, I decided my first post would be here in the Music Category (as I am a musician). Any tips and suggestion on using this forum would be appreciated.

Right now I've got in my CD player the outstanding recording of Rachmaninoff's 3rd that Vladamir Horowitz made with Eugene Ormandy and the New York Philharmonic. Horowitz recorded this piece many times and I have heard most of them...but this one takes the cake. It's electrifying. The dizzying tempos, soaring passion, intimate sentimentality...this is one of my favorite all time recordings.

Here's a link to the CD on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rachmaninoff-Concerto-No-Sergey-Rachmaninov/dp/B000003FFK

Kodály--Music for Cello, Volume 2 (Naxos)  Maria Kliegel--Cello, William Preucil--Violin and Jenő Jandó--Piano

Beto Vázquez Infinity

Nancy Wilson - Just For Now on LP

Garage Sale find.

German issue, thick vinyl, flat as a pancake and very quiet.

Beautiful pressing...sounds great :)

Peter Frampton, Framptons Camel.

Coco d'Or

Four Impromptus (op. posth. 142) (D. 935) (A. Schiff).

I'm Still Good (H. Montana).

Next: Étude (op. 8, no. 12) (Scriabin) (Horowitz).

Very nice, Horowitz can play the Scriabin 12th Etude like none other.

Amadeus,

Yes.  It's quite a difficult piece for me to play.  I also love the Étude in C-sharp Minor, op. 2, no. 1 (and I can play this one).

Here is a recording of that Étude (also by Horowitz):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSsKJIzwapA&feature=related

I haven't tackled the Étude in C-sharp minor (op. 42, no. 5).  Maybe one day I will. :)

Here is a recording of the 42/5 by Ching-Yun Hu:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdtpfgqrdbQ&feature=related

Or if you prefer an earlier recording (1966), the one by Neuhaus is IMO breathtaking:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvIMWyMxjq0

Enjoy!

Thanks very much! I love this music...

So I see that you are a fellow pianist! Excellent, I like that you also enjoy Scriabin...many people I know don't appreciate his work.

Amadeus,

Yes, I love the music of Scriabin -- very much so.  And yes, I am a pianist, although my primary instrument is actually harpsichord.  Either way, it's nice to learn of another pianist on HTF. :)

Ockeghem,

Harpsichord, how fun! I have recently started listening to recordings of Mozart being peformed on Harpsichord and I must say I am liking it a great deal.

Ditto, a pleasure to meet you. :)

Hand in Hand (Face Value)--Phil Collins using Dolby PLII (Music) after having spent some time tweaking its settings (I've never been a big fan of "fake" MCH audio but having come across some suggestions for tweaking--fortunately my receiver allows such tweaking, not all do so--I'm finding it more compelling for those discs I have that are not discrete MCH mixes like those found on my DVD-As and SACDs).

Hey Paul, care to share some of those "tweaks" with us? I don't fool with those fake 5.1's too much either but once in a while I will.

Also, I find PLII softens the top end a bit compared to Neo:6. Neo:6 doesn't seem to send as much to the surrounds as PLII so I up the rear volume a little bit but the high end seems a bit better than it is with PLII.

And right now I'm not listening to a thing. Very rare for me.

BTW, I pulled out my copy of Rumours on DVD-A after you mentioned it a few days ago. That is a very good disc.

Can't Back Down (Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam) (soundtrack).  I think that this is my favorite track from the film thus far.  (I have yet to hear the tracks that did not make the film.)  The tune includes some engaging elements as far as the music (especially with regard to phrasing and accents) and choreography are concerned.  The progression, which contains some gorgeous and well-articulated power chords, is in an F modality which is in and of itself somewhat intriguing (F minor / A-flat / E-flat / D-flat), and the accents on the repeated notes ('F') that open and close the tune -- almost obstinately -- are treated agogically as well as dynamically.  I love how Demi Lovato's voice is extended into the lower recesses of her gamut (it resides at one point on G a seventh below the opening F), at which point her tone is distinctly different and quite rich.  I would like to hear her explore this part of her range a bit more on some of her future solo recordings.
 

The choreography during this scene is quite a treat to see as well.  I was marveling not only at what was occurring around and on the tables, but also the sequences in the upper balcony (it looks like a loft) and on the stairs as the dancers move down to the main floor.  Some of my family members commented on the sign language that accompanies the opening of the tune, and a few of my daughters have learned most of the dance moves.  I play the tune on the piano; however, I'll leave the dance moves to them. ;)

Next: Ludus Tonalis (Paul Hindemith).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amadeus19 

Ockeghem,

 

Harpsichord, how fun! I have recently started listening to recordings of Mozart being peformed on Harpsichord and I must say I am liking it a great deal.

 

Ditto, a pleasure to meet you. :)

Amadeus,

I'd love to know which works of Mozart you're hearing being performed on harpsichord.  That's really neat.

I own the Lili Kraus recordings of Mozart's complete piano sonatas (two boxed sets of LPs), and they are a treasure of mine.  Her playing inspired me to learn K. 283 and K. 331.  The Andante grazioso movement in the latter sonata is gorgeous, but then again so is the entire work.  BTW, I used the Schirmer edition when I learned these sonatas.  I happen to own the complete works of Mozart in score (DTV edition).  I purchased it for about $750 many years ago when it was selling for around $1200.

Happy listening. :)
 

Ockeghem,

I've been listening to Viviana Sofronitzki's Mozart Concertos for harpsichord. Very brilliant and exciting.

I also like to use Schirmer for my sheet music collecting. That was a pretty good deal for the complete works of Mozart. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by gene c 

Hey Paul, care to share some of those "tweaks" with us? I don't fool with those fake 5.1's too much either but once in a while I will.

 

Also, I find PLII softens the top end a bit compared to Neo:6. Neo:6 doesn't seem to send as much to the surrounds as PLII so I up the rear volume a little bit but the high end seems a bit better than it is with PLII.

 

And right now I'm not listening to a thing. Very rare for me.

 

BTW, I pulled out my copy of Rumours on DVD-A after you mentioned it a few days ago. That is a very good disc.

A while ago, a power outage happened and all my settings in my receiver went back to factory default (very annoying).  I was too busy to do anything except make sure all the inputs were sending a signal to the receiver (the assignable digital coax and optical inputs were all messed up as the factory default did not correspond to my gear).  A few days ago I came across a thread at another forum that was arguing about whether DPLII (and similar) things were "worth it" for music.  I had tried it years ago when I first got my receiver and was not especially impressed when compared to discrete MCH mixes like that found on Rumours, so I never bothered with it (I do use it for movies and TV that are in 2.0 and prefer that to the 2.0 audio in those cases).  However, in the thread, it mentioned that DPLII (Music) can be adjusted (Movie cannot).  I don't remember if I played with the settings when I bought the receiver (I bought over six years ago) but everything was back to factory default so I decided to give it a go.  I finally got around to resetting the levels with my SPL and then I accessed the DPLII (Music) adjustments (not all receivers allow access to those adjustments, apparently, but most newer (2007 and newer) receivers do, according to the thread I was reading).  There are three things available to adjust in my receiver. Panorama, Dimension and Centre Width.

Panorama is an On/Off setting--when set to on, it directs more of the front L/R towards the rears/sides (depending on whether you have a 5.1/7.1 system).  If I understand what the new Audyssey DSX Width channels are for, I suspect this is a less sophisticated attempt to do the same thing.  The effect it has in my room is to expand the soundstage width.

Dimension has a 0-6 range in my receiver.  Default is 3.  It works something like the "fader" control in a car stereo.  The closer to 0 you set it, the more forward the sound.  The closer to 6, the more rearward the sound.  

Centre Width has a 0-7 range in my receiver.  Default is 3.  In DPLII (Movie), the setting is 0 (and cannot be adjusted).  The closer to 0, the more "hard centre" the signal becomes.  The closer to 7, less material is in the centre (7 itself sends nothing to the centre--effectively turning it off).

I fiddled around with about 5 CDs (some classical, some 70s prog rock, some big band vocal jazz, some Hendrix, some 80s pop/rock) and tried different settings.  I settled upon Panorama: On, Dimension 3, Centre Width 5.  With these settings, in my room (I have room treatments and a parametric EQ for my sub), the effect is more discrete than the factory settings (Panorama: Off, Dimension 3, Centre Width 3) and while not as good as discrete MCH mixes like those on SACD and DVD-A, it is pleasant enough to warrant giving it an extended try-out (I've decided to spend September using it for all my stereo music recordings and then doing another round of A/B'ing next month).  With these settings, the sound is not "gimmicky" (unlike some of the other settings my receiver offers).  

I won't abandon 2 channel altogether.  I plan to upgrade the living room sound system and it will remain 2 channel.  But I'm willing to give DPLII, with these tweaks, an extended try-out before making a final judgement.  Just as I had to get used to some of the more famous tracks in their new MCH configuration (Elton John, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac), I think it only fair to get used to the sound of DPLII (Music) before making a final choice (it's easy enough to turn it off if it creates something seriously "off" with a particular disc/song).

Amadeus,

Cool!  I don't own that recording (Viviana Sofronitzki).  Now I'm intrigued. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by gene c 

Peter Frampton, Framptons Camel.

Good choice !

My latest is another garage sale find on vinyl, the Cooper Brothers self titled debut album from 1978 on Capricorn Records

Earth, Wind, and Fire - Superhits

Currently listening to That's the way of the world.

- Walter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulDA 

A while ago...

Of course, Panarama, Dimension and Center Width. I haven't thought about those for a couple of years. I remember fooling around with those with my H/K 435. They did make a noticable difference. Un-fortunately the matching DVD-47 (excellent sounding player) wouldn't play any of the few 192/24 HDAD's I have so I sold the 435, 47 and 8385. Next time I have a newer avr set up I'm going to re-visit those settings. Thanks for the reminder.

No problem.  Spent another couple of hours spinning some tunes with my newly tweaked DPLII and I'm finding it quite enjoyable.