Recent Purchases

[Jared]

I'll tell you what SiA reminds me of Darren...

have you ever been into a large Cathedral, maybe on the continent, and looked high up into the dome and seen all the amazing patterns and pictures on the inside, almost in 3D as they leap heavenwards into infinity? so you decide to lie on your back and concentrate deeply on the images until your eyes glaze over with the many images, leaping backwards and forwards, so that your sense of perspective becomes blurred?

well, Tallis' 40-part motet feels like that, to the discerning, concentrating listener... an audio version of infinity... ;-)

[fergus]

I'll tell you what SiA reminds me of Darren...

have you ever been into a large Cathedral, maybe on the continent, and looked high up into the dome and seen all the amazing patterns and pictures on the inside, almost in 3D as they leap heavenwards into infinity? so you decide to lie on your back and concentrate deeply on the images until your eyes glaze over with the many images, leaping backwards and forwards, so that your sense of perspective becomes blurred?

well, Tallis' 40-part motet feels like that, to the discerning, concentrating listener... an audio version of infinity... ;-)

Your eloquence is most commendable and one could not add much to that other than to advise Darren again to definitely get the Naxos CD!

[bombasticDarren]

^^ Thanks Jared

I don't really think I am up to the task just yet of exploring this repertoire.

I will get the Tallis disc if it's still in the shop though. I hear Spem in Alium quite often on Radio 3, and it always captivates me...

Darren, my experience of Renaissance music is a paradox... it's a bit like chess in that the rules are very easy to initially understand but likewise very difficult to master, because of the subtleties involved... the superficial listener would say it all sounds the same, but the more the ear becomes accustomed to it, the more subtle the layering appears... does that make sense? I don't know whether Simon & fergus would agree with this, but that's my early view on this repertoire.

The Tallis disk is an ideal starter.. it's a very good performance as I've said, but Salve Intemerata is a beauty... I think you'll enjoy it.

I will buy the Tallis disc purely because I like the piece. Choral music is not really my thing (even Missa Solemnis and Brahms' Requiem are an effort for me...). I have plenty of time - I am curious, but I have not exhausted my passion for the classical, romantic and 20th century repertoire one bit as far as I can tell (I still have plenty of baroque music to investigate 'til I 'go back' any further!)

This 'thread within a thread' has made me consider that come April I will only have been buying and listening to CM for 5 years - it has flown by!

[bombasticDarren]

I'll tell you what SiA reminds me of Darren...

have you ever been into a large Cathedral, maybe on the continent, and looked high up into the dome and seen all the amazing patterns and pictures on the inside, almost in 3D as they leap heavenwards into infinity? so you decide to lie on your back and concentrate deeply on the images until your eyes glaze over with the many images, leaping backwards and forwards, so that your sense of perspective becomes blurred?

well, Tallis' 40-part motet feels like that, to the discerning, concentrating listener... an audio version of infinity... ;-)

I'm afraid I am not much of a traveller. Most of what I have learned has come from books, film and TV. But I understand what you are getting at Jared :-)

[Jared]

This 'thread within a thread' has made me consider that come April I will only have been buying and listening to CM for 5 years - it has flown by!

4 years at the end of May for me, Darren.... since I took the RVW Symphs 3 & 5 out of the local library... I now own about 1000 disks... :-)

[fergus]

I will buy the Tallis disc purely because I like the piece. Choral music is not really my thing (even Missa Solemnis and Brahms' Requiem are an effort for me...). I have plenty of time - I am curious, but I have not exhausted my passion for the classical, romantic and 20th century repertoire one bit as far as I can tell (I still have plenty of baroque music to investigate 'til I 'go back' any further!)

This 'thread within a thread' has made me consider that come April I will only have been buying and listening to CM for 5 years - it has flown by!

Your argument is sound Darren. Stick with what you like until you are ready to branch out yourself. Trying to appreciate music (or anything fot that matter) when one is not ready for it is counter productive.

You are still young Darren with lots of listening and buying ahead of you! Enjoy the rest that is to come as much as you have done in the last five years.

[bombasticDarren]

This 'thread within a thread' has made me consider that come April I will only have been buying and listening to CM for 5 years - it has flown by!

4 years at the end of May for me, Darren.... since I took the RVW Symphs 3 & 5 out of the local library... I now own about 1000 disks... :-)

Sorry, I miscounted. It will be four years for me too...

In my case we can 'blame' Pictures at an Exhibition for starting it all...

[Jared]

In my case we can 'blame' Pictures at an Exhibition for starting it all...

I thought you said it was the napalming scene from Apocalypse Now.. ;-)

[bombasticDarren]

In my case we can 'blame' Pictures at an Exhibition for starting it all...

I thought you said it was the napalming scene from Apocalypse Now.. ;-)

Haha! Yes, I certainly used to replay that scene over and over. The first CD I bought and adored though was PAAE (the Kuchar recording on Naxos - still just about the best in my view)

[fergus]

.... since I took the RVW Symphs 3 & 5 out of the local library...

What prompted the initial decision to go "Classical"?