Used Bin Troll Tweets QQ.

Ethelbert Nevin

[June 2020.]

“Sounds of the City.” Maria Teresa LUCIANI: Var. comps. (1972?). Finders Keepers FKR093 (LP, download) (http://www.finderskeepersrecords.com/).

Looped from nondescript sources, thirteen electronic moods (“Traffic,” “Supermarket,” “The Port,” etc.) sketch a dehumanized metropolis. YES.

“Elettroencefalogramma.” Antonino Riccardo LUCIANI: Var. comps. (ca. 1970-80?). Dead Cert VCR-014 (LP, download) (http://www.finderskeepersrecords.com/).

A collection of studio manipulations originally built as anonymous library tracks. The LP above was released under his sister’s name. MAYBE.

Suzanne CIANI: Quadraphonic (2016). CyKiK LF-001 (LP with quad hardware decoder, download) (http://www.cykik.com/).

The stereo mix nicely captures Ciani’s wonderful Buchla virtuosity, a nod to the synth era’s start. The live show is no doubt better. MAYBE.

Leonard BERNSTEIN: Symphony No. 1, “Jeremiah,” (1939-43)¹; Symphony No. 2, “The Age of Anxiety” (1945-49; rev. 1965)². Anna Larsson¹ (m-sop), Roland Pöntinen² (pno), Arctic Philharmonic, Christian Lindberg (cond.). BIS-2298 (1 CD) (http://www.bis.se/).

Legions consider Lenny a beloved conductor and educator, but his own music can be wildly uneven, reflecting inconsistent attentiveness. NO.

Samuil FEINBERG: Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 21 (1924-28)*; Piano Sonata No. 8, Op. 21a (1933-34)*; Piano Sonata No. 9, Op. 29 (1939)**; Piano Sonata No. 10, Op. 30 (1940-44)**; Piano Sonata No. 11, Op. 40 (1952)**; Piano Sonata No. 12, Op. 48 (1962)*. Nikolaos Samaltanos**, Christophe Sirodeau* (pno). BIS-1414 (1 CD) (http://www.bis.se/).

Feinberg’s exciting sonatas hover in the liminal span between Romanticism and Scriabin. There’s also a Vol. 1 with Sonatas Nos. 1 to 6. YES.

“Schubert Winterreise for String Quartet.” Franz SCHUBERT: Winterreise (1827; arr. Andreas HÖRICHT). Voyager Quartet: Nico Christians, Maria Krebs (vln), Andreas Höricht (vla), Klaus Kämper (vlc). Solo Musica SM 335 (1 CD) (http://www.solo-musica.de/).

Who needs an incomplete, sloppy arrangement (half of the 24 songs) for string quartet with jarringly dissonant preludes and intermezzos! NO.