This week's concert comes via RAI Radio 3 in Rome with the RAI Radio Symphony conducted by Andrej Boreyko and featuring legendary pianist Martha Argerich. It's a rather short program. The first half (top player) opens with Cesar Franck: Le Chasseur Maudit, followed by the Ravel Piano Concerto featuring Martha Argerich. This concert was recorded on February 9, 2009. The second half (the player down there) also features the RAI Symphony, this time conducted by Juraj Valchua performing Anton Webern: Im Sommerwind and was recorded on November 27, 2008.

Great concert, no matter how you slice it.

Announcements are in Italian and here's what you'll be listening to:
STAGIONE 2008-2009 DELL'ORCHESTRA SINFONICA NAZIONALE DELLA RAI
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai
pianoforte, Martha Argerich
direttore, Andrej Boreyko
César Franck
Le chasseur maudit, poema sinfonico dalla ballata di Gottfried August Bürger
- Andantino, quasi allegretto - Poco più animato - Molto lento - Più animato - Allegro
molto, quasi presto
Maurice Ravel
Concerto in sol per pianoforte e orchestra
- Allegramente
- Adagio assai
- Presto
Registrato all'Auditorium Rai "Arturo Toscanini" di Torino il 19 febbraio 2009
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 2 - STAGIONE 2008-2009 DELL'ORCHESTRA SINFONICA NAZIONALE DELLA RAI
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai
direttore, Juraj Valčuha
Anton Webern
Im Sommerwind, idillio per grande orchestra
Registrato all'Auditorium Rai "Arturo Toscanini" di Torino il 27 novembre 2008

Enjoy.

(Catherine Leonard - rising star on the horizon)

Chamber music this week. From the West Cork Chamber Festival of 2008 and by way of BBC Radio 3's Lunchtime Concerts, a performance featuring Irish violinist Catherine Leonard in works by Bolcom and Schubert (Bolcom's Second Sonata for Violin and Piano and the Schubert "Trout" Quintet). The program was recorded live in July of 2008 and broadcast on August 1st of that year.

Lunchtime Concert

1 August 2008

West Cork Chamber Music Festival

Friday 1 August 2008 13:00-14:00 (Radio 3)

Jonathan Swain concludes a series of concerts from this year's West Cork Chamber Music Festival in Bantry. Leading Irish violinist Catherine Leonard is showcased as a soloist and ensemble musician in Balcom's Second Sonata for violin and piano, and Schubert's Trout Quintet.

Duration:

1 hour

Playlist:

Bolcom: Second Sonata for violin and piano

Catherine Leonard (violin)

Andrea Rebaudengo (piano)

Schubert: Piano Quintet in A, D667 (Trout)

Antti Siirala (piano)

Catherine Leonard (violin)

Vladimir Mendelssohn (viola)

David Cohen (cello)

Chi-chi Nwanoku (double bass)

(Mypollux - what French Heavy Metal looks like these days)

I first ran across this band on MySpace in 2006 and I've been following them ever since. Mypollux is a French Heavy-Metal/Powerpop band and one of those self-contained units that gives every indication of what the future of the music business is going to look like very soon. They released their 3rd self-produced/self-engineered/self-promoted album in 2008 and are getting a good following around Europe based on that. They've played over 80 concerts in 2007, opening for such U.S. acts as Korn. Fronted by the extraordinary vocalist Lussi, who wrenches enough emotion out of her songs they don't need any translation. And all in all, they are a very tight, well produced band.

There's that language thing though - but Newstalgia readers are a sophisticated bunch, so it should pose no problem for you.

Reveille is the name of this track and it's off their 3rd album Dedales, which you can pick up if/when you visit their Myspace page.

They're an intense little band - but damn, the mainstream is so wishy-washy, this is pretty refreshing.

Besides, it's another high voltage Friday night.

Since they're playing tomorrow at the Coachella Festival outside of Palm Springs, I thought it would a perfect opportunity to put some Wire on the Roundtable tonight.

As one of the pivotal bands of the Punk era, Wire have enjoyed a strong and lasting following for over 30 years. Through breakups and reforming, Wire have maintained their creative edge, and continue to turn out great songs.

Tonight it's a track off their 2008 album Object 47. Classic in the tradition of the milestone Wire 182 album in the early 80's, they've lost none of their edge. One Of Us is vintage Wire, while at the same time breaking new ground. A great band that, if you're lucky enough to be out at Coachella this weekend, you get a chance to see. Also, check out their website for other gigs they're playing in the States this month.

But for now here's a somewhat pale substitute for the real thing. Sometimes you just have to take it where you can get it.

I haven't been checking out the goings on in Italy of late, so I thought I would do some exploring and Verdena showed up. A three piece post-punk/alternative/indie band from Bergamo Italy, they've been together since 1992 and have five albums to their credit.

Tonight's track is from their 2007 album Requiem, Non Prendere L'acme Eugenio is nice and loud and has Monday/Tuesday written all over it.

But what do I know? Check them out and dig through their catalog.

It perplexes me that an artist like Fabienne Delsol isn't more well known over here in the States, even among the underground, than she is. Not that she's a complete unknown here, but that she hasn't gotten the recognition she deserves or that she's gotten in the UK and the rest of Europe in recent years.

Although I'm sure, like everything, time will only tell.

In the meantime, here is a recent single featuring Fabienne and her backup band The Bristols, a UK experimental/retro group who has every nuance and flourish perfectly covered in this track, When My Mind Is Not Live. Even down to a mono mix, it makes you wonder if this really isn't some long-lost track from 1967. But no. It's from 2008.

But you can pretend if you want to.

Jumping into a little Post-Punk/Funk tonight. A Certain Ratio have been together since 1977 and are still together (mostly) and still recording. A great and well-regarded group whose electronica have more than paved the way for a lot of bands to adopt their spirit.

Here is a track off their 2008 album Mind Made Up, Everything Is Good.

I thought I would finish up this week in Mexico with some electronica from Mexico City by way of Veneno Para Las Hadas. Rather than gum it up with my clumsy explanation, I'll let the entry via their MySpace page explain it:

Veneno Para Las Hadas

Poison for the Fairies The fairies live beneath the world of men and this distance equals the size of their loneliness, where every man is the limit of his degradation.
Monochrome nostalgia as a vessel where sound and silence co-exist: This music is the sweetest poison for those who want to reach the sky.
A project conceived near 1998 merges diverse and often opposite concepts into a voice for everybody:

Continue reading »

It's hard to describe Of Montreal, so I won't even try. All I know is they are rather addicting and they are heading to a town near you during their tour of the States this month (before heading over to Europe in October) and it would do everyone a lot of good to check them out live and onstage. They also have a new album out, False Priest which you should also check out (it's on iTunes as we speak). And, they're having a sale on all their back catalog. So . . .now's the time.

Tonight it's a b-side to a single they issued in 2008. Alter Eagle is the flip side of Id Engager and, like all their work, is just one interesting and engaging batch of notes to the next.

Perfect for a Friday night/Saturday morning, if you ask me.

The Duke Spirit are living proof you don't need a major label or fleets of Press Officers handling you if you have good word of mouth.

Around since 2003, The Duke Spirit are a UK band leaning in that alternative/post-punk/psych/noise genre.

Tonight's track, This Ship Was Built To Last comes from 2008. I believe it's off their first album.

Sadly, they aren't very well known here in the States and have concentrated all their efforts on getting some visibility in Europe. At the moment they are working on their third album and should have some good material available before too long. Check out their MySpace page for more info.