Whats on your turntable tonight?

Hubert Parry, "Symphony No. 5", "Symphonic Variations", "Elegy for Brahms" - Boult/LPO - EMI ASD 3725 (another gorgeous large orchestra recording effort by the "two Christophers" EMI recording partnership: Christopher Bishop and Christoper Parker.)
... While the English composer Hubert Parry is often considered a composer "of relative insignificance,"* I find many of his works enjoyable if not intellectually challenging. I'm not sure I "get" the sprawling Sym 5, but it sure makes for wonderful sheets of symphonic sound. The Symphonic Variations and Elegy for Brahms, on the other hand, are very engaging works. I'd still choose the Lyrita SRCS48 recording of the Variations and Elegy for the even better recording quality from Kenneth Wilkinson, also with Boult conducting.

Josquin Des Pres, "Missa Pange Lingua" - Peres/Ensemble Organum - Harmonia Mundi HMC 1239 - (The Ensemble Organum gets a most unusual choral blend of voices and textures. Well worth hearing in this recording of Missa Pange Lingua, one of the great pieces of choral music in the literature.)
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Dvorak's "Piano Trio in F minor, op65" - The Jung Trio - Groove Note GRV 1043 (This is a new direct to disc, 45 rpm, recording, mastered by Bernie Grundman and produced by Ying Tan and Joe Harley. Mike Fremer's recent review is on target about the sound quality here. The recording and engineering superbly capture the instruments in a very realistic and natural soncis. Excellent performance by this young trio. Highly recommended - the listening partner liked it!)

Sibelius, "Karelia Overture," "The Bard," and "Festivo" - Gibson/ScottishNO from 1967 on EMI HQS 1070 (yes, yes - nice performances and recording)

Stravinsky's "Le Sacre du Printemps (Rite of Spring)" - Ansermet/OSR, London LL 1730 mono (a lean, taut, driving performance by Ansermet, with L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande's uniquely piquant timbre in the winds and astringency of the strings, this is a wonderful record. It also has a great album cover!)
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Hmmm..., let's fix the link to that album cover from Stravinsky Rite of Spring, London LL 1730.

Flight to Denmark, a jazz trio album by Duke Jordan, Ed Thigpen, and Danish bassist Mats Vinding, recorded in 1973 (Steeplechase Records RJ-6004). An elegant and simple trio album, well-recorded (though it's definitely a PIANO trio album rather than a jazz TRIO album. One of the best party-background-music-albums-I've-never-heard-but-I'd-love-the-disc records I own. And I''m using a recently obtained FR-7f cart which is magic with this kind of music.

Jennifer Warnes, "Famous Blue Raincoat" - 45 rpm reissue
...I continue to be impressed with just how good this 45 rpm reissue sounds. Just a great mastering job by Bernie Grundman. These are going fast, so if you have any interest in an outstanding pressing of this music, act soon. Of course, if the music is not for you...
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