Was fooling around with the ukulele I never really learnt how to play, trying to compose a song in French, when I realised the melody had echoes of a lovely and mysterious song I hadn't thought about in years (cue Daniel Thrasher's excellent sketches on accidental plagiarism). A few minutes of digging unearthed the lyrics, the song, and a flood of nostalgia. It was Les Gauloises Bleues by Yves Simon- specifically, Clou's cover- a staple of French radio throughout the years that I had listened. I went back to listen to it, and found an almost better version of Clou singing it live, without the overdubbing. Also heard Simon's original for the first time, and I can assure you that you need not bother listening to that- Clou sings it infinitely better. But yeah, it's a fairly modest but lingering song, which grows on you after a while.
I had been reading Yeats before I jumped to the ukulele, and found that the song complemented the gentle mystery of some of his poems very well. Yeats is kinda hit and miss, but when in the mood he can evoke beautiful stuff- starlight, the mythical deathless, feet on rustling grass, wild strawberries. Let's just say that Irish poetry in general is a gold mine, especially stuff about Irish myth. One of my favourite discoveries this year was a scan of Irish poetry from various eras. It includes such gems as:
'And in her eyes and glimmering arms she brings
Hither all promise,—all the unlook'd-for boon
Of rainbow'd life—all rare and speechless things
That shine and swell under the brimming Moon'
[from Deirdre Dancing, by Herbert Trench]
Which for me evokes the hushed magic of the ppp section of Chopin Op 9 no 1 (that entire nocturne is a miracle, and evokes RH Blyth's description of a good haiku: 'It is a single finger pointing to the moon.')
Speaking of Chopin, it's odd how biased familiarity with a recording can make you, to the point of being blinded to other approaches. I'd always been partial to the Richter 1962 recording of Chopin's 4th ballade- an interpretation I've known and loved for years- but rediscovering Cho's recording the other day, was rather staggered to find that it was, for me, near-perfect; I had previously dismissed it as nowhere near Richter's. Their (equally valid) approaches are in many ways vastly different, with Richter taking the piece in typical raw, personal fashion, and Cho playing with a controlled, crystalline touch which, I came to realise, did perfect justice to the otherworldly beauty of this piece. However, their playing was broadly united by one element which is for me important in this ballade- space. Neither Richter nor Cho rushes the piece too much (Cho not at all, Richter only towards the end), which allows its breathtaking philosophy to unfold in slow, lingering fashion. Given Chopin specialised in stuffing the experiences of a lifetime into miniature form, slow tempi never hurt too much when playing his music.
But anyway, had Cho's recording on loop for ages, appreciating each little detail, watching the evening light playing on the trees outside. This was Chopin as the gods played it.
Talking of rediscoveries, also went back to listen to the Helmchen recording of the Emperor after a while, and have to say I was blown away. I'd never cared for the first movement of the concerto before, but Helmchen really sold it. The textures!
Discoveries:
-Messiaen's Vingt Regards. Saw on my Google feed that Chamayou had released a recording, and went to check it out (had been impressed with his Liszt). I was a bit startled at first, but soon warmed to it; the piece is harsh, free, dissonant, but also strangely reverential. Also heard Loriod's original, wilder recording. Wish I knew more about the subtle large-scale structure of this thing, because I can tell it'd get even more beautiful with that knowledge.
-Discovered Handel's "Zadok the Priest" recently, via a rewatch of The Crown, and apart from the fact that it's used at coronations of British monarchs, don't really get why it's popular. A LONG way from Handel's best vocal work.
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