Procol Harum: In Concert with the Danish National Concert Orchestra & Choir

Procol Harum: In Concert with the Danish National Concert Orchestra & Choir Review

I have many DVDs of rock bands performing with orchestras and/or choirs. None of them come anywhere close to the quality of the sound found here. There are clear reasons for this described in the wonderful booklet that accompanies the DVD. Most orchestras are recorded by a grid of overhead microphones that do not serve to separate the various instruments. Choirs are usually recorded in similar fashion. But NOT here. Each member of the symphony was close miked with their own individual microphone and fed into the board on their own channel, so that when the band's bassist asked the sound man for more oboe in his ear piece, the sound man asked back, "Which oboeist?" Each member of the choir had their own high quality hand mike, affording a similar advantage. The sound is simply fantastic from the orchestra and choir.

Also fantastic is the sound from the band although the mix puts the Commander's vocals and piano, the drummer and the guitarist quite high in the mix compared to the organ and bass, but Gary Brooker plays and sings so brilliantly that you want him high in the mix.

If you need a single example of how this all comes together just give a listen to A Salty Dog. This is probably my favorite Procol song. Brooker was, I believe, 62 years old when this was recorded and one could excuse him on that basis if his voice wasn't what it used to be, but it remains absolutely fantastic.

The part of this song after the line "Our tears were tears of joy" is possibly my favorite moment in any song by any band ever. The arrangement of the orchestra/choir during this section will raise the hairs on your neck and cover your skin with goose pimples. And the Commanders singing is hugely powerful. This one tune is worth the price of the entire DVD, but there are many, many more major highlights, with Grand Hotel coming in a close second.

This DVD is one for the ages. It is a must hear for Procol fans and it would be a great way for those not familiar with their great music to be introduced.

Procol Harum: In Concert with the Danish National Concert Orchestra & Choir Overview

Procol Harum are one of the all-time great British rock groups. Having hit the heights with their first release "A Whiter Shade Of Pale", a UK No.1 in 1967, they have sustained a recording and performing career that stretches over 40 years. This DVD was filmed over two spectacular concerts held in the grounds of Ledreborg Castle in Denmark in August 2006. The band was accompanied throughout by the Danish National Concert Orchestra and Choir and these epic songs really benefit from the full symphonic arrangements they receive. Also included are six previously unreleased live tracks from a 1974 Danish TV special as a bonus feature.

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 10, 2010 04:09:05

Artur Rubinstein in Concert

Artur Rubinstein in Concert Review

Following their release of Artur Rubinstein's Grieg, Chopin and Saint-Saëns concertos, Deutsche Grammophon issues another fascinating programme about the great pianist, recorded two years earlier, in August 1973, at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Rubinstein can be heard and seen in Beethoven's 3rd and Brahms's 1st, both accompanied by the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Bernard Haitink.

Produced by the same team, with Hugo Käch directing, the great Max Wilcox who had been recording Rubinstein since 1959 as audio producer, and Robert Hofer responsible for the photography, this DVD provides further insight in the artistry of one of the most significant pianists of the previous century in the indian summer ("autumn" would be too strong a word for the 86-year old Rubinstein) of his career. Rubinstein at this point approached both concertos with an unforced, patrician distance, avoiding all excesses in sound and tempi, as if he wants to let the music speak for itself, at times almost turning it into chamber music. It's an old master returning once more to these works he has played, loved and explored for decades. Yet there's no sign of fatigue or errancy. Very few have been able to make this music sing with such freshness, clarity of line and naturalness of declamation as Rubinstein did. The Largo and the Adagio sections boast a mesmerizing serenity and almost nocturnal quality. Eventually, the simplicity of his music-making, the humanity reflecting Rubinstein's own rich vision of life, have something profoundly touching.

Schubert's Impromptu in A flat major (D. 899/4), Brahms's Capriccio in B flat minor, op. 76/2 and his Intermezzo in B flat minor, op. 117/2, Chopin's Scherzo in B flat minor, op. 31 are concluding the programme and are much in the same vein.

Soundwise the "Artur Rubinstein in concert" DVD is preferable to the earlier release because of the warmer acoustics of the Concertgebouw hall which seem to suit Rubinstein's lyrical and spacious approach better. The playing of the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Bernard Haitink also boasts more character than the London Symphony under a neutral and often bland André Prévin. The rich and distinct sonorities of the Dutch orchestra are a joy from start to end.

Curiously, this DVD gives us the exact same bonus as the earlier release with the "Rubinstein at 90" film, showing the pianist in conversation with Robert MacNeil at his Parisian home in 1977. Good as it is, there are plenty of other insightful documentaries of Rubinstein around which could have been offered as an extra.

Highly recommended.

Artur Rubinstein in Concert Overview

First DVD release of this legendary performance by a legendary artist. "Rubinstein's superb form is matched by the incredible musical sensitivity of Haitink and the orchestra...Sounds and images are expertly cued to the split second... Rubinstein's face, body and hands are captured in a smooth flow of shots and reflections...The Beethoven takes on an almost Mozartean delicacy, the Brahms is infused with all the power it requires." --The New York Times A vibrant and revealing interview, "Rubinstein at 90" conducted by Robert MacNeil, is included as a bonus. Filmed in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, August 1973 (concert) and at Rubinstein's home in Paris, 1977 (interview) Artur Rubinstein, piano Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam Bernard Haitink, conductor Directed by Hugo Käch

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 07, 2010 09:00:19