Musique de Chambre

Here is a 3CD album of instrumental and chamber music by the Czech-born composer variously known as Antonín Rejcha, or Anton (or Antoine) Reicha. He was born in the same year as Beethoven, and was an on-and-off friend of Ludwig's: the pair played together in an orchestra in Bonn in their late teens, and were later re-acquainted in Vienna. Unlike his his much more famous contemporary, Reicha's genius did not extend to self-promotion, and he was oftentimes content to leave his compositions unpublished. Although he won renown as a teacher and theorist in his day, posterity mostly forgot about him.

The body of work he composed for wind quintet, however, retained a measure of popularity, and prevented his name from falling into complete obscurity. There has been a small-scale revival of interest in his other music over recent decades, with the current album providing an intriguing selection of it. I love half of its contents and feel lukewarm about the remainder. The solo piano pieces on Disc 2 don't do all that much for me, and neither does the String Quartet in E major on Disc 1: a disappointment, as certain other of his earlier quartets (dating back to his time in Vienna, & not included here) are wonderful.

The String Quintet in F major on Disc 1, on the other hand, is my favourite thing on the album. Although published in the 1820s, it was written ca. 1807, not long after those earlier quartets: personally I like it every bit as much as Beethoven's music of that same period. Also from ca. 1807 is the wonderful and unusal Trio for 3 cellos which closes disc 3. Lastly, as if to prove he didn't just lose his edge with age, the other piece on the same disc, an 1824 Piano Trio in D minor, is also highly enjoyable, if less unconventional.

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All Wrapped Up

Here's another of the compilation cassettes I bought this summer, having taken home a Denon twin-deck hi-fi cassette player from the local charity shop. All Wrapped Up is a 1983 compilation of singles by The Undertones, with Side One filled with A-sides, and B-sides on Side Two. A cassette must be the least desirable medium for such an arrangement, with a long rewind required if one just wants to hear the hits repeatedly. The Undertones were unapologetically provincial and anti-fashionable, with their songs sharply-written slices of life that pointedly avoided any mention of politics, or of the then-continuing violence in their native Derry. My favourite tracks are the obvious choices: 'Teenage Kicks', 'Jimmy Jimmy', 'Here Comes the Summer', 'My Perfect Cousin' & 'Wednesday Week'. Their later singles showed increased sophistication but lack the some of the straightforward charm of their earlier work. The B-sides, not unexpectedly, are mo...

In Heat

Having acquired the soubriquet "the walrus of love", Barry White thereafter became something of a figure of fun, something that misled me (and presumably others) into disregarding his music. Only within the last few years have I begun to pay it more attention. After picking up a copy of his '74 album Can't Get Enough last summer, which I loved, I sought out some of the music by his protegés Love Unlimited. From a Discogs seller I ordered well-used copies of Under the Influence of... ('73) and In Heat ('74) for only £6.25. The only unappealing thing about In Heat is its awful title. The songs and the singing are strong; the arrangements rich & warmly enveloping. As one would expect from White, the thematic focus is firmly fixed on amatory matters. The opening number 'Move Me No Mountain' (the only one on the record not written by White) offers a refreshing rebuttal to the kind of lyrical hyperbole in songs like 'Ain't No Mountain High E...

Bananas Are Not Created Equal

I knew Jay Berliner's name from his contributions to Van Morrison's Astral Weeks and Charles Mingus' The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady , so when I saw this curiously-titled LP at the local charity shop I was intrigued, and bought it even though I had no idea what kind of music it might contain. This was after the days when one could still buy records there for a pound apiece, but I don't think I paid more than a fiver for it. The music turned out to be an all-instrumental blend of funk, soul & jazz. Berliner's virtuoso lead guitar is only one of many attractions here. The band of first-rate session musicians behind him are all uniformly excellent too, and, crucially, sound like they're having a blast. Cornell Dupree's supporting guitar work, while less showy than Berliner's, is beautifully-judged, and the rhythm section is terrific. Arranger/conductor Wade Marcus was no slouch either, judging from the way everything comes together. Two of the funk...

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