by Ben Hogwood
Yesterday the sad passing of pianist Menahem Pressler was announced, at the ripe old age of 99.
Pressler was a true great, a founding member and ever-present in the great Beaux Arts Trio. The playlist compiled below can only give a glimpse of his greatness, but it hopefully gives an idea of his musicality, technical ability and awareness. The trio by Haydn included here is a delight – the Beaux Arts recorded all of his trios – but elsewhere there is much to enjoy:
The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla may only have been yesterday at Westminster Abbey, but you can already purchase the music thanks to Decca.
The official album includes all the pre-ceremonial music, featuring Sir Bryn Terfel and Roderick Williams, and also the 12 new, specially commissioned works from Andrew Lloyd Webber, Patrick Doyle, Iain Farrington, Sarah Class, Nigel Hess, Paul Mealor, Tarik O’Regan, Roxanna Panufnik, Shirley J Thompson, Judith Weir, Roderick Williams and Debbie Wiseman.
For more details, head to the Decca website
A short post of music by Sir William Walton, appropriate to the Coronation today – his Crown Imperial march and Coronation Te Deum:
by Ben Hogwood
What’s the story?
Jordan Russell-Hall, aka Jordan Stanley, is described in his publicity material as a musical magpie, a sampler pilfering material from Charli XCX, Mr Mitch, Ariana Grande and Jimmy Edgar. To these carefully chosen snippets he adds richly coloured synths and busy rhythms that have garnered stylistic comparisons with the likes of Hudson Mohawke and Rustie.
What’s the music like?
Often thrilling, especially when the synths are involved. Stanley gets big blocks of harmony on his side, using them in scattergun fashion to blaze a trail through the busy percussion.
Sometimes the music can move quickly, as though skating across a dancefloor, but he also knows when to pull it back and pan out for wider thoughts. This happens very effectively on Fog, which hovers on a held chord with vibrato before cutting loose, and Impossible, which starts thoughtfully before chopping up its source material.
Pure Morning has a glitchy outlook, while Fascination works well with the tension it creates through rapid piano fire and a relatively slow beat. Quicksand is a thrill that harks back to early rave in its massive parallel chords, Overt is harder hitting, but then the title track goes for broke, a massive production enveloping the listener in huge, floes of icy sound.
Does it all work?
It does – and Stanley works at speed, meaning his ideas never outstay their welcome. Indeed the whole album, with nine tracks, is wrapped up in less than half an hour.
Is it recommended?
It is – a dazzling and colourful set of synthesizer grooves, cutting their way through the noise.
Listen
Buy
by Ben Hogwood
What’s the story?
British electronic artists are known for their staying power. Few are more durable than The Orb, however, with Alex Paterson’s band having gone through so many different membership connotations since their formation in 1987.
These days the outlook is relatively settled, as the duo – Paterson and Michael Rendall – have now completed three albums together, bringing the studio album count to 18.
There are plenty of guests adorning Prism, with its artwork homage to Pink Floyd, intentionally or not marking the 50th anniversary of Dark Side Of The Moon.
What’s the music like?
If you know The Orb from the 1990s, the musical content of Prism will come as little surprise. And yet Paterson and Rendall have made an album full of very fresh sounding music, and any familiar formulas that might be used are given the freshest coat of paint.
There are some explicit musical homages made throughout the record. H.O.M.E. (High Orbs Mini Earths) makes direct reference to Mr Fingers’ Can You Feel It in its celebration of Chicago house music, while Living In Recycled Times follows the promise of its title by matching the key, tempo and mood of Adam F’s Circles and Alex Reece’s Feel The Sunshine, both prominent drum ‘n’ bass tunes in the mid-1990s.
These are two excellent tracks, but the pure reggae contributions are best of all. A Ghetto Love Story uses Eric Von Skywalker to bring the sunshine, a great piece of Brixton committed to record – while Tiger makes a powerful impact, its dedication to Paterson’s son and late brother made meaningful in music of strong emotion.
More traditional ambient fayre can be found elsewhere, with the heat-soaked Picking Tea Leaves And Chasing Butterflies a real gem in its use of distant trumpet fanfares and chugging foreground beats.
Does it all work?
It does. Even though Paterson can make this sort of album in his sleep, he shows what a strong instinct he has for structure. Prism works beautifully as a single listen, and although there are a few slightly derivative tracks they all carry the distinctive Orb imprint.
Is it recommended?
Heartily. The Orb have a remarkably consistent discography, but Prism is one of their very best.
Listen
Buy
Arcana.fm 