What did Santa Claus bring you?

[Bella Kemp]

CD Christmas presents

This sounds such an obvious thread I apologise if I've missed an earlier one.
I was wondering if anyone received a cd that gave them utter delight. I received American String Quartets 1900-1950, featuring inter alia, works by William Schumann, Roger Sessions, Walter Piston and Aaron Copland and it has given me much late night joy whilst Mr K. is upstairs in bed reading Les Miserables (one of my gifts to him). The Sessions Quartet No. 2, by the way, is a real revelation: a wonderful work.
Happy New Year
Bella

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Bella's idea merged with older Thread.

And Happy New Year to you, too!

[Bella Kemp]

Thanks ferneyhoughgeliebte - you are wonderfully organised!

[Joseph K]

An early Christmas present to myself.



Why a Fender Mustang, you ask? Because of this:

[Richard Barrett]

An early Christmas present to myself.

Very nice. I'm going guitar shopping in a few days as it happens, to get an electric for my daughter. That should be fun. I will have to resist the temptation to get one for myself as well, not having had one of my own for some years; for me it's not something I really need but something I very often think I really ought to have. Eventually I will have to give in.

[Joseph K]

Very nice. I'm going guitar shopping in a few days as it happens, to get an electric for my daughter. That should be fun. I will have to resist the temptation to get one for myself as well, not having had one of my own for some years; for me it's not something I really need but something I very often think I really ought to have. Eventually I will have to give in.

Have fun.

I've now practised the new guitar for an hour. It requires I readjust my technique somewhat - for one thing, the body is much more slender than my hollowbody jazz guitar, thus my left hand - in fact, my whole left arm position is different... I am struggling to think how to explain it, but the left arm/hand is more inwards because there isn't that big body of guitar between me and the fretboard. Plus, I have to be more precise with how I pluck the strings, since they're closer to the body of the guitar than on my hollowbody guitar. So, some getting used to, but it sounds nice.

EDIT: there's also this picture of McLaughlin at the Devotion recording session:



… his has cool psychedelic colours though and a humbucker neck pickup.

[Bryn]

Yesterday, the last day of Saturnalia, a bottle of Green Chartreuse arrived. Takes me back to my pre-teens when I used to buy the Green Chartreuse 'filled' Lys Bars liqueur sweets. I can't find an image of that particular option, but here's a pair with different spirits.

[ardcarp]

This sounds such an obvious thread I apologise if I've missed an earlier one.
I was wondering if anyone received a cd that gave them utter delight. I received American String Quartets 1900-1950, featuring inter alia, works by William Schumann, Roger Sessions, Walter Piston and Aaron Copland and it has given me much late night joy whilst Mr K. is upstairs in bed reading Les Miserables (one of my gifts to him). The Sessions Quartet No. 2, by the way, is a real revelation: a wonderful work.
Happy New Year
Bella

Ooh that sounds good. Can you put up a link to the actual CD? I might give myself a New year prezzie. I 'spect it has the Barber Op 11 too.

[cloughie]

I’ve still got to listen to the rest of the one I bought 2 Christmases ago - the big DG/Decca Karajan box!

[teamsaint]

I’ve still got to listen to the rest of the one I bought 2 Christmases ago - the big DG/Decca Karajan box!

Still working your way through. cloughers?
Was it only 2 years ago ?



( just reached the 1970s.......)

[cloughie]

Still working your way through. cloughers?
Was it only 2 years ago ?



( just reached the 1970s.......)

It was - and have you seen the current price - I’m also still trying to disperse the duplicates!

[Pulcinella]

Ooh that sounds good. Can you put up a link to the actual CD? I might give myself a New year prezzie. I 'spect it has the Barber Op 11 too.

Here it is:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8431586--american-string-quartets-1900-1950

And here's its successor: American Quartets from 1950 to 1970.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7959241--american-string-quartets-1950-1970

I haven't searched to see if the CDs are still on offer anywhere.
I didn't know that Copland had written pieces for a quartet, either.


PS: First set available on CD here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/American-String-Quartets-Kohon-Quartet/dp/B000001K3X/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=American+string+quartets&qid=1577256274&s=music&sr=1-3

And second set here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/American-String-Quartets-Various-Composers/dp/B000001K50/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=American+string+quartets&qid=1577256367&s=music&sr=1-5

Somewhat more alarmingly, there are some Unknown String Quartets.
Here's volume 1:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/String-Quartets-Vol-1-Kohon-Quartet/dp/B000024Q00/ref=sr_1_49?keywords=Unknown+string+quartets&qid=1577258703&s=music&sr=1-49

And here's volume 2:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/String-Quartets-New-World-Quartet/dp/B000024Q01/ref=sr_1_18?keywords=Unknown+string+quartets&qid=1577258518&s=music&sr=1-18

[Joseph K]

Well aside from the usual - chocolate, underwear, tooth brush, toiletries etc. - this year is better than the last, owing to these things:

1) Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition by Frances Yates

2) The Establishment by Owen Jones

3) The Complete Live at the Five Spot by the Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane

4) Quintet for Piano with Strings op.44 and Quartet for Piano and Strings op.47 by Schumann - Menahem Pressler with the Emerson String Quartet.

Team Saint: My mum just got me the chocolate and underwear etc. if you must know.

[jayne lee wilson]

An Amazon Fire TV stick to watch the football on tomorrow..... works fine now, hope it works tomorrow....!

[teamsaint]

Well aside from the usual - chocolate, underwear, tooth brush, toiletries etc. - this year is better than the last, owing to these things:

1) Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition by Frances Yates

2) The Establishment by Owen Jones

3) The Complete Live at the Five Spot by the Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane

4) Quintet for Piano with Strings op.44 and Quartet for Piano and Strings op.47 by Schumann - Menahem Pressler with the Emerson String Quartet.

Team Saint: My mum just got me the chocolate and underwear etc. if you must know.

All of the above sound excellent JK !!

Vinyl copy of Disintegration by the Cure and a Fitbit Charge 3, which I seem to have made some sense of.