Neat and tidy music

Over at the Radio 3 Message Board, where everyone is very friendly and enthusiastic, I asked what music I should try now that I've got a handle on Messiaen. The most recommended things were the string quartets of Shostakovich and Bartók, and Mahler's symphonies. I gave Shostakovich a try in the university library but found it all a bit neat and tidy.

When I listened to another of the recommendations though, Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus, it got me straight away. It's played on solo piano, is all over the place and sounds very tricky, but at the same time has a very strong musicality to it (am I making sense?!). It has in common with the Quartet a mixture of playfulness and very beautiful, solemn and steady movements. Ahh. I think I'm just going to stick with Messiaen for now until I can find another composer that excites me as much as him.

My other discovery this week has been the joy of old vinyl, listened to on big headphones. This was in the library, which has a huge collection and is very quiet for the summer. I've never been a lover of vinyl but it definitely adds a quality to this type of music.

In fact, without wanting to sound snobbish, I feel I have to point out the stark contrast between the warmth and fullness of records (including CDs) and the tinny, crappy sound you get out of an iPod, and from mpeg encoding generally. I know a lot of people (including me in the previous incarnation of this blog) have written about what a shame it is that there isn't more classical file-sharing; but the fact is that the format is useless (for actual listening; not so much for trying out). Pop and rock are compressed anyway and don't make much use of low sound levels; but classical recordings are more delicate and sound plain crappy in mp3 form. Plus the mood of the stuff usually doesn't suit listening on the go.

[Backtracking NB: I love my iPod really Dad! The standard headphones are a bit tinny is all ;)]