The Moog Strikes Bach

Hans Wurman - The Moog Strikes Bach...To Say Nothing of Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Paganini and Prokofieff

LP released in 1969

This is one of those "switched-on" (classical music performed using Moogs or other synthesizer) LPs that were released on the coattails of the popularity of Walter (Wendy) Carlos's Switched-On Bach record. I often find these hit-or-miss. The LP featured in this post is one that I enjoy more than most of the others.
I'm sure this has made the rounds on various blogs in the past (as can be said for almost everything nowadays). I found this copy a couple of months ago. I thought perhaps this could brought back in circulation.

We are witnessing the birth of a new instrument - awesome to contemplate. The Piano, with all the inspiration it provided for composers in the 100 years after its invention, is so limited compared to the Synthesizer that one cannot even hazard a guess as to what effect the latter will have on the course of composition and performance in years to come. (Hans Wurman)

Hans Wurman is a classically trained musician, a pianist basically, but also an organist, cellist and conductor. His musical interests range wide, and perhaps the best demonstration of the fact is that, at this writing, he is both director of musical activities for one of the large Chicago religious organizations and music director of the Chicago company of the hit revue "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris." He has the classical musician's discipline coupled with the popular musician's imagination and flexibility.
...
The music chosen for this disc consists mainly of transcriptions, but it also includes a composition written specifically for the occasion.
Chopin's "Black Key" Etude (the right-hand part is played entirely on the black keys of the piano in the original) retains all its fleet-fingered charm as the Moog adds a light countermelody to the rapid melodic line. The Wurman Mooged version of Mozart's Turkish March (originally the final movement of the Sonata in A, K. 331, for piano) brings us the added dimension of bell and percussion effects (created synthetically), such as Mozart and Beethoven used in some of the "Turkish" music they wrote. The Rachmaninoff Vocalise was originally a wordless vocal piece, later transcribed by the composer for strings and since by many others for many combinations of instruments. Note how the Moog can alter the tone character of the melodic line as it moves along. Next comes the Prokofieff Prelude, Op. 12, No. 7, a piece originally written for piano or harp; those glissandos in the middle section of this charming, all-too-seldom-heard piece have never before had quite the treatment that Wurman brings to them!
Hans Wurman speaks of his Variations on the Paganini theme as having been specifically composed for Moog and four-track recorder. In writing them he joins such illustrious company as Liszt, Brahms, Schumann, Rachmaninoff and the contemporaries Blacher and Lutoslawski, all of whom have composed variations on the same theme, itself originally written as the basis for a set of variations in the last of Paganini's 24 unaccompanied violin caprices.
The towering Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, no doubt the best-known of the composer's organ pieces, here receives a performance which particularly displays both the performer's and the instrument's improvisatory capabilities in its concluding pages. The final selection is Mozart's delightful serenade, Eine kleine Nachtmusik, heard in adventurous new sounds that give transparency to the four voices, originally written as string parts.
It's marvelous music, imaginatively realized and beautifully played. And it's great fun, too.  (Norman Pellegrini from the liner notes)

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1.  ''Black Key'' Etude, Op. 10, No. 5  {1:33}
Chopin

2.  Turkish March  {3:22}
Mozart

3.  Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14  {6:17}
Rachmaninoff

4.  Prelude, Op. 12, No. 7  {1:54}
Prokofieff

5.  Thirteen Variations on a Theme of Paganini  {10:04}
Wurman

Side 2

1.  Toccata and Fugue in D Minor  {7:15}
Bach

2.  Eine kleine Nachtmusik: I. Allegro  {5:23}
Mozart

3.  Eine kleine Nachtmusik: II. Romanze: Andante  {5:36}
Mozart

4.  Eine kleine Nachtmusik: III. Menuetto: Allegretto  {2:27}
Mozart

5.  Eine kleine Nachtmusik: IV. Rondo: Allegro  {2:48}
Mozart

(1)

Arpa Paraguaya

Jorge Gurascier - Arpa Paraguaya

LP released in 1971

Unfortunately, there is not any useful information to be found about Jorge Gurascier or this particular LP. No liner notes have been provided by the label. All I can say is that if you enjoyed the Paraguayan Harp, Vol. 2 post from last year, you'll enjoy this one.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1.  Pajaro Campana  {4:23}

2.  Canto del Reservista  {3:41}

3.  Rodriquez Pena  {2:03}

4.  Misionera  {3:11}

5.  Que Sera de Ti  {3:30}

6.  Asuncion  {3:10}

Side B

1.  Tren Lechero  {3:06}

2.  Sueno Otonal  {3:47}

3.  Cascada  {3:55}

4.  India  {3:48}

5.  Virgencita de Caacupe  {2:23}

6.  Mis Noches Sin Ti  {3:36}

(1)

Frog Talk

NorthSound - Frog Talk

CD released in 1990

I figured it was time for an actual new post. As usual, my time lately has been occupied by real life. But, hopefully, I can find time to post a little more often as well as re-up more material. I do promise that there will be another new post within the next few days. BTW, check the "Updates about Old Posts" page. I re-upped several posts earlier today.

It's been a long while and long overdue since frogs have last made an appearance. It's as a good time as any since winter is almost over (here in the northern half of the planet).

Since the beginning of time, a nightly chorus of frogs has heralded warm-weathered evenings in the wilderness. The chirps, peeps, and deep-bellied croaks create an auditory enchantment with the power to soothe. The orchestration of a gathering of frogs is not only a delight to the ear, but an indication of the natural evolution of the day. As Thoreau commented: "They would begin to sing almost with as much precision as a clock ... every evening."

Immerse yourself in a serene northwoods chorus of wood frogs, leopard frogs, and spring peepers! These are the same sounds that lulled you to sleep on camping, canoeing, or hiking forays into the wild. These are sounds that have been with humankind since the beginning of time. If you long for tranquility, let the ancient sounds of a spring evening soothe your soul.  (from the liner notes)

Tracklisting:

1.  [track 1]  {29:18}

2.  [track 2]  {29:12}

(1)