Articles - The Hillside Harmonies Blog

Spring Cleaning at Hillside Harmonies

Posted on March 22, 2021March 22, 2021 by admin

Hillside Harmonies are proud to announce we have recently upgraded our cleaning station to include the latest record cleaning machine (RCM) from UK manufacturers MOTH – the industry favourite for professional record cleaning. Properly cleaning records is especially important when it comes to classical music. The music tends to be uncompressed, or far less compressed, than other genres of music. This means there is a greater dynamic range to the music and the quiet sections are far more susceptible to a poor noise to sound ratio. In short, surface noise or dirt on the needle are far more noticeable on a recording of Erik Satie’s Gymnopédies than on a Rolling Stones Album.

The RCM from Moth features a powerful gravity aided vacuum and label sized platter. This allows us to present our second hand records at their optimum grading with no risk of cross-contamination from other records.

It should come as no surprise that we now offer a record cleaning service to all our UK customers with contactless pick-up and drop-off available locally. Please contact us for details using the contact form.

We would like to thank the customers that have been supporting us so far, it’s thanks to you that we are able to keep investing in, expanding and improving the services that we offer.

The People United Will Never Be Defeated

Posted on April 3, 2020April 3, 2020 by Matthew Pollard

Earlier this month I listened to the journalist Dorothy Byrne interviewed on Desert Island Discs. She described the overwhelming experience of hearing Frederic Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated for the first time, and as the continuing chilling events have unfolded worldwide, this piece has remained in the back of my mind. The evocative main theme, a Chilean revolutionary song, has become a personal anthem of resistance to the pandemic, a rallying tune to whistle during the long days of isolation. Continue reading The People United Will Never Be Defeated

Big on Brass

Posted on February 10, 2020February 13, 2020 by Matthew Pollard

Besson Sovereign Baritone Horn

For most of my life I’ve been involved with brass bands, as player, conductor and (occasionally) composer. As a player, the pinnacle of my career came early, joining the famous Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band as a second-year music student. I played the baritone horn, a rather obscure though noble saxhorn, often the butt of jokes and considered the ‘viola of the brass band’ by some (although the real connoisseur would know otherwise!).

Banding is essentially an amateur movement, with people from all walks of life working extraordinarily hard and, at the elite level, achieving staggering levels of technical and musical brilliance. Continue reading Big on Brass

A Walk in the Woods with Three British Composers

Posted on August 6, 2019November 6, 2019 by Matthew Pollard

This week we head to much more familiar pastures, in the shape of a record I’ve seen often over many years, and have finally decided to listen to properly! This classic Lyrita LP recorded in 1968 contains works by three early 20^th century composers, often thought of as being quintessentially ‘English’, despite their more international connections. The names Arnold Bax and E.J. Moeran certainly bring to my mind a certain type of gentle English folksiness, while I’ve heard some of Holst’s music described as being like a procession through a landscape. Continue reading A Walk in the Woods with Three British Composers

Vivid Images: Anatoly Lyadov – Symphonic Works

Posted on July 17, 2019August 13, 2019 by Reuben Drake

Symphonic Works by Anatoly Lyadov Melodiya 1001873 Open

While browsing through the Melodiya section of our CD collection I found Anatoly Lyadov’s Symphonic Works. The beautifully styled booklet case and cover art on this album caught my eye, the name Lyadov only vaguely ringing in the corner of my memory. I decided to refrain from searching for him on the internet and just listen.

Sunny Scenes – Portuguese Piano Music by Daddi & Viana da Mota

Posted on July 10, 2019August 3, 2019 by Matthew Pollard

Portuguese Piano Music CD — Portuguese Piano Music performed by Sofia Lourenço

By contrast with last week’s intense Ustvolskaya, this week we move to sunnier climes with a listen to Portuguese Piano Music performed by Sofia Lourenço.

The large and diverse collection of CDs that we are currently processing contains a fair amount of Portuguese classical music, about which I know very little – so time to listen and learn! Continue reading Sunny Scenes – Portuguese Piano Music by Daddi & Viana da Mota

Truth in Music: Galina Ustvolskaya – Piano Sonatas

Posted on July 7, 2019July 15, 2019 by Matthew Pollard — 1 Comment

We’ve recently acquired a truly fantastic collection of CDs here are at Hillside Harmonies. There is nothing mundane; very little ordinary Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven, for example; and plenty of composers that we’ve rarely (or never) encountered, which is quite something considering the amount of music that we’ve collectively heard.

Galina Ustvolskaya's Piano Sonatas on Col Legno CD from 2012 — Galina Ustvolskaya’s Piano Sonatas on Col Legno CD from 2012

We like to learn as we listen, so first on the listening pile was a CD of piano sonatas by the Soviet composer Galina Ustvolskaya. Continue reading Truth in Music: Galina Ustvolskaya – Piano Sonatas