Ten Recordings You Should Listen To - #10

Adam MacDougall has been with PMAC since just about the beginning. Our first piano instructor and currently Chair of the Piano Department, Adam is an accomplished teacher and enjoys a wide variety of recordings. As we reach the tenth faculty list, we beginn to see some repetition - sometimes artists, sometimes the exact album. But Adam also offers a unique contribution, one that I'm surprised none of the first nine posters (including myself) had on their list: an album by The Beatles. Here is his list, done in David Letterman fashion - a countdown beginning with number ten:

10. Dave Matthews Band - Crash

This pretty much supplied the soundtrack for my college years, and even still, it never gets old. DaveMatthews is such a brilliant songwriter, and his band is so tight.

9. Muse - Absolution

I was blown away by this album the first time a friend played it for me. They have a unique sound that is beyond description.

8. Glenn Gould - Bach Preludes and Fugues, WTC Book I

When people think of Glenn Gould's recordings of Bach, they generally think of The Goldberg Variations, but I have found his interpretations of the Preludes and Fugues to be even more surprising and inspiring.

7. Pink Floyd - The Wall

This was the first CD I ever bought, and every time I listen to it, I get something new from it. It is a shame nobody makes albums like this anymore.

6. James Levine/Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Brahms' German Requiem

James Levine, Kathleen Battle, Hakan Hagegard, and the CSO perform this mammoth work with such subtle grace. And as far as requiems go, Brahms' blows Mozart's away.

5. The Beatles - Revolver

The Beatles have been one of my favorite bands for as long as I can remember. This album may not be as popular as Abbey Road or Sgt. Pepper's, but it should be. Who can resist the feel-good optimism of "Good Day Sunshine" or the compelling political commentary of "Taxman?"

4. Martha Argerich - Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3/Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1

This recording would have been amazing even if it hadn't been live--the fact that is elevates it to the realm of miraculous. Argerich's playing is so energetic and exciting, nobody with ears could avoid being moved.

3. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow

Unlike every other fan of The Shins I know, I did not first hear of them in the movie Garden State. I was actually given "Chutes Too Narrow" as a gift, and I became an immediate fan. The music is mellow and upbeat, and the lyrics are strikingly original.

2. Ben Folds Five - The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

Ben Folds Five, contrary to what the name implies, is actually just a trio, but you wouldn't know it by hearing them. This was the first album I ever heard by BFF, and I immediately fell in love with their unique guitar-less rock sound, as well as Ben Folds' clever lyrics.

1. Evgeny Kissin - Chopin Ballades, Berceuse, Barcarole, and Scherzo No.4

What can I say? My favorite pianist playing some of my favorite pieces by my favorite composer. Need I say more? The highlight of this recording is the F minor Ballade (track 4), but every track is amazing.