W A Y L T L ?
R. W. Miller
is shot for the moment, after a recent $300 package from Berkshire.
Fortunately, that got me a tall stack of CDs. Some worth mentioning:
Schubert D960/Liszt Sonata, Annie Fischer on Hungaroton. Worth having for
the tremendous Schubert. The Liszt is not bad, but it doesn't send me like
Levy, the last Liszt I heard. Looking forward to her Beethoven sonatas,
first 3 volumes.
Beethoven and Mendelssohn concerti, Wolfsthal on Biddulph. Acoustically
recorded, the Mendelssohn with piano. Great fiddling, great Marston
transfers. Polydor/Grammophon had the acoustical recording process down by
the mid twenties. A very satisfying CD.
Three discs from Royal Classics, and the two I've played so far have been
disappointing. I was unexcited by Iturbi's Chopin, found his Debussy and
Ravel better, but the French EMI remastering is full of jarring edits.
Barbirolli in the Sym. Fantastique was nothing extraordinary, and loud
passages had some distortion. Maybe my third Royal, Barbirolli's Tchaik 5,
will be better.
JB was certainly on form, though, for his Franck Symphony with the Czech
Phil on Supraphon. The coupled items under Fournet are also excellent.
On Ermitage, Szell/Cleveland in Lugano, 1957. The Schumann Second is
nicely done, but a bit more relaxation would have suited La mer. Decent
sound for a radio recording of the period, a bit of fake stereo ambiance
added, not objectionable to my ears. Ermitage has usually proven to be
worth (at least) the very cheap Berkshire price (four bucks!)
Leo Blech in Schubert 9 (LSO) and shorter pieces (BPO, BSOO) on Koch. I
have the symphony on 78s, hadn't heard the fillers. Predictably fine, as
are the Marston and Obert-Thorn transfers.
Moravec in the Chopin preludes on Supraphon. Distinguished, yes, but as
with his Nocturnes he is sometimes too deliberate for my taste. I was more
impressed with the coupled F minor ballade.
Enough from me. Your turn.
Opus47
Instead of talking about new aquisitions I've reached back in my Shostakovich
collection.
I randomly got out five film related CD's:
1. The Gadlfy - Karen Khachaturian and the USSR Cinema Orchestra. I love
this recording, tape hiss and all. Still what I think is the definitive
recording of the Gadfly. The only thing close is Kuchar's offering on Naxos.
Classics for Pleasure CfP 4463.
2. Hypothetically Murdered - City of Birmingham Orchestra, Mark Elder. Yes
there really is a light side to Shostakovich. This version is reconstructed
and orchestrated by Gerard McBurney. A very enjoyable CD with the Pushkin
songs, Five Fragments, and the Jazz Suite No.1 as filler.
My CD is on United, but I've seen it licensed to Cala.
3, 4, and 5. These three CD's are all conducted by Walter Mnatsakanov. In
the case of Sofia Perovskaya he has the only version available of the suite on
Russian Disc.
Perhaps not as great as Bernard Hermann yet leagues ahead of Jose Sebrier on
RCA. The entire suite to Alone is a very interesting score early in
Shostakovich's career while Zoya and the Young Guards just appear to be
work-a-day fare. All three CD's are on Russian Disc.
Fred
Megan:
1. Why should I have anything to do with you when I'll just be another notch
on your bedpost?
2. When I know two other young ladies your age that I actually have feelings
for?
3. When I know I have to work with you even after our "affair" is over as it
would surely be based only on sex?
If I were to "do" a woman at work I would do C****: more sophisticated, I am
more attracted too; whether she tells the truth, lies, or play games doesn't
seem to matter. She strokes me the right way.
(of course no one actually reads these posts in my area. Bartok Orchestral
works on Nimbus just dissappear off the shelf by themselves and my life is now
an interactive game. Well let the games begin!!!)
Adrian Hunter
>
> Time for another round of "what are you listening to lately"?
"The Floor Sanding Machine" played by Guy Upstairs.
On first hearing this performance, I thought it was actually a
completely different instrument (like a vacuum cleaner (echoes of
Malcolm Arnold's Grand Grand Overture)), so utterly transformed is the
sound in Guy's hands. But, his control slips after some time, and the
grating quality of the instrument begins to show through.
The performance is remarkable for its rhythmic vitality. Like
Stravinsky's Rite, one can never be quite certain how many thuds will
come next.
The quality of the fortissimo passages was quite astounding, this would
provide a thorough workout for many a so-called hi-fi. Sadly, Guy has no
command of the finer points of this (thankfully) rarely performed work,
the pianissimo passages were non-existent, and those delicious pauses
were woefully short. (In such a prolonged work, this is a precious
measure of the quality of the performance.)
In conclusion, I sincerely hope that Guy isn't allowed near this one
again, so lacking in polish was his performance (I only hope his floor
is similarly now -- one doesn't require an encore).
Adrian
Jim Greif
Adrian,
One can only hope that Guy is not a prolific composer.
Great post.
Jim
John Grabowski
>
> Time for another round of "what are you listening to lately"?
Samuel Barber Piano Concerto, John Browning/George Szell/Cleveland
Orchestra, Sony. When you ask next week, I'll be listening to it
still. :-)
Brahms Quartets by the Amadeus, DG Originals. I don't know why this set
is being maligned on another thread. It's wonderful Brahms playing.
Mahler 4th by Michiyoshi Inoue and the RPO, Impact Records. Interesting
interpretation that I like more the second time around, especially in
the later movements, but it still needs more of a forward momentum in
the first two movements. Sags a bit...
Vincent and Wilfrid D'Indy Chamber Works, Marco Polo. Wilfried was
Vincent's more musically-conservative uncle. Interesting stuff. I
think I now have more D'Indy chamber music than I do chamber music by
Dvorak or Tchaikovsky.
Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4, 5, and 6/Monteix/BSO. So far it sounds like
he slices through these works with a machette, but we'll see after
another round...
And today I'm off to buy the much-heralded Kapell box, on sale at Virgin
Megastore.
John
--
Don't tell me the rules. The rules only rule out the brilliant
exception.
Ed McCabe, copywriter
rkha...@adnc.com
Superbly recorded from Munich Phil. concerts, demonstrating Celi's unabashed
approach of caressing every phrase. I find the Sixth in this series very
hard to beat (the great Adagio in particular).
- Van Beinum's Brahms cycle on Philips Dutch Masters: What a great conductor
this man was. The First does not have the white heat that Mengelberg brought
to it, but van Beinum is no slouch. Everything is carefully pondered and the
Concertgebouw played superbly for him. The Finale will leave you wondering
why Philips took so long to release this on CD (N.B. Symphonies 1 & 4 and in
stereo, the rest are mono, 2-CDs).
- Van Beinum's recording of Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde" (again Dutch
Masters): Can't praise this enough. Besides this and the recording of the
4th Symphony for Decca, did van Beinum record any more Mahler?
....
(so much music, so little time)
Ramon Khalona
Carlsbad, California
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Lani Spahr
>
> R. W. Miller wrote:
> >
> > Time for another round of "what are you listening to lately"?
>
> Samuel Barber Piano Concerto, John Browning/George Szell/Cleveland
> Orchestra, Sony. When you ask next week, I'll be listening to it
> still. :-)
WOAH! Is this out on CD??? (I've got the LP). Waiting with bated
breath.....
--
----------
Cheers,
Lani Spahr
Bruckner Symphony Versions Discography
http://www.mv.com/ipusers/reingold
Matthew B. Tepper
pondering as follows:
>
>John Grabowski wrote:
>>
>> R. W. Miller wrote:
>> >
>> > Time for another round of "what are you listening to lately"?
>>
>> Samuel Barber Piano Concerto, John Browning/George Szell/Cleveland
>> Orchestra, Sony. When you ask next week, I'll be listening to it
>> still. :-)
>
>WOAH! Is this out on CD??? (I've got the LP). Waiting with bated
>breath.....
Didn't it come out in the UK months ago in Sony's "Theta" line?
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://www.deltanet.com/~ducky/index.htm
My main music page --- http://www.deltanet.com/~ducky/berlioz.htm
And my science fiction club's home page --- http://www.lasfs.org/
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
J.D. Frankland
> Time for another round of "what are you listening to lately"?
*snip*
> Enough from me. Your turn.
Beethoven symphonies.
#1/#2: Dohnanyi/Cleveland Orchestra, on Telarc.
#3/#8: Szell/Cleveland Orchestra, on Sony Essential Classics.
#4/#6: Walter/Columbia Symphony, also on Sony.
#5: C. Kleiber/Vienna Philharmonic, on DG "The Originals."
#7: Leppard/Indianapolis Symphony, on Koss.
(I usually stop there...)
-----
J.D. Frankland -=- uq61...@hsc.hac.com
Torrance, California, USA
Donald Rice
R. W. Miller wrote:
> Time for another round of "what are you listening to lately"? Enough from
> me. Your turn.
24 Preludes and Fugues for Piano by Shostakovich played by Tatiana Nikolaeva.
Remarkably inventive with relatively simple, tonal materials exploring an
enormous range of emotion. Performance is refined, rarely loud and absolutely
mesmerizing with long coherent musical phrases. I can't stop listening!
Don
Opus47
Handel: Water Music: Tafelmusik: Sony Vivarte
Vivialdi: Concerti for Strings: Anner Bylsma: Tafelmusik: Sony Vivarte
Janacek: Works for Piano: Rudolf Furksney?:DG Originals (2 CD's)
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.5: Sonata No.8.
Richter: DG Originals
Chopin: Concerto No.1, Liszt Concerto No.1, Martha Argerich, Abbado: DG
Originals
Vaughan Williams: Symphonies 3 & 4. Slatkin. RCA.
All the above sounds good when drunk.
Fred
(sing to the Monkees theme song)
Hey, hey were the drunkees,
People say we drinkee around,
But were too busy pukin'
To put anybody down.
All over a woman I have a crush on and behaivior I cannot control.
John Grabowski
>
> In article <361A63...@hp.com>, lani_...@hp.com pondered what I'm
> pondering as follows:
> >
> >John Grabowski wrote:
> >>
> >> >
> >> > Time for another round of "what are you listening to lately"?
> >>
> >> Orchestra, Sony. When you ask next week, I'll be listening to it
> >> still. :-)
> >
> >WOAH! Is this out on CD??? (I've got the LP). Waiting with bated
> >breath.....
>
> Didn't it come out in the UK months ago in Sony's "Theta" line?
Yupper. Of course, don't expect the bozos to get a clue and release it
here...
JJ
First the live Klemperers on Arkadia--
1.) Mozart 25/29/38. Good performances, some are surprisingly swift, but
the recorded sound is unfortunately muffled.
2.) Mahler 2 (NPO, 1971) 4 (BRSO, 1956). The number 2 is a late
performance, and is unbelievably slow at times, yet very powerful. Pity
about the clueless cymbol player in the last movement. Number 4 is
excellent, and superbly played, although not as intense as Klemperer's
great Berlin Radio performance from the same time.
3.) Beethoven 1,3 (NPO, 1970, Bonn), Bruckner 4 (Cologne Radio, 1954).
Haven't listened to the Bruckner yet, but the Beethoven performances are
interesting. The live 'Eroica' was a famous concert (as related in
Heyworth's biography), and Klemperer's last performance in Germany. It
has moment of crushing power and intensity, but it does get lugubrious at
times.
4.) Beethoven 4,5,6 (Berlin Philharmonic, 1964-66). Interesting to hear
Klemperer with the BPO who play (predictably) well. 6 comes off the best,
I think, but I marginally prefer the BRSO accounts of 4 and 5 just
released on EMI.
In all, I don't find any unsually great or revelatory performances here
(as I do with Klemperer's live stuff with German radio symphonies in the
50s), but there's nothing bad either, and they all should serve as great
interest to Klemperer devotees, like myself (and BRO's prices make them
self-recommendable).
5.) Mitropoulos Mahler 8 on Arkadia. Tremendously dramatic performance,
great singing from Prey and Edelmann. Sometimes a little over the top,
and sloppy, but a must buy, I think. Great to hear those Viennese horns
in the opening to Part 2.
6.) Maderna conducts Mozart 38, PC #24 (Kempff), Exsultate Jubilate
(Lukomska) on Arkadia. One of the best Maderna discs I've heard, all
three works are given thrilling performances (though if you don't like
Kempff, you certainly won't like him here).
7.) Alfredo Kraus opera arias (1959-1974) on Arkadia. For anyone who
loves Kraus, a must-buy. This collection of arias from live performances
is stunning (his high note in "A te, o Cara" must be heard to be
believed).
8.) Shura Cherkassky plays Schumann, Chopin on Decca. Gorgeous,
individual playing, Gramophone was right for once!
9.) Bruno Walter conducts Schumann 1,4, Bruckner 8 on Iron Needle. Yes,
Walter was not always the melting Viennese. These are all lean and tense
performances. The Bruckner 8 has some particularly imaginative, sensitive
conducting in the adagio. An important addition to Walter's discography.
10.) Ancerl conducts Martinu 1,3,5 on Multisonic. Again, buy, peerless
performances.
That's all for now...
Jon
rkha...@adnc.com
js...@cornell.edu (JJ) wrote:
> Some stuff from Berkshire:
>
> 7.) Alfredo Kraus opera arias (1959-1974) on Arkadia. For anyone who
> loves Kraus, a must-buy. This collection of arias from live performances
> is stunning (his high note in "A te, o Cara" must be heard to be
> believed).
Do you know if this differs from his EMI disc of arias?
>
> 9.) Bruno Walter conducts Schumann 1,4, Bruckner 8 on Iron Needle. Yes,
> Walter was not always the melting Viennese. These are all lean and tense
> performances. The Bruckner 8 has some particularly imaginative, sensitive
> conducting in the adagio. An important addition to Walter's discography.
What can you tell us about these transfers and sound quality?
Thanks,
orhan yenen
: R. W. Miller wrote:
: > Time for another round of "what are you listening to lately"? Enough from
: > me. Your turn.
Sorry Don, I did not find the original posting so I am tagging to
yours (the last one on my server).
Aooron Rosand playing Joachim, Hubay, Ernst, Godard Violin Concertos +
other violin pieces by Enescu, Ysaye, Lehar & Wieniawski 2CD Voxbox
Set (CDX5102). Plush romantic violin/orchestra music (Orchestra of
Radio Luxemburg/Froment (1971-73 performances; surprisingly good sonic
quality). Few months ago this CD was recommended in this newsgroup.
Relatively lesser known music; nevertheless will please any romantic
violin/orchestra lovers.
Shostakovich 10 th Symphony Mravinski/Leningrad (Erato)
Chopin Piano Concertos #1 and #2 Rubinstein (from the Rubinstein
Edition, RCA, the disk is not at the location where I am writing this
from) comparing with Biret's Naxos versions.
Glazunov Raymonda ballet music (Naxos; again I do not have the disk
here to write down the orchestra and the conductor).
Beethoven Violin Sonatas Argerich/Kremer (DGG) comparing with
Kempf/Menuhin (DGG)
Vivaldi Cello Concertos Volumes 1-4 on Naxos. Extremely well done.
They were also recommended in the NG few months ago.
Orhan Yenen
JJ
> In article <jsj4-07109...@cc409a.clarityconnect.net>,
> js...@cornell.edu (JJ) wrote:
> > Some stuff from Berkshire:
> >
> > 7.) Alfredo Kraus opera arias (1959-1974) on Arkadia. For anyone who
> > loves Kraus, a must-buy. This collection of arias from live performances
> > is stunning (his high note in "A te, o Cara" must be heard to be
> > believed).
>
> Do you know if this differs from his EMI disc of arias?
>
Yes, very different. The EMI disc collects studio recordings made mostly
from the late 70s and early 80s when Kraus was already slightly past his
prime. The Arkadia CD is a collection of all live performances, most from
the early 70s, when his voice was fresher and more youthful (although he's
one of the most remarkable singers of all time in how well he's kept his
voice intact. He can still, at age 70, sing a high C better, and more
reliably, than most tenors around). The Arkadia is definitely the disc to
go for, certainly the best compilation of Kraus I've seen on the market.
The sound is fairly good.
> >
> > 9.) Bruno Walter conducts Schumann 1,4, Bruckner 8 on Iron Needle. Yes,
> > Walter was not always the melting Viennese. These are all lean and tense
> > performances. The Bruckner 8 has some particularly imaginative, sensitive
> > conducting in the adagio. An important addition to Walter's discography.
>
> What can you tell us about these transfers and sound quality?
They're all performances from the 1940s, Schumann 1 (1945) and Bruckner 8
(1941) with the NYPO, and the Schumann 4 (1940) with the NBC symphony.
The sound is typical for airchecks from this time. The Schumann 4 is a
little dryer than the rest of the transfers. The Bruckner 8 may have a
touch of "ambiance" added, but it's done very lightly and tastefully, I
think.
Jon
none
<adrian...@ed.ac.uk> wrote:
>> Time for another round of "what are you listening to lately"?
Not a huge amount.
The best thing by a long way this month is a concert broadcast by the
BBC from Danish Radio archives. The Royal Danish Orchestra conducted
by Klemp in 1955. A searingly intense concert from beginning to end,
with a Leonore 3 which blazes astounding intensity; a Brahms 4 which
ranks with any Furwangler (especially superb 1st mvt coda and slow
movement); and Mozart 29 which Klemp conduts with more guts and warmth
than any other conductor.
Neil
none
>2.) Mahler 2 (NPO, 1971) 4 (BRSO, 1956). The number 2 is a late
>performance, and is unbelievably slow at times, yet very powerful. Pity
>about the clueless cymbol player in the last movement. Number 4 is
>excellent, and superbly played, although not as intense as Klemperer's
>great Berlin Radio performance from the same time.
#2 was Klemp's farewell performance with the New Philharmonia. It is
slow and lumbering, but the finale has a real spiritual quality about
it - moving stuff.
Was the Arkadia Mozart with the RIAS orchestra ? If so this has
totally changed my perceptions on Mozart symphonies and for me is
quite the best Mozart conducting I can think of except other Klemp
(magic flute for example).
JJ
Yes, it's with the RIAS, and includes Mozart 25, 29, 38, and the Serenata
Notturna. Again, the performances are good, but the sound is slightly
muffled. I far prefer the studio accounts of Mozart symphonies which I
find one of the highpoints of his discography (the 4 CD EMI set is
definitely for my desert island. Hopefully it will be reissued in the US
soon, though it still occasionally shows up as an import).
Jon
Takashi Kikuchi
written about them earlier, but didn't feel like it for some reason :-).
Anyway, here they go:
Mozart Sym. 25 and Requiem by Walter/VPO from Orfeo. Pretty good sound
for mono 56' broadcast recording. 25 has gut-wrenching string playing and
hallow sounding (in a good interpretation, of course) woodwinds. Requiem
has the profounding atmosphere that, despite some initial disappointment
as I was expecting more fire like the recording with PSONY on Sony, got me
listen through. Very romantic (with the accent of Otto Klemperer, heard
in _the Art of Conducting_ regarding Walter :-)).
Bruckner Sym. 5 by Klemperer/VPO from Arcadia. Volume limitation is more
obvious than most recordings, but somehow I was transfixed when I heard
that at Amoeba (or Rasputin? The one with 2nd floor classical selection).
I was previously disappointed with Jochum from EMI 2-fer due to lack of
weight and the feeling of overcoming depressed feeling. This Klemperer
recording has that, if scherzo and some parts of other movements are
wanted with a little more momentum (well, _monumentum_ typical of
Klemperer is there :-)). I must say that a few weeks later the initial
encounters I had less favorable opinion due to its limitation of recorded
sound. I probably should listen more 5th. Does Wand (the most recent one
with BPO) have any of "darkless" that Klemperer has? Or anybody else?
Rite of Spring by Markevich/Philharmonia from Testament. I know, many
people have raved this recording recently in rmcr, but I wasn't going to
buy it due to my wallet's content. As I saw the copy in the newly open
Border in Davis, however, my hands picked it up with full of hesitation in
my brain. Now I don't regret that decision: while the mono, 1st recording
is comparable with other well-calculated, exciting recordings
(Boulez/Cleveland from Sony, Dorati/Detroit? from London, etc.), the
stereo, 2nd recording has much more excitement. Tempo shifts are
generally more natural, and the first part is gradually accelerated until
the Dance of the Earth sounds simply the ecstacy of all souls on earth.
The second part is less eccentric but nevertheless very enjoyable.
Simpson's 9th Sym. by Handley/(can't remember) from Hyperion. I have been
eying on this for a while, and bought it once the sale applicable to
Hyperion CDs came to the local Tower. At first I had to remind myself
that this is a comtemporary music (not the prototype of Bruckner per se),
but as I have heard a few times seriously ( = w/o doing anything), this
symphony has grown on me. Very dark-colored, severe color of instruments
and elementally rhythmic (in some way, more so than Bruckner 9th's
scherzo, which got me into Bruckner) scherzo is very memorable. The 12
notes circulations (I'm sure those who's heard of this symphony know what
I'm talking about) is very intriguing, too. It was also good that
Simpson's highlighting was included on the CD since I could not find a
book that talks about this symphony. Too bad that Simpson's symphonies
are available mostly in Hyperion label, comparatively hard-to-find,
expensive label.
The second volume of _the Art of Conducting_ is interesting in a different
way to the first volume. Too bad that Mengelberg footage did not include
any Mahler (I sure want to hear how he handled the 3rd movement of the
1st, for example), but was very interesting enough. Haitink's comment
about finally appreciating Mengelberg's art after all those years is
touching. Furtwangler conducting Till has that wierd visual help (?) of
some crown dancing. I'd rather see Furtwangler conducting or orchestra
playing. Munch footage was very exciting especially the part from
Symphonie Fantastique (no, I haven't heard his CD recording yet). Why BSO
doesn't use these remaining films for its fundraising should be
questioned. Mravinsky's conducting footage has a very subtle movement
that I thought it was beautiful (the one recorded in 80s). I could
somehow detect Mravinsky's intension through his economical movement.
Overall, this tape does not have the same charm as the first one to me,
but very worth having it.
BTW, a music library on my campus has _the Art of Conducting _ CD
collection, and I had an opportunity to hear the first and the fourth
movements of Beethoven 7th (Klemperer/Philharmonia, recorded 55') and
Dvorak 8th (Szell/Cleveland, recorded 68'). 7th is filled with great
amount of nuances and purposeful drive. 8th has great orchestral singings
without sounding too mechanical. I wonder if the set is still available
(perhaps Berkshire?).
Finally, I was just listening to Nielsen's 5th Sym. by Kubelik/Danish
Radio SO on EMI Studio Plus. I have tried this recording several times,
and finally I was able to get some greatness and enjoy the recording. I'm
glad that I didn't sell this CD though :-).
My friend bought the most recent the Alpine Symphony by Asahina/Osaka PO
from Japan. This is the first CD I bought for that particular work, and
yet to comment more. The playing is somewhat scrappy, but at least I am
still able to enjoy the typical Asahina thick orchestral color (like, say,
a thick, juicy T-bone steak? with full of uumph). I suspect other two
recordings (one with All Nippon and one with NDR) have better orchestral
playing. Maybe later...
Takashi M. Kikuchi
Donald Rice
captivated.
Don
Opus47
>Fred, what are your thoughts on the Shostakovich Preludes and fugues? I am
>captivated.
>Don
I love Caroline Weichert's set on Accord and feel like the only person in the
world that owns them. It's strange how to define her set.
Her first half (maybe up to 15) have a great sense of unity as if they are one
composition while the last half seem to possess depth unto themselves.
I far prefer Nikolaeva's Melodiya set. She can still play the piano in that
one. Her Hyperion by comparison melts and I think is terrible. I was mud
slinging her for the longest time thinking that the Melodiya set was pretty
much the same as the Hyperion.
I still admire Jarrett's set. A work in virtuosity, but perhaps lacking finer
shades of grey.
Petrushansky is good, but seems to give each prelude and fugue the same accent.
Kind of marvelous the first time you hear it, but upon more listenings sounds
more like a cheap trick than an honest interpretation.
Fred
Donald Rice
so much. I will look for Caroline Weichert also.
It's good to have the Shostakovich wizard available when you need him! I appreciate
your comments.
Don
Simon Roberts
: Thanks - I have the Nikolaeva Melodiya set so I guess that explains why I love it
: so much. I will look for Caroline Weichert also.
: It's good to have the Shostakovich wizard available when you need him! I appreciate
: your comments.
: Don
Based on Fred's comments, I keep looking for Weichert's but have never
seen them. In case you have the same problem, I would suggest the
Petrushansky set, which I obviously like more than Fred does (I think
Jarrett's is awful; technically competent, I suppose, but tiresomely
literal and too fast); vastly better played and more imaginative than
either of Nikolaieva's (I may be alone in preferring her second set,
partly for the slower tempi).
Simon
pga...@my-dejanews.com
si...@dept.english.upenn.edu (Simon Roberts) wrote:
> Donald Rice (donXNOS...@home.com) wrote:
> : Thanks - I have the Nikolaeva Melodiya set so I guess that explains why I
love it
> : so much. I will look for Caroline Weichert also.
> : It's good to have the Shostakovich wizard available when you need him! I
appreciate
> : your comments.
> : Don
>
> Based on Fred's comments, I keep looking for Weichert's but have never
> seen them.
I found the Weichert set listed for sale on the Music Blvd site. It sells for
around $30, IIRC. Since I like the K. Jarrett recording, I think that I'll
wait around for the Weichert set to show up at Berkshire RO or the local used
CD store.
Regards,
Phil
A S Graham
In article <01bdef20$df687a00$LocalHost@johndoe>, "R. W. Miller"
<r...@miller.mv.com> writes:
>
>Time for another round of "what are you listening to lately"?
The New York Philharmonic Mahler set finally arrived here yesterday and I have
been slowly going through it. Thus far I have listened to 1,2,5 & 9.
Barbirolli's 1 is outstanding with one of the most electric final movements I
know. So far it is my favorite of the bunch. JB's 9th is remarkably similar
to his studio recording with the Berlin Philharmonic and since this is a live
recording I'm not sure that's necessarily a good thing. The final movement
does strike me as inspired, but does not replace my affections for a few of my
favorites.
Tennstedt's 5 is very good too, especially the Adagietto. Unfortunately I
don't have his studio version to compare, but of the versions I have to the
5th, this is as good as any. Mehta's 2nd is nice, with good contributions from
soloists Forrester & Battle. I still don't understand why they issued this one
since there are numerous other Mehta 2nds on the market.
Thus far the best of the lot has been Barbirolli's 1st. Recorded in 1959, the
sound is terrific. Also, the documentation is incredible.
A quick word of praise for Pearl's Busoni & his Circle, Vol 1. This was my
first encounter with performances of Etelka Freund & Leo Sirota. It prompted
me to go to CD Connection to order Pearl's 2disc set of Freund recordings and
I'll definitely be wanting the Sirota disc on Arbiter.
_________________________________________________
Scott Graham
Monterey, CA
David
> > 7.) Alfredo Kraus opera arias (1959-1974) on Arkadia. For anyone who
> > loves Kraus, a must-buy. This collection of arias from live performances
> > is stunning (his high note in "A te, o Cara" must be heard to be
> > believed).
>
> Do you know if this differs from his EMI disc of arias?
Is the "A te, o cara" on the EMI disc simply taken from the complete recording
with Muti, or is it a different recording? If proof were needed that Muti, of
all people, understands the Bellinian rubato, the performance of "A te, o cara"
from the complete recording is it. He pulls the accompanimental triplets like
taffy, and I mean that as a complement. This is Kraus at his best musically
speaking, too, although his voice is not especially fresh.
-david gable
David
I've been listening to a motley assortment of stuff:
Spontini: La Vestale w/Callas, Corelli, and Votto (Melodram)
Cherubini: Medea w/Callas & Bernstein (Fonit Cetra)
Stockhausen: Gruppen (Stockhausen's own recording) (Stockhausen Verlag)
Schubert: late sonatas with Rudolf Serkin (French Sony)
Schoenberg: Erwartung w/Dorothy Dow, Mitropoulos (Sony)
Schu"tz: choral works on too many CD's too enumerate
Haydn: La Fedelta Premiata w/Dorati et al (Philips)
Callas is so terrific in the post-Gluck school of Cherubini and Spontini. Too
bad she never sang Didon in Berlioz's Troyens! I'm going to pick up her
recording of Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride on EMI one of these days. (Only
heard it once many years ago.) Votto and Bernstein are riveting partners to
Callas, too, although the internal cuts in movement after movement drive me
nuts in the Vestale. I also find it alarming when I look at the date of the
Vestale performance: '54, and Callas is already in deep vocal difficulties.
Gruppen (1955-57) is Stockhausen's Rite of Spring and predates his trivial,
navel-gazing, self-indulgent, masturbatory, improvisatory period in the 60's.
(Hard to believe how he has frittered away his talent.) Too bad the
performance is so ragged, especially in comparison to the Carre' and Punkte
recordings. One of these days I'll have to pick up Abbado's recording. It
won't be the second coming, but at least I'll have two different snapshots of
the piece. (I believe the world premiere performance with Rosbaud, Boulez,
and Stockhausen conducting the three orchestral groups has been put out on CD,
but only as part of an outrageously expensive multiple CD collection.)
Serkin's austere lyricism doesn't seem to find much favor on this newsgroup.
I don't know why. The performance of the slow movement of Schubert's last
sonata is one of the most heartbreaking things I know. Serkin's restraint in
this movement is precisely what generates such unbearable tension.
I have to stop buying recordings of Erwartung, but I couldn't resist the
opportunity to hear the Mitropoulos recording, especially since I could get it
for 75% off from the BMG record club. Dorothy Dow is terrific, too, unlike
Eileen Farrell in the Mitropoulos Wozzeck. Erwartung serves as filler for
Mitropoulos's Wozzeck and gets short shrift in the notes, but it is a richer
and tighter piece than Wozzeck as well as the source of many of Wozzeck's
spooky effects (e.g., the moonrise in Wozzeck is modeled on a similar passage
in Erwartung, and the drowning music in Wozzeck is patently derived from the
last page of Erwartung.)
The liveliest of the half dozen Schu"tz collections I've been listening to is
by the Saqueboutiers of Toulouse on Erato. Long out of print, I bought it as
a cut-out years ago.
La Fedelta Premiata is one of Haydn's best operas. Haydn spent most of the
decade before composing the roughly contemporaneous Op. 33 quartets and Paris
Symphonies writing increasingly elaborate opera buffa's. (OK, what is the
correct plural of opera buffa?) The last two he wrote were Orlando Paladino
and Fedelta. Both are goldmines of delicious invention, gorgeous arias,
heartbreaking lyricism, and elaborate concerted finales. Later in life, Haydn
wrote two more operas, both opera seria (correct plural please: opere
serie?): Armida and L'Anima del Filosofo or Orfeo ed Euridice. Fedelta is a
thousand times livelier than either seria, and the Dorati recording does it
full justice. I can imagine greater conducting, but Dorati shapes every
phrase in the most convincing way and keeps everything moving. Good to
excellent singers. (Mozart, by the way, admired this opera.)
I almost forgot to mention one of the signal virtues of the Philips Fedelta
Premiata. You can program out ALL of the secco recitative and spare yourself
the tedium.
-david gable
David
Actually, I mean that as a compliment, not a complement.
-dg
CONSTANTIN MARCOU
Debussy (Petite Suite and En Blanc et Noir), Fauré (Dolly Suite) Satie
(the usual) and Casadesus. An enchanting recording that has been glued
to my CD player. They are unmatched in this repertoire.
2. Chausson - Poème de lámour et de la mer - Pierre Monteux, SFO,
Gladys Swarthout. I don't know what performance I heard on the radio
that got me so hot to acquire this work -- but this ain't it. Wobbly
voice, muffled acoustics.
3. Liszt concertos - Sviatoslav Richter, LSO, Kondrashin. I
"discovered" two great artists in this recording, recommended by the
salesman at my local Tower. I was never a fan of Liszt -- thought he
was full of ideas with no structure. And, I'd only heard Richter once
before. This recording made me a convert for both. Richter reveals the
structure in Liszt's music and de-emphasizes the wretched excess that so
many others wallow in.
4. Sibelius Violin Concerto - Leonidas Kavakos, Osmo Vänskä and Lahti
Symphony. Just got this out-of-print CD courtesy of Stavros in Greece.
I'd forgotten how gorgeous Kavakos' tone can be, and how perfectly he
can inflect his playing to match the mood of the passage.
5. Bizet Symphony in C -- ASMF, Marriner -- need something happy and
upbeat after all that heavy stuff.
6. Mozart -- Piano concertos 19 & 25 -- Serkin, Abbado -- need
something classical after all that late 19th century bombast
7. The Who Sell Out. Reminds me of my early teens. First heard it
in my parents' car sitting in a parking lot at an auction gallery while
they previewed. Now, when I go to an arts/antique auction, I remember
that album.
--
Best regards,
Con
--
To reply, please remove anti-spam asterisk from return address
**************************************************************
"Mozart is too easy for beginners and too difficult for artists"
-- Artur Schnabel
**************************************************************
Simon Roberts
: 2. Chausson - Poème de lámour et de la mer - Pierre Monteux, SFO,
: Gladys Swarthout. I don't know what performance I heard on the radio
: that got me so hot to acquire this work -- but this ain't it. Wobbly
: voice, muffled acoustics.
Try Victoria de los Angeles on EMI, Janet Baker on EMI, or Jessye Norman
on Erato -- completely different class.
Simon
MT
<<John Fernstroem, String Quartets 3, 6, 8, by the New Vlach Quartet on
Marco Polo. He came along a bit later and is more in the neo-classical
vein, similar to Lars-Erik Larsson. No. 3 is very perky and tuneful.>>
Let me second the plug for this composer and this particular recording.
It's very nice music, and the Czechs play it beautifully. I would
recommend it not only to the insatiable quartet fancier but to the
general public as well. Isn't there another volume out in this series?
Regards,
MrT
Jon Bell
CONSTANTIN MARCOU <conmarcou*@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>4. Sibelius Violin Concerto - Leonidas Kavakos, Osmo Vänskä and Lahti
>Symphony. Just got this out-of-print CD courtesy of Stavros in Greece.
Out of print??? BIS doesn't let things go out of print. (This *is* the
BIS disc that couples the original and revised versions of the concerto,
isn't it?)
Anyway, what I've been L T L is a batch of Scandinavian discs that I
bought in Charleston SC a few weeks ago. [Plug: If you're ever in
Charleston, be sure to visit Millennium Music. Both stores have fine
classical departments.] The two most recent ones were:
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger, Symphonies 1 and 5, by Leif Segerstam and the
Royal Swedish Orchestra, on Sterling. If you go for Stenhammar and the
other late-romantic Swedish composers, you'll like this. No. 5 in
particular has some lush chorale-like brass passages.
John Fernstroem, String Quartets 3, 6, 8, by the New Vlach Quartet on
Marco Polo. He came along a bit later and is more in the neo-classical
vein, similar to Lars-Erik Larsson. No. 3 is very perky and tuneful.
--
Jon Bell <jtb...@presby.edu>
Raymond Hall
1. Giulini's Tchaikovsky 6th - a reminder of how great a conductor
Giulini was, and Romeo and Juliet, with the Philharmonia at their best
circa 1959, 1960. On Seraphim with Efrem Kurz's selection from the
Nutcracker, Sleeping Beaty and Swan Lake. This 6th really bowled me
over, as the introduction seemed very slow, but Giulini builds up the
momentum masterfully in this wonderful performance.
2. Markevitch (from the Early Years, Markevitch, Stravinsky) on Philips,
in a performance of L'histoire du soldat, with Jean Cocteau as Le
lecteur and Peter Ustinov as Le diable. The trumpet playing of Maurice
Andre in the Marche royale is nothing short of spectacular. Excellent
set and notes, but alas no libretto.
| Ray Hall: < hallr...@bigpond.com >
| "My God! What has sound got to do with music!" (Essays) Chas. Ives
Len Fehskens
conm...@earthlink.net wrote
>3. Liszt concertos - Sviatoslav Richter, LSO, Kondrashin. I
>"discovered" two great artists in this recording, recommended by the
>salesman at my local Tower. I was never a fan of Liszt -- thought he
>was full of ideas with no structure. And, I'd only heard Richter once
>before. This recording made me a convert for both. Richter reveals the
>structure in Liszt's music and de-emphasizes the wretched excess that so
>many others wallow in.
I picked this up a few days ago. It's also got Richter's performance
of the Sonata.
Your remark about wretched excess cues me perfectly for my recent
discovery of Liszt's Christus (on Hannsler), a 2 1/2 hour oratorio
on the life of Christ. I've only listened to it once, but my first
impression was very favorable; like the best Liszt, it is majestic
rather than bombastic.
>7. The Who Sell Out. Reminds me of my early teens.
My most recent "wayback" adventure was the Steve Miller Band's
"Children of the Future"....
len.