Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #68)

No problem, my joke was oblique and off topic anyway.

 

Really, is it oop already? Glad that I got mine from importcds for less than $100!

 

Now: Schubert: Wanderer Fantasy, D760; Piano Sonata 13, D664 - Leon Fleisher; Impromptus, D899 - Nelson Freire - Sony

 

Just stumbled upon this and thought I'd share it here.

 

Thanks, George--never really thought of Beethoven wearing a straw hat before, so it's an eye-opener if just for that!

Speaking of Beethoven, a few days ago a new-to-me eBay purchase LP arrived in the mail: Beethoven's 4th Piano Cto. performed by Friedrich Wuhrer and the Vienna Symphony Or. under--well, we'll get to that--on 10" Club National Du Disque 1801, showing a copyright of 1960. That gives me all three of his recordings of this work, or at least all three of which I'm aware; the other two are both 12" records, one with the Bamburg SO under Jonel Perlea (Vox PL 10,640) and one with the "Austrian SO" under Karl Randolf (Remington R-199-72).

A question, most likely best addressed to our friends in Europe, and an observation:

1) The question: The conductor's name is shown as "A. Swarowsky" on both the labels and on the cover. The only baton-waving Swarowsky of whom I'm aware was Hans, which would be "H." Does "Hans" transliterate into French as something starting with "A."? Is this a misreading by somebody at Club N. du D. of an "H." as an "A," a la Frieda Valenzi showing up as "V. Frieda" on a rather celebrated Plymouth LP? Or did Hans Swarowsky actually have an evil twin brother Lor--er, some conducting relative with an "A." name? Anybody got any ideas?

2) The observation: People like to dump on the quality of American pressings. Well, let me just say that the French vinyl in which this little record is pressed has to be about the noisiest I've ever encountered this side of the budget Royale and Remington disks of the early '50s. It actually looks serviceable, but in play it emits a mind-boggling fusillade of pops, ticks, and crackles throughout both sides. That's not altogether out of keeping with my experience of one or two other French pressings from the same period (for instance, Wuhrer's account of the popular A Major Schubert Sta. is best in an English Vox pressing, not too far behind in its American counterpart, but quite noisy in its French Vox incarnation). The thing also skipped once on each side. Well, I have a second shot at this: I've seen only three copies of this record, all on eBay, and the first I failed to win despite throwing significant $$$ at it. As soon as I saw another come up for bids a couple of weeks ago or so, I immediately threw even bigger $$$ at it to stake a claim. Only then did I discover that yet a third copy was simultaneously available "buy it now" from another seller. You can see what's coming: to be safe, I "bought it now" and then my bid held on the other copy, so I have one more on its way to me even as we speak. Write. Whatever. Maybe it will be better? One can only hope.

 

Friedrich Wührer did record Beethoven concertos with Hans Swarowsky, so I'm guessing it's a printing error - or the French label simply left out the "H" because many Frenchmen have problems pronouncing words that begin with H

 

Can't see the image.

 

Question for DG Tulip Fans....

I've got 2 copies of beethoven 7 by karjan 138 806. One has royal blue tulips/the other more baby blue tulips. Both have the date 1962 in deadwax. Only one has "Made in Germany" in dead wax though both LP labels say Made in Germany (in both English and German). Any idea what the difference is? I'm going to play both tonight and see if I hear a difference... as I can't do any "heavy" listening watching my 1 yo son. But was curious if anyone could pinpoint the pressing difference for me. Thanks.

 

A composer that broke into my Mt. Rushmore of composers last year, and chipped Dvořák off the cliff. (LvB, Copland, and Haydn round them out, though Dvořák is always working to be carved back on.) This beauty of a disc was recorded in 2001/2002 at Mechanics Hall in Massachusetts. Pearlman is a professor of music at Boston University and his baton conducts period instruments on this recording.



Note Douglas Yeo playing his Serpent (1812) top center.

 

It pays to be wise to the ways of serpents. As I understand things, they came in two general flavors, and that one is of the "church serpent" type. Note the light, sweeping curves. The "military serpent," or sometimes "cavalry serpent," was more compact and robustly built, with struts spanning the curves.

Your man Handel once described the instrument with words along the lines of "Aye, but that's not the serpent that seduced Eve." If (as I do) you nonetheless enjoy the long-lost sound of these things, not quite like that of anything else, check out the London Serpent Trio, which has recorded for the SayDisc label. As I'm remembering it, one of their efforts is called "Fill Your Glasses--English Catches and Glees" and another is "Sweet and Low." Don't hold me to those titles, though, as it's been a long time since I thought about those discs!

[Edit] Wow--I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. Gentlemen (and ladies), I present to you The Serpent Website: http://www.serpentwebsite.com/

 

That's a great disc. Think I will listen to it tonight.

 

Cool beans, folks. I'll replay and turn it up with the windows open on this beautiful spring day here in Colorado and save you the trip to the cd player RRB.

 

Hans was the name that came to my mind too.

Indeed, I was quite disappointed when I bought a bunch of French EMI LP's (French composers like Chausson, d'Indy, Saint-Saens etc., and French orchestras & recordings).

 

Not sure. Care to share your insight?

 

This box does not work for me since I already have so many LSO singles by Sir Colin ...

 

Now playing CD51 - Cantatas Nos 170 - 173 from the following box for a first listen ...

 

That box has lots of overlap with this 2009 box:



Looking at the contents I think I prefer the 2009 one.

 

Great stuff in that box set.

 

Currently spinning this great recording of Ilya Murometz. Anyone else have this or other recordings of the symphony that are good recordings?

 

Yep, I agree, most of it is excellent and some of it is now hard to find. Compared to the recent Argerich/Abbado box it's only missing the 2014 CD with the Mozart concertos 20 and 25.

 

I never bought this 2009 box ...

 

Correction, I do have that box ...

 

In that case the only new CD for you in the recent Argerich/Abbado box will be the last one, with the Mozart concertos 20 and 25; you already have everything else in the 2009 box.