Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #26)

If you like Mozart and Beethoven, you should try Haydn as well. Sony recently released a 4 disc set of some of his later symphonies conducted by George Szell. I also like Bernstein's recording of the Paris symphonies.

Do you have any Schubert?

 

Szell and Haydn or Mozart is a stellar combo.

And yes, Schubert is essential. My first recommendation is:



amazon link

 

Why are people so down on HvK?

Serious question ( I'm relatively new in my classical journey)

 

Aside from those who might not enjoy his conducting style, this may explain why:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_von_Karajan#Nazi_Party_membership

 

Karajan is a good conductor but some of his performances especially the later stuff after the 70s sounds (to me) overly polished and artificial, IMO he is a bit overrated.

 

The orchestra sound on his post 1960s recordings have a homogenous quality that is not to many people's liking.

 

How can I bear to listen to the same CD continuously for days now? Is it that good? Yes it is

 

Don't be stupid, be a smarty, come and join the Nazi party!

A Party so nice, he had to join it twice!

 

Like Beef in Aspic

And that too.

 

After constant pressure from some of you guys here, I broke down and got this disc of sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord performed by Savall and Koopman.

I think I forgive you.

 

In rational terms, this probably is priced reasonably. But I've been so spoiled in the last year or so. If I can get 60 CDs of Bernstein conducting the core of the symphonic repertoire for a buck per disc, why should I pay six for HvK, especially when so many of the Cds are quite short? Kind of ironic that Beethoven's 9th is spread over two CDs when, according to legend, HvK insisted that CDs be long enough to include the work on one CD.

 

LOL!! Very good point!

 

Now playing the following CD - Chopin Nocturnes II for a first listen ...



The cover of my CD is actually too new to be found on Amazon ...

 

I have many of the recordings in this set already, including some extremely rare singles such as the following Handel set ...

 

I didn't know there was such a thing as an extremely rare Karajan CD.

I'm not a big HvK fan, but he did do some very nice post-60's work: some of the 70's Beethoven cycle is stellar, and his Schoenberg/Webern/Berg disc is one of my all-time fave classical CD's. Also, Alpine Symphony. Bruckner 8. Mahler 9 (live). Those are just off the top of my head. But then there is his ghastly recording of The Planets, which was a big-seller in the early 80's. It is horrendous.

 

Now playing a clip of Ashkenazy in the international Tchaikovsky Competition:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wBQdQo-Zsw&feature=share

 

I like Karajan's Sibelius, especially his 7th.
I have two different recordings one with the Berlin Philharmonic and another with the Philharmonia and I consider both among the best performances of this work.

 

wood-sprites in the gloom weave magic secrets

Karajan's Sibelius is always extraordinary. For Christmas, 1969, my mom gave me a copy of the [then Imported and exotic] DGG recording of Tapiola, Finlandia, Valse Triste and The Swan of Tuonela with HvK and the Berlin Philharmonic. She knew the only place that would have such a [then] exotic object was the Tower on Sunset. That specific recording influenced me in many ways, my appreciation of HvK in this music perhaps being the least of them.

Karajan's EMI remake of the Fourth symphony will give you spiritual frostbite.

 

I was never a huge HvK fan, but when those two huge EMI boxes became available for pennies, I bit. And on the whole I find the music quite good. I am probably more impressed with the opera box.

And I haven't even come close to listening to all of tje music.

 

I presume that the 9th from that new Japanese (?) HvK box set is spread over two discs to imitate the original vinyl album. So, the box is obviously targeted to the most fetishistic fraction of classical lovers that isn't at all concerned about time (or value) per buck ratio. I'm definitely NOT in.

 

John, how is the mastering on those two EMI sets?

 

All over the place as you might expect. The recordings range from the 40's to the 80's. Some have been reissued many times before; others are, to my knowledge, available on CD for the first time. Also, there are only a small number of instances where I have alternate versions of the same performances with which to compare them.

My understanding is that EMI did not do any remastering for the set. They just took what was available.

 

Let's continue here:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?p=6743675#post6743675