Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #26)

Some of the Seraphim transfers are good. The box with Beethoven symphonies 3, 5 & 7 is very good and worth tracking down. And blue-labeled Angels are better than the CD transfers as well, as I recall from the copy I once owned of Tristan. Although I don't have any of these transfers right now, I recall the early fifties RCA Victor/EMI US pressings as being very dynamic and rich if also lacking in high frequency energy compared to the German counterparts. I have Beethoven Overtures on Electrola, used to have the Pastorale and highlights from Fidelio on German pressings, those pressings are livelier than US pressings for some reason.

And all the Japanese pressings I recall had way too much treble energy.

 

No applause on my CD. I'm almost certain it was a studio recording.

 

Thanks, Robin all this information is very helpful. I have the Tristan, on the Angel label, and it sounds good. I actually have two copies as I forgot that I had it already and accidentally bought it twice.
The only annoying thing with opera on vinyl is the that the sides are out of sequence as they are meant to be played on a changer and you have to get up every 30 minutes or so to change the record.

That's why I listen to Furtwangler's Tristan mostly on cd.

 

Thanks for your thoughts on this, Robin. As I get older, I find myself more amenable to older recordings. There was I time I would have rejected any recording made before the stereo era strictly because of the dated sound. Now that I’m more aware of the many differences of performance over the generations, I find some of these historical recordings interesting as documents of music’s cycles of fashion. I still would never obtain an ancient record as my only copy of a work. I want to be very familiar with the music before I look back. For me, that familiarity can only come from a reasonably modern recording; my ears and playback system are not perfect, so I need all the help I can get. Once that’s achieved, looking back can be fascinating.

Your post reminded me of some unfinished business. There’s a chapter in Alex Ross’s second book Listen To This titled “Infernal Machines: How Recordings Changed Music.” The conclusion is, in part:

I just ordered that disc -- I can't wait to hear it.

 

Sorry, I posted a wrong cover. It's this recording:



It says "Live Vienna Konzerthaus" at the bottom.

 

RE: Bruno Walter's 1938 Mahler 9:

Mengelberg's M4 from during the war is also interesting. It's one of my favorite versions, actually. My grandfather was from Austria. This may have something to do with my interest in these recordings.

 

Be prepared for some messy playing. It's an event alright, but it's also a bit of a clambake.

 

A little update. I ordered these two discs above because they seem to be a nice collection for someone who has none of these yet. And cheap.

And since I saved so many money with those, I added this rather pricey one (and already have my first "redundancy" ).



But I know it will be worth it for the surround mix alone. I also had a 5 Euro voucher from jpc for my birthday last week. I already own this one...



...and it's outstanding (except for the cover ).

 

Yeap, that's a classic! If we 're talking about the same recording, Mengelberg's 4 is from 1939 with the Concertgebouw.

 

(A bit late but it's better than never.) Happy Birthday!

 

Thanks my friend.

 

That's the one. Mine is a mid-priced Philips.

 

Different recording I think. Mine is the one you first posted.

 

Those are the two Tacet discs I own. Wish I had a surround set-up for them.

 

Thanks Jay,
Looks like the Mengelberg M4 has become a bit of a rare bird. Too pricey for me right now.

 

Look for a PM.

 

Thanks, Jay...

 

M Squad is back ...

Mahler
Symphony No. 1 and
"Blumine"
Florida Philharmonic Orchestra
James Judd
Recorded in the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, September 1993



This disc proves that at any given time a lesser known second tier orchestra can match the so-called "world class" groups. Given their usually limited financial resources, some of these orchestras maintain a remarkable level of quality for a long time, and some, like the ill-fated Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, don’t. Englishman James Judd was music director for most of the FPO’s existence.

Give credit to Judd and his band for a performance that eliminates all but the most niggling nit-picks. The playing is flawless, the tempi are right, and the recording is mostly perfect. The piece opens with the quietest "sunrise" I’ve heard. The trumpets enter appropriately "far away."* The first movement has good forward momentum without seeming rushed. The large repeat section is observed, yet it doesn’t seem like one is hearing a repeated section. The glissando Mahler calls for in the despondent ascending motif introduced by the cellos is clearly audible -- I’m surprised how many recordings don’t get this important detail right.

The second movement’s scherzo starts out a tick slow, but that’s all right because when it returns at the end of the movement it has picked up steam. Couples would have some trouble dancing smoothly to the Trio’s graceful waltz due to Judd‘s liberal rubato, however this is obviously not a ballroom and the music is all the more lovely because of it.

Just once I’d like to hear the third movement’s funeral march played sans vibrato; I know string players can do it, but I wonder if double reed players can come close to a sine wave. Then it would sound like the sad/sarcastic/surreal funeral procession it's supposed to be. Judd and co. manage to get a little klezmer-like sound in the next section, but still come up short -- as do most recordings. The fourth movement does what it’s supposed to do. A startlingly large sounding bass drum helps with that. The only reservations I have about this whole recording is that the harp doesn’t stand out enough, and I would have the rute player get himself a bigger bundle of sticks.

This symphony’s first three performances (Budapest, Hamburg and Weimar) had a fifth movement, known as the "Blumine," between what is now the first and second movements. After those performances, Mahler discarded it. Today it seems unlikely this movement was not discovered until 1966 and replayed for the first time in 1967, some 78 years after it was premiered. The Blumine is certainly pretty music, but I think Mahler made the right decision. I’ve played this symphony with the Blumine in place, and I think it lengthens the whole piece needlessly without adding the right mood or interest. Besides, I think the fourth movement’s Sehr gesangvoll (Very songful) slow section far surpasses the Blumine in beauty. I think of flowers blooming then.

Finally, give Judd more credit for getting the strings seated properly. By this I mean with the first violins on the left as usual, but with the second violins seated on the right, front stage. Time and again one sees Mahler placing absolutely equal importance to the second violins in his scores. Sometimes it’s call and response between the two, sometimes it’s split scoring that needs to be heard across the stage. Sometimes (as with the first movement of M9) the second violins announce important themes or motifs while the firsts are idle. It just doesn’t make sense to have the second violins buried behind the firsts, and in Mahler‘s day they weren't.

*[size=-2]I want to correct myself: in my comments on the Solti M1: I stated that Mahler doesn‘t call for the trumpets to be off-stage in the opening bars, but in order to achieve ”In sehr weiter Entfernung aufgestellt” (situated at a very far distance), there’s no other way to get the appropriate sound other than to have the players do just that.[/size]

 

One of my favorites, if not my favorite.

 

I was unaware that Furtwangler ran out of the town ahead of the posse.

But Bruno Walter did. Try his 1938 Vienna recording of Mahler's 9th for subtext galore.

 

Playing now..



A very enjoyable performance of the Italian Concerto with a very traditional and minimalistic approach to the score with good clear sound from the harpsichord.

 

Furtwangler stuck around Germany through most of the war. He didn't join the party, nevertheless he was treated rather well by the Nazis. After he finally wore out his welcome, he fled to Switzerland in 1944, I believe.

 

Igor Stravinsky born this date, 1882

Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky
Symphony in Three Movements
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
(Hollywood California, 1961)

 

Although Furtwangler was never a member of the Nazi party, the fact that he remained in Germany enjoying his fame without protesting the Nazi regime and its atrocities IMO is a disappointing aspect of his career.
This attitude does not diminishes his musical greatness in my eyes as I tend to separate the artist from the persona, nonetheless it is not something to be considered lightly.

 

If they can get you asking the wrong questions they don’t have to worry about answers

It's complicated. Furtwängler initially protested the Nazi regime. I'm sure it wasn't hard to get the conductor to vacillate—I interviewed his personal secretary once, her response was that he had no spine. Check out the videos—she's right. Still my readings tell me he did what he could, when he could, he was no moral monster.

Karajan is even more complicated, joining the party twice to make sure they understood then marrying a woman considered part Jew enough to be considered a risk by them followed by a downsizing of his career 'til after the war.