Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #3)

I don't see why not. Though individual discs tend to group them somewhat haphazardly. Plus, I like to listen to them in order to hear the development of the composer. Maybe there is a way we could do it.

 

Without going into my views about much of modern pianism, have you sought out Medtner's own recordings of his music? He recorded a good bit of it just after World War II under the auspices of a society founded by, of all people, the Maharajah of Mysore, who was an amateur pianist and had become an admirer. Medtner also recorded a handful of his works earlier. Benno Moiseiwitsch was also a stout champion of Medtner's music and recorded some of it, including a piano duet "Round Dance" with Medtner as his partner.

 

Yes, that's a good idea. Moiseiwitsch is a great pianist and it's always a treat to hear a composer play his own works. I almost dropped a $100 today to get the original mastering of Rachmaninoff's Complete Recordings on RCA. I hestitated because he tended to dabble all over the place. I know that's the way they did things in those days, but I like to have the complete sontatas, preludes, etudes, etc.

 

The most modern piano pieces I listen to are those composed by Jean Sibelius, who lived through the mid 20th century. This is about as modern as I would get when it comes to piano works ...

 

To be honest, I'd be happier with the sonatas than with the symphonies--for one thing, I could probably get my classically-trained-pianist wife to join me in listening for that project, whereas she is not especially interested in the symphonic literature....

Anyhow, I'm on board (as noted over there) for the symphony thread, but if you want to launch one along the line devoted to the sonatas, say, after the syms. have run their course, count me in!

 

No, which is why I was ready to

Mainly I have Levi and Lopez-Cobos on Telarc. I just have Bernstein's 1987 No. 2 on DG. I did have his No. 3 but I thought the Lopez-Cobos was an equally good performance, with better SQ.

That Bernstein No. 2 is astonishing though - better than the recent Fischer recording too IMO.

 

I am not the biggest fan of modern piano works myself (though Ligeti and Barber are great.) I was referring to the style that many modern pianists play in. It tends to focus more on technique and strict adherence to the score as opposed to more interpretation, with more rubato and an overall more romantic (emotional) style.

(I suspect that you may already be aware of what modern piano style is, I suspect. I was just clarifying it for others)

 

Damn I love Sibelius. Can we do a thread for his tone poems and other incidental music?

 

Good(e) to know.

 

George, Here's another very delightful new CD by Mullova I picked up recently.

 

These are my favorite versions of each of the Mahler Symphonies:

1. James Judd/Florida Philharmonic. I have the one with the blue and yellow cover. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_m...keywords=judd+florida&x=0&y=0&sprefix=judd+fl

2. Bernstein on DG; Bernstein on Sony w/the NYPO (not the CBS London Symphony Orchestra version).

3. Bernstein on CBS/Sony; Michael Tilson Thomas on the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (SACD). A lot of people prefer the Bernstein's DG version.

4. Karajan

5. Sinopoli; most people like Bernstein's on DG; I liked Solti on record

6. Bernstein on CBS/Sony; Bernstein on DG; Karajan

7. Bernstein on DG; Bernstein on CBS/Sony

8. Bernstein on CBS/Sony

9. Bernstein on CBS/Sony

10. Bernstein on CBS/Sony (first movement)

Das Lied von der Erde: Bertini

This week (month?) I'm listening obsessively to the M7. Bernstein's DG mostly. I'm the kind of listener who only wants to hear what he wants to hear, so this M7 has hardly left my CD player for about a week.

 

Thanks. I gotta eat too, you know.

 

I have listened to many versions, and LB's on DG is the one I keep coming back to. I've not heard, nor even heard of, the Fischer recording.

 

It came out shortly after the Tilson-Thomas, both of them receiving considerable acclaim. The Fischer won the 2007 Gramophone magazine "Editor's Choice" award.

http://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Symphony-minor-Hybrid-SACD/dp/B000GPIBOG/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1229745781&sr=8-1

It was my first Mahler CD, and it was excessive dynamics on it that sent me in search of alternatives (it ranges from near-inaudible to blasting your ears across the room all at the same volume setting). It was nice to discover performances I preferred too.

 

I still have my positive bias toward early music and always keep my eyes open for new CD's by the tried and true performers such as Mullova, Manze or Podger, etc.

 

Certainly with good reason. I once thought Vivaldi was boring until I heard his music in the hands of Biondi, Podger and Carmignola.

 

Italian baroque composers such as Albinoni, Corelli and Vivaldi all composed some very delightful works. While none had attained a stature comparable to JS Bach, a lot of their works still become part of my collection. Over the past few years, I also bought a good number of CD's on Tactus, an Italian label that specializes in baroque music by minor composers such as Bononcini, Caldara, Sammartini, etc, names that most people have never heard of.

 

Critic Alex Ross's top ten performances

from St. Louis Post-Dispatch <stltoday.com>:

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra makes Alex Ross’s Top 10
By Sarah Bryan Miller
Post-Dispatch Classical Music
12/10/2008

This is a pretty big deal: New Yorker music critic Alex Ross published his prestigious list of the year’s Top 10 performances in the magazine’s current issue — and music director David Robertson and the SLSO are the first thing on it.

Ross found their reading of Olivier Messiaen’s “Turangalîla-Symphonie” at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 15th one of 2008’s most memorable.

Here’s the entire list, which contains some surprises in terms of omissions as well as inclusions:

• Messiaen, “Turangalîla Symphony”; David Robertson conducting the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, New York City (February 15th).
  
• Zhang Shouwang, solo improvisation, D22, Beijing (March 27th).
  
• John Luther Adams, “The Place Where You Go to Listen”; Museum of the North, Fairbanks, Alaska (April 2nd).
  
• Schubert, Piano Sonata in C Minor; Mitsuko Uchida, piano, Carnegie Hall, New York City (May 9th).
  
• Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 12; Mitsuko Uchida playing and conducting musicians from Marlboro Music, Marlboro, Vermont (June 28th).
  
• Bernd Alois Zimmermann, “Die Soldaten”; Claudia Barainsky, Claudio Otelli, Steven Sloane conducting the Bochum Symphony, Lincoln Center Festival at the Park Avenue Armory, New York City (July 5th).
  
• Kaija Saariaho, “Notes on Light”; Anssi Karttunen (cello) and Susanna Mälkki conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Festival at Rose Hall, New York City (August 14th).
  
• Mozart, Clarinet Concerto; Kari Kriikku (clarinet) and Osma Vänskä conducting the Mostly Mozart Orchestra, Lincoln Center, New York City (August 15th).
  
• Stockhausen, “Gruppen”; Simon Rattle, Daniel Harding, and Michael Boder conducting the Berlin Philharmonic, at Tempelhof Hangar 2, Berlin (September 20th).
  
• Leonard Bernstein, “Mass”; Marin Alsop conducting the Baltimore Symphony, United Palace Theatre, New York City (October 25th).

PS. Ross is the author of the 2007 book, The Rest Is Noise. If you enjoy 20th century music, it's a must-read!

 

Charlie Rose

The full round-table discussion with Elliot Carter, Daniel Barenboim, James Levine and host Charlie Rose has been posted in its entirety at Mr. Rose's web site. Click here to watch the 31 minute interview, conducted December 10 in celebration of Mr. Carter's 100th birthday. Fascinating, stimulating discussion well worth viewing.

 

For any New Yorkers, she'll be performing Bach at the 92nd St. Y on Feb. 28. I have my tickets.

http://www.92y.org/shop/event_detail.asp?productid=T-TC5KB11

 

Good Morning fellow classical listeners,

I got some new cds yesterday:

Gustav Mahler - Symphony No 6
Berliner Philharmoniker
Claudio Abbado
DG

Dimitri Shostakovich - Symphonies 1 and 5
Chech Philharmonic Orchestra
Karel Ancerl
Supraphon

Joseph Haydn - The Creation
Gabrieli Consort and Players
Paul McCreesh
DG

Dimitri Shostakovich - Symphony no 11
Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise
Andre Cluytens
Testament

Bela-Bartok - The Six String Quartets
Emerson String Quartet
DG

Ludwig van Beethoven - The Late String Quartets
The Hollywood String Quartet
Testament

Last night I was listening to an old living stereo LP of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique with Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. This is one of my favorite symphonies and the reading of Reiner is among the best although it cannot hold a candle to Mravinsky's furious account with the Leningrad Philharmonic. Nobody can beat the Russians in their own repertoire IMHO.

 

I was looking at "The Rest is Noise" at the Borders last night but I decided not to get it, since I got all those cds. But it looked very interesting.
I will keep it in mind though, definitely seemed like a great reading.

 

Snowed in for the moment. Will play in an hour after the snowjob is done:

Rangström: Symphony No. 1; Dityramb & Vårhymn

 

George, According to wiki, the Beethoven piano works by Kempff are some definitive recordings. What other Kempff's Beethoven piano collection do you have besides the 9-CD set The Piano Sonatas, which I also have?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Kempff

 

Perhaps I should make a trip into NYC for that concert. I generally try to avoid going into the city on weekend ...