Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #31)

I have the Brandenburgs as a HiRez download. I enjoyed my one listen.

I'll be interested in your comments on the Brahms cycle. I don't have a complete SACD set. I'd been eyeing the Pittsbugh Symphony set (released on separate discs, but overall I prefer studi to live (perhaps irrationally), and I should think they's be up Masur's alley.

 

I would suggest this set with the Amadeus Quartet.

 

Great bit of information, thanks! Never heard that before. The first takes would be fascinating to hear, and obviously easy to speed-correct if they existed. Yeah, no doubt they trashed them. I wonder if someone was in big trouble for that blunder.

dan c

 

Kissin cousins?

Then you have one fewer than I do--bought it before I'd found out about him.

The thing is, beautiful tone and big, powerful playing are not mutually exclusive. Quite the contrary; to my way of thinking hard, bangy tone undercuts the power and projection of a performance. It's something you hear in recordings by artists pre-Horowitz; unfortunately, he made a harder, brighter sound fashionable with those who followed, and things have just gotten worse and worse since then.

I've written more than once of an Austrian named Friedrich Wuhrer, who recorded mostly for Vox in the early LP era (he did make a few 78s for HMV before WW II), and if many here have wondered why I keep maundering on about this long-forgotten also-ran in the historical pianist sweepstakes, it's precisely because he evoked an absolutely huge, knock-you-back-in-your-seat powerful sound from the instrument, but *he never banged.* Sounds as if the man's left hand was about twice the size of anybody else's. At his best, in much of his Schubert sonata cycle and the Brahms 1st Cto., you add in heartfelt, deeply emotional interpretation and the combination is unbeatable, at least to these ears. Note: the Tara label has given him his first significant re-issue, a collection of most of his Beethoven recordings as soloist. Alas, to my ears, aside from the 1st Cto. they are good enough but for the most part do not fall into the "at his best" category, although he was responsible for my by-a-country-mile favorite first 2/3 of the Beethoven 5th Cto.; had he not taken the last mvt. somewhat too slowly (a certain stateliness is a not uncommon fault in his cto. recordings), for this listener it would be the ideal performance. For the record, of all the performances of that work I own, it's Cor de Groot's with Willem van Otterloo that comes closest to that status, so-so sound notwithstanding. That one, originally on Epic in the US and probably on Philips overseas, has been reissued as part of a complete concerto cycle, with the op. 31/2 and 3/3 sonatas a filler, by Doremi in sonics better than the norm for that wildly uneven label.

 

listened to a cassette of Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time.i taped this back in the
1980s from a friend's LP.unfortunately, i didn't write the names of the performers on the
box.i had a notebook with that information,but i have no idea where it is.now listening to side 2: Trois Petites Liturgies de la Presence Divine.

 

Love Spotify......just a commerical now and then...but it's free.
Plenty of Classical to be found for sure......something nice to listen to while online!

 

Unfortunately those commercials are loud, something that doesn't work so well with quiet, classical music.

 

After posting on Lang Lang (whose name does not rhyme with "bang," by the way) last night, I listened to his Liszt recital, the solo pieces, but not the concerto yet. David's impressions are most definitely in line with his playing on this disc -- he is not at all a banger. He comes on strong in the finale of the two Hungarian Rhapsodies, but that's when it's called for. The recording is decent, very clear in the bass, which is attributable probably both to the recording and the playing. If there's anything negative to be said, one might say some of the pieces are slightly underpowered. But really I have no complaints. I think it's a great album, sensitively played, unrivaled virtuosity, good balance, melody, texture. I strongly encourage you all to check it out.

And no need to take my word for it. Here is a positive review, from the controversial David Hurwitz, who'd probably be as likely as anybody to savage the guy if he didn't like the playing: http://classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=13539

And I can't find a link, but Bryce Morrison in The Gramophone was even more enthusiastic.

Alternatively, you can wait for the Blu-ray release of his concert performance of (I think) the same solo pieces. That's out in the UK next week and in the US in December.

 

And the JAMF music they choose to make so loud...oy...

However, I've been listening to the full 5 CDs of the Beach Boys' SMILE Sessions box set, so listening to the Spotifymercials seems like a decent tradeoff.

 

Man, I am loving my Everest reels...sound really good!
Ebay has been good to me..or I have been good to Ebay.

 

That Poem of Ecstasy is great.

 

Yea..I used to buy LP's from a gentleman in Atlanta. We would sit down and he would let me listen to anything I wanted and we would chat about it....I was hooked ever since that sunday morning he played this for me....I have the LP, CD and Reel of the same work.

 

Sipping black coffee and listening to this...I just wish the Helicopter tours of Manhattan would take a break...mayor PITA!!

 

I've taken some flack from the phorum's Philipsphiles in the past for this observation, but I'll risk it again: on the basis of having heard Brendel in recital a few times, his Philips records do not do justice to his tone. He didn't create audible velvet, to be sure, but what I heard in the Kennedy Center was consistently warmer than what came across in the Philips records that I've heard, certainly in no way harsh enough to detract from the artistry of his interpretations.

 

How is this set?

I have yet to listen to my recently-acquired Chailly set...

 

Have to say that I sold mine. The sound is great, the playing is wonderful. Have to say that the Blomstedt/Dresden Stattskapelle set in the giant Brilliant Box of Beethoven is similar in approach, has a more integrated sound, better playing and more energy than Barenboim's fine set.

 

I pay the $10 per month for the premium service (allowing acces via iPhone and Squeezebox, among other things). The payment is more than offset in savings from avoided marginal purchases (primarily in rock, jazz and standards).

 

Good thing I have the giant box then. I've only made it through 1-4 and the 9th however (the 9th was spectacular).

 

The performances are wonderful and the sound is lush too! I won't ever be selling mine.

Still, I prefer Wand's set to all others.

Szell's and HvK's '63 set are up there as well.

 

We get it here in the US next week. I look forward to it.

 

Really enjoyed this recording too - brisk tempo! I don't think I have a copy of this piece yet so I'll be keeping my eyes open for this LP - was it issued in the US though Capitol records (I have several Melodyia/Capitol LPs from the 70s)?

Those 78s sure look nifty though...........
------- Chris

 

The Wikipedia is your friend!

My LP is vintage Μелодия, imported By Tower Imports from the Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик.

And the YouTube video has better sound! Бог помилует!

 

I just finished listening to the Brandenburgs, the performances are top knotch. This one blows away the last A.O.A.M. disc both in performance and sound. My go-to copy of the 4 Brahms symphonies was a 2-reel-to-reel set by Rafael Kubelik and the Vienna Philharmonic on London. I want to check out the Brahms later tonight, this Bach is just smokin

 

Now playing:

• Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, K. 543 - Bruno Walter / Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York [Arbiter 2003, recorded May 26, 1946, Producer: Allan Evans, Restoration: Studio FS, Roma, Disc transfers: Daniel Sbardella, Allan Evans, first publication from orig. 16" transcription disks for US Armed Forces Radio — sublime Mozart, the best Andante ever!]

 

Got a couple massive boxes today, "The Decca Sound" and "The Liszt Legacy." I have a lot of the Decca stuff, but the set was at a nice price and is a classy reissue. The latter set really looks special, all unreleased or CD-premiere stuff, two discs each from Arrau, de Larrocha, Raymond Lewenthal, Moiseiwitsch, and Egon Petri (little of which is Liszt, actually).

But these aren't getting played tonight because I also got the new Ray Charles set.