Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #48)

Making this a piano evening ...

Now playing CD11 - all Beethoven Piano Sonatas from the following set for a first listen ...

 

I really enjoy the Bartok piano concertos as well. I first heard the first and third by Bishop/Davis on vinyl not so very long ago (being relatively new to classical music), and was duly blown away. Since then, I also got the highly regarded sets by Schiff/Fischer and Kocsis/Fischer, but neither had the same impact on me. Both Fisher sets seem more cheerful and focused on texture and detail, whereas the Bishop/Davis (the entire set of which I now have on CD as well) is darker, more "rough around the edges," and far more intensely driven. Some posters on another (primarily classical) site warn newbies away from Bishop/Davis, claiming that Bishop "savages the music." I can sort of see their point, but for me, that particular "savagery" works very well with these particular concertos. In the hands of Bishop/Davis, they almost seem like they could have been inspirations for the Wetton/Bruford line-up of King Crimson (which, to me, is very much a compliment). Fischer seems to interpret the works less like jaggedly powerful modernist works and more like colorfully folksy, late romantic program pieces.

Someone else who was disappointed with Kocsis/Fischer recommended the Anda/Fricsay, so I will probably be exploring that one as well at some point.

 

I posted about this great CD four threads ago here:
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/classical-music-corner-thread-44.305703/page-2#post-8400642

Despite the interestingly craggy, angular PC 1, I still prefer the second PC. Both are masterpieces, not to mention Bartok at his mellow best with his PC3. I think the sly Boulez was inspired asking Grimaud to record it. Regarding the acknowledged recording of choice for the first two, namely:



With this re-release, we have two gifted paisanos delivering. The close-miked sound, plus Pollini's brittle tone, lends an appropriate sense of angular 20th century gravitas, yet I prefer the more distant soundstage on the recent Boulez recording of the PC2.

 

Now playing CD12 - works by Liszt, Schumann, Debussy, Franck, etc. from the following set for a first listen ...

 

He played WTC Books 1 and 2 from memory.

 

Someone on the Mercury Box Set posted that Set 1 is going for $975 new and $750 used at Amazon Marketplace.

 

Ives & Copland
Happy July Fourth!

 

Masterworks Heritage Collection

** An upcoming release. Unfortunately, it is not the complete masterworks collection, that would have been spectacular! Every CD in this series that I have heard is superb! **

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Masterworks-Heritage-Collection-Sony/hnum/1534248
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Masterworks...ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

1.CD "Michael Rabin & Ossy Renardy - The Early Years" - Werke von Paganini, Sarasate, Wieniawski, Kreisler, Engel, Novacek
2.CD "Eugene Ysaye - Violinist & Conductor" - Werke von Brahms, Chabrier, Dvorak, Faure, Kreisler, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Schumann,
Wieniawski, Vieuxtemps, Wagner, Ysaye, Delibes, Maillart, Massenet
3.CD Liszt: Klavierkonzert Nr. 1;Fantasie über ungarische Volksmelodien;
Ungarische Rhapsodien Nr. 8-11, 13 (Claudio Arrau)
4.& 5.CD "Zino Francescatti - Great Violin Concertos" - Mendelssohn: Violinkonzert op. 64;Bruch: Violinkonzert Nr. 1;Saint-Saens: Violinkonzert Nr. 3;Tschaikowsky: Violinkonzert op. 35;Prokofieff: Violinkonzert Nr. 2;Chausson: Poeme op. 25
6.CD Mahler: Symphonie Nr. 1;Rachmaninoff: Die Toteninsel (Dimitri Mitropoulos)
7.& 8.CD "Fritz Reiner dirigiert das Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra" - Schostakowitsch: Symphonie Nr. 6;Kodaly: Tänze aus Galanta;Weiner: Divertimento für Streicher Nr. 1 op. 20;Bartok: Ungarische Skizze;Kabalewski: Colas Breugnon-Ouvertüre op. 24;Glinka: Kamarinskaja;Mozart: Symphonien Nr. 35 & 40;Beetoven: Symphonie Nr. 2
9.& 10.CD "The Philadelphia Orchestra plays Bach" - Bach: Brandenburgisches Konzert Nr. 5;Bach / Stokowski: Choräle BWV 62, 177, 437;Bach / Ormandy: Toccaten & Fugen BWV 564 & 565;Passacaglia BWV 582;Wachet auf, ruft uns
die Stimme BWV 140;JC Bach: Symphonien op. 18 Nr. 1 & 3;WF Bach: Symphonie F. 65;CPE Bach / Steinberg: Konzert für Orchester D-Dur
11.& 12.CD Schumann: Symphonien Nr. 1-4;Manfred-Ouvertüre (George Szell)
13.CD "Leonard Bernstein dirigiert das New York Philharmonic Orchestra" - Roussel: Symphonie Nr. 3;Milhaud: Les Choephores;Honegger: Rugby;Pacific 231
14.CD "Thomas Schippers dirigiert" - Barber: Adagio for Strings;Medea's Dance of Vengeance;School for Scandal-Ouvertüre;Essay for Orchestra Nr. 2;Intermezzo aus Vanessa;Andromache's Farewell;Menotti: Amelia al ballo-Ouvertüre;Berg: Zwischenspiel aus Wozzeck;d'Indy: Einleitung zu Fervaal
15.-18.CD Beethoven: Streichquartette Nr. 1, 4,6, 9,12-16 (Budapest String Quartet)
19. CD "Gregor Piatigorsky - Great Cello Concertos" - Dvorak: Cellokonzert op. 104;Saint-Saens: Cellokonzert op. 33;Bruch: Kol Nidrei
20.CD "George Szell dirigiert" - Prokofieff: Symphonie Nr. 5;Bartok: Konzert für Orchester
21.& 22.CD Dvorak: Symphonien Nr. 7-9;Karneval-Ouvertüre
23.& 24.CD Brahms: Klavierkonzerte Nr. 1 & 2;Händel-Variationen op. 24;Walzer op. 39 Nr. 1-16 (Leon Fleisher, George Szell)
25.& 26.CD "Robert Casadesus - The Complete Piano Music of Maurice Ravel" - Pavane pour une infante defunte;A la maniere de Chabrier;A la maniere de Borodine;Sonatine;Miroirs;Ma mere l'oye;Habanera;Jeux d'eau;Prelude a-moll;Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn;Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Faure;Le Tombeau de Couperin;Valses nobles et sentimentales;Menuet antique;Gaspard de la nuit;Klavierkonzert für die linke Hand
27.CD Schostakowitsch: Cellokonzert Nr. 1 op. 107 (Ersteinspielung);Violinkonzert Nr. 1 op. 99 (Mstislav Rostropovich, David Oistrach)
28.CD Mahler: Symphonie Nr. 1;Brahms: Haydn-Variationen op. 56a (Bruno
Walter)

 

The Second Piano Concerto is one of my top ten of all time. I have to get this disk for the Concertos. Thanks for the tip.
The 3 Movements is IMO one of the greatest solo piano recordings on record......hands down.

 

Currently spinning. Anyone else have this recording or others of the Sinfonietta. Stravinsky nicked some melodies from the Sinfonietta for the Firebird.

 

Looks like this big box may end up in your collection ...

 

Now playing CD13 - works by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov from the following set for a first listen ...

 

Now playing CD14, the last CD - works by Grieg from the following set for a first listen ...

 

Now playing CD11 - works of Chopin from the following set for a first listen ...

[imghttp://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51d%2BrasvpyL._SY300_.jpg][/img]

 

Just placed a small order with Amazon US on the following CD's earlier this pm ...

 

My first ever Bartok cd back in the late 80s was this one - amazing power and virtuosity; absolutely essential, however with this sleeve:

 

The Bruckner is wonderful. I have it as part of a four disc set with some other choral works. The Brahms should show up tomorrow in my Walter Box.

 

I already have the Walter box on EMI and have decided against getting the Sony box (already have his Mozart box on Sony). Since I have read some excellent review of his Brahms Requiem, I decided to grab it.

 

I am extremely happy listening to my beloved recording of Schubert D960 piano sonata by Lazar Berman (EMI, 1978, Abbey Road Studios) recently released exclusively by Tower in Japan. I am pretty sure it has never been reissued before in the digital area.



http://www.tower.co.jp/item/3256021/

 

I have a fair number of recordings by Berman on both LP and CD but have never seen this particular recording.

 

It is his only EMI recording.

 

Done with CD11 - works of Chopin and now playing CD12, the last CD - Schumann, Chopin and Debussy from the following set for a first listen ...

 

My Walter (very well constructed) box came yesterday. 31 page, 12" booklet. 12 page note (the English section, the rest is in German) by Gotz Thieme on the conductor.

 

That 12" booklet reminds me of those good old LP box set days. It is really unusual in the CD age. Maybe Sony has started a trend in big CD box packaging ...

 

The second's night time mysterioso middle movement is a precious masterpiece.
BTW, Stravinsky's keyboard arragement of Petroushka is a welcome bonus on this CD.