Man, I'm so glad we live in an era where we can get great music without this thrift-store junk, even if some of these performances were better one might expect. George Szell's cycle is currently probably the cheapest at $12 new shipped, but if you're okay with used you can get many cycles for under $10 - and the Vanska or Haitink SACD cycles for $30 each.
From the Decca Sound Analogue Years: I like most of the recordings I've heard of Ashkenazy and this album is no exception. I've been tempted to order the 50 Years on Decca box set.....
Andres Segovia - Dedication As background, I play guitar, I have a classical guitar (and a couple of electrics and an acoustic), but I don't play classical music, and I haven't listened to much classical guitar music. I'm curious what other more experienced listeners think of Segovia as a guitar player -- what are his noted characteristics, strengths and/or weaknesses? I like this album, but I can't say I'm in love with it. I have two other 2CD Segovia collections plus a 4CD Segovia box set (all on DG) that I haven't listened to yet. I welcome any/all opinions.
I have no time to answer your question in a lengthy fashion - time to go to work. But one thing I can say, I concur with everything stated on the WiKi page. Segovia was outstanding, everything I have ever heard him play was soulful and very technically proficient. He is definitely one of my favourite classical guitarists. I personally love Lagoya and Yepes very much as well ( I was also fortunate to see them perform live - which adds to the magic...). Andrés Segovia - Wikipedia Here's one of my LPs....
Now playing, CD 21: Ludwig van Beethoven – Quartet for Strings No.5 in A major Op.18/5 – Quartet for Strings No.6 in B flat major Op.18/6 — Paolo Borciani (violin), Elisa Pegreffi (violin), Piero Farulli (viola), Franco Rossi (cello) – Quartetto Italiano (Philips / Decca Music)
I've played classical guitar for 35+ years. I don't count myself as a huge fan of his playing, but I definitely admire everything he did for the instrument. To my ears, some of his playing sounds a bit labored compared to today's players, but at the time it was probably as good or better than most other players. He was also extremely narrow minded musically. It's possible that Schoenberg and Stravinsky would have written him a piece (Stravinsky said as much), but he would have rejected them. He did reject pieces from Frank Martin (Bream went on to play the "Four Brief Pieces") and Jolivet. Who knows who else! Anyway, he did a lot to make the guitar a "respectable" instrument, and for that we classical guitarists are very grateful.
I have a hard time imagining what a Stravinsky piece for guitar might have sounded like, actually. I probably would reject it myself! Of course, I've only just dipped my toe in the Segovia water. While I like some of the Ponce compositions on the first disc of the set, one thing I noticed was what to me was an odd sense of rubato in some places. I don't object to expressive variations, it just didn't seem to "gel" with my feeling of where the accelerations and hesitations ought to be. On the other hand, I'm amazed at the accuracy of his playing with those huge ham-sized hands of his. I have a hard enough time with my slender fingers. I guess if Django could do what he did with 2 1/2 fingers, it shows that anything is possible with practice.
And this disc is also in the box set Kyung-Wha Chung The Complete Decca Recordings which is awaiting my attention.
Ok. I hope you keep us posted on your findings with regard to that set. Myself, I scored a like new copy of the Philips Arrau Beethoven sonatas and concertos set today for only $42!
Possibly old news, but... For those who are admirers of Bruno Walter, here's a handy discography: http://www.bwdiscography.com/
Tonight's musical follies, after a visit to Toscaniniland in Haydn's 98th sym., not the commercial recording but an earlier b'cast, have been more of the "lilting Viennese" persuasion--copying (and weeding a dupe of) Victor set 805, a collection of two Johann Strauss overtures and two Johann Strauss waltzes. Bruno Walter led the Paris Conservatory in the Fledermaus overture (late 1938), the London Sym. Or. in the Zigeunerbaron overture (earlier 1938) and the VPO in the Emperor Waltz (1937); George--or, as the labels of that day put it, Georg--Szell filled the set out with a 1934 account of the Blue Danube, also with the VPO. If I recall Harold Schonberg's The Great Conductors correctly, Szell was said to have disparaged Eugene Ormandy as "just the man to conduct Strauss waltzes." Evidently, Szell repertorially put his money where his mouth was: if you believe the Younrok Lee discography for Szell, that Blue Danube was one of only three Strauss waltz recordings he made during his career, the other two being one-offs years apart.
The version I've heard has Stravinsky saying that about Ormandy. Also, it's not correct re: Szell. For whatever reason Sony only chose to release this on SACD, although I think it's also on regular CD in the Korean Szell box:
Recorded in Vienna, 6/53. Producer: Victor Olof. Engineer: Cyril Windebank. Issued on Decca, 12/53 & on London, 4/54.
Yes, I will. As you might guess, I have too many big boxes open right now that I am slowly listening through. What a sad tale.
Thanks for the correction--should have double checked the book first. Looks as if the discography is seriously lacking, which is a surprise, because the guy who put it together is usually pretty thorough.
This arrived in the mail earlier this week and I'm listening now for the first time. I'm impressed by both Ravel's music and Hewitt's playing.
I should give that one another chance. I played it only once when I first bought the Mozart 111 CD set, not liking it as much as most of the set's discs I've never returned to it in the 5 years since then.
Guitarist Kazuhito Yamashita plays two insanely difficult concertos written for him by Takashi Yamatsu and Teruyuki Noda.
