Ha! The DVD is very good. I am a fan of Rozhdestvensky and find his views about the Soviet times very interesting. Also his take on conducting. I had the pleasure to see him twice in Boston with BSO. I will never forget the stunning version of Persephone. Unfortunately When I went to see him on the 3rd occasion -he had refused to conduct as the BSO had really buried his name and identity in its publications about the concert -very curious-and he felt insulted. He called it " a moral insult". I agreed with him when I saw the concert publications and wrote to BSO but never got a reply. He is presently at CSO filling in for Muti. He is aged 84. One of the last ( if not the last) of the Soviet era greats!
Not sure about one that "sounds like a sitar" but it must be a steel stringed instrument and the only two that come to mind now are the cittern and the english guitar, but I think the latter came later and I don't know how popular could they have been in Italy back then.
Thanks for the suggestions. The variety of instruments on the CD was a revelation - but the sound of that one - whatever it was - completely threw me. I'll see if I can find something on the web about what the group generally plays in that music.
Enjoying more from this set this morning. This is my first time through and I am finding it best to listen to a disc at a time. (The harpsichord is still not one of my favorite instruments.)
Now listening to "Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No. 3/Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 1" performed by Byron Janis with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra led by Kyril Kondrashin on Mercury. Also contains: Prokofiev - Toccata Schumann - Variations on a Theme by Clara Wieck Mendelssohn - Songs Without Words No. 1 Pinto - Three Scenes From Childhood
I love this and his Rach 2 and 3 with Dorati on the same label. I also have an EMI DVD with his Paganini Rhapsody, but haven't had a chance to hear/see it yet. I wish he had recorded the 4th concerto and released it with his Paganini Rhapsody.
IIRC, this recording is also included in the following BC box, which I added to my collection a few years ago ...
But that's a great set, collecting all of Trevor Pinnock's J.S. Bach recordings for Archiv. Very nice.
I have owned most of Trevor Pinnock's recordings for ages since baroque music was my first love when I started my venture into classical music over thirty years ago ...
A very well done 5th, worth hearing IMO Antal Dorati London Symphony Orchestra Mercury, 1962 Beethoven: Symphonies 5 & 6; The Creatures of Prometheus Overture.
Now listening to "Mozart - Violin Concerto No. 1" performed by Itzhak Perlman with the Wiener Philharmoniker led by James Levine on DG.
Now playing: Toru Takemitsu – Asterism for Piano and Orchestra — Yuji Takahashi (piano) – Requiem for String Orchestra – Green (November Steps II, for Orchestra) – The Dorian Horizon for 17 String Toronto Symphony – Seiji Ozawa (RCA Red Seal / Sony Classical)
Now listening to CD 1 from "Canteloube - Songs of the Auvergne" performed by Netania Davrath with 'orchestra conducted by Pierre de la Roche on Vanguard. Didn't care for the bright sound of HDAD version I recently bought so I found this original CD version. As a bonus, it has about twice as many songs; it contains a second album titled 'New Songs of the Auvergne.' Good for me.
Janis/Kondrashin Prok's 3rd is very good ( one of the best 1st movement I have heard but they start losing a plot somewhere around 2nd half) so I place it behind Argerich/Abbado/Berliner & Graffman/Szell/Cleveland. The newest recording for Prokofiev No.3 I have heard is with Lang/Rattle/Berliner in 2013 Sony vinyl release. Good dynamic contrasts. Lang seems to shine in showy program like this than Chopin pieces. Altho, most of dynamic interests seem to be provided by the orchestra as piano comes off rather bland. I think I still prefer the *bad **** Martha* over goody two shoes Lang in overall attitude of the piece. Soud wise, Sony new vinyl releases have been hit and miss. My copy is relatively low noise albeit occasional pops but well balanced digital recording with spacious soundstage and decent dynamics ( for digital ) . An excellent low end weight but massed strings are tad thin. The 3rd movement has a tidal wave like tremendous dynamics and scale which is a hoot in a big system. Going to hear Daniil Trifonov ( one of my favourite young pianist currently ) plays the 3rd next month. This would be interesting.
I prefer Lewis playing Beethoven program than Schubert. His sure footed bold approach seems to be more fitting than carefree happy go lucky more modest Schubert's personality. ( in my mind anyways ) That said, Lewis' Impromptu is enjoyable. I still prefer composer's later darker sonatas played by Richter or Schnabel. look at his face! You get depressed just looking at Slava's mug.
Another great Sony box bargain: CD1 Boulez Le marteau sans maître Yvonne Minton, mezzo-soprano Ensemble Musique Vivante (London, EMI Studios, 1968) Livre pour cordes Strings of the New Philharmonia Orchestra Pierre Boulez, conductor (Paris, Studio Davout, 1972) I didn't expect to warm up to my first exposure to Boulez's music, and as it turns out my instincts were correct. This music is not the kind of thing you find yourself humming while driving to work. Still, as the wiki article linked above illustrates, Le marteau sans maître (alternatively translated as "The Hammer Unmastered" in this box, or "The hammer without a master" in wiki, two different ideas) is ultimately an exercise in mathematics. Very cerebral indeed. All I have to say is there needs to be less cowbell in the fourth movement and more of it in the eighth. There are many interesting moments such as in the ninth movement the soprano sings a mouth open clinched-teeth humming version of sprechgesang that sounds very much like a theremin. The second piece is also rich with texture and is worth some undivided attention. See also link above from the Chicago archives. Will move on to CD2 cited by alankin1 above.
I have the LP, Dynawarp era, off-center to boot. I have little doubt that yours is the richer musical experience. Takemitsu's music has a lot of long held notes and long held silences.
