Listenin' to Classical Music and Conversation

Now playing CD17 - Beethoven Piano Sonatas Nos 1 - 3, the digital version since I already have the analogue version for a few years, from the following box for a first listen ...

 

But wait...there's more! Recorded 11/6, 11/12 & 11/15, 1935, Abbey Road Studios. Issued 1957.

 

Did you pick up these LP's at McKay?

 

Yes indeed. Actually it was a while back and I never played them (more to come) until now. I corrected the recording year; it was 1935.

 

First listen to "Verdi - La Traviata" performed by Teatro Nacional De San Carlos Lisboa led by Franco Ghione on Warner.

Featuring Maria Callas, Alfredo Krauss, Mario Sereni and Laura Zannini.

 

Hey Wilma. WILMA! You gotta see this. Betty is playing the piano.
Oh Fred that's not Betty - just an impostor. Those jokers at DG will try anything for a laugh.

 

Now playing CD18 - Beethoven Piano Sonatas Nos 4 - 6, the digital version from the following box for a first listen ...

 

Umm...it's fake! (I'm hoping you know that!)

 

from the Szell complete Columbia box set:

The Cleveland string section really shines in this recording, awesome remastering job

 

The next volume. Recorded 4/10/33, 10/2/33 & 3/25/32.

 

Issued 1960. On the second side Stanislaw Wislocki conducts the Warsaw Philharmonic in the Introduction and Allegro. Recorded 10/11/58 (Concerto), 4/29/59 (Introduction), 5/2/59 (Novellette) & 5/4/59 (Toccata). Issued with a different cover in stereo on SLPM 138 077 in 1962.

 

Some... especially Impressionist paintings, though he wouldn't like that association. "En Bateau" perfectly captures a boat lazily gliding on water, but I still envision an early 20th century era.

 

Does anyone know anything about this upcoming Shostakovich quartets recording by the Borodin Quartet? Is it a new recording or one of the older cycles?

 

I would bet on it. Only the Hammerklavier was issued on 78s by RCA, so they would not have had metal masters for the other sonatas in their vaults.

 

It's a new recording.

 

Listening to the Quintet in C Major, opus 29 (Simon Rowland-Jones, viola) and string Quartet in F major. opus 59 #1 " Razumovsky".
This set is part of the 40 CD Brilliant box, except for the opus 18 quartets, which are played by the Sharon Quartet.

 

Now playing CD19 - Beethoven Piano Sonatas Nos 7 - 10, the digital version from the following box for a first listen ...

 

I recently got a huge pile of classical LPs, including about 30 boxed sets, from the apartment of a friend's relative who died.

The boxes all have a brochure in them titled "Carnegie Hall Selection Committee Report," so the deceased was a member of this record club, it seems in the 1970s.

I've found them all to be quite good. Certainly good performances--lots of quartets done by Melos, Amadeus, Quartetto Italiano, lots of Berlin Phil, I Musici, etc.

The sound seems also surprisingly good to me. These are mostly DG and Philips, which I usually find to be fine but not especially exciting, and most are made in Italy.

I know this record club has been mentioned before here. I do think it was a pretty selective enterprise, due to the quality of what I've been hearing.

Currently listening to the Abbado Brahms symphonies on DG. Not my favorite cycle, but the sound is lush and forceful. Very happy to have picked up these sets!

 

It looks like the upcoming recording of Carmignola playing Bach violin sonatas and partitas was done to as part of the BACH333 project, according to this promo video:

 

1685 + 333 = 2018 as 1685 was JS Bach's year of birth. To be honest, I am so tired of these marketing ploys just to get you to spend more money. I surely would not spend $1 on any BACH333 products ...

 

The big takeaway (for me) from the campaign is... "Holy crap! It's only been 333 years since Bach's birth?"

Kind of puts paid to any expectation that we're operating in some mythical enlightened future age. What was the Carlin line? "We're barely out of the jungle, folks."

 

I'm sure many other will, though. People have different needs. Unlike you, some are maybe just starting to collect classical music, and a set like this will give their collection a huge boost and pleasure for many to years to come. I know I benefited a lot from these kinds of sets when I was starting out with classical a few years ago.

 

That was exactly my reaction when I saw that!!! 333 is not that long ago if you think about how much music's changed 'til then. And how little change there was in the 333 years preceding Bach's birth.

 

I have some 1,800 recordings of JS Bach between CD's and LP's and certainly do not need any BACH333 nonsense ...