Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #54)

I occasionally buy a lightly scratched CD, since they are returnable for credit. I've only had to return a couple over the years. I went out to Mckay's this morning & picked up a few CDs & LPs; nothing like the last time. It's a 15-mile round trip, so I only go about once a month.

 

Now playing the following CD from my early music collection ...

 

This is the advantage of a B&M store over Amazon. I have been burnt a number of times when the sellers misrepresented the condition of some used (and OOP) CD's. The hassle of returning the CD is just too much for me to bother ...

 

Now listening to "Elgar - Violin Concerto/Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending" performed by Hilary Hahn and the London Symphony Orchestra led by Colin Davis on DG. "The Lark Ascending" is a very beautiful piece.

 

So far I haven't had a problem with anything I bought from an Amazon seller. Now that I think of it, it seems I've only bought used jazz online; all the classical & pop has been new.

 

I have the same recording in SACD format. I actually enjoy the following version by a very young (late) Iona Brown ...

 

Nice. I love the two fantasias as well. Don't have this recording though.

 

Now Playing:



Chopin: Ballades & Nocturnes
Arthur Schoonderwoerd, fortepiano
(Alpha 147)

I guess this must be an unusual way of presenting this music, with Ballades and Nocturnes alternating throughout the course of the CD, but it works for me, maybe because I wasn't previously familiar with these pieces. (I never said I was an expert in Classical music!) I don't know how these performances stack up with others, but I find them to be very satisfying. I did, however, bring this disc to a friend's house who knows this music well, and he was quite impressed with the playing. One piece didn't meet up to his expectations (I can't remember which one) but overall he gave this CD high marks. The sound of this fortepiano is pretty surprising also, sounding pretty rich, not at all hollow like some fortepianos do. Even the low notes are quite full sounding.

As I'm writing this, several Amazon Marketplace sellers have used and new copies of this priced very cheaply in case anyone's interested. And audio samples are available:

http://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Ballades-Nocturnes-Schoonderwoerd/dp/B0023T9ZOS

 

It is an inexpensive recording ...

 

More early music, now playing the following CD ...

 

The LP is lovely.

 

Now listening to Disc 3 - "Court Music and Songs from the Age of the Discoverers 1492-1553" from "Espana Antigua" performed by Hesperion XX on Virgin Classics.

 

Now playing the following SACD from my early music collection ...

 

Actually, this was from the mid 1600's. Perhaps it is more like early baroque ...

 

Now playing the following CD from my Bach collection for a second listen. Too many CD's have been listened to only once ...

 

First listen to Disc 8 "The Classical Concerto" from the "Music Of The Enlightenment" box on Harmonia Mundi. Mozart Piano Concerto 21 performed by Stefan Vlador and Camerata Salzburg / Beethoven Piano Concerto 2 performed by Paul Lewis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra led by Jiri Belohlavek.

 

I do not have any big box by HM but suspect I may already have many singles that are in this box ...

 

Now listening to Disc 3 from "Alfred Cortot - The Master Pianist" on EMI.

Debussy - Children's Corner/Preludes Livre 1
Ravel - Sonatine/Jeux d'eau

 

Fortunately (or unfortunately?) for me I don't already have most of what's in the box, so it makes a good addition to my collection and makes me aware of many possibilities for further exploration.

 

Now playing CD6 from the following set for a first listen ...

I have all the Cortot's Chopin works on Naxos Historical ...

 

I dashed for the following set (OOP now) when it was first released from Amazon UK, which had a great price. While I already had most of the recordings, I did not have Karajan's Bruckner Symphonies, which was available as a box at a highway robbery price. I also was missing some Haydn Symphonies. The prices of the Karajan's Bruckner and Haydn would have added up to more than the price of the big box. As such, it was a no-brainer. It turned out the Beethoven Symphonies in the big box are the 77 cycle, which I have on LP but not on CD. So that was overall a very good deal for me ...

 

Now playing CD7, the last CD from the following set for a first listen ...

 

Just checked out the disc listing for this box on Amazon. As expected, I have probably something like 98% of the works, though by different performers.

 

Now listening to "Thomas Tallis - The Lamentations Of Jeremiah" performed by The Hilliard Ensemble on ECM vinyl.

 

Now listening to "Melancolia - Spanish Arias And Songs" performed by Patricia Petibon accompanied by Orquesta Nacional de Espana led by Josep Pons. I want to marry her.