Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #55)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Apr 22, 2014.

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  1. vanhooserd

    vanhooserd Senior Member

    Location:
    Nashville,TN
    004.JPG
    Unusually for a Decca issue, this was not recorded by Decca but supplied to them by Katin. First issued in the U.S. on London Stereo Treasury STS 15305 (1/76). My CD dates to 4/89. Recorded 7/72.
     
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  2. vanhooserd

    vanhooserd Senior Member

    Location:
    Nashville,TN
    009.JPG
    This guy can really sing, opera & lieder, mostly in French. Recordings from 1980-98. 2-CD set issued 2005.
     
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  3. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I ordered the Beethoven set yesterday together with the Machaut disc mentioned in the prior thread.
     
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  4. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    No, I have not. Possessing the usual levels of musical snobbery in my younger days, I generally avoided Rachmaninoff. It is only now that I'm listening to his Symphonies. I think I've had Stokowski's very late recording of the Third Symphony for a decade before actually playing it a few months ago. I managed to find good LPs [Boult, Ormandy] of the other 2 symphonies soon thereafter.

    I have been aware of Rachmaninoff's Sacred Choral Music since 1987, thanks to Ellen Holmes, my partner for some years. Ellen Holmes produced a series of programs for the Music From The Hearts of Space. leaning heavily on 'Western Classical Music' while illuminating some of the lesser known corners of Classical music, like John Dowland or the Sacred Choral Music of Russia. I did the technical work of assembling the shows, dubbing from LPs or CDs to reel to reel at 15 ips and then transferring the analog tape via a Sony a/d converter to a betamax tape. The process would be so much easier these days—an 11 year old could do it on a smartphone if it hold their attention. But this was back in the dawn of digital. Music From The Hearts of Space was one of the first programs to be distributed via satellite. This was back in 1987.

    Here's a recent program of Ellen's for HOS, gives a good idea of her musical taste and deep knowledge of spiritually themed or inspired/inspiring musics from the classical tradition:

    https://www.hos.com/php/showProgram.php?program=0763

    After hearing Rachmaninoff's Sacred Choral music, I got caught up in his better known pieces but was never all that attracted to the solo piano music. I suppose Emperor Joseph the II's reaction to Mozart might apply here, for some inexplicable reason feeling like the gaudy surfaces of the music might be just too much work. This situation obviously needs to be rectified. Point me to the one indispensable portal to Rachmaninoff's Solo piano music and remember that I'm a cheapskate audiophile. If there should appear some absurd bargain in this territory I would doubtless procure said object in the very near future.
     
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  5. Collector Man

    Collector Man Well-Known Member

    Agreed! Jose van Dam - unlike too many well known and recorded singers one could think of - always....knew exactly what suited and fitted his voice and what to avoid. Intelligence, artistry and sensitivity also went hand in hand with his performances.
    His name on a recording ........one never ever had the slightest concerns.
    Recently I listened to a radio presentation of a recording of Faure's Requiem. The baritone - there used - was a much raved-about internationally known 'bit of beefcake' according to many female classical enthusiasts I know.( So much for their critical musical judgements!!!) I have heard this other particular singer in question -live - in operatic parts. I was stuck how underpowered this 'wantabee' now sounded. His voice was not sitting 'on and arould its natural gravity point'. I am neither surprised to hear this other under-trained creature I speak of, is now leaving alone opera and concentrating more on stage musicals and Broadway concert work.

    I quickly put on a EMI recording of Van Dam doing the same Faure piece with Barbara Hendricks What a day and night difference..
     
  6. John S

    John S Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    I find myself playing this more than I thought I would...like right now

    [​IMG]

    Bonus on this ART re-issue is a pretty good Ravel Gaspard
     
  7. Collector Man

    Collector Man Well-Known Member

    I was reading Robin L's message, just previously before seeing your reply to him.
    As if by magic, the first recording to recommend to him as a great Rachmaninoff example that came into my head .......was this recording. You delightfully 'beat me to the punch' as they say. After I first purchased a copy, I 'lost it somewhere' in my large collection, here at home. Unable to bear the then - possibility that I had lost it for good, I repurcheased it. Then by luck, I found the first copy. I am happily keeping both copies. It is not hard to hear in Gravilov's Rachmaninoff, that he had received tutoring from the great pianist Richter.

    If someone is looking for a fabulous modern performance of the Rachmaninoff 4 Piano Concertos and Rhapsody.... in glorious digital 'analogue -like sound', try sampling Nicolai Lugansky's versions on Warner Bros. An alternate and the the cheapest way to buy them is in a 9 CD box set of his various pianistic performances.
    Where Rachmaninoff is concerned, I am always interested 'in buying yet another version' of anything he composed.
    Someone mention Nicolai Demidenko the painist here recently -playing Medtner.
    IMHO- In Rachmaninoff he comes across as stripping the music of any poetry, and being artistically 'thick' and 'a keyboard basher'.
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2014
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  8. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Robin - this CD is so good it has been issued at least three different times, on three different labels:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003CP1SRE?pc_redir=1397548153&robot_redir=1

    The Gavrilov is great, of course, but his friend Richter is unbeatable in this music. Also check out Richter's Rach 2 on DG (for the best sound, get the original issue that pairs it with a Prokofiev PC.)
     
  9. Mr Bass

    Mr Bass Chevelle Ma Belle

    Location:
    Mid Atlantic
    Now Listening To

    Bruckner: Symphony 9. Mehta, VPO. UK London ffrr.

    bruckner9.jpg
     
  10. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    Now listening to "The Second Circle - Love Songs of Francesco Landini" by Anonymous 4 on Harmonia Mundi.

    anonymous 4 the second circle.jpg
     
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  11. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    Inspired by this thread, now listening to "Rachmaninov - Preludes/Etudes-tableaux" performed by Richter on Regis. I can't remember for sure which forum it was, but I believe I learned of this recording on this forum some time ago.

    rachmaninov preludes richter.jpg
     
  12. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    And?
     
  13. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    Nice, I don't think that I have ever seen a picture of Mehta in his younger days.
     
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  14. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    And I'm grateful to whoever recommended it. (maybe it was you? :)) I like the music and I think the playing is terrific.
     
  15. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    I am not sure if it was me, but I wouldn't be surprised. :)

    Glad you are enjoying it.
     
  16. Mr Bass

    Mr Bass Chevelle Ma Belle

    Location:
    Mid Atlantic

    I don't know if this (Binkley's Studio for Early Music, EMI Germany) was ever released on CD but it is an excellent performance and recording of Landini's songs. A very close rival to Machaut in terms of compositional excellence. Interestingly he was blind so I'm not sure how the music was notated.

    landini.JPG
     
  17. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    A lot of folks I recorded were students of Thomas Binkley.
     
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  18. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    Speaking of Richter, spinning this new find. (Also later issued in The Master series, not sure if they are the same mastering or not.)
     
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  19. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    They have pretty fast tempos but not quite as fast as Hilary Hahn's in her Bach Violin Concertos, which just sounds awful to me ...
     
  20. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    He was a favorite of HvK, who had him as sololist in the 77 and 84 Beethoven 9th ...
     
  21. SteelyTom

    SteelyTom Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, Mass.
    Try to track this one down. He's terrific in Mahler, and Casadesus supports him quite well.

    2598937.jpg
     
  22. SteelyTom

    SteelyTom Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, Mass.
    ….And speaking of Mahler-- I have the impression that most here dislike David Zinman and most, if not all, his works, but his Zurich SACD recording of Das Lied von der Erde has been released (though its US availability is spotty, at least for the time being). The Busoni is an intriguing coupling…. If anyone has early an review, I'd much appreciate it.
    zinman_das_liede.jpg
     
  23. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Now playing the following CD from my early music collection ...

    [​IMG]
     
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  24. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    I am actually somewhat neutral about Zinman ...
     
  25. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    I actually have the Beethoven Symphonies by Zinman and the Tonhalle Orchestra. The performance was quite middle-of-the-road but not bad ...
     
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