Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #57)

Still waiting for his Cavatina to arrive in the mail. He played in my hometown some 7-8 years ago, and I saw the ad in the newspapers two months after the concert.

 

Janos Starker - Bach Solo Cello Suites 1-6 vinyl

Simply beautiful music, full of emotion and stunningly recorded.
http://www.discogs.com/Johann-Sebas...-Unaccompanied-Cello-Complete/release/3479676

 

The SACDs sound pretty good as well.

 

Can't agree more with all you said. Welcome aboard, btw. Dude, your avatar rocks, man.

 

I definitely enjoy the Bernstein's Beethoven cycle with the VPO. While I also have three HIP cycles (Gardiner, Hogwood and Goodman), I actually prefer Beethoven Symphonies performed on modern instruments ...

 

I have read somewhat uneven performance reviews of her. She is from Germany IIRC ...

 

Interesting recording I should check out ...

 

Just starting to get back into classical music, rediscovering old favourites.
I have tatty LP copies of Bartok String Quartets 1-4, Juilliard 1963 but am looking to add complete Bartok and Shostakovich String Quartets (preferably on vinyl) but otherwise on CD (not SACD or digital).

Would appreciate your recommendations and reason why.

 

Mr Bass: "I think the woodwinds have the worst problem in the orchestra since they sit right in front of the brass."

MY exact reaction to bluemooze's query. You beat me to it.

 

For Shostakovich, I'd recommend Fitzwilliam's whose vinyl sounds pretty good.

 

Deja-vu...this version which I have a copy of...crossed my mind ,today for no particular reason. I shudder to think of the task, if I had to then also count up the number of versions I have, of all Mahler's various works.
Incidentally... I have always wondered what happened to what I call 'this version's mate'. A Leinsdorf version of Mahler 3rd Symphony with Shirley Verrett released so far as I know - originally on vinyl- around the same time period - and also on RCA.

 

Bartok - Budapest on DG - the most enjoyable set I have heard.

Shostakovich - Borodin on Chandos (only 1-13, as 14-15 hadn't been written yet.) or their later complete set on Melodiya (though I feel the earlier set digs deeper)

 

A striking memorable and surprising version of Beethoven's 6th Symphony was conducted by Sir Adrian Boult on EMI, late in his career as a conductor. It had what one could call if possible - a sense of universal humanity and a warm glow..Yet there was nothing to suggest there - of un-necessarily attention on certain aspects of the score, nor dawdling or sluggishness of tempos to achieve this . It was but another example-showing how much of a master conductor, he was.

Von Karajan in this symphony always gave the impression "he was, but doing 'a clinical orchestral run-through' ....to appease the fact, the studio tech's also - just had their recording machines on, as well.
To some of us , besides reservations one may hold of the man himself and his 'history'......he certainly earned the joked attribute - he was both DG's & EMI's Monday to Friday 9 till 5 most diligent worker on the asssemby line =producing highly glaring over copious amounts of raw product . For which.... he then later personally twisted , played around with, and manipulated at recording consoles & their controls ( editing) to be later offered 'via volume market place-dumping' -for sale. Many are nothing but a display of ' jazzed -up sonic soup'.He should have been nick-named "Mr Heinz"even though in V.K's case, his own products were but 57 of the same formula."

 

Now playing:
Vladimir Horowitz at the Whitman Auditorium 1967 – Previously Unreleased Recital (Sony Music, 2 CDs)



Ludwig Van Beethoven – Sonata No.28 , Op.101
Frederic Chopin – Barcarolle Op.60, Nocturne No.15 Op.55/1, Polonaise No.5 Op.44, Mazurka Op.7/3
Domenico Scarlatti – Sonatas – K55, K101, K260, K319, K466
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Etude-Tableaus - Op.39/5,9
Robert Schumann – Arabeske Op.18, Traumerei (No.7 from Kinderszenen Op.15)
George Bizet – Variations on a Theme from Bizet's "Carmen" (Arr. Horowitz)

 

Thanks.
From my investigations so far, this early Borodin keeps coming up. Can't seem to find any readily available 14 and 15 though.

 

It got reissued in the High Performance Series, but I never got around to checking it out after to my bad experience with Tomita's Snowflakes in the same series.



I generally enjoy Leinsdorf's 5th very much, and find its sonics excellent, even though some parts of the first movement are a bit too rushed, while some phrases not so elegantly shaped.

 

Likewise.

 

I second this recommendation, and, if I may add, the CD box ain't shabby at all.

 

It's a bit pricey (used copies are cheaper), but it's very good: http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-...&keywords=shostakovich+quartets+borodin+14+15

 

Giacomo Meyerbeer: Overtures and Entr'actes from the French Operas
Darrell Ang, conductor
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Naxos 8.573195
2014

On a first listen, some I liked, but was indifferent to others. He achieves a great dark mood in Robert the Devil.

 

Spent the afternoon with Mendelssohn and Sibelius at the ballet. Both were interpreting Shakespeare. Mendelssohn's music for "Midsummer Night's Dream" is well know, although Ashton's ballet is set to a "remix." Even the overture is only heard in snatches. Bottom's theme is not played until he becomes an ass well into the performance. A bit frustrating musically, but as ballet it works brilliantly.

Sibelius' incidental music for "The Tempest" was one of his final works. (As it was purportedly Shakespeare's farewell to the stage, maybe people should have suspected that Sibelius would write little more.) The music was new to me and I liked it. However the ballet was not as satisfying. There's not all that much plot in Shakespeare's play, but even this gets cut down in the ballet. As I watched I was thinking what a great film director Shakespeare would have been. His cutting back and forth between plots is brilliant. Ashton got this. Ratmansky (choreographer for "The Tempest") did not.

 

I agree...the HIP performances are interesting to listen to, but I seem to "get more" from modern instruments, if you know what I mean.

 

Now playing…

 

Karajan and Pastorale. Two words that surely will start a debate among classical music fans.

 

Like probably everyone, I was guilty of not paying much attention to Sir Adrian early in my collecting career; he wasn't the sort of flamboyant figure or fan club darling that naturally draws lots of attention. As time goes on, however, I've become ever more aware of his solid, satisfying musicianship and the remarkable breadth of his repertoire. A musician's musician. As a bonus, unlike some other celebrated figures of his era, he avoided slowing down with age.