Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #59)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Aug 15, 2014.

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  1. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Have you heard his Rach 2 with Karajan on the same label? I recall being very impressed with it. I wrote this about his Rach 3 with Pretre:

    [​IMG]

     
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  2. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    I can't recall what Weissenberg/HvK collaboration this particular slab of vinyl was, but it was new during the transition from LPs to CDs, a promo I snagged during my brief tenure at Tower Records, Berkeley. LP was an early Digital or Digitally remastered recording. I recall it being one of the Warhorses, Tchaikovsky's First PC comes to mind but this was 30 years ago, one of the foggier compartments of my memory. But I do recall really weird sound, with the piano sounding like a twelve foot-long aluminum and glass instrument, the miking of the instrument akin to the image of a stretch limo via a fisheye lens. Has affected my opinion of the work of this pianist, probably permanently.
     
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  3. Jonno

    Jonno Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    How do people find Spotify for classical music? I'm listening to Furtwangler conduct Schubert's 9th right now, seems like a great resource for exploring many different recordings of my favourite works. The other day I was listening to Bax's symphonies which I don't own.
     
  4. Soulpope

    Soulpope Common one

    Location:
    Vienna, Austria
    Weissenberg`s Rachmaninov3 with Pretre is to my ears a goodie too.....vaguely remember his co-operation with Karajan from the early 70`s

    [​IMG]

    which left me rather untouched back then.....probably a good reason to give it another listen in the near future...
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2014
    EasterEverywhere and bluemooze like this.
  5. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Look through my recent posts. :)
     
  6. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Karajan recorded some Rachmaninov works with Weissenberg on EMI as well. I believe I have the recording on LP and probably on CD ...
     
  7. Jonno

    Jonno Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Oops. Thanks, quite useful then apparently!
     
  8. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Having said that, there are issues. Searching is definitely hit or miss.. You have to try the conductor, the soloist, the orchestra and the composer. In some cases the descriptions of works can be so vague you don't know what you are listening to.

    But - I see high praise for Igor Levitt on this thread, and I go to Spotify and listen to the Partitas. Feinberg's Well-Tempered Clavier is available in George's preferred mastering. I can listen to Paul Jacobs' OOP (disgracefully) Debussy. I have nothing by Pires, so I sampled her Mozart (and didn't care for it). I enjoy classical guitar, but not enough to buy the Bream mega-box. Spotify makes it available to me. And on and on. Moreover, Spotify has introduced me to a number of non-classical artists. I have Spotify Premium, and I find the sound is respectable overall.

    As I mentioned recently in this thread, I have about slightly more than 2,000 classical CDs (counting individual discs). I have made the decision to reduce my further purchases. I just don't need to own a 4th cycle of Beethoven sonatas unless it is truly outstanding in some aspect - at least not when I can stream a dozen additional cycles. And there are plenty of works, that I might want to listen to once or twice in my lifetime - say an obscure Britten opera. I live in an NYC apartment and space is a factor too.

    On the other hand the Levitt and Feinberg were impressive enough for me to consider purchasing. The Feinberg is in scarce supply*, but the Levitt is actually available in high res from HDTracks. So I may go for that the next time it's on sale.

    *The Feinberg is available cheap from Amazon as an MP3 download. Not my choice of formats, but I may get it for fear that the title could be dropped from Spotify.
     
  9. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Now enjoying the newest piano release on Marston Records (no picture available yet online, as it was just released):

    (I have the others in this series for this pianist and they are all incredible! Wonderfully romantic, imaginative readings)

    Ernst Levy vol. 4
    A Selection of Unpublished Concert and Studio Recordings
    52072-2 (2 CDs)


     
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  10. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    I think that WTC by Feinberg is OOP. With the Russkies, who knows when it will be re-issued. I have 3 of the 4 WTC volumes by Tatiana Nikolayeva, whom many considered to be the first lady of JS Bach keyboard works from the Soviet era. Unfortunately Volume 2 appears to be OOP forever ...

    I have close to if not over 10,000 recordings in classical music (my LP collection is not recorded on computer) and really do not feel I need to bother with Pandora or Spotify. I imagine Spotify has a much more extensive classical catalog than Pandora ...
     
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  11. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    You are unrivaled at CMC when it comes to your piano music collection ... :edthumbs::winkgrin:
     
  12. kevinsinnott

    kevinsinnott Forum Coffeeologist

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    This is perhaps the most common disqualifying factor in a concerto. I know some critics who seem to cherish a so-called natural, un-spotlit soloist in concerto recordings. But, when I think of my favorites, they are usually ones where I can hear everything. I would say there's a perfect balance in my head, though. It must be maddening to be a recording engineer!
     
  13. Scott Wheeler

    Scott Wheeler Forum Resident

    Location:
    ---------------
    When I go see a concerto I like to be as close to the soloist as possible. I'm quite happy in the front row right in line with the soloist
     
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  14. kevinsinnott

    kevinsinnott Forum Coffeeologist

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    First CD I ever heard. The Sony player of the era might not have give it its full due, but it sure was dynamic! I heard it recently on my tweaked system (same CD!) and it sounds better than ever.
     
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  15. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Pandora is nearly useless for classical - unless you feel like hearing the third movement of Beethoven's 7th followed by a Debussy prelude followed by an aria from Tannhauser followed by a prelude and fugue from WTC 2, many by artists you've never heard of.

    Amazon is listing one new copy of the Feinberg WTC for $79. But for $8.99 I would probably live with the mp3 in this (very rare) instance.

    Spotify has a number of recordings of Bach by Nikolayeva, but not the WTC. I did listen to her Shostakovich via either Spotify or MOG (now part of Beats, and not available via my Squeezebox).
     
  16. scompton

    scompton Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arlington, VA
    It's a shame that Nonesuch only seeks the Jacobs albums in mp3. They sell other albums in FLAC.
     
  17. dale 88

    dale 88 Errand Boy for Rhythm

    Location:
    west of sun valley
    Enjoying these wonderful performances again. This time on the 2003 remastered Chandos CD release. I also have the 4 LPs reissued in the late 70's.

    Earl Wild
    Royal Philharmonic
    Jascha Horenstein
    Chandos, 2CDs, 2003
    [​IMG]
     
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  18. Bachtoven

    Bachtoven Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    I started listening to these newly purchased sets (it will take a while unless I "binge listen"!), and I like what I hear--muscular playing when called for, and amazingly good sound.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Mik, bluemooze, kevinsinnott and 4 others like this.
  19. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    Thanks for the heads up, George! I've been much impressed with earlier discs in this series.
     
  20. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    Just finished listening to this:

    [​IMG]

    and it was an incredible experience!
     
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  21. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I bought 48-59 many years ago (picked more or less at random from the different sets). It's provided a great deal of enjoyment, and where it overlaps Marriner/Leppard, I prefer Dorati.
     
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  22. alankin1

    alankin1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philly
    Now playing:
    Sergei Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No.2 Op.18, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Op.43
    Julius Katchen — London Symphony Orchestra / London Philharmonic Orchestra — Sir Georg Solti / Sir Adrian Boult (Londin - Decca Records)

    [​IMG]
     
  23. Bachtoven

    Bachtoven Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    For me, this is still the one to beat, and the 1975 sound holds up very well.

    [​IMG]
     
    Mik, vanhooserd, 5-String and 3 others like this.
  24. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    While Nikolayeva had recorded Beethoven Sonatas and some works by Shosty, she is still best known for her JS Bach keyboard works, which I have a few besides the incomplete WTC, which was issued as singles ...

    I also do not bother with Sirius either, as it has been offered to me for a three-month free trial for the third time in the last ten years. I really was not impressed with its classical programs when I tried it a number of years ago. Anyone here cares for Sirius?
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2014
  25. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I would say she is equally known for her Shostakovich. From her obituary in the Times:

    In 1950, she gained international recognition by winning a piano competition at the Leipzig Bach Festival. She impressed the jury, which included the composer Dmitri Shostakovich, by offering to play not merely the Bach prelude and fugue required, but any of the 48 preludes and fugues of Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier," from memory.

    Shostakovich was so taken with her performances that on his return to Moscow he wrote his own set of 24 Preludes and Fugues (Op. 87), sharing each of the pieces with her as it was finished. She gave the work's premiere, in 1952 in Leningrad, and developed a close friendship with the composer. Having also studied composition at the Moscow Conservatory, she herself became a composer as well as a performer.

    "As time passes," Miss Nikolayeva wrote a few years ago of her Leipzig award, "I feel more and more that I received then another, not so concrete but no less important, prize: the creative and personal friendship of Dmitri Shostakovich; a friendship which lasted more than 25 years, to the day of his death."
     
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