Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #61)

Moravec, recorded March & April, 1982 at RCA Studio A, NYC. Produced & Engineered by Max Wilcox. Sony Digital Recording System provided by MacDonald Moore, New York Digital Recording, Inc. Released 1984.

 

Would love to try my LPs on my newly purchased Magnavox Concert Grand,I got on Craigslist,but it needs work.I'll just have to be happy with my main setup of a Thorens TD-135,switched back.and forth between a Fisher x-101 and a HH Scott LK-48.

 

This sells for crazy money on vinyl.Here's two recent sales.

http://www.popsike.com/Leonard-Bern...honie-No5-DG-Digital4236081/131320338935.html

http://www.popsike.com/DGG-digital-...-5-BERNSTEIN-Wiener-Phil-NM/111475024796.html

 

Now: Schubert: Piano Sonatas 13, D664; 21, D960 - Radu Lupu - 10 CDs, Decca, Complete Decca Solo Recordings; CD 8

 

Now: Mozart: Piano Concertos 21, K467; 22, K482 - Robert Casadesus with George Szell/Members of the Cleveland Orchestra (K467)/Members of the Columbia Symphony Orchestra (K482) - 5 CDs, Sony, Robert Casadesus Plays Mozart; disc 1

 

Had much of that on LP. Those performances and Peter Serkin's performance of 14-19 were my introduction to the Mozart piano concertos. All in all, I think I choose rather well (if blindly).

 

One of the high points of a wonderful box.

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/classical-music-corner-thread-24.247530/page-5#post-6442906

 

Now: Chopin: Nocturnes - Arthur Rubinstein - 142 CDs and 2 DVDs, RCA, The Complete Album Collection; discs 101~102, 1965 and 1967 recordings

 

I almost listened to his first set on Nocturnes (from that box) last night. I think I will tonight.

Last night, I gave this OOP CD a first listen:



Interesting, not at the level of Chopin's nocturnes, but still a pleasant listen.

 

My usual go-to is Toscanini, whose issued 78 RPM take on the sym., notwithstanding the critic's lukewarm reception of his Coriolan Overture, was described in a contemporary guide as (again paraphrasing from memory) "surely set one in any serious collection of classical music." Yes, fast, but also, under the surface, roiling with passion. But comparisons with Toscanini are perhaps pernicious, as, love him or hate him, I think we can all agree that one thing no one can do successfully is imitate him. So here's another choice, roughly contemporary but from a rather less likely source: Eugene Ormandy anonymously leading an anonymous orchestra, probably largely made up of players from his Philadelphia orchestra, for the World's Greatest Music promotional/budget series. Now, Ormandy is far from the first name I would normally associate with front-rank Beethoven symphonic playing, but on the day that he made that recording, at least, he was drawing immense passion and excitement from his forces. A much better recording than it had any right to be.

 

I'm looking forward to listen to some more Schubert on the Richter Plays Schubert Live and Kempff Schubert boxes, both of which I ordered yesterday.

 

Ormandy usually gets short shrift, the price of being so popular. I've heard lots of first-rate Beethoven from that source so I'm not surprised to hear that.

If it's weight you want, Bruno Walter will deliver. Just this week, bought an imported [UK] set of The New World Symphony, a Mozart Violin Concerto with Zino Francescetti, Wagner's "Good Friday Spell" and the Coriolan Overture, Colombia Symphony Orchestra. One of the most powerful recordings of the piece. Surfaces on the UK discs are great as is the mastering.

 

Are those recordings available on CD? I suppose that the Ormandy recording that you are referring to isn't from his 60's cycle with the PO?

 

Now listening to "Beau Soir" performed by Janine Jansen accompanied by Itamar Golan.

Works by Debussy, Dubugnon, Boulanger, Messiaen, Faure, and Ravel.

(There are more images of this album cover on Google Images than any other album that I've seen)

 

No, the Ormandy was recorded by Victor in 1938 and issued anonymously later that year at a bargain price in a promotional series sponsored by a newspaper chain. I have it on original 78 RPM pressings, the first recording of the sym. that I ever owned (or heard, for that matter), part of a haul of albums that I promoted from the basement of my church when I first started collecting. As far as I know, it's never had another release since.

Toscanini's "official" recordings are more readily available and include the last mvt. only with the La Scala Or., recorded acoustically in 1920; the originally 78 RPM set that I mentioned above, with the NBC SO, recorded in 1939; and the one from his "complete" box, again with the NBC SO, recorded in 1952. There are others drawn unofficially from broadcasts and concerts; in my own collection I have one with the PSONY from 1933 and the one from his complete cycle with the NBC SO in 1939.

 

I agree that he tends to be underrated, but in general I've thought of him foremost as a sensitive, capable accompanist in concerti and such, as in the collaborations he did for Columbia with Rudolf Serkin.

 

I mainly bought this for the premiere recording of the Mennin Sonata. It's very powerful and virtuosic, if not especially original: it has strong echos of both Barber's Sonata and Prokofiev's 7th. Lloyd's Sonata is good too--also very virtuosic with touches of jazz. Clear but rather dry/studio-bound sound.

 

I also have this very interesting box and should get more familiarized with his style ...

 

His stereo recordings of the Eroica and the Ninth are first rate.

 

Thanks for reminding me that I actually have this box in my collection. I searched on my computer (Excel Spreadsheet but could not find it) but Amazon told me I bought the box in 2010. Indeed, I found the box on the shelf. As I always enjoy Schumann's Piano Works, now playing CD10 from this box ...

 

I spent the last twenty five years putting together a very large classical record collection ,mostly from thrift stores and dollar bins at record stores.This includes almost complete runs of every 1948-56 mono LP,and 1958-64 stereo LP on RCA,Mercury,London,Columbia,and Capitol,and of course lots more.This may be the wrong forum to ask this,but I wonder if all these complete edition box sets,with the replica LP covers,have helped to create awareness and interest in pre stereo classical LPs,where there had been virtually none before?

 

Well, for my part, no--my interest in mono LPs exceeds my interest in the stereo ones by just as wide a margin as it always has!

 

You know, I saw her in concert a number of years ago (when her name meant nothing to me). I don't recall her looking that good. She did a nice job with the Mendelssohn though.

 

Tonight some more Brahms performed by the Jerusalem Quartet and friends. Second of a three concert series.

 

Now: Schubert: Piano Sonata 18, D894 - Sviatoslav Richter - 33 CDs, Decca, Solo Recordings; disc 23, December 1979 recording