Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #64)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Dec 12, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. jukes

    jukes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Finland
    Aham, a new thread again.

    Just listened some music from new records (www.klassik.com): last one was Péteris Vasks, Vox amoris: Fantasy for violin and string orchestra (or perhaps it was Eliasson's Concerto for violin and string orchestra, I'm not sure, though the Klassik site mentioned Vasks while I logged in). From the compilation Northern Lights - northern composers from central European standpoint: Kurt Magnus Atterberg, Ole Bull, Anders Eliasson, Sibelius and Vasks I've mentioned. I'm not sure what "style" or "genre" the piece was, certainly not high modernism of Darmstadt... Pretty romantic, emotional piece. Not exactly closest to my heart. Acceptable.

    Unfortunately I failed to listen to Sibelius' suite op. 117 (for violin & orchestra, obviously) because the Strauss 150 Years just began. The concert was recorded last summer (11th June) in Dresden (Staatskapelle in Semperoper cond. Thielemann). For some reason Thielemann seems to be qood on this kind of well-crafted music of shorter pieces or arias from operas or somesuch. Three sopranos on stage. I prefer them to three tenors (though Plácido Domingo sure was fine in Lohengrin that I once heard). :)

    Looks pretty disturbing when there's no proper lip sync (I decided to play a little and took the audio signal from digibox to dac in order listen with the stereo set). I think I can fix the sync problem later and enjoy the concert properly, because the program goes to the hard drive of the digibox. Even though that's crappy digi sound (190 kbps? perhaps as high as 250 kbps?), I can tell that Thielemann gets nice colours/timbres with the Staatskapelle, as well as powerful dynamic changes. OK, after 30 minutes, it's the second time he rushed out of sigh - perhaps sipping water, or wiping sweat. Boring. Do it on stage, we won't mind. It's more disturbing to run here & there.

    Ouch, my bad. The telly was on normal, non-HD play, while the digibox records the HD stream. Lip sync issue solved.
     
    bluemooze likes this.
  2. jukes

    jukes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Finland
    Agreed, and fine "finale" for the cycle of the "middle symphonies" (5.-7.), pure music.
     
  3. jukes

    jukes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Finland
    Folks, what's your Brahms 3rd favourite?

    Klemperer and Giulini with Philharmonia Orch.: they were once my picks - and the boxes are usually side by side in the LP shelve. Today Chailly & Gewandhaus Orch. is usually the no. 1 pick: it's so easy to put the fileset on...
     
  4. Fafner88

    Fafner88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Haifa, Israel
    I remember that I quite liked a piece by Vasks called "Musica Dolorosa", from this CD (which also includes chamber arrangements of the Shostakovich sq no.8 and Schnittke's trio sonata)

    [​IMG]

    Seems to me like a composer worth exploring, especially that he's alive and doesn't write noise...
     
    ds58, ToddBD, bluemooze and 2 others like this.
  5. Fafner88

    Fafner88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Haifa, Israel
    And by the way, I think his music has more substance than stuff like Arvo Part, despite some general similarities in style.
     
  6. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Vasks has a violin concerto called Distant Light. Peter Martins has choreographed it twice. I saw the first at Boston Ballet, where the costumes were designed by my girlfriend at the time. She also designed the costumes for New York City Ballet - but by then she was no longer my girlfriend.
     
  7. jukes

    jukes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Finland
    What's your favourite Brahms 3rd symphony recording, folks?
     
  8. Fafner88

    Fafner88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Haifa, Israel
    If choosing only one, I will probably go with the 78 Karajan (that set of the complete symphonies with the red cover).

    But Jochum and Tennstedt (live) come pretty close (and of course Furtwangler).
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2014
  9. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Listening to a Vasks disc on Bis courtesy of Spotify.
     
  10. Fafner88

    Fafner88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Haifa, Israel
    Funny, I'm doing the same thing. Vox Amoris is a pretty good piece...
     
  11. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Either Karajan 60s or Barbirolli.
     
  12. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    My two favorite cycles are Klemperer and Szell. I'd have to go back and do a focused listening to pick a favorite 3rd. And I still haven't listened to Abbado's and Walter's. Abbado's 1st was excellent.

    I'm not a fan of HvK's 70's cycle. I wish DG would re-issue a twofer of the 60's cycle.
     
  13. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    "Viatore" from the Bis disc certainly resembles Part.
     
  14. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    I strongly second both points.
     
  15. Fafner88

    Fafner88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Haifa, Israel
    What's wrong with the 70's cycle?
     
  16. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    By that time, HvK's sound/style had become too homogenized and the overall energy level and intensity found in the 60s recordings had largely vanished.

    Put another way, there are very few 70s HvK recordings that I like. There are very few 60s HvK recordings that I do not like.
     
    J.A.W. likes this.
  17. Fafner88

    Fafner88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Haifa, Israel
    You can say anything you want about the 70's cycle, but not that it lacks energy or intensity, you should listen to it again.
     
    Casagrande likes this.
  18. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    No, I shouldn't. And I can say whatever I want about the 70s cycle, including that it lacks the energy and intensity found in the 60s cycle. In fact, I already did.
     
  19. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I've listened to it a number of times. To me it has no character. For energy, I look to Szell (or Toscanini). For intensity, I look to Klemperer.

    I need to listen to the Abbado. It's one of the earlier (generally better) cycles in that box. I've been saving the Brahms symphonies in the Abbado and Walter boxes for my dessert.
     
  20. Fafner88

    Fafner88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Haifa, Israel
    Talking about bland and homogenized recordings...
     
  21. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Klemperer with the Philharmonia Orchestra (EMI, now Warner). I have quite a few other very good interpretations, but that's the one I keep returning to. Szell is a close second.
     
    ToddBD and john greenwood like this.
  22. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I don't rely on reviews for my final determinations, but my decision to purchase the Abbado box was heavily influenced by the praise his Brahms cycle received. Here is Gramophone on the third.

    RECOMMENDATIONS
    BUDGET RICHES:

    LPO / Alsop / Naxos 8 557430
    Discussing Brahms's Third Symphony is one thing, conducting it is something else. Marin Alsop does both shrewdly, sensitively, perceptively. This is the latest in a distinguished line of LPO Thirds stretching back to Weingartner in 1938.
    THE CLASSICIST’S VIEW:
    Philharmonia / Klemperer / EMI 562742-2
    Born and brought up to Brahms, Klemperer is the most dauntless of the symphony’s classicising interpreters. What on LP was a rather acerbic-sounding recording emerges on CD with greater body and warmth.
    THE UNMISSABLE:
    BPO / Furtwängler / EMI 565513-2
    The sound here is fragile and the audience intrusive, but this is a performance like no other. You may not sleep for nights after hearing it, but you'll be richer and wiser for the experience.
    THE TOP CHOICE:
    BPO / Abbado / DG 429 765-2GH
    This is the finest of the modern versions, a performance that sits well beside classic recordings such as those by Krauss in the 1930s, Walter and Barbirolli in the 60s, and Sanderling in the 70s.

    So far, I've only listened to his Brahms first, and I found it enthralling.
     
  23. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Earlier tonight: Prokofiev: Violin Concertos 1, Op.19; 2, Op.63; Stravinsky: Violin Concerto - Kyung-Wha Chung with André Previn/London Symphony Orchestra - Decca

    (the pricture below is the U.S. release; mine has "Decca" at the top-right corner, the rest is the same)

    [​IMG]
     
    bluemooze, Fafner88 and Mik like this.
  24. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Abbado's Brahms set is indeed great, but, as posted earlier, I prefer Klemperer and Szell.
     
  25. Fafner88

    Fafner88 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Haifa, Israel
    Well the Abbado is ok, but the real star is the orchestra which still had that big and beautiful Karajan sound at the time. But it's not the place to go if you want more clarity and transparency (though It's way better then the recent Rattle).

    And I second the Alsop recommendation, it's a really good recording.
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2014
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine