Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #65)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Jan 7, 2015.

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  1. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    By the by, for those who are still interested in the Beethoven Sonatas online course from Curtis, I got this in my e-mail today:

    I'm very happy to inform previous students of Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas that the course is once again open. For the moment, the lecture material is the same, but Coursera's platform is completely revamped. It's self-paced, with all the content available to you from the start. And there are no assignments, grades, or peer assessments. You'll learn from approximately 5 hours of videos in this on-demand course.

    I'm currently recording new lectures on new sonatas that will be added to the course this Spring. You may want to re-watch the first series to refresh your knowledge. Then you'll be ready to dive in as we cover new works in detail.
    – Jonathan Biss
     
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  2. chervokas

    chervokas Senior Member

    Listening to the Grumiaux Bach solo violin sonatas and partitas. Phew, I don't care how many times I've heard it, it's intense every time.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2015
  3. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Grumiaux was one of the top violinists in the second half of the 20th century, A violinist who could make his violin sing. I have a good number of his recordings in both my CD and LP collections ... :righton:
     
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  4. EasterEverywhere

    EasterEverywhere Forum Resident

    Location:
    Albuquerque
    Those are outstanding.Recorded by RCA in 1938-39.The Ormandys are the PO.The Wagner and Debussy are Fritz Reiner's very first recordings.Here is a complete list.
    www.arsc-audio.org/journals/v7/v07n1-2p33-55.pdf
    I have two sets of the non operatic ones I bought a few years ago for $5 for all of them at the Goodwill Clearance.The Ormandy Beethoven #5 can be heard at Internet Archive.Have a listen,it crackles with electricity.
    I have a similar setup.I have a TD-135,and a Dual 1219.Both have Shure V-15s.The Thorens a Type III,the Dual a Type IV.I do not have spare headshells at the moment,so I swap the 78 stylus for the LP stylus on both,It works fine.

    78s and mono LPs also sound good on tube consoles.

    I recently found a Garrard Type A,I read at Vinyl Engine may have been a UK/European only model.It was $9.99.It is nonworking and needs to be restored,It has no cartridge,and I am not sure what kind to get.
     
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  5. dale 88

    dale 88 Errand Boy for Rhythm

    Location:
    west of sun valley
    For the most part, I like this new take on the String Quartets dedicated to Haydn by Mozart. The sound is very clear but very little vibrato is used. The strings are captured very close-up which not everyone may like.
    Mozart: String Quartets Dedicated to Joseph Haydn. Quartets No. 14, No. 16, & No. 19
    Harmonia Mundi, 2014
    [​IMG]
     
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  6. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    In case you were wondering what the Dutch text at the right-hand side means, here's is the translation:
    20 discs
    191 BWV numbers
    509 tracks
    23 hours and 12 minutes of Bach
     
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  7. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Looking forward to new material.
     
  8. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I was listening to the Alban Berg Quartet's take only yesterday.
     
  9. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    Now listening to "Franck/Grieg/Dvorak - Works for Violin and Piano" performed by Renaud Capucon and Khatia Buniatishvili on Erato.

    [​IMG]
     
  10. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Thanks J.A.W. :righton:
     
  11. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    You're welcome, and sorry for the silly typo ("here's is the translation").
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2015
  12. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Yesterday got my car back—water pump and ancilaries died just as I set up my 'Art Hop' a month ago—and for the first time in a month, go to Amvets. Walked out with 11 LPs, the bulk of which are RCA Living Stereo, Shaded Dogs. Look like they are unplayed. Significant surface noise, they have been in the original paper sleeves for close to 60 years now. Haven't played all, but Bartok's Concerto For Orchestra, Fritz Reiner/Chicago, 1955, originally recorded as two channel stereo, sounds mighty interesting. There's all sorts of tube-y goodness going on, some bad too, depending on taste. Things sonically hang together more, plenty of the 'hall sound' and body. But there is no sense of real edginess in the sound. And strings in Bartok aren't exactly what I'd call "smooth." Suspect I'm hearing the Westrex cutting head at play. Beautiful but not exactly a one-for-one correspondence, if you catch my drift. The performance is about as 'definitive' as performances ever get.

    [​IMG]

    Like the sound of Rubinstein/Krips 'RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra' in Brahms Second Piano Concerto, less surface noise than the Bartok and Rubinstein is in good form. Not the most 'virtuoso' of performances but one of the more 'musical'.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2015
  13. alankin1

    alankin1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philly
    Now playing:
    Robert Schumann – Carnaval, Op.9
    Cesar Franck – Prelude, Chorale and Fugue

    — Arthur Rubinstein (RCA Victor Red Seal Records – Sony Music)

    [​IMG]
     
  14. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    After starting the day with some Handel organ concertos (ECO/Chorzempa) , I found myself in the mood for cello music. First, Du Pre's recording of the Chopin sonata, then on to a disc of Kodaly staring with the duo for violin and cello (Brussilovsky and Tsang via Spotify).
     
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  15. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Love the cello. To me, it is second only to the piano.
     
  16. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I wouldn't be surprised in the Bach Cello Suites and the Beethoven and Brahms Cello Sonatas were the most often listened to classical works in my collection.
     
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  17. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Who are your favorites for those works?
     
  18. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Bach - Starker and Fournier
    Brahms - Serkin/Rostropovich (but I need to listen to Rubinstein/Piatigorsky)
    Beethoven - Hmmm I've probably listened to Ma/Ax the most on CD. But I've listened to Wispelwey a lot recently. For some reason I've never picked up Rostropovich/Richter on CD although I had them on LP.
     
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  19. scompton

    scompton Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arlington, VA
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  20. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    Sorry to hear that the family Rolls had problems, but glad it's back up and running, and I can think of no better way to celebrate! :goodie:

    Speaking of cars, here's a question for you and, of course, anybody else who cares to chime in: are you familiar with any music by a 19th c. French composer named Louise Farrenc? I heard her op. 44 trio for clarinet, cello, and piano on the radio while driving home a couple of days ago (a recording on CPO), and it's really a first-rate piece of music--not "female-composed" music, but just "music music." I was surprised to learn that I actually have a recording of the piece myself, courtesy of the BBC Music Magazine monthly included discs, which I hadn't played. Put it on last night, and established to my satisfaction that my impressions were not a matter of a uniquely impassioned performance on CPO. No, this work stands well on its own. So: how does her other output stack up?

    By the by, I know we have some practicing clarinetist members, and this piece may be old news to them, but if any haven't discovered this work yet, they should search it out, as I think they'd find it a treat. Far better than your average "never heard of the 19th c. composer show off the instrument's technical side" score. But then, Farrenc was a celebrated pianist, so I guess the temptation to write show-off music for the clarinet was muted. Anyhow, as best I could tell in the car, on a passable GM-Delco car FM stereo, the CPO recording is a good one.
     
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  21. scompton

    scompton Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arlington, VA
    I have the same BBC disc picked up at a thrift store. I haven't listened to it for a couple of years. I'll have to give it another listen.
     
  22. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Add to that Perenyi/Schiff. To be honest, I've only listened to the discs a few times, but I have very strong memories of hearing them perform the cycle in recital.
     
  23. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    We may have discussed this in an earlier instalment of this topic, but I can't remember what was said - what do you think of the Perényi/Schiff Beethoven ECM recording? I've heard it once and found it way too spatial, to the point of being quite annoying. The performances were excellent, though. I usually find Schiff's performances too distant, uninvolved and cool, but I don't remember this being the case here.
     
  24. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Somehow, all I can conjure up was the live performance, which was certainly committed. I'll give it another listen.

    The Ma/Ax was a very early CD purchase. It's a warm reading that I seem to associate with comfort food.
     
  25. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Please post your impressions.

    Ma's performances are not my cup of tea.
     
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