Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #65)

A complete and thorough discography of recordings by Jorge Bolet is now available online through Wikipedia, as an "external link" in conjunction with their article on Bolet. This discography is a work of love by Farhan Malik and Michael Glover:

http://www.kensington-chelsea.co.uk/boletdiscography/

 

Hawkman stirred my interest in rehearing Sir Thomas Beecham's/RPO Delius recordings. Have "His Master's Voice" ALP 1586, a mono copy of the Delius program that includes Brigg Fair, A Song Before Sunrise, March Caprice, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Summer Night on the River, Sleigh Ride, and Intermezzo from Fennimore and Gerda. I also have the Seraphim pressing of the same program, S-60185, in stereo. The original UK pressing has superior sound, mono or no. As for the performances, pure earcandy and I mean that in the best possible way. Also have the 1956 recording of "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring" in a "World Records" compilation of Beecham's recordings, this in stereo.

 

Lots of live classical music this weekend.

Tonight - Jonathan Biss in recital.
Tomorrow - Balanchine and Tchaikovsky (Serenade No. 3), Stravinsky ("Agon") and Bizet (Symphony in C).

 

Makes me happy to see others making live classical music a part of their musical world.

 

It may be 2018 before I can complete my first listen to this box ... LOL

 

This recording may not even be available in the US. Another reason I like to buy from European etailers since they often carry titles that are either hard to find or unavailable in the US ...

 

As promised, now listening to some Delius. The lush sound of the Philadelphia Orchestra fills my apartment.

 

I do not even have a single track of music by Delius ...

 

Sometimes. Some public domain reissues you can't but it says so and doesn't give the option. If you can see the download, you can download it.

 

On the turntable this morning…

 

You have Smetana's epic Ma Vlast aka My Country? The Moldau from that cycle of tone poems is about as pictorial as music ever gets. I also recommend Sibelius' Tapiola, that composer's final work, an evocation of Finland's God of the forest.


Oh, oh, oh—Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique, dazed and confused . . .

 

Camille Saint-Saens
— Tone Poems: Phaeton op.39, Le Rouet d'Omphale op.31, Danse macabre op.40, Le Jeuness d'Hercule op.50 plus Marche heroique op.34 — Philharmonia Orchestra
— Piano Concerto No.1 Op.17 — Pascal Roge,piano — Philharmonia Orchestra
Charles Dutoit (Decca Records)

 

You may like this CD...



And also try some Vaughan Williams, if you don't know him.

 

"The Lark Ascending" and "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" are good starting points.

(I am not really familiar with King Crimson, but some people claim, there is a connection between "The Lark Ascending" and "Lark's Tongue in Aspic.")

 

This CD can be a great intro into VW

 

For me personally, the number 1 most pictorially evocative piece of music is Debussy's La Mer (the sea).

 

Can't really say I am a big fan of Beecham yet and I have no more than a half dozen recordings by him on CD. Now playing the following CD from my Grieg collection ...

 

Behold, Sokolov's debut on DG! The rather distant mic placement robs the piano of some body, but it certainly doesn't detract from the phenomenal playing. Here's the program:

W. A. MOZART
Piano Sonatas KV 280 · KV 332

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN
24 Préludes op. 28
2 Mazurkas op. 68 No. 2 · op. 63 No. 3

ALEXANDER SCRIABIN
2 Poèmes op. 69

JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU
Les Sauvages

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ BWV 639

 

You already have this? I thought it was due for a Feb 2nd release

 

I ordered it from MDT in the UK.

 

MDT and Presto will always get their hands on most European releases ahead of the US etailers ...

 

Now playing CD18 from the following box for a first listen ...