Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #66)

Now playing CD29 - works by Scriabin and Prokofiev from the following box for a first listen ...

 

CD 40. Recorded in Symphony Hall, Boston, 8/11/52. Producer: Richard Mohr.

 

If you are considering the Celibidache Bruckner set, maybe you should listen to audio samples first. His Bruckner interpretations are very controversial, some people love them, others hate them, there seems to be no middle ground.

AMG has audio samples of the complete set (with a very favourable review, by the way):
http://www.allmusic.com/album/bruckner-symphonies-nos-3-9-mass-in-f-minor-te-deum-mw0001857782

 

While I'd normally say that samples can be useful, in this case, I'd say borrow a friends CD or see if you can hear a complete symphony on youtube.

 

Spotify has Bruckner by him on both DG and Warner.

Edit - the Warner (ex EMI) symphony recordings are limited to the 4th and 8th.

 

Wondering what would happen if a concert pianist stepped to the stage today with a cigar in his/her mouth.

 

Did you forget to include the link? Is this what you were referring to?
http://www.wagnersocietyny.org/Special Topics/Solti's Ring Remastered 2013-07-13d.pdf

 

Thanks

 

So, did anyone else find the mistake in the new Sony Richter box? On CD 17 there are some Liszt recordings from 1988. Track 6 should be Hungarian Rhapsody #17, and tracks 7 and 8 the Scherzo and March. What happens is that the Scherzo starts at about 2:45 of track 6, which runs 5:22, and the rest of the Scherzo is on track 7. If they do a corrected version, I may not bother exchanging it, as it sounds fine when you're playing the full CD and I won't be ripping to play on a mobile device.

I'm pleased to see that Sony fudged the "original jacket" concept for the 1960 live recitals, changing the covers and label copy to reflect the CDs' presentation of the complete recitals with all works given in the order they were played. And of course the main thing is, this is legendary piano playing.

 

Berlioz: Requiem

A favourite work, I have it on 2 recordings, both on SACD. Opinion on the Spano interpretation is divided amongst professional reviewers and wanna-be music experts but to me, it's the music that matters. I'm certainly in no position to offer an opinion on this particular recording. I simply love the music; it's sublime. I'm only too glad there are options out there that have excellent SQ.

Boston Symphony Orchestra • Charles Munch
Living Stereo SACD MCH 3-channel

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus • Robert Spano
Frank Lopardo, tenor
Telarc SACD, MCH 5.1

 

Another favourite Requiem:

Mozart: Requiem (Robert Levin Edition)
Telarc SACD MCH

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus • Donald Runnicles
Christine Brewer (soprano)
Ruxandra Donose (mezzo-soprano)
John Tessier (tenor)
Eric Owens (bass)

 

I wonder if they caught this and that's why the USA release has been delayed?

Agreed!!

 

I wasn't aware they were boxed - bought them as individual hubrids. Money well spent.

 

I hadn't been aware that William Barrington-Coupe (perpetrator of the "Hatto Hoax") died last October. I was hoping for a tell-all memoir, but alas.

http://www.familynotices24.co.uk/roy/view/3594085/william-barringtoncoupe-barry

 

The now defunct Telarc is a label I have never followed much and I did not know it actually released recordings in SACD format. I have a small number of redbook CD's recorded by the likes of Mackerras, Dohnanyi, Previn and Maazel with mostly European orchestras ...

 

Thanks for the heads up. I already have six complete cycles and am not so eager to dash out to grab another set ...

 

There are still a few remaining SACD's available at amazon and other regular on-line retail stores (not eBay). Check out this link at SA-CD.net http://www.sa-cd.net/titles/1/13/date/100/1

 

Now playing CD30 - works by Prokfy and Shosty from the following box for a first listen ...

 

The earliest Telarc CDs are among the earliest Digital recordings, going back to the late 1970's. I used to own the Frederick Fennell Holst/Handel SACD. Not enough resolution going on to justify all that digital overhead. Lo and behold, this is a case where the LP sounds better than either CD or SACD. On the other hand, this 95¢ CD from last week's haul turns out to be spectacular in all regards:



This performance of Brahms Second Symphony, coupled with the Haydn Variations, is a Historically Informed Performance in the same way that David Zinman's recordings with the Tonhalle Orchestra are: rather than being concerned with the 'hardware' the attention is focused on tempos, phrasings, balances in an attempt to get to the Composer's intentions. Sir Charles Mackerras has a keen sense of the phrasing and tone color of this work. He manages to keep things moving without ever rushing, balances are just about perfect, the brass playing is superb. I've found the bulk of Telarc's recordings to be a little bit boring sounding, probably to their early habit of having the passages with the lower dynamic levels starved for resolution. But this recording from 1997 is from a 24 bit source [in spite of the cover stating it as a 20 bit recording] and sound and textures are fine grained. Interesting to note that the usual Telarc blurb about how their CDs have no signal processing is absent on this issue, I suspect that some useful compression was applied. In any case, one of the very best performances of Brahms Second Symphony, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra acquitting themselves as a world class ensemble, and Tony Faulkner and Jack Renner on their best behaviour—this is one of the very rare cases of a symphonic recording made with only 2 microphones, a pair of Neumann's model M-50c.

 

I am still trying to get used to the piano works by these two dudes. Right after Rachmaninov, Scriabin is my second favorite Russian composer for piano works ...

 

I have all three Brahms CD's on Telarc by Sir Charles. The only Telarc recordings by an American orchestra in my collection is the Beethoven 9th by the Cleveland Orchestra and Dohnanyi, and the Bach Mass in b by the Atlanta Symphony with Robert Shaw given to me by my mother-in-law years ago that I have yet to listen to ...

 

Does your mother-in-law know that?

 

Thanks for the link. I was hoping to find some SACD recordings by either Mackerras or Previn at the link but without success ...

 

No. When it comes to works by JS Bach, I always look to Europe. She has given me many pre-recorded cassette tapes and I have only managed to listen to a small handful of them. Yes, I still have a number of fully operational cassette decks.