Classical Corner Classical Music Corner

Just bought my third L.A. Phil subscription for 2015/2016. That goes with my two Symphonic Society subscriptions down in O.C. (mostly they play at Sergerstrom Hall) Now waiting to buy my Soka and Valley Performing Arts Center subscriptions. 7 is a lucky number.

 

Now playing:
Frederic Chopin – 4 Scherzi: Nos.1-4 Op.20, Op.31, Op.39, Op.54, Berceuse Op.57, Barcarolle Op.60 — Maurizio Pollini (Deutsche Grammophon)

 

Now playing:
Mieczysław Horszowski plays Bach, Mozart, Szymanowski and Chopin (BBC Magazine)



Johann Sebastian Bach – Partita No.2 BWV826
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Sonata K570
Karol Szymanowski – Mazurkas Op/50 Nos.13-16
Frederic Chopin – Nocturnes Op.27/1, Op.27/2, Op.24/2

 

I'd love to hear that album. I know Charlie Byrd made at least one direct-to-disc recording, too.

 

Retreating to the start for a bit in my Haydn SQ survey, now enjoying the above 3CD set that arrived today.

 

not to mention piano rolls -- I don't even own a SINGLE pianola!

 

Now playing CD8 - Beethoven Piano Trio Nos 1 - 2 and 14 Variations from the following box for a first listen ...

 

Really a bummer that they made so few of these on SACD. It's pretty fantastic in that format.

 

Now playing CD7 - Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 and Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel from the following box for a first listen ...

 

I think you can probably count on one hand how many SACD pressing plants still remain worldwide these days ...

While I have had over 400 SACD titles, I could not play half of them until two years ago when I bought my first universal player. It was after the purchase did I step up buying more SACD's.

A good outboard DAC with oversampling can make your redbook CD's sound almost as good as SACD's.

 

And the best part is I paid only 99 cents for it!

 

My Esoteric K-03 oversamples RBCDs--most sound pretty good.

 

This is one of the discs I mentioned that kept me subscribing to the BBC Magazine.

 

A pretty good day for snapping up recordings. First, I paid a visit to my local thrift store and came home with seven CDs, among them the Brahms 2d Cto. with Edwin Fischer and Furtwangler, a Tchaikowsky 5th by Monteux leading one of the German radio orchs. (these two on the old PriceLes$ budget CD label), a collection of four-hands Debussy played by the Labeque sisters, the Furtwangler Bayreuth Beethoven 9th on EMI (oddly enough, my old copy of that is such a cheapie it's in 5 tracks--it has a break in the slow mvt. where the LP that was being dubbed flipped over), two recordings of Haydn Qtts. (the op. 54 set by the Lindsays on ASV and the op. 74 set by the Endellion on Virgin), and a collection of songs by various composers on texts from Das Knaben Wunderhorn sung by Thomas Hampson.

Then the mail brought an eBay bargain purchase of the Brahms 1st Vln. Sta. performed by Albert Spalding and Ernst von Dohnanyi on a Remington budget LP from the early 1950s.


So far I've played part of the Debussy and the Brahms sta. As to the former, I was a bit surprised to realize that I don't think I've ever heard the Petite Suite on piano; as far as I can remember, it's always come my way orchestrated. Must say, it strikes me as a much better piece in its keyboard guise. As expected, the Labeques do it up proud. And fast, particularly the last mvt.

But the Brahms sta. is the more exciting find. Up until now, by a country mile my favorite recording of this work has been the CD by Dimitri Sitkovetsky and Bella Davidovich on Novalis. I won't say that Spalding and Dohnanyi displace it, but they certainly join that--ahem!--elect company. A perfectly beautiful, idiomatic account of the score, played with authority and remarkably few momentary reminders the violinist was past 60, within two or three years of the end of his life, and the pianist in his mid-70s. Easy and affectionate (if not shading a bit toward "torrid") but plenty dramatic when it needs to be, in the big moments. Certainly, Dohnanyi's warm, rich, romantic tone helps. In short, I'd say a classic by two veterans of the old style. Or, to be even shorter: wow. My only regret is that the years have not been kind to this record: the surfaces, for Remington, are pressed in decent material, but they are afflicted with lots of scratches. Thankfully, though, while they make plenty of noise they don't skip, so I can live with them.

 

And I think Horszowski was 90 years old when that was recorded.

 

After reading about a contestant in the Cincinnati International Piano Competition who left the keyboard looking like this after playing Bartok's Piano Sonata, I was inspired to play Kocsis' recording!

 

You would think the guy would have washed his hands after eating that peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich before he went on stage!

 

Now playing the following CD from my early music collection for a second listen ...

 

Now on the turntable, record 1 from "The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book" performed by Christopher Hogwood on L'Oiseau-Lyre.

 

And of course it needs a bonus DVD with his video work.

 

Now on the turntable, record 2 from "The Early String Quartet" performed by The Schaffer Quartet on Vox.

Box contains works by:
M. Haydn
Dittersdorf
Tomasini
Nardini
Cambini
Purcell
Richter
Vitali
Tartini
Telemann
Bull
Froberger
Neri

 

Now listening to "Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto/Souvenir D'un Lieu Cher" performed by Janine Jansen with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra led by Daniel Harding on Decca.

 

Now listening to "Bach - Liszt" performed by Lise De La Salle on Naive.

 

Now listening to "The Very Best Of Helene Grimaud" on Denon.

• Sergey Rachmaninov - Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36
• Robert Schumann - Kreisleriana, 8 fantasies for piano, Op. 16
• Johannes Brahms - Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5

 

Now playing:
Ludwig van Beethoven – Sonatas for Piano and Violoncello Nos.1 & 2 Op.5, Twelve Variations on the Theme "Ein Madchen…" from Mozart's "The Magic Flute" Op.66, Seven Variations on the Duet "Bei Mannern, welche Liebe fuhlen" from "The Magic Flute"
— Mischa Maisky, violoncello, Martha Argerich (Deutsche Grammophon)