(CD Testament UK Press T-1473) 2011 .... recorded September 1960 @ No. 1 Studio Abbey Road London .... taped 12 years before his classic recording for DG in 1972, Marizio Pollini delivers a captivating account of the Chopin Etudes - probably less wordly-wise, but self-contained nevertheless ....
Universal will release a Rafael Kubelik complete recordings on DG later this year. Did you know that Kubelik was a very good composer and that he only recorded one of his own pieces for DG, his Four Forms for Strings with English Chamber Orchestra. A splendid piece.
For some reason I never got into Pollini's pre-DG recordings, don't know why. I did get his "Complete" DG box (it's no longer complete) recently for a nice price, warts and all, but his early work has eluded me somehow.
It is a great pity at least to me that Pollini did not have a chance to record Stockhausen’s klavierstueck.
Since it is almost Easter, many performances of Bachs' Matthäus-Passion are coming up, to get in the mood: I'm listening to this version of Kuijken and La Petite Bande, a very nice version.
In, warm the stereo up and fix a glass of milk... Bizet, Georges: Symphony in C, Jeux d'enfants and Scénes Bohémiennes. New Zealand S.O. cond Donald Johanos. 1994 Naxos 8.553027 Enjoyable atmospheric performances recorded at the Lower Hutt Town Hall, Wellington, N.Z.
In my never ending quest for the perfect Four Seasons I have another recent challenger. This time it's the 'Dresden version with winds' performed by Federico Guglielmo on violin and L'Arte dell'Arco on period instruments. So far I'm really enjoying this version which is trying to do something new with the work. It's effectively a're-writing' by Guglielmo featuring "a full complement of solo wind instruments. The Spring, for example, is assigned recorders, oboes, horns, and a bassoon" I must say it is performed with great integrity and zest; the new approach adds plenty of colour that is fresh to the ear. Apparently it is also the first vinyl release for cpo which I believe is the in-house label of the retailer jpc. It is extremely reasonably priced, which makes me wonder how much care and attention they have taken over the transfer, but for now I cannot comment on the sound quality as I'm just trialling it on spoti ...
Let's hope they use the newer remasterings for his Mahler recordings, instead of the old ones. They are much better. But I wouldn't hold my breath. DG has a tendency to use only masterings that have appeared on CD before, and not convert their hi-res transfers to redbook. Which is a pity.
Very impressive box but I am surprised to see the CD listing on Amazon Germany only shows "Allegro, Adagio, Menuetto, etc." with absolutely no mention of composers or the works. How are we supposed to make any sense out of this?
JPC Germany has a more complete tracklisting: Claudio Arrau - The Complete Philips & American Decca Recordings (80 CDs) – jpc
Lots of snow again. Going with French composer Jean-Baptiste Barrière (1707-1740) and a few of his cello sonatas. I'm a big fan of baroque cellist Bruno Cocset. His work here helped bring "back" some appreciation for Barrière's work.
A very interesting composer indeed and arresting performances by the the fabulous Bruno Cocset + Les Basses Reunies .... more of this arresting music via (CD Alpha Classics ALPHA-220) 2015 .... recorded February 2015 .... featuring the great Guido Balestracci as another standout .... btw the audio quality is nothing short of sensational ....
Laptop -> TV via HDMI -> 1976 Marantz via RCA It's how I watch/play Youtube music documentaries, videos & bootlegs
What you say makes logical sense, yet I still see inconsistencies in DG's practices. This early (1961) release of Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 has both German and English titles: But here's the inconsistency in 1972 that I noted when I bought three DG albums that year, new from a US shop, all with "foil" printed covers, all printed (and mfg) in Germany. In order by catalog number: WINTER DREAMS - German LP label; English-only "foil" cover. THE PLANETS - English LP label; English-only "foil" cover, though a non-foil English/German cover was simultaneously issued. SWAN LAKE - German LP label; English/German "foil" cover. At first I thought the "foil" covers were for the U.S. (or English-speaking only countries), but the SWAN LAKE jacket blew that theory. And both of those PLANETS release have English-only LP labels. The WINTER DREAMS has absolutely no German on either side of the jacket, nor on the insert, yet the label is German. Anyway, there may have been method to the madness, but it doesn't seem to have ever been consistent.
We had this one when I was a kid in the 60's but we destroyed it. I found this unopened original MW at my favorite pusher record seller for $1
You can add RCA/US to that list. I have this Mozart album they pressed for DG in 1965. (Look for the fine gray print at the bottom of the label.)