Classical Corner Classical Music Corner

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, May 29, 2015.

  1. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    I should revisit that recording as well. I have it in this box set:

    [​IMG]
     
    Marzz and Daedalus like this.
  2. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

    The big 60 cd box set is now priced into the stratosphere! I missed out when it was issued, but I do have a good number of their Lp releases. I find them to be superlative.
     
    George P likes this.
  3. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

    Speaking of chamber music. I intend to revisit during the week as time allows, the complete string quartets if Shostakovich as performed by the Borodin Quartet and recorded by Melodiya. I have a small number of the older performances by the Beethoven Quartet on Lp which I will also dust off.
     
  4. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    Does anyone know if this new set features performances that are new to CD, or are they simply the stuff that has come before on Vista Vera?
     
  5. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    Now enjoying a delightful reading of Schumann's second trio from the above set.
     
    Marzz and Wes H like this.
  6. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    Now enjoying a first listen to this fine CD.
     
    Eigenvector likes this.
  7. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

    I don’t know-hard to find specific information. The best deal, however, seems to be those sets released by Scribendum.
     
  8. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

    This morning: a listen to Bruno Walter, Rudolf Serkin, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra 5 coupled with Schumann, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor, featuring Eugene Istomin, piano. Oh, and the coffee is steeping!
     
    McLover, Wes H and bruce2 like this.
  9. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    That record's 78 RPM predecessor was one of my earliest classical sets. Later, I lucked into a copy autographed by Serkin. (I also have my original copy; the autographed one has inferior pressings.) It was the recording from which I "learned" the piece, and I always enjoyed it. When, three or four years ago, I played it again for the first time in ages, although it still came across as an excellent performance, I was surprised at how messy the orchestra was.


    [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
    Wes H, Daedalus and George P like this.
  10. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    I saw that this set gets released on Friday. One performance gets a first release and the whole thing is mastered by Mark Obert-Thorn.
     
    Wes H and Daedalus like this.
  11. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    I love his Songs Without Words on the same label and finally found a cheap copy of this 2CD set recently. I am only a few tracks in, but I am really enjoying this.
     
    Daedalus, Eigenvector and Wes H like this.
  12. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    Working to get the bugs out of an equipment installation (new USB audio interface), I called up something I'd not played in a while tonight--two of the etudes for left hand alone by Saint-Saens. I have a couple of recordings; the one I chose was by Swiss pianist Antoine Rebstein on Claves, a young artist into whom I'd stumbled a few years ago and then forgot, not having seen further recordings. Out of curiosity, I just checked online, and he now has a dedicated website. Seems he still specializes in left hand literature (a medical condition has impaired his right hand) but has taken up conducting, which appears to be his primary activity these days. According to the site, his orchestral associations are as follows:

    Artistic Director, Junges Orchester der Freien Universitat, Berlin
    Founder, Kammerensemble Berlin
    Artistic Director, Schmockwitzer Orchester

    Out of curiosity, have any of our European members here heard (of) him? I much liked the little bit I have found on records.
     
    Daedalus likes this.
  13. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

    I dusted off my Historic Russian Archive box sets. This morning I am listening to volume 1 of the Alexander Gauk Editions( Brilliant Classics issued 2 volumes). Tchaikovsky, Hamlet, incidental music for soprano, baritone and Orchestra and Fatum, a tone poem for Orchestra. These are 1951 and 1948 recordings respectively. USSR State Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra and Grand Symphony Orchestra.
     
    Wes H and George P like this.
  14. Wes H

    Wes H Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    David, I can't answer your question about Rebstein (never heard of him), but thinking about études by Saint-Saëns has me recalling the composer's Étude en forme de valse, Op.52, No.6. Although it's not for the left hand alone, it has always struck me as a work that would be devilishly hard to play with two hands!

    Now spinning this performance by Aldo Ciccolini, recorded in Paris, 1970. (From a Seraphim box set of the Saint-Saëns Piano Concertos.)

    [​IMG]

    On the same LP side, also listening to the Septet for Trumpet, Strings and Piano with Jean Laforge on piano.
     
    royzak2000, George P and Daedalus like this.
  15. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    Now enjoying BAT's 1965 set of the Beethoven Piano Trios.
     
    royzak2000, Wes H and Eigenvector like this.
  16. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    Switching over to the lovely recordings of Chopin Nocturnes from the above OOP set. I have a number of recordings of the Nocturnes, as they are probably my favorite works by one of my favorite composers. I''m curious which pianists folks enjoy in the Chopin Nocturnes?

    Other Nocturne sets I have:

    Smeterlin
    Ciani
    Moravec
    Weissenberg
    Wasowski
    Tipo
    Rubinstein (x3)
    Francois
    Arrau
    Ashkenase

    Pires and Abbey Simon are on my "to cull" pile.
     
    Wes H and Eigenvector like this.
  17. Daedalus

    Daedalus I haven't heard it all.....

    Still going through the Alexander Gauk box. This morning I put on a disc which contains a tremendous performance of Liszt’s Faust Symphony( version without chorus) coupled with Dukas’ , Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The Liszt was recorded in 1952. The Dukas in 1960. Gauk conducts The Grand Symphony Orchestra and the USSR State Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra respectively. Gauk was also a teacher. He taught, among others, Mravinsky, Svetlanov and Maxim Shostakovich.
     
    Wes H likes this.
  18. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    This reminds me that I should revisit the incomplete collection Leopold Godowsky recorded for Columbia early in the electric era. Haven't played it in forever. The collection that I have played most often in recent years (also incomplete, leaving off after the first half) is by Peter Schmalfuss (ZYX CLS 4140); some years back you sampled that one and weren't much taken with it, as I recall.
     
    George P likes this.
  19. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Might be time for a revisit of Peter's set. I should add Godowsky's to my list, as I have it on Marston CDs. And speaking of Marston, they are having a 20% off sale:
    ______________________

    A sale at Marston Records is a very rare event. In our 22-year history, you can probably count the number of sales we have had on one hand, and this is one is huge:

    Preferred Customers receive 30% off 99 titles from our entire catalogue.* (20% off for non-Preferred Customers.)

    The sale takes place from 8 November through 1 December 2019. This is the perfect time to complete your Marston catalogue, buy one of our more substantial sets at tremendous savings, or have a gift in hand for the holidays.

    *Not-So-Fine Print:
    • For your 30% discount, use the code “Pref30
    • Only one coupon code can be used when placing orders online. If you would like the free shipping Preferred Customer benefit in addition to the 30% off, please place your order by phone or email.
    • The sale does NOT include our upcoming release, Lotte Lehmann Vol. 2.
    • The sale does NOT include the items on our Endangered List
    Best regards,
    The folks at Marston
    __________________________
     
  20. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Some of the Marston sets look very attractive, but unfortunately the price, the overseas shipping rates and the import duty make them practically unaffordable for EU residents.
     
  21. Klavier

    Klavier Forum Resident

    Location:
    Abyss
    Hello, this seems to be a nice group, and I look forward to sharing my love of classical music. To begin, here is one of my favorite pieces by Brahms, the Sonata No.3. I love Arrau's rich sonorities.

    [​IMG]
     
  22. Wes H

    Wes H Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    George, I like a number of the pianists' versions you posted, but I'll just list the two I play most often.

    On LP, I mostly reach for mid-'60s Rubinstein -- specifically this 2-LP box set that I believe RCA issued in 1967.
    I'm sure you are going to tell me that Rubinstein's recording from 30 years earlier is far more interesting ;)... but I still adore this one. He just plays them as written-- straight forward w/o embellishment-- and I hear "Chopin" come through.

    [​IMG]


    If I'm in a part of my house where it is more convenient to play CDs, I reach for the Naxos set by Idil Biret. Fine (to my ears) piano sound and another straight-forward rendition of the Nocturnes.
    I first came to appreciate Ms. Biret's Chopin after hearing her recording of the Mazurkas. Impressed, I then began picking up all of her Chopin recordings.

    [​IMG]
     
  23. Wes H

    Wes H Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    Continuing with "Nocturnes" in mind... This evening I'm spinning this Telarc CD of Nocturnes by John Field, played by John O'Conor.

    Lovely!

    [​IMG]
     
    George P and Eigenvector like this.
  24. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Talking about Chopin, I'm now listening to audio samples of:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Eigenvector likes this.
  25. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    :laugh:

    His early mono is more interesting to me, yes. I dig the rubato in his mono recordings. But this is all subjective, right? The cool thing about Rubinstein is that he has different approaches at different times of his life that appeal to different listeners. And the advantage of your preference is that it sounds a lot better. Great sounding Chopin is hard to beat. Speaking of which, I just got this set and starting listening to it today.

    [​IMG]

    He plays them slowly, savoring every note. In an interview/video posted on facebook, he says that Chopin lived with a great deal of sadness and Paik wanted to bring this out his recordings of the Nocturnes. I think he does just that. Unfortunately, he loses some essential forward momentum in a number of Nocturnes.

    My two favorites are Arrau (in the 50 Greatest recordings mastering) and Ciccolini (pictured above, sadly OOP.) Arrau was my first set of the Nocturnes and I have still not found anyone that I enjoy more. Ciccolini was recommended by a friend. He plays the Nocturnes delicately, with incredible beauty.

    [​IMG]

    Moravec, Tipo and Wasowski are great in this repertoire too. For incomplete sets, Cortot is hard to beat.
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2019
    Wes H likes this.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine