The Al Fresco series was a 2007 series of discs repackaging for the 60th Anniversary of the Archiv sublabel. The earlier one from the Originals series (1996) has better packaging and more liner notes. With DG it always makes sense to get the earlier release, as those were the ones they put more care into. Actually, this is true for most labels when it comes to reissues of vinyl-era material. The earliest is actually a third version, from 1989, the one posted by @bruce2 a few posts back, but that will be the most expensive one.
The Fournier set of the Bach Cello suites rubbed me the wrong way at first. I thought it was too extroverted. Because it was a classic, I held onto it and years later I am able enjoy it when I want an extroverted take on these works. As stated above, the Opus Kura mastering of the Casals set is absolutely superb, beating out even Pearl's transfer. Yes, the sound is historical, but the transfer was done so well that it feels like you are in the room. I can't say that about many recordings that would come much later. My favorite, though, remains Wispelwey's second set for Channel Classics. It's a lovely, introverted performance in excellent sound. Here's a review: INKPOT#78 CLASSICAL MUSIC REVIEWS: J.S.BACH Cello Suites. Wispelwey (Channel) - The Flying Inkpot Classical Music and Concert Reviews
New York City ballet cancelled their 2020 summer run at SPAC in Saratoga springs, NY. It was already an abbreviated season, something which I believe began last year. They were hoping fewer shows would lead to bigger attendances. I’m not sure how that panned out. But I fear the future of this New York tradition for 2021 and beyond is in danger.
Rita Strohl: Titus et Berenice; great dramatic sonata for cello & piano (1892). Francis Poulenc: Sonata for Cello & piano (1948-9) Cesar Franck: Sonata for violin and piano (1886) Arrangement for cello: Jules Delsart (1887) Fernand de la Tombelle: Andante expressivo (1900) Francis Poulenc: Souvenirs for cello & piano (early 1940's) Edgar Moreau, cello David Kadouch, piano Erato, 2017 2 CDs Excellent playing. It was interesting to hear the 1892 piece by Rita Strohl. Souvenirs, a small piece by Poulenc, is a first recording.
Afternoon all. Apologies for asking. Looking for recommendations please. I just finished listening to a playlist of excerpts by Georg Philipp Telemann. Have to say that I found it so melodic. Enjoyed every piece. So can anyone recommend a good starting point re whole albums/works please? Very interested in discovering more of his work. Many thanks
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas 1-3 James Ehnes Andrew Armstrong Onyx, 2019 A first listen did not appeal to me.
May I suggest a few Telemann boxes I own and enjoy: A 10 CD collection with Goebel's Musica Antiqua Köln. I especially like their version of the Tafelmusik. Another 10 CD DHM Telemann Edition. Finally a larger €50 CD Brilliant Edition. All links are to Amazon.uk (since you live in Wales), but there are better prices at Amazon.de.
Hi Ake. Thank you for the great recommendations. I’ve ordered that first set from Amazon today. Looking forward to it arriving
That's a great choice. I'd call your attention especially to the "water music" (not to be confused with Handel's much more "top 40 classical" collection of the same name), also known as "Hamburg Ebb and Flow" or "Hamburg's Tides," one of my favorite works by Telemann. MAK gives it a thoroughbred performance. Another composer you may enjoy exploring is Dietrich Buxtehude. He was of the generation before J.S. Bach, and in fact it was he whom a youthful Bach walked some 250 miles to meet and hear. Buxtehude's organ music is probably what's known best today, but don't neglect his vocal and chamber/instrumental music, either. It's all great stuff by a master who was happy to bend rules when he wanted to.
Thanks so much for the reply and information. Is this the Telemann work you refer to please? I’ll definitely be checking out Buxtehude
For single albums and not big box sets, I own the following disc of Telemann Violin Concertos and highly recommend it.
I think they may have been one and the same. I know Living Stereo came first and over time they started calling (the releases) RCA Red Seal.
"Red Seal" has been the name of Victor classical issues ever since the Victor Talking Machine Co. coined the term early 20th century; it refers to the red labels of the company's celebrity issues, in those days mostly opera arias, in contrast to the black ones (later also purple and blue) given to popular records and classical issues the company deemed less exalted. When RCA bought Victor, it continued the practice and the terminology. "Living Stereo" was the name RCA applied to its early stereo releases, both classical and popular. In other words, all Red Seal stereo records of the period were "Living Stereo," but not all "Living Stereo" records were Red Seals.
This info was posted on the Dutton thread: Dutton Epoch Historic SACD Surround Sound Releases July 2020 ALL IN STOCK & AVAILABLE TO ORDER A voyage through the Columbia and RCA vaults has yielded a further selection of archival gems, which we present in a new batch of SACD reissues featuring the original stereo and quadraphonic mixes. Among the delights on offer are Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s sprawling Gothic opera Die tote Stadt, in its benchmark 1975 recording by Erich Leinsdorf and the Munich Radio Orchestra; Pierre Boulez’s vigorous reading of Bartók’s characteristically enigmatic The Wooden Prince; and Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra in what is perhaps the definitive version of Strauss’s epic tone poem, Also sprach Zarathustra. https://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/