So you finally landed the only recording by Marriner with Emma Kirkby singing. My box has a totally different cover ...
Listening to "Prokofiev - Classical Symphony / Bizet - Symphony in C / Britten - Simple Symphony" performed by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on DG.
Most of my Barbirolli's recordings are in the following box though I do have a few CD singles ... A second-hand box is still reasonably priced at under $150 ...
Working on a project this Saturday afternoon, so I loaded a long-playing reel on the tape deck... Joseph Haydn -- Six "Paris" Symphonies (Nos. 82 - 87) Little Orchestra of London / Leslie Jones Nonesuch 4-Track Stereo Tape / ca. 1970 / "Mastered, duplicated and quality audited exclusively with Ampex professional recorders, on Ampex tape."
You inspired me to purchase his lute-harpsichord recordings of the French Suites and the Goldberg Variation.
Its a whole different ballgame on the lute-harpsichord, isn't it? Rubsam is better known as an organist, but I'm very much enjoying his efforts to record so much repertoire on the lute-harpsichord. Its just such a different sonority, and gives a whole new spin on many of these works!
Currently listening to Beethoven Symphony 7, Carlos Kleiber & the VPO, Universal Japan SHM-SACD: I like the woodwind playing in the opening movement (Poco sostenuto). I also like the zest and sass of the Vienna brass. Moreover, the crisp drum playing imparts an almost jazzy feel to the music. I like the hushed opening of the 2nd (slow) movement (Allegretto). I like the way the piece develops and builds in Kleiber's hands. I like the woodwind solo playing throughout this movement. I like the dialogue between the clarinet and the rest of the orchestra. I like the distinctive timbre, rasp and resonance of the Vienna brass. I also like the pizzicato playing from the strings. I like the strong rhythms in the 3rd movement (Presto). Kleiber has a strong handle of rhythm. The strong rhythms continue to impress in the Finale (Allegro con brio). There is something refreshingly light, rhythmic and upbeat in Kleiber's interpretation of this piece. I don't hear dragging or dead spots in the interpretation but rather a crisp, fun (not pompous), jazzy sounding view of the piece that I really appreciate. It took some hunting (reading the liner notes which are mostly in Japanese characters is like interpreting Hieroglyphics) but I make out (from the notes) that this recording was transferred to DSD by Emil Berliner Studios in 2003 (which is surprisingly close to the date when DG did their stereo/multi-channel SACD version but these are not the same remasterings). Currently listening to Beethoven Symphony No. 7, Cluytens & the BPO, EMI, CD: I hear a sense of joy (and rhythmic vitality) in the opening Poco Sostenuto. The alert, vibrant woodwind playing captures my ear. Even though this is the Berlin Philharmonic, they sound like the Paris Conservatory Orchestra. From the opening phrases of the slow movement (Allegretto) I hear a weightier, darker approach (than I heard from Kleiber) that contrasts nicely with exuberance of the first movement. I like the sense of gravitas and pathos that I hear in the interpretation. I like the contribution of the Berlin woodwinds. The high spirits return in the Presto. Once again, I like the contribution of the Berlin woodwinds and also the Berlin brass and the Berlin string section. I am really enjoying the interpretation. I like the way that Cluytens and his Berlin players handle the rhythms in the concluding Allegro con brio. This (interpretation) sounds really foot-tapping (and exciting)! The remastering sounds just fine. The liner notes say it was done in 2010 by EMI-France.
The Cluyten's Beethoven Box was the one I had prior to getting the Warner Tower Records sacd version. I've never tired of hearing those recordings.
New release that just arrived today. About the fire up the stereo SACD layer: Reger, Hindemith: Clarinet Quintets Utrecht Quartet Vladimir Soltan, clarinet MD&G
Sorry, I think I might have linked to the SACD by mistake. The DG box contains just the CD element, I believe.
On a Seventh kick? Try Kleiber's live performance with the Bavarian State Orchestra on Orfeo (this is also available on SACD)- it’s even better than the formidable Seventh of his you just reviewed; or the Franz Konwitschny 7 with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra: These are two of the most ebullient, joyful and kinetic performances of my favorite Beethoven symphony.
Now playing: Josquin Desprez - Missa Pange Lingua & Motets - A Sei Voci, Bernard Fabre-Garrus - recorded 1998
1st Listen Debussy, Jeux et Images Pour Orchestra, Cluytens and the Paris Conservatory Orchestra, Warner SACD: The opening phrases of "Jeux" sound very evocative. I love the crisp, alert playing from the Paris Conservatory players. The recording sounds so transparent that I feel like I am in the first row of the Main Orchestra and if I wanted to, I could shake the players hands. I am loving the evocative sounding contribution of the harps. All the players sound so crisp, alert and vital. I don't think I have ever heard Debussy sound this good in a live concert. "Jeux" is a ballet written (in 1912) for Nijinsky (and the Ballets Russe) but if I were a dancer hearing this music, I would quit dancing and just sit on the stage and listen to the music. The piece sounds very cinematic. It tells a story and seems to have been the archetype for John Williams "Star Wars" scores and countless other film scores. The opening "Gigue" from Debussy's "Image pour Orchestra" also sounds very evocative (and cinematic). I am loving the Spanish rhythms in the 'Iberia" movement of the "Images pour Orchestra." The playing of the Paris Conservatory Orchestra (under Cluytens) sounds spectacularly involved, passionate and committed. The players seem to savor every note. I hear a wonderful sense of balance and clarity from the choirs. I am loving the evocative sounds of the "Par les rues et par les chemins" movement. It's rare to hear the harps as the backbone of an orchestral piece but that's what I am hearing in this movement. I hear so much happening musically in this piece. It's extremely involving. The quizzical opening of the "Les parfums de la nuit' movement reminds me of the opening of Debussy's "La Mer." The music seems to pose a question. The "Le matin d'un jour de fete" and "Ronde de Printemps" movements conclude the piece. I can't get over the crisp playing and the unblended sonorities of the Paris Conservatory Orchestra. I don't think any contemporary orchestra currently plays in this style. The recordings are a great document of the era. I don't see any information (in English) on the liner notes for the remastering but I think this is the remastering done for Warner by Art & Son Studio Paris in 2016/2017.
Now playing: Edward Elgar - Froissart; Cello Concerto; Enigma Variations - Robert Cohen, Charles Mackerras, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - rec. 1992 From this two-fer released by Decca Eloquence of two earlier Argos releases:
