Spinning now: From this box which arrived from the UK today for only AUD $11 including postage: All new to me (composer and performer). Sound is good and the music interesting half-way through.
Final CD for the day: Recorded in 1949 when Karajan and Walter Legge were establishing their EMI catalogue. They balanced popular releases like this with less well-known (at the time) works such as the Richard Strauss Metamorphosen (CD 4 in this 10 CD box). Sprightly playing from the VPO. I'm also liking the sound in this remastered set (I bought the 101 CD compilation of the 13 smaller boxes).
This is the single biggest reason I do not care for download. That occasional unexpected file corruption can really drive anyone crazy. I assume Presto should allow you to re-download the 'CD'?
So you have the box for Karajan's pre-BPO EMI recordings? I only bought his first Beethoven Symphonies box on EMI. IIRC, Warner has released a later box with something extra. like the overtures and other Beethoven works ...
CD7 of this set: Joseph Haydn - Piano Sonatas XVII: D1, & XVI:24, 25, 29 & 39 - Yoshiko Kojima, fortepiano Some unpleasant vibration noises from the vintage fortepiano used in the first sonata - no problems with the modern replica used for the other recordings. The finale of XVI:24 is a delight!
The asking price of £1,895.00 is a hefty price tag. Shipping from the UK is likely to be a few hundred pounds extra as records are heavy (if you have to pay for it) ...
I am spinning CD 82-the last disc from the 1960s section of the Karajan Complete box. JS Bach-violin concertos 1,2 and concerto for 2 violins. These feature Christian Ferris and Michel Schwalbe on violin. These were all recorded during August of 1966.
Luckily it very rarely happens that I buy a download that has a corrupted file. Same as it very rarely happens that I buy a CD that's skipping. Seems it just slipped through quality control somehow (which apparently is a much bigger problem with new vinyl). I can re-download the album several times (there's a maximum, but not sure what it is), but the re-download is having the same issue. So I expect Presto to notify the provider of the files (Naxos in this case) and provide me with a credit. I would prefer to buy the CD of course, but where I am there is no way to buy and receive CDs unless I want to spend a LOT of money in special and semi-official courier services. Once I'm back in Europe next year, it should be easier again. Still, I do like the convenience of downloads as it is usually cheaper and saves me having to rip a CD, while the result is exactly the same of course. Plus, I can get hi-res if available, which you can't get from CD.
They started as the "house band" for the 92nd St. Y, Gerard Schwarz conducting. Saw quite a few of their concerts.
Very interesting! I lived in NYC for 4 years, but wasn't aware of 92Y. This album is very enjoyable. The Clarinet Concerto and Dance Panels are very well done.
The orchestra was created by the Y (original name Y Chamber Orchestra). The Y was its home from the late 70s until about the early 90s. At their peak, they gave about 16 performances a year.
This wonderful recording will be my last post for a while. I need to focus on some upcoming recitals and chamber concerts. See you on the other side!
MS 7176, issued 1968. This was an attempt to exploit the success of the film, compiled by producer Andrew Kazdin. The first side has music heard in the movie, here taken from previous Columbia LPs, plus a couple of selections that may have been newly recorded, plus "Electronic Interludes" by Morton Subotnick. The opening from Also Sprach Zarathustra & The Blue Danube are by Ormandy, while Ligeti's Atmophères is by Bernstein. Ligeti's Lux Eterna is performed by The Gregg Smith Singers. The second side has instrumental music from Karl-Birger Blomdahl's opera taken from a complete recording with Werner Janssen conducting the Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper made in 1959 & issued on a Columbia 2-LP set. 1968-70 pressing.
MS 7178, issued 1968. In its day this album was a pretty big deal, a landmark in minimalism. Riley plays soprano sax & leads an ensemble of 10, including a pianist who plays only "The Pulse" over & over & over again. The recording is built up with two overdubbed performances on top of the original track. It reminds me most of some North African music I listened to recently. Recorded April-June, 1968, Columbia 30th Street Studio, NYC. Producer: David Behrman. Engineers: Fred Plaut & Russ Payne. 1968-70 pressing.
Just wanted to emphasize how good this sounds. I know some here don't like the sound of the pianoforte at all, but, if, like me, you PREFER the pianoforte in this kind of music, this recording is worth seeking out. Sounds like the instrument is in the room with you. Recorded on Beethoven's own instrument. I've almost never been disappointed by recordings on the BASF label. This is another good one. Jörg Demus – Beethovens Clavier (Sonaten Op. 78, 109, 110 / Bagatellen Op. 126) BASF – KHF 20328 Speaking of BASF recordings, years and years ago (1978), in my first year of college in St. Louis (Webster College, now Webster University) I was just learning about classical music. The college library had a pretty good collection of records. I used to spend a lot of time there just randomly listening. I vividly remember my impression of a Brahms clarinet trio that I liked a lot upon hearing it for the first time. For years, I've wondered what the recording was. All I could recall was that it was a BASF recording and there was something purple about it. Today I stumbled upon what I think is probably the record I heard that day (below). I've just ordered a copy from Germany. I wonder what I'll think of it 43 years later.... Johannes Brahms – Horntrio - Klarinettentrio BASF – 25 21184-3
Spinning in the CD player: Brahms - Academy Of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble – String Sextets Chandos – CHAN 9151
I've only spot listened through my set so far, but this is a disc I come back to over and over again. True, it's very "unconventional" baroque performance, but it really is lovely stuff. Apologies for asking, but I saw your mention of a defective disc 76, but couldn't find the post indicating what was defective about it. What was wrong with your copy? I'll have to check mine to see if the defect is present across multiple editions of the "monolith."