First listen to CD 29 from "George Szell - The Complete Columbia Album Collection" on Sony. Dvorak - Symphony No. 4 Op. 88 with the Cleveland Orchestra 1959.
First listen in a long while. Barring the Brandenburg Concertos, I tend to unjustly neglect Bach's non-keyboard works. JS Bach - Violin Concertos BWV 1041-1043 - Pinnock/English Concert, Simon Standage (1041-1043), Elizabeth Wilcock (1043) Mine is from the cheapo purple collector's edition, but the original art is much more interesting. I really need to pick up the cello suites, which are a glaring gap in my collection.
It must be neglected clamshell collector's edition day. Some early Beethoven now: Beethoven - Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 - 3 - Vladimir Ashkenazy I've said it before, but I love the 10 second pre-gaps between pieces on this set. I have no idea why it's not done more often, it prevents the accidental-suite problem without you needing to program the CD player.
I am still in the 70s section of the boat anchor Karajan box. I am enjoying pretty much every minute of my listening voyage.
Speaking of the Karajan 70s recordings-here is another one I am playing this morning. A very interesting list of works by various composers. Invitation to the Dance, The Damnation of Faust, Mephisto Waltz, The Bartered Bride and Scherzo Capriccioso.
Someone was listening to this collection the other day, so I was prompted to break it out... Mahler: Symphonies (various, starting with #5) Frankfurt RSO & Eliahu Inbal Denon Really great early digital sound. A lot better than what most other labels were putting out at that time. A solid set, Inbal's interpretations may not be the most exciting out there, but he's consistently good across the board.
Now playing Chopin’s Prelude in E Minor by the Gerry Mulligan Sextet, with the leader on baritone sax, Art Farmer on fluegelhorn, Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone, Jim Hall on guitar, Bill Crow on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums. This is Chopin to a gentle bossa nova beat.
Had to dig through my archive stacks, and found some old friends! The great John Lewis, here playing Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. Timeless!
Now playing: Johannes Brahms - Sonatas for Clarinet & Piano, Op. 120, Nos. 1 & 2 - Gervase de Peyer, Gwenneth Pryor - recorded 1982-83
Now playing: Georg Philipp Telemann - Twelve Fantasias for Transverse Flute without Bass - Barthold Kuijken - recorded 1978
Now playing: George Frideric Handel - Organ Concertos HWV 295 'The Cuckoo And The Nightingale'; HWV 296 & 304 - The English Concert, Simon Preston, Trevor Kinnock - recorded 1983 From this set:
Have been busy so not much time to post, and been dipping back into popular music lately. I did pay my tributes to Mr. Haitink this week though and played some Philips recordings: Bruckner No. 7, Debussy Images for Orchestra and a very underrated version of The Scheherazade that I highly recommend to the unfamiliar
Now playing: Nikolai Medtner - Piano Concerto No. 1; Piano Quintet - Dmitri Alexeev, BBC SO, Alexander Lazarev, New Budapest Quartet - recorded 1994
Dug out an old friend tonight. Impeccably played and is a Red Book sonic wonder: Jacques Loussier Plays Bach The Presto of the Italian Concerto fab man.
On the turntable: A German release Sibelius / Concertgebouw-Orchester, Amsterdam / George Szell / Eduard Van Beinum – Symphonie Nr. 2 D-Dur Op. 43 Und Finlandia Op. 26 Philips – 411 396-1
Now playing: Tōru Takemitsu - Between Tides; Landscape I; Distance De Fee; Rocking Mirror Daybreak; Hika; A Way A Lone - Ensemble KAÏ - recorded 1998
Frederick Fennell Cleveland Symphonic Winds Holst: First Suite op. 28 no, 1 Second Suite op. 28 no. 2 Bach: Fantasia in G Handel; Music for the Royal Fireworks (1978)
Columbia M 31520, issued 1972. Recorded 4/7/72, Abbey Road Studio No. 1, London. Producer: John McClure. Engineer: Robert Gooch (EMI). Stereo remix: Don Puluse, a Columbia engineer in NYC who mostly worked on pop & rock recordings. I assume he probably worked from 8-track session tapes. I prefer Bernstein's earlier recording of the Rite with the New York Philharmonic.
Always love these suites, and great performances from Bernstein and New York. Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 1 Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 2 Bizet: L'Arlésienne Suite No. 1 Bizet: L'Arlésienne Suite No. 2 Leonard Bernstein New York Philharmonic 1968
Back at the jauntily sloping desk in my father-in-law's office for a few days work. My CD collection is 120 miles away, meaning I'm limited to what I have on my iPhone - which is entirely non-classical, except for the Festetics Quartet's full Haydn cycle. Joseph Haydn - String Quartets Op. 20 "Sun" - Quatuor Festetics I think my next phone will have double the capacity and thus be able to accommodate my classical library too. But tagging ripped classical is such a nightmare, so I'll probably still only put a few favourites on there.
Early night tonight, so spinning what must be a contender for shortest CD in my collection, from Living Stereo Volume Two: I always seem to forget how entertaining this symphony is. It's a shorter than usual CD as it was originally part of a 2 LP set with the ninth, which is CD 40 in this box.
