I have a lot of time for the first symphony, and early period Beethoven in general. It's sometimes referred to as "Haydn-esque" in a pejorative manner, but as someone who's a big fan of Haydn, it suits me just fine! I'd take it over the 4th in particular any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
I've not got a lot of Haydn, but his chamber works are great (actually, I have just got a lot of Haydn in the Orpheus box, but not listened to it much yet). But I'm aware that Beethoven looked up to Haydn as a mentor, so it's no surprise that the early Beethoven owes a lot to him. It's a case of the apprentice becoming mightier than the master. And to quote Isaac Newton "If I saw further, it was by standing on the shoulders of giants"
First listen to CD 2 from new arrival "Chopin - Complete Nocturnes" performed by Alain Planes on Harmonia Mundi.
Listening right now to Pachelbel’s Canon performed by Music Antiqua Koln courtesy of Tidal. It’s a album of chamber music of Pachelbel and Buxtehude.
I could, but I prefer to own my own media, to ensure things don't suddenly disappear or get replaced with inferior remasters, although I doubt the latter is such an issue in the classical world. Having physical media is also a big indulgence for me - I've moved around the world twice in the last 15 years, culling my belongings down dramatically both times, so having lots of lovely, impractical CDs feels like such a luxury, even though they're almost all second-hand and cheap as chips. Simply put, they make me happy. Streaming would be useful for the 10 or so days a year I find myself working away from home, but as I'm otherwise at home with my CDs every day, I can't justify the expense. I also get terrible paralysis when presented with an empty search box, and despite having access to infinite everything, end up paradoxically listening to a smaller range of music, as I can only ever remember a few things. Mind you, a resource like this thread would be a boon for discovery.
NP: Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 8 in D minor USSR Ministry of Culture SO Rozhdestvensky Such a fascinating and well-performed cycle of RVW's symphonies with the exception of A Sea Symphony. I'm sorry but Russians can't sing English too well. Anyway, I love Rozhdestvensky's way with RVW.
It was, issued in 1972 with a quad mix by Larry Keyes. It was issued this year in quad on a hybrid SACD by Dutton.
Or get yourself a nice dedicated Digital Audio Player. Mine has almost 2TB of music on it, all in lossless or hi-res, and it has a built-in headphone amplifier and balanced output, so it perfectly drives my Sennheiser HD660s. This has been a life-saver for me having moved around the world for the past 35 years.
M 31806, issued 1973. This is a reissue of MS 6193, from 1960. Recorded 2/16/60, St. George Hotel, Brooklyn (Peter) & 5/2/60, Manhattan Center, NYC (Nutcracker). Peter is effectively narrated by Bernstein.
M 31830, issued 1973. Reissue of MS 6183 from 1961. Recorded 1/5-6/60, St. George Hotel, Brooklyn. Producer: John McClure. Stravinsky had previously recorded this work for Columbia in 1940 as well as for French Columbia in 1929. One of a small number of classical LPs bought at Phonoluxe here in Nashville.
I took this box set off the shelf this morning for probably the first time since I bought it 20 years ago. Not sure why I let it sit; while my favorite is still Pinnock's earlier set with the English Concert (1982), the AAMB lays down a fine set of performances, and in a very crowded field, too. Recommended!
Listening to Haitink conducting London Philharmonic “Petrushka”, on my classical music station broadcast. Excellent! They have been exploring Haitink’s recorded legacy in memory of him.
These symphony performances were a very pleasant surprise to me when I discovered them. I did not associate Rozhdestvensky with RVW.
Now playing: Arcangelo Corelli - Sonate a violino e violoncello o cimbalo Nos. 1-6, Op. 5 (Rome, 1700), Dedicated to Electress Sophie Charlotte of Brandenburg - Rémy Baudet, Jaap ter Linden, Pieter-Jan Belder - recorded 2004 CD 7 of this set:
