Now enjoying the Disc that contains the second symphony. Not sure if its the work or the performance, but I am enjoying this one a lot more than the first. Seems more dramatic, more dynamic.
It's not the general feeling but I've always liked the second as well. I recently picked up the Anthony Payne 'elaboration of the sketches' of the third symphony on Naxos, will have to listen to it sometime soon - it has had excellent reviews.
My turn to do a bit of Backhaus listening--not on nearly this scale. Specifically, sorting out which of two copies to keep of Backhaus playing Handel's "Harmonious Blacksmith," recorded in London on 10/19/1908. A very flowing account in a "Romantic pianist" sort of way, not at all the way someone would play it today, but really lovely if taken on its own terms. It's a 12" disk; Wanda Landowska actually recorded the same variations set on harpsichord in 1923, one of the few acoustic records made of that instrument, but oddly her record was only 10".
Now enjoying what is probably my favorite performance of the 9th symphony, from the above CD set. I really love the intensity of this performance.
This was the first set of symphonies by any composer I purchased. It's still one of my favourites, though I have also been enjoying Karajan's earlier recordings on EMI (via the Warner issued remasterings).
My first set, too. I am not fond of his 6th, but the rest is excellent. Haven't heard his EMI recordings, but I have a ton of his 1960s recordings and the box set below of some of his 70s recordings. I much prefer the former.
I have that set (1977) and his 1963 on SACD and, his 80s set as well. Overall, I prefer his 1963 set over all of them as well.
I am not his biggest fan, but I enjoyed this documentary about Pollini. It was tastefully done by the same director who did Richter's documentary - Richter, the Enigma.
On the subject of the 9th (and studiously avoiding any remarks re: Karajan), just a couple of days ago I filled a long-felt want and received a copy of the 1928 Oskar Fried recording with the Berlin State Opera Or. and the Bruno Kittel Choir. Originally on Polydor; my copy was issued under license by US Brunswick. It's on 7 records, 14 sides. Fried was an interesting character. Unlike most German musicians of stature, when the time came for him to flee the Nazis, he went not West but East, into the Soviet Union. My favorite account of the Berlioz Symphonie Fantistique is a (dreadful sounding) b'cast or concert recording of Fried with one of the Russian orchestras after he settled there.
I appreciate your studiousness. I almost reached for Fricsay, as his 9th is also very highly rated, but the last time I tried it was disappointing. I should try Wand again. I love his Beethoven.
It has been a while since I listened to the Fricsay. In fact it has been a while since I listened to the 9th. I will have to give the Fricsay a go. The Wand as well.
Now playing and enjoying this CD, recorded in 1992 and 1996. Leonskaja was a friend of and sometime collaborator with S. Richter
I found it interesting that the recorded sound on the Scott Ross box is quite good for the various harpsichords used. Of course it varies a little with different recording dates. On disc 26, track 17 I don't remember hearing bass notes as clearly as they are on this moderate tempo piece.
I've flitted around in the set, not played discs through, but I agree--everything I've played has been well recorded, and the performances have been everything the reviews had led me to expect. That said, I guess disc 26 continues to be the problem child of the set! OK, I'll confess: today on the main rig I gave Ross a vacation and went with more recent fare: The Prokofiev and Shostakovich 1st pno. cti. (Richter/Kondrashin and Mewton-Wood/Goehr, respectively) and, a bit later, Tchaikowsky's sextet "Souvenir of Florence" (an ad hoc ensemble on one of those BBC Music Magazine discs). I also spent a good bit of time sifting through 78 duplicates on the set downstairs, all records by Rosa Ponselle--among them the "Miserere" from Il Trovatore with Martinelli, "Suicidio" from La Gioconda, "Kiss Me Again" from Victor Herbert's Mademoiselle Modiste, and Tosti's "Addio" (in English as "Goodbye"). How's that for an eclectic mix?
I’ve been into the Delos label lately. I’m listening to this for the first time tonight: Brahms: String Quintet, Clarinet Quintet The sound quality is good. The tone is good to great, but I would prefer it if the microphones were further away. I have no reference for either piece. I skipped ahead to the clarinet quintet. It was nice, the playing seemed earnest, not necessarily of the highest quality. In listening to the string quintet now, it doesn’t grab me as much. Any other recommendations for the clarinet quintet?
'CARNAVAL DE VENISE: WORKS FOR FLUTE & HARP' IRENA GRAFENAUER (flute), MARIA GRAF (harp) Philips 438 632-2 - released 1994
That sounds about right for a Delos release. In its heyday, the label was aimed first and foremost at the audiophile market--you might say it and Telarc slugged it out in the same ring--and as usual with such operations its stable of artists was made up mostly of less familiar figures. That's not to say they weren't necessarily excellent musicians, but at the same time they weren't necessarily going to be in, say, the Reginald Kell class, either. Mind you, some of my favorite recordings are by musicians who didn't achieve that kind of "household name" recognition, but when you leave behind the comfort of accepted opinion, you always are a little unsure of how things will turn out. On the other hand, that's one of the pleasures of exploring! As to recommendations, well, I mentioned Reginald Kell for a reason--it's hard to go wrong with him. I know of two recordings he made of the Brahms quintet, one in the 78 era with the Busch Quartet and one on LP for Concert Disc with the Fine Arts Quartet. I'd imagine one or both would be or have been available in CD reissue, although I can't speak to that from personal experience. Worth noting with a smile: Benny Goodman also recorded the piece with the Berkshire Quartet. I have that one on an MHS LP, doubtless licensed from somebody else, but I'm not sure that I've ever played it. (It came to me in a huge lot of MHS LPs a neighbor gave me years ago, and to this day I haven't gotten near wading through all of them.) Having made his name as a swing orchestra leader/clarinettist, he nonetheless made a number of classical recordings with the Budapest Quartet and other partners of similar stature; indeed, he recorded Bartok's Contrasts with no less than the composer at the keyboard and Josef Szigeti on violin. Critical opinion about Goodman's classical outings has been a bit mixed but a lot more favorable on balance than you might have expected. Oh, and speaking of unexpected, how's this for a connection? Goodman actually studied with Kell before venturing into classical literature.
Benny Goodman, interesting... that is pretty cool, I had no idea. Thanks for the recommendations, I will look for Kell. Yeah, that was my perception of Delos, and I see them as being similar to Telarc too. I've been to small town / no name performances, and there is a certain charm to the enthusiasm and pride in the good ones. This past month I decided to start hitting the clearance bins at my local record store and I've brought home around 6 Delos titles and around 25-30 Telarc ones, along with many other labels, all for around $1.99. Focusing on a label and grabbing random things from them has been one of my methods to find new music and performers and break myself out of habits/comfort.
Sounds like a good way to explore. As to pride and enthusiasm, give me that over blase "I've played this a million times before" professional polish any day. Sometimes that enthusiasm can take a less-than-first-rate piece of music and put it right over the top. For example, I have a recording of Portuguese composer Ruy Coelho's second violin sonata, and I'm pretty sure that taken on its own it falls at least a little short of the Beethoven/Mozart standard. The performers are violinist Vasco and pianist Grazi Barbosa, entirely unknown to me otherwise; obscure or not, they are accomplished players and clearly believe in this music, and as a result it's a piece to which I return fairly often--much more so than to any number of probably "superior" 20th c. works by more celebrated composers. Heaven is when the polished, virtuoso professional comes to a piece with that kind of commitment when the recording engineers are having a good day. Unfortunately, all those pieces seem to fall into place all too rarely.
cd 7 from the Muti box from Warner. Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 Italian Schumann: Symphony No. 4 New Philharmonia Riccardo Muti 1976
I wouldn't want to be without the Naxos series of Rossini overtures. I am sampling the first 2 volumes of Cimarosa overtures to see if I want more. The Rossini overtures had one conductor and orchestra, however, the Cimarosa series seems to have a variety of conductors and orchestras. Both are well done.
I noticed the Marco Polo label. I've been buying some of their Strauss series at a local charity store for $1 each: It's nice hearing some pieces other than the 'usual suspects'. I've been considering buying the complete 50xCD box set, but that's probably overkill.