On the turntable: Poulenc, Stravinsky - Boston Symphony, Munch, Zamkochian – Concerto In G Minor For Organ, Strings And Timpani / Jeu Des Cartes RCA Red Seal
I have a question about a Schubert 12 Lieder Elisabeth Schwarzkopf cd that has the 1952 EMI Abbey Road Studio recordings on it. I decided to keep with the Naxos release for this to go with my others as I favour the mastering and transfers by Mark Obert-Thorn to the actual EMI releases. What’s strange though is that if you listen for comparison to these works on a streaming service such as Apple Music all the EMI and some other albums with this on sound like they are a pitch lower / different speed than this Naxos disc. Confusing. Does anyone else know about or have a comment about this? Which is correct ? the Naxos disc I have is 8.111287 This is it on an EMI release:
On the turntable: More Stravinsky from the big box set. Listening to disc 7, which includes: The Fairy's Kiss Bluebird Jeu de Cartes Ballet Scenes Igor Stravinsky – Stravinsky The Recorded Legacy CBS Masterworks – GM-31
Now playing: Igor Stravinsky - Chamber Works & Rarities - European Chamber Soloists, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Andrei Gavrilov - recorded 1991, 1994 CD 1 of this set:
A contemporary of Wagner and Brahms whose music leans more toward Wagner and late Beethoven. Felix Draeseke: String Quartet No.1, Op. 27 String Quartet No.2, Op. 35 Constanze Quartet
Listening to "Tchaikovsky - Trio Op. 50 / Brahms - Trio Op. 40" performed by Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg (violin), Cecile Licad (piano), Antonio Meneses (cello) and John Cerminaro (horn) on EMI.
Now playing: Joachim Raff - String Quartets Nos. 4 & 8 - Mannheimer Streichquartett - recorded 2006 CD 2 of this set:
I had the TT going to listen to the new Dropkick Murphys album, so then I decided to give this old six-eye a spin. Wagner: The Meistersinger Overture The Flying Dutchman Overture Prelude and Good Friday Spell from Parsifal Bruno Walter, The Columbia Symphony Orchestra
How do you like this twofer? I am just starting to warm up to Stravinsky works. Given the age of this set, it could be OOP now ...
Now listening to music of Edouard Lalo (1823-1892): - "Namouna" Ballet Suite - Rhapsodie Norvégienne Jean Martinon / Orchestre National de l'Office de la Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française, Paris DG LP / 1982 / German pressing My 1982 LP is a reissue of the original 1971 release -- pictured below. I used to often hear Lalo's Symphony Espagnole on the radio back in the '70s, but no longer. This French composer is nearly forgotten today, as his works are rarely (if ever) programmed for broadcast or concert halls. Furthermore, the three "Namouna" Ballet Suites that take up the bulk of this record will likely never be heard by most people, which is a real pity. When "Namouna" first premiered in 1882, fellow Frenchman, Claude Debussy, applauded so enthusiastically that the management had him escorted out of the theater! Debussy described the work as "a masterpiece of rhythm and color," --which fully expresses my impression of it, too. I have two other recordings of "Namouna" on LP-- Paul Paray on Mercury, and Ernest Ansermet on London -- but this Martinon performance and DG's recording tops both of those. Yes, IMO, this DG record from 1971 sounds far better than the thin sonics of Mercury's "Living Presence" LP-- rare as that is.
Martinon was a great, underrated conductor and this Lalo piece is intriguing. I have bid on a Lp on offer-I want to hear that performance!
Going back to the first, another great listen. The first has grand romantic gestures in the strings and great heroic responses in the brass. To be honest, it sometimes sounds a bit formulaic, but the formula is executed so magnificently, I don't care; this is a great listen. The exceedingly lively third movement is entirely fresh and provides an extra shot to the joy of listening.
Johann Sebastian Bach - Concerto for Harpsichord #1 in D Minor This is just an insanely good piece of music! When I listen to Bach, I always hear genius; when I listen to this I think I may be hearing God. The magnificence of this is almost incomprehensible. Harpsichord music doesn't always translate so well to piano, but in this case, the conversion is stunning. Of course it helps to have an artist who knows what she's doing, and Osetinskaya certainly does here. So glad I took the time to listen to both! Harpsichord Version: Trevor Pinnock Piano Version: Polina Osetinskaya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osg_WmeLxQk
Great! I'll look forward to your impressions after you've heard it. And I agree-- Martinon was an exceptional conductor.
This is the Harpsichord set I have too. Fabulous. The piano version I have and enjoy is the set by Murray Perahia & the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Great having both.