Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #4)

New Argerich DVD

Brought to you by Opus Arts, they make great DVD's. Forgot the link, here it is.

http://www.opusarte.com/pages/product.asp?ProductID=273

 

George, Are you familiar with this set?

 

Oh, yes. It contains some nice stuff, including the greatest Op. 110 I've ever heard.

 

This is a huge vote of confidence. I just ordered his "Moonlight" earlier this evening ...

 

Serkin

Rudolf Serkin was one of the greatest Beethovenians, IMHO. Check out this clip of sonata no. 30, op. 109 on YouTube, from 1987 at age 84:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEeO8uULTKY

Remainder of op. 109: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=serkin+109&search_type=

 

See if you can get some early stuff at some point. The mono performances are even better than the stereo. After about 1965 or so, there was a drop in his playing. Pretty much the earlier the better with him.

There's a 5 disc set that compiles all of his later Sony LvB recordings, but much of it is just OK. Your better of picking and choosing IMO.

I did some writing on another forum that might be of use to you: http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,7284.0.html

PS - I just rejoined that forum actually, a lot of good guys over there, including our very own Bogey.

 

Great forum. Thanks for sharing

 

This reminds me of Yehudi Menuhin ...

 

Absolutely agree with this assessment. Stereo is inconsistent. Mono is hard to beat. And do not disregard the VERY early Serkin recordings. These are probably my favorite.

 

I've had the 2004 Naxos release of Penderecki's St. Luke Passion in the rotation of late (as performed by the Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra)...but I've only managed to play it on the computer thus far. Need to get it the heck out of here and downstairs to the proper system, as there are so many changing dynamics that it makes for really uneven listening. But that's my fault.

Any other recordings of this to check out?

 

George, I just invited myself over there and set up a profile, same obnoxious full name.


Now watching Abbado's Mahler 6 from Lucerne Festival 2005. Was his award-winning 2006 DG recording taken from this performance, or was it a studio job? Jay, you will dig this mucho.

 

Gabriela Montero

Just read the news that Gabriela Montero will be performing President-elect Obama's inauguration. Cool!!


from EMIClassics.com:

 

I saw "Nitsch fur Anton Bruckner" at the store the other day and was intrigued. This is a recording of Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 prefaced by one of Nitsch's organ drone performances. The conductor is Peter Jan Marthe, with the European Philharmonic Orchestra. It sounds as if he's been a controversial figure in the world of classical music. It's not clear to me if Nitsch is involved in the symphony portion of the release or not.

Here's some more info on this release, and be sure to read the interview with the conductor in the link to the PDF booklet - really interesting thoughts on Bruckner which pick up where Celibidache left off:

http://www.preiserrecords.at/album.php?english=1&ean=717281907460

If you don't know who Hermann Nitsch is, here's his wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Nitsch

 

Cool, I'll keep an eye out for ya! They have a handy intro forum that I recommend using to introduce yourself to the group. I'm just George over there, with same avatar.

 

The second picture, as donwyn pointed out on the Bach Cantata thread on another forum is the original issue. This cover is still intact as the new issue (first picture) is actually just a sleeve over the older issue.

Right now, BWV 41 is spinning. My wife and I are enjoying it with a cup of coffee. Appropriate listening as Bach wrote this one on New Year's day.....so we're a few hours early.

 

An earlier pressing of this:

 

This would make a nice desktop.

 

Beethoven
Missa Solemnis
LSO/Sir Colin Davis
Brilliant 93525/73

Cool story here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5202103

 

New Year's Eve concert

Took my 11 year-old nephew to see the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra tonight. Per usual, it was a surprise program. Bernstein was his favorite -- smart kid!

• J. Strauss II - Die Fledermaus Overture
• Brahms - Hungarian Dance No. 1
• Brahms - Hungarian Dance No. 5
• Dvorak - Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, No. 1
• Dvorak - Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, No. 4
• Dvorak - Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, No. 8
• J. Strauss II - On the Beautiful Blue Danube

Intermission

• Willson - Overture and 'Rock Island' from The Music Man
• Rodgers - Dream ballet from Oklahoma (w/ dancers from Modern American Dance Co.)
• Rodgers - Carousel waltz
• Loewe - Embassy Waltz from My Fair Lady (w/ dancers)
• Bernstein - Three dance episodes from On the Town
  -The Great Lover
  -Lonely Town: Pas de Deux
  -Times Square: 1944

Encore

• Auld Lang Syne

 

Looks like a great program to me.

 

Gypsy woman

PS. to Jay and Stuart and all the guys who hate coughers, cell phones, and other rude behavior...well, it finally happened to me. There was an eccentric woman who was 'conducting' from her seat -- 50 yard line, floor center -- that was right in my line of sight from the Grand Tier boxes (the $$ seats, an Xmas gift from my mother). I don't know how the people around her put up with it. And when each Dance or Stauss waltz ended, this sixty-ish lady did a strange Gypsy 'clap' where she would move her hands in the air like a belly dancer without actually touching her hands together. St. Louis was the end-destination for a community of refugees from the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, well, she wasn't was exactly dressed like the other WASP's in the audience, so I'm pretty sure she was a real Bohemian. Plus, when conductor David Robertson addressed the audience in Hungarian before the Brahms portion, she raised her hands in excitement. Oh, and she left at intermission, no interest in the All-American second half.

 

Liszt

Now watching a beautifully-recorded and performed all-Liszt recital by Daniel Barenboim.

 

Introducing Kuhlau

Hi there and Happy New Year to all.

My name (as you can see) is Kuhlau, and I'm here on the invitation of George P. He, myself and Bogey met on another classical music forum a few years ago.

I'm looking forward to contributing and hope to bring something useful to the discussions.

Oh, so you know, I'm the guy whose blog George mentioned back in part three of this long-running thread. My first review went live today - check out the link in my signature.

FK