Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #18)

Now playing Bizet's Symphony in C major from the Bernstein box. Very nice indeed. Before that it was Bernstein's own composition Symphony No.3 'Kaddish'. Quite intense and impressive.

 

That looks like thats some good ear Candy!
I can't wait to get the set I ordered.....maybe that performance is part of it?

 

If anybody is interested Barnes & Noble has the Brilliant Bach Box for $89.99. I just broke down and ordered one. I really enjoy my Beethoven/Mozart/Haydn/Brahms boxes.

 

I think it is. I should know soon. My two sets (Oistrakh and Du Pre) have reached Jersey City.

 

I'll hit the third year anniversary of when I started, going off and on, in February. Happily, I'm very nearly through; just have about a foot-high stack to go, now mostly the ones that aren't that interesting to me and some recital discs that are slow and pesky to break down. So I should finally be done very soon, assuming I don't do something stupid like going on a mass buying spree of big box sets or something.

Uh, oh.....

 

I adore these recordings. How it compares with the RCA Toscanini collection transfer wise? Night and day, or less?

Thanks!

 

Very good indeed. Depends on your mood, of course.

 

I'm not sure about night and day, each of the pieces are from different recording years and the later years have outstanding sound quality.

 

If the RCA was done by Ward Marston, I would find it hard to believe that any other transfer would be better.

 

Yes, he was, and, no, afraid I didn't, although I did embed a few links to his article in some others. I have written or significantly expanded some articles--Friedrich Wuhrer, George Georgescu, and Marie Novello are probably the biggest--but not Haggin's. "Trenchant" simply is the best word to describe him: strongly opinionated, extremely certain of those opinions, and utterly unhesitant to voice them as authoritative. Incidentally, he also had strong opinions about the work of other critics active at the time, and he was equally lacking in reticence in that regard, too, a quality that did nothing to endear him to his colleagues.

My word, you're right--I took a look at Amazon and was astonished at how much those sets are apparently commanding. That said, a single used copy of the Sym. 4 can be had for as little as $2. http://www.amazon.com/Johannes-Brah...=sr_1_9?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1291304709&sr=1-9

Yeah, nobody ever bought Toscanini recordings for the luxurious audio quality, but many of the LP transfers were dreadful, whereas he has generally fared better on CD, I think.

Incidentally, other Brahms that I sould have mentioned includes the piano quintet in f, op. 34 (favorite recording: Victor Aller and the Hollywood Quartet, which I think has popped up on a Testament CD reissue), also scored as a sonata for two pianos as op. 34b (favorite recording: Eschenbach and Frantz; avoid the Kontarsky brothers on DG unless you like life in a refrigerator). You might also like to try the Variations on a Theme by Haydn (which isn't--Haydn himself borrowed it from elsewhere) (back to Toscanini again for orchestra, Eschenbach and Frantz for the two-piano version) and the Academic Festival Overture, one of the more deliciously irreverent jokes in all classical music. Need I recommend a conductor, he asked, rhetorically?

Although they were already long-gone when I came along, I started with 78s. From there I worked back into cylinders and ahead into LPs and CDs, and I've kept the faith with all. Surface noise? What surface noise?

 

PM me if you'd like a Japanese CD set, used and in good shape, of the four symphonies.

 

Funny - it's the second time I've run into it today. In "Finishing the Hat" Stephen Sondheim writes about rhyming "trenchant" with "penchant" (in "Now" from "A Little Night Music"). That worked fine in the US, but not in London where penchant is pronounced as if it were French - pãˈʃã.

 

Same exact two I ordered!!
Mine haven't gone anywhere much as of yet that I see.

As of 1:50pm EST today

Detailed Results:

Arrived Shipping Partner Facility, November 26, 2010, 6:00 pm, CARSON, CA 90746
Electronic Shipping Info Received, December 01, 2010
Picked Up by Shipping Partner, November 26, 2010, 6:00 pm, IRVINE, CA 92614

 

Arrived Today (no image yet, as I get an advance copy for being a subsciber):

 

Ok, so there is more gold pound for pound in your collection. But just check out this thrift store junker I found for $1.00, mint LP inside of poly plastic llined inner cover. BTW, a UK pressed EMI LP was always inside of these covers of the era.

 

Passing this info along from my Facebook feed.

Prof. Keith Johnson was just nominated for a Grammy award in the Surround Sound category, for recent release RR-120 SACD Britten's Orchestra!
The producer, David Frost, was also nominated for Classical Producer of the Year and Britten's Orchestra is the top one on his roster of the albums he produced in the last year.

 

In any case Toscanini's usurpassed Brahms cycle with the Philharmonia made in London is always available. Don't miss it. It even better than the NBC.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brahms-Comp...OO0T/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291368548&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Symphonies-Toscanini-Philharmonia-Orchestra/dp/B00003OO0T

 

Mine were at my door last evening.

 

, great find.

 

Well deserved.

 

Mine was shipped Nov 25 so I hope to get mine today or tomorrow.
The tracking system sux!

With all the bad news this week I NEED a pick me up!!

 

Not to mention they are a REAL Valuable Collectors Item!!
I have yet to get any as they don't quite meet my budget!

 

Now playing this CD, which arrived 2 days ago for a first listen ...

 

I have a fairly complete run of the pre Living Stereo Red Seal Lps,I have maybe less than ten I am missing,but today I was at this indoor flea market store,today,that unlike any of the thrift stores,still gives great vinyl.I have been buying classical vinyl for going on 21 years,thrift stores,eBay,dealer lists, yard sales,library sales,wherever,and if you read my posts around this board, you know I have many rarities,so it's something when I come across an RCA record I have never seen before,but I did today,with LM-1978,which is Byron Janis playing the Beethoven "Waldstein",and Opus 109 sonatas.1s stamper,I doubt it had more.I assume it was not recorded in stereo? Is this a fairly rare record?

 

Why? There are very few Toscanini records that are worth a lot of money.I have that 11 record 78 set on "Studio & Arts" label Shostakovich "Leningrad" from the late 40s,I've seen sell from $150-300.I only have one Stokowski of the Program Transcriptions.I know there are two Toscaninis.I lost a bid on the Wagner last year,for $125.I'm sure some of those yellow label NBC transcriptions from the 30s and 40s would go for decent money,but most Toscanini records don't go for much.Even something like that limited edition leather bound Brahms set.


I've never understood why a classical recording on CD,that is not that expensive on vinyl,should go for ridiculous sums,like the Rafael Kubelik Mathis der Maler,on EMI.