Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #49)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Aug 7, 2013.

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  1. jukes

    jukes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Finland
    Rather mine. I mean, I of course meant to listen them through and compare to ABQ and Italiano sets and... :confused:

    So just in few words: the ensemble is Beethovenesque - neither hocus pocus, nor light easy listening approach. I.e. quite "conservative", in a sense, or informed both by the tradition and the score. I think (can't actually remember exactly) that Q. Italiano's sound is more exuberant/lush without being "only sound", but Gewandhaus Q is more faithful to Ludwig van than most of the others (my impression, or fantasy). Well-balanced playing. There are three approaches, I think, that would lead to the disappointment of the listener: one wants to sink in a lushy sound; one wants something drastically new (as an interpretation); one wants something (at least ostensibly) spiritual. I find neither this nor that kind of exaggeration in their playing.

    And when I add the - slightly "modernistic" (in a sense of Boulez conducting Debussy) - LaSalle set of Late Quartets to the list, I have nearly perfect basic collection of Beethoven Quartets.
     
  2. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Thanks, Jukes!
     
  3. jukes

    jukes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Finland
    You are welcome (said the silly who don't have much to say).
     
  4. dale 88

    dale 88 Errand Boy for Rhythm

    Location:
    west of sun valley
    Beethoven String Quartets: I have complete cycles with

    Vegh Quartet
    Endellion Quartet
    Alexander Quartet
    Quartetto Italiano
    Artemis Quartet

    Currently like the Vegh. Now listening to the Endellion which is growing on me. Haven't started on the box set from the Artemis Quartet, which is Berlin based I believe.
     
  5. vanhooserd

    vanhooserd Senior Member

    Location:
    Nashville,TN
    discovered in a drawer of tapes a recording I had forgotten about-Pictures at an Exhibition/Antal Dorati conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra,issued on
    10-inch LP by Philips in 1953.a strong,somewhat raw-sounding performance in decent mono.
     
  6. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    I have heard of Oppo, it is a Hong Kong based manufacturer that has made a number of highly acclaimed universal players. I actually have a Yamaha universal player with HDMI input but have mainly used it as an SACD player. I still pretty much think in analog terms and may never get away from analog equipments. A number of traditional integrated amp makers have begun incorporating DAC, USB ports and other computer connection to their equipments. It appears the HT craze has died down a bit ...
     
  7. heman__

    heman__ Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    I have an OPPO 105 player...I cannot speak highly enough of it. Truly, one of the greatest products in high end audio at the moment.
     
  8. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I know you have a significant DVD (and maybe Blu-Ray) collection as well. Do you use the Yamaha to play these discs. The Oppo offers good audio and video performance for these as well.

    Stereophile rated the Oppo 95 A+. Kal Rubinstein confirmed that the 105 simply missed the deadline. At $1195 the Oppo is by far the least expensive in that class.
     
  9. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    As I listened to my Julliard set this week, truly enjoying every minute, I couldn't help but feel that my collection lacked a set of these works that conveyed the music in a different way, a more muscular, rough and tough manner. To quote Stephen Ritter from Audiophile Audition:

    Hell yeah!
     
  10. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Yes.
    You should check out the Takacs Quartet complete set—Amazon has it for around $28. More like the Vienna Philharmonic plays the Beethoven quartets, which ain't exactly chopped liver if you catch my drift
     
  11. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Cool, so then I have most of that 3CD set.

    Got a link? I am only seeing 3 separate sets.
     
  12. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    In other words, it came off like the Portsmouth Symphonia? [Insert appropriate smiley.]
     
  13. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    My bad, you're right.

    If you can, hear the Late set anyway, it's amazing and different and all that.
     
  14. RiRiIII

    RiRiIII Forum Resident

    Location:
    Athens, Greece
  15. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    In before the edit!
     
  16. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    I've heard the Takacs mentioned more than a few times in the same breath as the Emerson QT, which sent me running in the opposite direction. I'll check them out on Spotify.
     
  17. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Nothing like the antiseptic, clinical Emerson set. This is lush.
     
  18. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Good. My Italiano is lush, too, but not symphonic, as you describe the Takacs.

    (Full disclosure, I owned the Takacs set of Bartok for years and tried very hard to enjoy the music. The Hungarians opened the door with just one listen)
     
  19. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    Now enjoying this new arrival.
     
    Robin L and scompton like this.
  20. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    I bought a Samsung plug-and-play BR player for my computer but have yet to watch any BR disc on it. Actually, the only BR title I have is the Sound of Music, which I acquired online from Borders just before it folded two years ago. I watch all my DVD's on my Dell desktop. My Yamaha universal player does not have an LCD monitor connected to it at the moment.
     
  21. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    Now enjoying Rubinstein's first of six recordings of the Grieg PC. A 1942 recording that shows just how electrifying he was in his earlier years.
     
  22. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Speaking of Rubinstein, I have yet to watch the following DVD, which arrived from Presto Classical many months ago ...

    [​IMG]
     
  23. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Keep in mind that the younger Rubinstein was a very different pianist. Like Gilels, he was much more individual early on, even explosive at times.
     
  24. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    So this DVD is pretty much gonna to show an old man with his best days behind him performing in color ... :D
     
  25. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    I can only say this, I did not like Rubinstein until I heard his mono recordings. I listened to the stereo Chopin recordings a number of times before concluding that I simply didn't like the pianist. It puzzled me why people so revered his Chopin - until I heard the mono recordings and it clicked!

    There is a great blog entry by a man named Hank Drake who wrote about Rubinstein. Here's a link. In the blog, he speaks of three phases in Rubinstein's
    recorded output. Here's an excerpt:

    1928-1946 - Impetuous playing, full of brio, but sometimes uncontrolled, very much a virtuoso but sometimes gets carried away, more freedom and imagination than in later years.

    1947-1962 - Greater maturity, still hot blooded but starting to mellow, most secure technically, increasing understanding of musical structure.

    1963-1976 - Maturity giving way to stodginess, control of pianissimo failing, best in contemplative repertoire like late Brahms.

    In short, if you haven’t heard recordings drawn from Rubinstein’s early and middle periods, you haven’t heard Rubinstein.


    I agree with most of this and enjoy the first and second phases, in that order.
     
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