Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #50)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Sep 29, 2013.

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  1. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
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    Now enjoying a first spin of this serene CD. Thanks to the person who suggested it to me (Robin? ... sorry, my memory fails me)
     
  2. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Most likely, found a clean copy of the original LP a few weeks ago.
     
  3. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]
     
    Robin L likes this.
  4. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    I am a great admirer of Shostakovich music but I tend the agree with Haitink, the symphonies are uneven. I wanted to like 4 especially because I read the critics saying that this is his most original symphony.
    I only have the recording of Haitink so I guess I will seek to get a different perspective from a different conductor, Kondrashin, Gergiev, Slatkin, all these are great suggestions folks!
    But I am not sure right now that the lack of form and the incoherent structure is Hatink's fault.
     
  5. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Haitink's Shostakovich is well loved by critics, but it does little for me. I'd much rather listen to Kondrashin, Mravinsky or Rohdestvensky.
     
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  6. Mr Bass

    Mr Bass Chevelle Ma Belle

    Location:
    Mid Atlantic
    FWIW I find the string quartets as uneven as the symphonies, no more, no less. And it's almost tautological that we all like some works and don't like others.

    Haitink tends to avoid or minimize conflict in his interpretations going back decades. Not that he is deficient in many other admirable qualities of interpretation. So it is a bit of a self serving comment of his.

    But this gets precisely at the emotional and potentially ironic aspects of Shostakovich's music. You can't discuss Marxist ideology in a symphony except by quoting Marxist rhetoric as Shostakovich did in his Sym 2 and 3. However you can express an attitude and emotion you feel about it or Stalin etc. To take one well-known example, the interpretation of the 5th Sym Finale depends crucially on whether you think the upbeat music is meant sincerely or ironically.
     
  7. Mr Bass

    Mr Bass Chevelle Ma Belle

    Location:
    Mid Atlantic
    As I noted previously, Sym 4 suffers from too much material rather than too little and Shostakovich was unsure how to organize it. Also Stalin gave him no opportunity to revise and live too. However, a few conductors turn it into a powerful musical experience. Isn't that the point?
     
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  8. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Moment of truth came at 9am this morning, as I popped 4 new fuses I had bought at my local Radio Shack into my CJ amp. The amp has been singing since. A well made amp manufactured in the US, which cost me some $4K in 2003 is still a great amp after a deacde. I have been listening to the following CD's from my library to test out the sonic character of this new set up.

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    The bass from the bipolar speakers have never been tighter ... :righton:
     
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  9. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Jim, I have been through this 3 times over the past 3 years and spent some $40K to help one of them fight her cancer. The doggies were my family members. The two I now have are relatively healthy but then the younger one is not quite two yet. It saddened me to hear hundreds of best friends recently died from jerky treats that came from you know where. We cannot consume any food from that country, human or doggies, period.
     
    no.nine and Mr Bass like this.
  10. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Newton, my avatar was just like that. The most sociable and well-behaved dog I have ever had. It was terrible his life was cut short by acute pancreatitis that was discovered too late.
     
  11. Mr Bass

    Mr Bass Chevelle Ma Belle

    Location:
    Mid Atlantic
    Now Listening To

    Sibelius: Symphony 1. Leonard Bernstein. UK CBS with Valse Triste. (The US version had a rather odd vocal interpretation of Luonnatar although Bernstein's conducting was good.)

    sibelius.jpg
     
  12. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Looks like our Amazon order has to be $35 to get free shipping. The following set just arrived a few days ago and this should be my set of last Complete Beethoven Symphonies

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  13. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    So now it's $35 instead of $25? And marketplace seller postage jumped from $3 to $4 not too long back. Add in that Amazon is building a distribution center in Baltimore, meaning orders to Maryland addresses will soon be charged state sales tax at the source, and my Amazon orders may well start becoming less frequent. :sigh: Although maybe that's a good thing, actually, now that I think about it....:angel:
     
  14. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Unfortunately, with the Dollar going into the tank, shopping at MDT or Presto Classical may not be all that attractive either, though they will not collect any sales tax for Maryland. I just ordered $200 worth of CD's at BRO where the shipping/handling remains very reasonable and I do not live in MA.
     
  15. sgb

    sgb Senior Member

    Location:
    Baton Rouge
    Get Amazon Prime and your shipping from Amazon is always free. Can't help you with the sales tax; soon enough we ALL will be paying it.
     
  16. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    I imagine the feds has to start charging import tax, as I doubt the UK or any EU countries will collect sales tax for the states.
     
  17. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    Yes, Amazon Prime is totally worthy, plus you can watch movies for free through Amazon Instant Video :cool:
     
  18. sgb

    sgb Senior Member

    Location:
    Baton Rouge
    I decided that I would end my 43 year boycott of HvK on the basis of the reviews of two respected Amazon reviewers and buy this one.

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    Despite the rants and raves about the improved sound, I suppose it would be easiest to say that I should probably consider myself fortunate that I have not heard this collection's predecessor. The SQ on 3 of the 6 CDs is intolerable; the other 3 range from a C- to a strong B. As for the performances, one of the reviewers claimed that the 9th contained in this set is regarded as the very finest recording of the symphony ever recorded. Well, I suppose YMMV counts for something here. The 3rd is nice, so is the 5th, but in all, this was a terrible waste of money, and, obviously, not the recording that would convince me to change my mind on this so-called super conductor.

    You folks that are into surround sound might note that AMSI in the bottom left corner; I guess that stands for Ambient Sound Imaging but I couldn't say whether this works or not since I don't have surround sound anywhere in the house.
     
  19. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Sgb - is that the '77 set? I much prefer the more intense '63 set.
     
  20. sgb

    sgb Senior Member

    Location:
    Baton Rouge
    And don't forget the free MP3 music downloads. I have never availed myself of any of this stuff, but I have saved a boatload of cash in shipping charges. I assume that the annual fee will be going up at the first of the year.
     
  21. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    Have you heard Bernstein's Sibelius First with the VPO? I usually do not stick my neck out too far but the VPO recording is IMO the greatest recording ever of Sibelius 1st Symphony.
     
  22. sgb

    sgb Senior Member

    Location:
    Baton Rouge
  23. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
  24. Mr Bass

    Mr Bass Chevelle Ma Belle

    Location:
    Mid Atlantic
    I'm glad you found a version which completely satisfies you. As you can see from my posts, I do analog and very little digital (almost all of the digital recording I have are operas or other vocals). Bernstein's VPO recordings that I have heard I don't like; first of all for sonics and secondarily for performance. That includes his Sibelius 2, 5 and 7. I have not heard the Sym 1 with the VPO. However, most reviews indicate that his performance of Sym 1 was the least eccentric and most powerful of the set he did with the VPO. So that would seem the one performance to take a chance on. I think the NYPO set was much more consistent though the sonics there aren't the greatest either. That's why I seek out UK pressings.
     
  25. sgb

    sgb Senior Member

    Location:
    Baton Rouge
    This one? I could be talked into that.

    [​IMG]
     
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