Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #51)

Sorry, can't see, it's too small.

 

Ooops......Stephen Hough's French Album

 

No, I don't have it. His set of the Rachmaninoff PCs really diminished my interest in him.

 

She had had a number of students over the years, though I doubt if any of them would ever achieve a similar level of virtuosity ...

 

I hope you'll forgive me the vanity of quoting myself, but since pulling it down I've been revisiting this LP (Accent ACC 7911) for the first time in years and years, or more like decades. It was something of a favorite when I bought it, and I'm happy to report that it still holds up well, not always the case with records that caught my fancy way back when. That said, at the time my "pick of the litter" was the first on the record, op. 24 no. 2 in B-Flat; now it strikes me as rather conventional, whereas the others are more interesting and more supportive of the esteem in which Beethoven held this composer. Enjoyable throughout withal, and well worth the time to revisit.

 

I recall you are not a big fan of that set. I somewhat have drifted from it myself.

 

Now playing the following CD for a first listen ...

 

Technically it is not outside the bounds since it is part of the classical music tradition of India albeit on a Western based slide guitar. The thread title doesn't specify Western classical music. But the Carnatic (Southern India) style adopted violin as an instrument so it is not exceptional to use non traditional instruments.

 

I wrote a little bit about this recording a couple years ago in thread #27. I understand another thing they had to do was double the bass violin part with a tuba.

 

Now enjoying more lovely music from the big Rubinstein box.

 

I did not know the Guarneris had such a long and productive relationship with Rubenstein.

 

Yes, they play quite a bit of chamber music with Rubinstein in this box. Dvorak, Brahms, Schumann, Faure and Mozart.

 

So they went from attaching horns to violins to fire brewing beer in Detroit?

 

Now playing the following CD for a first listen ...

 

This is a baroque evening for me. Now playing the following CD, a recent arrival for a first listen ...

 

Wow. Glad to see others are listening to him. He is fantastic. His sense of tonality is beyond belief.

 

Now playing the following CD, another recent arrival for a first listen ...

 

Listened to Evgeny Svetlanov's 1996 recording of Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 1 and his Caprice Bohemien. The sound is quite good with even a sonic spectacular once in awhile. Maybe it will grow on me, but I am sticking with my favorite version of the First with Alexander Anissimov.

Evgeny Svetlanov, State Symphony of the Russian Federation.
Warner Music France, 1996.


Alexander Anissimov, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.
Naxos, 1999.

Anissimov for me makes the most of this symphony with memorable music phrases and he holds it all together wonderfully.

 

For $22 it is well worth listening to but it is no where near Dorati or Fisher, not to mention Solomons.

 

We have to pay VAT @20% on orders over £15 (about $25). Not every parcel gets stopped though. I expect the big box will.

 

Wasn't she a good teacher?

 

This morning...

Debussy
String Quartet in G minor
Ravel
String Quartet in F
Quartetto Italiano
(1965)



It's a shame these guys didn't compose a ton of chamber music, especially so in the case of Debussy (other than solo piano, of course).
That makes this a special treat for me. My thanks to whoever originally posted this in these threads.

 

Now enjoying some Mozart in the morning, from the big Rubinstein box.

 

There is an older recording of Rachmaninoff Symph 1 by Svetlanov with the USSR SO which is excellent. It came out on Melodiya/Angel for the US back in 1967 and on HMV for Europe/UK. I don't know on what label it is available on cd but it is definitely worth checking it out.

 

For more Debussy chamber works, I strongly suggest this budget CD: