Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #24)

I'll say, he's a pianist.

 

Andrei, Is Grooves a Swiss outfit? I believe it is also an Amazon US MP seller. Much appreciate if you can post its website.

 

And a very nice Mozart pianist at that. He was one of Columbia's stars at one point—as I recall, he played the first recording of Beethoven's Emperor concerto that I heard. I suppose his reputation must be greater in Europe, thus explaining the reissue.

 

Indeed. I have all but a few of the concerto performances from that box, along with some additional sonata recordings that they stupidly chose to not include for some reason. The price is right, but I am sick of buying reissues for one or two works.

I adore his Ravel and his LvB violin sonatas with Francescatti (sp) 'aint too shabby neither.

 

Maybe Stuart meant Szell or Ormandy? Although, as a conductor, Casadesus is a stranger to me too. Nevertheless, his Schumann is quite lovely.

 

I think that genuinely it's an American outfit operating in Switzerland due to their paradise-like tax policy.

 

I am surprised you have actually received a bill from the US Customs. If memory serves well, there was something like a $400 duty-free foreign goods you can bring back to the US and such similar rule may apply to international mail orders. I am not sure if that number has changed over the years. I have never had any single orders with either MDT or Presto Classical that exceed $250. Perhaps it is the dollar value of your order that triggered that collection?

 

I have a reasonable number of recordings by Szell and Ormandy but they are mostly on LP. I don't think I have a single recording by Casadesus, either as a pianist or as a conductor ...

 

Now playing this Alpensinfonie under Haitink, a true highlight of my CD collection.

 

I don't think he ever conducted, but he's an excellent pianist. (though I don't care for his Chopin)

 

Stuart, Casadesus is a pretty well known pianist of the past but in no way he's a conductor. We were just kidding.

OTOH, his musical family was pretty big and included a couple conductors.

 

Well. there was a serious disconnect.

I believe he is an excellent pianist in his own right, though not in the same league as Kempff, Gilels or Richter. Is that an accurate statement?

 

Haitink has been one of the great conductors over the past half-century. I particularly enjoy his recordings made during his RCO tenure ...

 

Sounds like the tune "An American company in Switzerland" has been played many times over the past 10-15 years. The effective corporate tax rate in the US is 33% or 35% while the corporate rate at one Swiss city is 15%.

 

I don't really think in those terms. I certainly have my favorites, but I don't think that puts them in another league.

 

I tend to lump pianists like Richter, Kempff and Gilels etc. into a supreme league and most others into division B ...

 

He's definitely in my Top 5 or even Top 3, I wish I could see him live. Oh well, we live only once, I may check his European touring schedule...

 

Is there division BB for Lang Lang?

 

Andrei, Don't wait, Haitink is in his mid 80's. I could have attended the very last concert given by Karajan and the VPO in NY in February 89 but chose not to since at the time I was not into Bruckner. Karajan died in July of that year ...

 

Maybe lower. DG target buyers of his CD's are ultimately the 1.3B people in his country ...

 

Even more valuable thing is that their genuinely red small packets are masqueraded by Deutsches Post mark, which frees me from any additional VAT charges (despite Swiss goods formally don't belong to the EU).

 

SEE THIS FROM THREAD #21

AND THIS ALSO

Excellent SQ and performance. The Macbeth Symphonic Poem is a welcome bonus.

 

I know, I know, but it also depends on my current health status... But since it is at least better than last summer, I will definitely check if his touring includes some closest countries which are also covered by Ryanair flights...

 

And their pianist army is bigger than the US Army needs at least 10 Naxos labels to get signed to.

 

Thanks for the suggestion/reminder, John. Did you have a chance to compare the Janowski to the live Jansons and Alber or to the studio Luisi and Bychkov?