Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #27)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Jul 13, 2011.

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  1. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    I'll get that CD at some point. I had read some lukewarm reviews about it, so I hadn't made it a priority. Plus, I tend to not tolerate the sound of orchestral historical recordings nearly as well as solo or chamber stuff.
     
  2. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    For $6 and the CD was reconstructed/remastered by Ward Marston, you really cannot go wrong ...
     
  3. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Now playing Wasowski's Chopin Nocturnes:

    [​IMG]

    Click here to hear a Nocturne from this set (there's a few more posted on youtube along with this one.) This is decidedly dreamy, relaxed Chopin, in fine digital sound.
     
  4. Tangledupinblue

    Tangledupinblue Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Interesting that, for me it's more the opposite; balance is crucial in chamber music, particular in pieces with piano, whereas with full orchestras and to a lesser extent solo piano, I can tolerate technical imperfections more if the performances are of a high standard without too much of the over-romanticising and rubato which can sometimes be off-putting from much of the pre-LP era.
     
  5. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    There's another place we differ. I love that stuff.
     
  6. Graphyfotoz

    Graphyfotoz Forum Classaholic

    Location:
    South-Central NY
    Dunno awful hard to find better than Moravec!! :righton:

    [​IMG]
     
  7. dale 88

    dale 88 Errand Boy for Rhythm

    Location:
    west of sun valley
    I listened to this new 2011 CD of Alwyn's Violin Concerto. I liked it. The violinist, Lorraine McAslan, is very good. And David Lloyd-Jones is always a very competent conductor in the recordings I have.

    AlwynViolinConcerto.jpg


    I often like the way Alwyn scores his compositions -- I love the sounds.

    This violin concerto was composed around 1940, but was never recorded until 1993. The notes say it has never had a professional public concert performance.
     
  8. OE3

    OE3 Senior Member

    Good stuff, takes liberties and is idiosyncratic but quality all the same.
     
  9. Graphyfotoz

    Graphyfotoz Forum Classaholic

    Location:
    South-Central NY
    What other Ward Marston early remasters are worthy?
    Besides singers......love to hear some old works around 100yrs old.
    Interested in some that are properly recorded/remastered.
     
  10. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Arrau is better, IMO.
     
  11. ron p

    ron p Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I've found the Marston remasters worthy with few complaints. You may be better off asking about particular releases? So much depends on the listener and expectations. I also find historical chamber music much easier to listen to than orchestral. If you have or get a couple of releases you can decide which genres are easier for you to listen to. This information helps a lot because we all hear things differently. When you go back as far as 100 years it can really be even more variable by recording session. I've enjoyed listening to some Fritz Kreisler that goes back almost that far.
     
  12. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    Now playing this budget CD for the first time.
     
  13. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    You really can't go wrong with the Naxos Historical stuff. They are cheap and still in print. You just need to order them from the UK, MDT is great. Link

    I just scanned my shelves for some of my favorite Naxos Historical titles. These should be good to start with:

    Schnabel - Beethoven - Op. 2
    Cortot - Chopin - Ballades/Nocturnes
    Friedman - Mendelssohn - Songs without Words - Volume 4
    Moisieiwitsch - Chopin Preludes - Vol. 2

    If you ever find any of the stuff on the Marston label itself in used shops, grab it! I have yet to hear one that I didn't enjoy and the overall quality (booklet notes, mastering, paper quality, etc) is second to none. The Josef Hoffman Casimir recital is a particular favorite of mine. Link
     
  14. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    Thanks btw for everyone's thoughts on HvK.

    I have heard very little by him to be honest, my collecting has taken me in another direction. I love Reiner, Munch, John Barbirolli, Colin Davis, Previn, Bernstein and loads more (I seen to liek 50's and 60's stuff much more than modern stuff) but Hvk has not really crossed my radar.

    I did see a documentary about him and his films and he didn't seem that nice, he seemed to want to be the star, when the music should have come first, not his ego. I guess he's not the only conductor like that though, they have a habit it seems of being tyrants.
     
  15. Graphyfotoz

    Graphyfotoz Forum Classaholic

    Location:
    South-Central NY
    Beecham is GREAT!
    One of my favorites I own conducted by him. :righton:

    [​IMG]
     
  16. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Yes, I saw some footage of Klemperer that made me hate him so much that I stopped buying his CDs for awhile.
     
  17. Graphyfotoz

    Graphyfotoz Forum Classaholic

    Location:
    South-Central NY
    Are they all remastered by Ward Marston?
     
  18. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    I've worked with a few conductors. Most of them are nice people, with fantastic social skills.
     
  19. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Most of them (an exception that come to mind are the Edwin Fischer WTC) are mastered by either Ward or Mark Obert-Thorn, who also does superb work. The ones I recommended are all from one of those two guys.
     
  20. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    That's good to know.
     
  21. John S

    John S Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    I love the Ialiano's "Rasoumovskys". :thumbsup:
     
  22. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I wonder whether the financial situation in which so many orchestras now find themselves contributes to that. To what extent did Reiner, Szell, et al have to worry about operating budgets?
     
  23. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Yes, that Beethoven set as a whole is lovely. I still save a place in my heart for the stereo Vegh set, though. Have you heard that set? I have heard it descibed as the set you'd want to bring home to meet your mother, settle down and the rest of your life with. :D
     
  24. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    I don't think that was the driving force. A conductor, particularly in the wake of Leonard Bernstein, came to be perceived as the official "Voice" for of the Orchestra and of Classical Music as high culture as well. So, looking good for the camera is only the start. What really makes a conductor successful is the ability to sell the music. That applies to all of that conductor's contacts. It's likely that a conductor who can sell him or herself on radio or television will also be able to sell their vision of the music to musicians and clearly articulate their desires to technical crews and stage hands. Being a conductor is like the dream Managerial position, but it is also a bit of acting where the player is always "on."

    That said, the late David Babbitt of the San Francisco Bach Choir was simply the nicest person I've ever known. He oozed niceness from every pore, not to mention sweat. He lead mostly vocal amateurs in the chorus and pros in the orchestra and as soloists. But when everything was blowing in the right direction, he was an incredible conductor. I never really "got" Beethoven's Missa Solemnis till I heard him leading in that work, and I'm a huge fan of Late Beethoven.
     
  25. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Yes I have, and no I won't. Smetana and Busch for the Lates, The QI and the Guarneri for the mids and the earlier Alban Berg studio performances for the earlys. And while the Lindsays may not be the most on target, from a technical standpoint, they have a lot to say and are worth hunting down.
     
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