Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #44)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Jan 5, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Good to know! Thanks!
     
  2. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    I agree on some but I have one exception...his recording of the First Symphony with the VPO from 1990 is IMO one of the best if not the best recording of that symphony ever.
     
  3. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    I realized last night that I never gave this set a second chance. Right now I am listening to symphony one from it and I am sure enjoying it more than before. Great proportion, clarity and yes, artic chill (and melancholy.) And I like it a lot more than Bernstein's SONY Sibelius. Next up is Ashkenazy in the same symphony.
     
  4. Tangledupinblue

    Tangledupinblue Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Just started listening to both discs of this highly enjoyable recording for the first time in a few years:
    [​IMG]

    http://www.amazon.com/Mendelssohn-Music-Organ-Felix-1/dp/B000002ZEU

    Listening to this music alone reminds me of why Mendelssohn, who still seems to be a little undervalued in general today, his organ works in particular, is my favourite early Romantic composer after Chopin. Like the best organ music, these pieces powerfully evoke the atmosphere and majesty of the church, one of the world's most beautiful and cherished institutions, in terms of sound, expression, centuries-old tradition and humane values, being alternately awe-inspiring, tranquil, scholarly yet compassionate, antique but in the best sense, dramatic, spiritual, sad and uplifting. My favourite pieces on these discs are the Prelude and Fugue in G, a wonderfully serene work in the spirit of Bach but with a melodic charm that could only come from Mendelssohn, and three of the six sonatas - the F minor, with its striking contrasting incorporations of a chorale in the otherwise stern and foreboding opening movement, which is then resolved via the heavenly Adagio in the magnificent splendour of the Toccata finale, the ingenious construction of the A major with its exciting first movement where a grandiose and richly harmonized intro and outro flank a more animated and menacing section based on a single motif developed with much drama and energy, and the best of them all, the D minor with its masterly and gripping variations on another chorale that culminate in a grand fugue and a beautifully peaceful finale.

    Not all of this music is consistently great, though; as with other Mendelssohn works, it's melodically a bit uneven, with occasional moments of blandness (like in the somewhat inconsequential slow movements of the third and fourth sonatas) but most of it is on a par with the best of anything he composed with all his identifiable fingerprints, and like with his piano preludes and fugues showing a deep reverence and respect for the past without being self-consciously archaic or sacrificing any of his individuality (unlike a certain prolific French fellow 19th century composer). All in all, this is a recording I strongly recommend to every CMC regular who digs Mendelssohn, or classical and romantic period music in general and is new to or unfamiliar with his oeuvre.
     
  5. sgb

    sgb Senior Member

    Location:
    Baton Rouge
    There's something about the Davis/BSO of the Second that has me returning to it, although its detractors claim it's not very Scandinavian. I also like the set Berglund did with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe on the Finlandia label; the Fifth from this set is far and away my favorite of the recordings I've heard.

    Please note that there are numerous Berglund conductors out there; the one to which I'm referring is Paavo Berglund, and the set I'm referring to is probably OOP.

    Yes, apparently OOP.

    http://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-Symp...=1360779965&sr=1-7&keywords=berglund+sibelius
     
  6. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    Last call on these. Tomorrow they go to the thrift store. :)
     
  7. Collector Man

    Collector Man Well-Known Member

    George P : I might also add, Presto's strong mail packaging is second to none.:)
     
  8. Tangledupinblue

    Tangledupinblue Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Just giving that Mendelssohn set another listen - been too busy posting and reading stuff on here to give it the undivided attention it deserves!
     
  9. Collector Man

    Collector Man Well-Known Member

    If some one is just getting into Wagner, the first thing needed is modern SOUND..."something to knock the listener's socks off". And something where it is clear and easy to follow the reputed 109 leading motif that run throught the Ring.

    I have Furtwangler's two Ring Cycles from the early 50's and the extra later Vienna Die Walkure.( start of a newer project that failed due to his death) ...but they will not give a newer listener that requirement. Any musical nuances Furtwangler may or may not have in Wagner-which are all totally in mono - are best left for a later decision, if a person ever decides to have multiple versions of Wagner works, further down the track. In the marketplace - since they are 'deemed historical' - they have been and will now 'stay' available at cheap prices anyway. So there is no pressing reason to rush out- just now -and buy Furtwangler's Wagner..
    Now: in terms of price per disc, the Levine Ring DG box (43 CDs) out at about $1,50 a disc...the Decca Solti box (35 CDs) less than $3 a disc. Each are in excellent modern satisfying stereo sound , contain great performances and are truly remarkable bargains at the prices , being currently offered. It just finally depends on the buyer's individual 'punt' choice and budget The Levine and Solti-take your pick! I cannot see anyone being disappointed - either way.
     
    WobblyWilly and goldwax like this.
  10. Collector Man

    Collector Man Well-Known Member

    Sibelius found his true symphonic voice starting with his Symphony No2. People forget that he used music to raise a nationalistic spirit. This is backed up with all his other pieces he wrote. I cannot see what the raves about Von Karajan are for, in Sibelius : someone who tended to dabble with some composers - conducting just a few examples of their works-as if to say " I conduct ( so & so)....too!" Applying too often , his standard issue tell - tale sonic veneer to so much, he touched.
    I once heard a set of A/B's comparisons how various conductors handled the final big tricky chords with the uneven pauses ,at the end of the Sibelius 5th Symphony. Talk about some conductors being poised, measured, correct...to others just frantic, feverish , panicky or having a downright careless and incorrect 'stab in the dark'!
    Often in certain works there are certain 'traps' marker signposts in works - that quickly show and tell whether some performance should or should not have been ever recorded for posterity.
     
    goldwax likes this.
  11. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Ok, so after hearing Ashkenazy's 1st, I gotta say I might like the Blomstedt more! I'm gonna listen through the rest of the Blomstedt cycle and see if my taste has changed since getting the set. This has been a huge surprise!
     
  12. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    Off they go to sunny California in the nick of time.
     
    goldwax likes this.
  13. NorthNY Mark

    NorthNY Mark Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canton, NY, USA
    Just to clarify, the Berglund set that I referred to above is also Paavo Berglund, conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic. Just curious--could you describe what you like in particular about the Berglund performance you mentioned?
     
  14. goldwax

    goldwax Rega | Cambridge | Denafrips | Luxman | Dynaudio

    Location:
    US of A
    Listening to this on vinyl:

    [​IMG]

    My adventures in classical music have been going on for a couple of months now, and I've gotten so much stuff that it's a bit overwhelming. I've recently been buying multiple versions of a few works (The Planets, Rite of Spring, Beethoven and Mahler Symphonies, Janacek's Sinfionetta, Brandenberg Concertos) in order to dig deep into a few works which listening to a bunch of other stuff on a parallel path.
     
  15. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    Now enjoying another great Moiseiwitsch Naxos CD, expert transfers by Marston.
     
  16. Collector Man

    Collector Man Well-Known Member

    I would say you are already 'hooked' .There is no escape!:D
     
    goldwax likes this.
  17. sgb

    sgb Senior Member

    Location:
    Baton Rouge
    I'll give it a try. There is a cohesiveness to it that I'm not hearing in the few others I've listened to over the past few years. There is a sense of deliberation that strikes me as if to suggest that Berglund here has finally solved a puzzle or reigned in an unruly beast. I'd point out that the more eloquent Collector Man has rightly described a lack of composure coming through in the efforts of some conductors who have, perhaps, less of a kinship with this music. Conversely, Berglund's strength in the magnificent Fifth demonstrates that he is the go-to guy. I would be remiss if I did not say that the icing on the cake here is truly remarkable sound in this set. It is such a reward to find something musical that transcends the little listening room so well that I sometimes forget where I am.
     
  18. jukes

    jukes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Finland
    Indeed, like in Voces intimae and other mature works... :)

    No, sir! They're pure music, not propaganda.
     
  19. NorthNY Mark

    NorthNY Mark Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canton, NY, USA
    Very interesting! Thanks for taking the time to elaborate. Now I feel like I want to take another listen...
     
  20. jukes

    jukes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Finland
    I didn't meant artifacts but the fact that older analog-age recordings may sound brighter and clearer (sometimes even harsh), after being digitized, when compared to original analog/LP version that could sound darker, even bassy. Those Helsinki Philharmonic recordings could already be digital ones.

    They're there. In melodic elaboration, in progression, in orchestration. SIbelius was a Wagnerian, and an admirer of Bruckner. That was taught us already in the school. While studying in Wien, he was on the side of Wagnerians (there was at the time great war between Brahmsians and Wagnerians, and nobody could left himself out of that struggle).
     
  21. WorldB3

    WorldB3 Forum Resident

    Location:
    On the continent.
    More String Quartets for me. Pulled this out of my collection for the first time in 10 years (I think I bought it for their collaboration with Elvis Costello when I first tired to get into classical) because I wanted to hear Shostakovich 6th and 8th string quartets. Probably better versions out there like Borodin I should investigate.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  22. John S

    John S Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Schostakowitsch's 8th String Quartet is my favorite. I think its sound is most reminiscent of Shosty's middle symphonies.
     
  23. Collector Man

    Collector Man Well-Known Member

    Are we to forget why Sibelius used his own cultural heritage myths and stories in many of his works?
    Would you say that Elgar was writing just music with his 'flag waving' Pomp & Cirumstance marches? The sound of some of them makes me cringe and puts my teeth on edge.
     
  24. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    [​IMG]

    Now enjoying the 2nd symphony from the above set.
     
  25. Lonson

    Lonson I'm in the kitchen with the Tombstone Blues

    I've begun listening to the set (I preordered from amazon.es at a great price) and the sound is very good to my ears and on my system.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine