Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #44)

Blomstedt has some pretty unusual background. He was a native-born American of Swedish parents, who were then studying in the US IIRC. Subsequently, Blomstedt returned to Sweden and came back as the conductor of the SFSO for a period of time. He may actually hold dual citizenship but he clearly considers himself more Swedish than American ...

 

His Nielsen box set is top notch.

 

The average ship time of 4-5 business days sounds about right. Only once in while Presto ships more quickly. However, Presto does charge your credit card as soon as the order is placed vs. charging the credit card only when the order is shipped ...

 

I'm sure this material has since been reissued on a nice CD, but I have recently become fascinated with the Remington record label from the 50s. Being able to hear Bartok perform some of his own music is quite interesting - though I am not familiar with the pieces (still working on Bartok stuff, alas....). I have a few other Remington discs - the pressing quality can be pretty hideous at times, but there are some spirited performances out there. Anyone else ever bump into these records?
---------- Chris

 

I never did acquire any Remington discs, but I have a 1952 Bartok Records LP. It was started in NYC by Bela Bartok's son, Peter Bartok to issue some of Bartok's work.


An interview with Peter Bartok about his early recording work

A legal fight over the Bartok manuscripts led to the end of recording for Bartok Records:

 

Decca issued some good sounding discs of Blomstedt with the San Franicisco Symphony. I have his Peer Gynt music and well recorded Brahms works for chorus and orchestra.

 

Sorry, I don't understand the Elgar reference.

No sir, we are not forgetting that he - among other young artists of his generation in the Grand Duchy (Finland) - was interested in Kalevala (so-called national epic), a compilation of folk poetry (and few narratically justified additions made by Lönnrot, the compiler), and all that was part of broader (at that time, European) movement of national awakening(s) that culminated right after the WW1 when multinational empires of Austria, Germany, Russia, and Ottoman Empire came tumbling down and several new so-called national states were established.

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"Karelianism" was the movement of those 19th century national-romantic Finns who were trying to find out the Finnish roots from mainly Eastern Karelia (of Viena) and Karelian poetry (it was supposed to reflect more purely the earlier fenno-ugric culture than what Finnish folk poetry did: the latter was "contaminated" by Swedish culture, according to the romantics). In 19th century the Fennoman movement was the political movement aimed to secure the autonomy (the more conservative Fennomans) or to make way for the independence (the more radical Fennomans). Sibelius wasn't politically active. Yet, perhaps because of confusion over the expressions 'national-romanticism' and 'national-socialism' he was considered to be an ally of Nazies (for few decades in 20th century). That was reflected in famous 1930's sentences from Theodor W. Adorno who claimed Sibelius to be the worst composer ever (or somesuch).

From that early national-romantic period are several of his orchestral works, that's true.

Karelianism of Sibelius is most clearly visible in the names of some of his works: "Kullervo", the suites "Karelia" & "Lemminkäinen" etc., and even couple of mature works has names that can be interpreted as remnants of his Karelianism: "Pohjola's Daughter" of course comes also from Kalevala ("Pohjola" is a... hm... place in Kalevala) and one can only wonder whether that applies also to the late work "Tapiola". But I'm not convinced that there is any programmatic content as was the case with the works of late 19th century. For example: "Karelia" (the suite) is based on clearly programmatic work made for a student nation "Wiipurilainen Osakunta" (from 1653 when drinking student hooligans from Karelia as "Wiburgenses" were organised into 'the nation' - we are 360 years old this spring!) and later Sibelius used that material and formed the Karelia Suite as we know it.

However, what could be the program of the late symphonies, or of the best of Sibelius' chamber music like Voces intimae?

 

Young patriotic artists marching towards brighter future:



And a little bit later...

 

The Music Of Harry Partch
Conducted by Danlee Mitchell
CBS Masterworks 1969

 

Percussion Music
Works by Varese, Colgrass, Cowell, Saperstein and Oak
The new Jersey Percussion Ensemble
Raymond DesRoches
Nonsuch 1974

 

After enjoying a wonderful performance of symphony 3 from the above set, I am now enjoying an even more wonderful 4th. As I mentioned earlier, my first impression of this set (about 6 years ago) was poor, making me now want to revisit all of my old CDs that I originally did not like to see how many of those are now to my liking. It's very surprising to see just how much one's taste can change.

 

Naxos Historical CDs are now on sale (and until April 25th) at MDT.com for only $6.45 (Ex. VAT)(this is more than $2 off their regular price)

http://www.mdt.co.uk/special-offers/naxos-historical.html

 

It really is a wonderful composition, had to play it again last night. Good read on it here:
http://quartets.de/compositions/ssq08.html

 

Once I finish the Blomstedt Sibelius symphonies (and tone poems), I plan to revisit the early Borodin set of Shostakovich quartets on CHandos (and nos 14 and 15 from their later cycle on Melodiya.). The time feels right!

 

Thanks so much for the link. Here's in-depth analysis on all 15 quartets. With the help of this resource, I will make my way through the quartets again soon. I'm still reatively new to this music; for now, the Fitzwilliam box will have to do, although some think these Brits are too genteel for these works.
This is why I was initially attracted to the 8th:

Shostakovich's "signature" was burned into my mind when I was listening to some of his other works over the years. But the overall tone of the 8th quartet also is captivating. I did not know it is known as the "Dresden" quartet.

 

spideyjack, you listen to the coolest LPs. I'm guessing they're exceedingly rare.

 

Percussion Music is available in iTunes so I don't think it's rare although it might be on LP. There is an LP on sale on Amazon for $49.

 

thanks! I have been a fan of HP and Varese for a long time, so I have managed to pick up lots of records over the years. Imagine a 14 year old spideyjack asking for John Cage LPs at the local record store.

But I have found several Varese and Henry Cowell LPs recently in thrift stores usually when you find these kinds of records they are in NM condition, perhaps because the original owner didn't like them.

 

interesting, I have never price checked that LP, I bought this copy at Euclid Records in New Orleans last month for around $10.00

 

One record store employee to another, "Here comes that kid again."

Do you have any George Crumb? My local string quartet played his Black Angels. I loved every minute of it.

 

yes i enjoy crumby music

 

Van Cliburn - Complete Album Collection

Amazon Spain has this 29 discs box for preorder: today €27,54

http://www.amazon.es/Van-Cliburn-Complete-Album-Collection/dp/B009EJSUBY/ref=pd_sim_m_4

 

18 euros shipping to the US. Still a few dollars cheaper than what I've seen elsewhere.

 

Just listening to this lovely CD which I heard for the first time back in late September (although all of the sonatas were at least familiar to me) - anyone familar with the recording/players?



I heard the first when I was 19 and I've loved it ever since - although the longest of the three by some distance, you hardly notice the difference in length, with its never-ending and enchanting stream of melody, a bit akin in this respect to Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, whose first movement alone almost stretches to 20 minutes. But the other two are equally great, particularly No.2, in its Brahms' quintessentially autumnal late style - the more austere but far from dull third I first knew as a bonus (in the best of sense of the word, and one I actually much prefer to its companion work) on the acclaimed Vengerov/Barenboim recording of the Violin Concerto. No one could accuse Brahms of being stuffy, academic and unmelodic after hearing any of these works - all in all, great late night listening.

 

I grew to love the first Brahms violin sonata from an old LP that I still treasure highly. It is by Sidney Harth/Arthur Loesser. Loesser made the piano part just as interesting to me as the violin part. Loesser's little brother, Frank, was the black sheep. Frank wrote hit songs and hit Broadway musicals.

I have Kyung-Wha Chung playing the Bartok Violin Concertos and Peter Frankl playing some Schumann solo piano.