Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #53)

On Lyrinx SACD? I have that too.

 

That's the one, feel a bit robbed now, but is is a nice set.

 

That's ok, she has a "Classical" cover on one of them anyway:

 

How interesting—glad to see the Everest Catalog get a proper reissue, but I think it interesting to think that I worked with the guy that wrote this article, way back in the mid-1980's:

http://www.stereophile.com/content/everest-records-returns-all-its-glory

 

Back when I bought it, there was precious little chamber music available on SACD. In fact, there was precious little Mozart available.

 

The Auvergne songs are 'folk' so there was a vague link.

 

First time I heard any Villa Lobos was on a Joan Baez album:

 

Was playing Villa-Lobos yesterday a terrific record on Nonesuch his Quintette with BB no6, with Glazounov and Ibert pieces.

 

For beginning music lovers wanting to explore the wonderful world of Classical music, one site to visit is Naxos: http://www.naxos.com/
Great music and info for a very reasonable price.

Patrick

 

I am listening to Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto & Symphony in 3 movements now. To be honest it is nothing special sonically but the performances are very good. The Ebony Concerto makes my entire room vibrate when the low notes hit. Nothing I can do to keep it from happening really save for turning the bass all the way down. It is the only piece of classical music--- or any music--- I own that does this.

Kind of a bummer because that is an amazing piece of music and the performance is stellar. Symphony in 3 movements sounds a lot better and does not make the entire room rattle. Anyone else have this? I would be interested in someone else's opinion from a different stereo.

I have found the Mercury living stereo sound the best off of HDTracks followed by Living Stereo.

 

Harnoncourt has turned out to be the ultimate utility conductor. From early music to Bach to Beethoven to Mahler, he has done it all. LOL

 

Indeed...

 

In some way, he far surpassed Karajan since the latter would never go near the likes of Monteverdi and Purcell. Karajan and BPO did a lousy recording of the Handel Concerto Grossi where the tempos were so badly off IMO ...

 

Indeed!

 

...and wouldn't you just know it that the first issue is that rather lackluster Beethoven sym. cycle under Krips? Sigh....

 

The modifier for the descriptor is unnecessary and the adjective is too weak—the Krips/LSO Beethoven cycle is pretty awful, good engineering or no.

 

I'm not a big baroque or early music fan, but Karajan seemed a bit heavy handed for both types from the admittedly small amount of works that I've heard.

 

http://gb.zinio.com/www/browse/product.jsp?productId=500612949

 

Karajan absolutely, 100%, did not 'get' Baroque music.

 

I was trying to be kind to the set that was my first exposure to most of the syms. as a high school kid and a signpost in my voyage into classical music.

I expect we're in "agree to disagree" territory here, but as I've noted before I think it is just barely good enough to serve in such an introductory role--at the $10 price tag Walmart was charging for that surprisingly decent tin box edition a while back. There is no way in aitch-eee-double-ell it justifies the kind of prices that inevitably will attend some high-falutin' "hi-rez" treatment, although I guess the recording quality is good enough that it might satisfy those who are in recordings foremost for the sound. That said, it would be interesting to know if the current remastering manages to fix the pronounced drop in recording quality of the last mvt. of the 9th--although I suspect much of that has to do with a recorded perspective more distant than anywhere else in the set.

Actually, the more exciting news in that article, at least to me, was that an effort is underway to reissue the Vox catalogue. If that includes the mono material, where the real riches from that house are hidden, we might finally get the proper reissues of Friedrich Wuhrer for which I've been wishing all these years.

Now, if only somebody would pick up where Verese Sarabande left off and do the same for the old Remington catalogue! Dare we hope? As I understand things, the stumbling block there was tape degradation very like that described anent the Everest masters, although Remington, as far as I know, never resorted to the 35mm sprocketed format. There are some real treasures hidden there, too, including late recordings by Albert Spalding and Ernst von Dohnanyi, and unlike Vox and Everest, which issued some reasonably decent pressings at least early on, Remington's, even at their best, were inferior even by late '40s/early '50s standards.

 

OK people, time for a pop quiz. NO CHEATING.

http://www.theguardian.com/arts/quiz/questions/0,12161,790365,00.html

 

You scored 9 out of a possible 10
Fortississimo
Bravo! Encore! You are probably one of the few people in the British isles who still regularly attend classical concerts - more power to you!

Odd--never knew Maryland was part of the British Isles. Must have missed the memo back in 1776!

[For the record, missed no. 9. Never have much cared for what I've heard from that composer (SCANDAL!), and so not all that conversant with more than the broad outlines of his works.]

 

Eight out of ten.

 

Me too, with a couple of lucky guesses