On to Disc 2: Weinberg: Cello Sonatas 1 & 2 Weinberg: Fantasy for Cello and Orchestra Alla Vasilieva, cello Mieczhyslaw Weinberg, piano for the Fantasy: Moscow Chamber Orchestra Rudolf Barshai, conductor Alla Vasilieva is a talented player. I don't know if he achieved fame in Russia, but I had not heard him before.
Alla Vasilieva was a woman, not a man (as the name indicates; Russian surnames ending in -eva are female). She died in 2018, aged 84. https://theviolinchannel.com/russian-cello-pedegogue-alla-vasilieva-died-obituary/
Just put on SACD 1 from the above set and I have to say, the sound and performance is absolutely gorgeous!
I have quite a few Mozart Syms by the SCO but none on SACD. Mackerras was uniformly fine with Mozart IMO.
I have a bit of his Mozart that he did for Telarc, but none of the more recent SACD series. From the odds and ends I've heard, I have the impression the SACD performances are even better than their predecessors.
I will be the voice of dissent, as I own the Mackerras Mozart SACDs and do not care for them. Then again I am not a fan at all of HIP. If you are, and enjoy smaller scale Mozart, then you may like them. For the Mozart symphonies I prefer Karajan, Walter, Bohm, Szell, etc.
For those with an interest in conductors of the French school, I'm told we can expect Eloquence sets for Paul Paray and Albert Wolff. I've looked at a friend's copy of the new Munch set and listened to three discs' worth. It's a first-class production.
The sole customer review on Amazon goes into some detail: [begin quoted matter] With the release of this box, nearly all of Charles Munch’s studio recordings are now available in three boxes from Sony, Decca (reviewed here) and Warner (to find the Warner box, enter “Munch Warner complete” in the Amazon search bar). Charles Munch’s career divides conveniently into three parts: --- European mono recordings, 1935-1949, in the Decca box (9 of the 14 CDs) and the Warner box (7 of the 13 CDs). --- American recordings, 1947-1963 (Boston Symphony) in the 86 CD Sony box: Charles Munch - The Complete RCA Album Collection (19 mono, 67 stereo). --- European stereo recordings, 1961-1968, in the Decca box (5 CDs) and the Warner box (6 CDs). Contents of THE LEGACY OF CHARLES MUNCH on Decca: PRE-WAR MONO on Polydor and L’Oiseau Lyre (one CD) --- Haydn: Sinfonia Concertante in B flat major - Paris Conservatoire Orchestra 1939 --- Mozart: Adagio & Fugue in C minor K546 - Grand Symphony Orchestra 1939 --- Ravel: Piano Concerto for the left hand with Jacqueline Blancard, Orchestre de la Société Philharmonique de Paris 1938 --- Widor: Fantaisie for Piano & Orchestra with Marcelle Herrenschmidt, Orchestre de la Société Philharmonique de Paris 1938 1946-1949 POSTWAR MONO on Decca (8 CDs) --- Beethoven: Symphony No.8 - Paris Conservatoire 1947 --- Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini Overture - Paris Conservatoire 1946 --- Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette (excerpts) - Paris Conservatoire 1949 --- Berlioz: Les Troyens: Chasse royale et Orage - Paris Conservatoire 1949 --- Berlioz: Le Corsaire Overture - Paris Conservatoire 1948 --- Bizet: Symphony in C - London Philharmonic 1947 --- Bizet: La jolie fille de Perth: Danse Bohémienne - London Philharmonic 1947 --- Brahms: Violin Concerto with Ossy Renardy, Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orch. 1948 --- Debussy: Images for orchestra: Ibéria - Paris Conservatoire 1947 --- Debussy: Berceuse héroïque - Paris Conservatoire 1947 --- Faure: Pelléas et Mélisande Suite - London Philharmonic 1947 --- Faure: Pavane - Paris Conservatoire 1946 --- Franck: Symphonic Variations for Piano & Orchestra with Eileen Joyce, Paris Conservatoire 1946 --- Franck: Symphony in D minor - Paris Conservatoire 1946 --- d’Indy: Fervaal: Prelude to Act 1 - Paris Conservatoire 1947 --- Mendelssohn: Symphony No.5 'Reformation' - Paris Conservatoire 1947 --- Prokofiev: Symphony No.1 'Classical' - Paris Conservatoire 1948 --- Ravel: Boléro - Paris Conservatoire 1946 --- Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé Suite No.1 - Paris Conservatoire 1946 --- Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé Suite No.2 - Paris Conservatoire 1946 --- Ravel: Piano Concerto with Nicole Henriot-Schweitzer, Paris Conservatoire 1949 --- Roussel: Petite Suite - Paris Conservatoire 1946 --- Rpussel: Le Festin de l'Araignée: fragments symphonique - London Philharmonic 1947 --- Roussel: Suite in F - London Philharmonic 1947 --- Saint-Saens: Danse macabre - Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orch. 1948 --- Saint-Saens: Le Rouet d'Omphale - Paris Conservatoire 1946 --- Schumann: Symphony No.4 - London Philharmonic 1948 --- Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6 'Pathétique' - Paris Conservatoire 1948 1961-1968 STEREO (5 CDs) --- Barraud: Symphony No.3 - Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française VEGA, 1961 --- Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique - Hungarian Radio & Television Orchestra HUNGARITON / PHILIPS, 1966 --- Berlioz: Grande Messe des Morts (Requiem) with Peter Schreier tenor, Bavarian Radio Orchestra DG, 1968 --- Bizet: L'Arlésienne Suite - New Philharmonia Orchestra DECCA PHASE 4, 1967 --- Bizet: Carmen Suite - New Philharmonia Orchestra DECCA PHASE 4, 1967 --- Offenbach: Gaîté Parisienne - New Philharmonia Orchestra DECCA PHASE 4, 1965 --- Respighi: Pines of Rome - New Philharmonia Orchestra DECCA PHASE 4, 1967 --- Respighi: Fountains of Rome - New Philharmonia Orchestra DECCA PHASE 4, 1967 --- Roussel: Bacchus et Ariane Suite No.2 - Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française VEGA, 1961 It’s interesting to compare the mono recordings in the Decca and Warner boxes. The seven Warner (actually HMV) monos were mostly recorded during World War II with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra. Hit-and-miss playing, recorded under harsh conditions, but of great historical interest (see my review of the Warner box). 8 of the 9 Decca monos were recorded after the War using Decca’s new “ffrr” (full-frequency range recording) process. Not just the Paris Conservatoire, but also the London Philharmonic and Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra. The Paris Conservatoire used to have a distinctive sound (narrow-bore French vs. wide-bore German horns, or so I’m told), that was lost with the homogenization of orchestral sound in the 1970s. The postwar monos are better played and better recorded than the wartime monos. Fortunately there is very little overlap between the two. It was the success of these Decca recordings that first brought Charles Munch to the attention of the Boston Symphony board of trustees. All the mono recordings in the new Decca box have been remastered by the reliable Mark Obert-Thorn. High quality transfers. Stereo: After retiring from Boston, Munch returned to Europe, where he was signed by EMI and Erato (both in the Warner box), and by Decca and Deutsche Grammophon (both in the Decca box). Decca recorded Munch in London with the New Philharmonia Orchestra: Three “Phase 4” stereo LPs were of repertoire new to his discography: Bizet’s Carmen & L'Arlésienne Suites, Offenbach’s Gaîté Parisienne, and Respighi’s Pines & Fountain’s of Rome. These LPs were tremendous sellers. The gimmicky “Phase 4” recordings were marketed to a non-classical crossover audience that wanted something classy to show off their home hi-fi systems. They were among my first classical music purchases as a teenager, and I am still fond of them. They sound better than ever in these new CD remasterings by Chris Bernauer of Eloquence. Number of bits not specified. 14 CDs in modified “original jacket” format (original artwork on the front, track listings on the back), with a 32 page booklet. [end quoted matter]
the quest to find the finest 960 continues.....this is the latest favorite. I thought it came pretty close to the ideal a few times but the last time I heard it not as much. I guess it's a "set and setting" kind of thing.
A quick check turns up seven: von Karajan/Berlin Abbado/Lucerne Ballot/Altomonte Honeck/Pittsburgh 2 versions with Schaller van Beinum/Amsterdam I know I’m just getting started...
Get the one Wand recorded in a cathedral with the NDR. Also try Celibidache/MPO and Jochum/BPO. And Rattle’s version for the 4th movement.
Now playing... MOZART: Don Giovanni - Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Colin Davis conducting (US Philips Complete Mozart Edition CD)
Now enjoying a first listen to this wonderful 2 SACD set. The sound quality is superb, you hear every line, every texture, along with the room it was recorded in. And the dynamics are terrific! Tempos are perfect, neither rushed nor dragging. They play this music with incredible precision and joyful enthusiasm. Here's a review: Mozart Symphonies - SCO & Sir Charles Mackerras - The Berkshire Review | Linn Records
French Piano Concertos Brilliant, 2019 12 CDs I listened to disc 4 which includes works by Lalo, Chaminade, Roussel, & Francaix. I guess it is common knowledge, but I noticed that Jarre has used a theme from the Lalo Concerto as a main theme in his score for Lawrence of Arabia.
Michel Dalberto, piano (Steinway) Schubert: Complete Piano Sonatas; Piano Works Brilliant, 2010 14 CDs Listening to disc 1 Recorded Feb 1989; Salle de Chatonneyre, Corseaux, Switzerland Sonata in A minor: op.42, D845 Sonata in E major: D157 Valses Sentimentales op. 50; D770 (extracts)
Showing my inexperience again. I’ve listened to quite a bit of the genre in recent weeks. And I’m loving Baroque. Yesterday I heard a compilation of Baroque sonatas which included some by JS Bach for oboe and violin and I was mesmerised. With that in mind, can anyone recommend some albums that I should try please (cd preferably). Apologies for being so vague. Still learning but enjoying!