I had never heard this recording til now. Loved it. Rachmaninov: Trio Elegiac No. 1 & 2 Borodin Trio Chandos, 1984 Rostislav Dubinsky, violin Yuli Turovsky, cello Luba Edlina, piano
Hi David, No, I am still not a huge Brendel fan. A few of the exceptions popped up recently in this thread by chance. I wanted some non-sonata Beethoven the other day and grabbed Brendel's Bagatelle disc, recalling that I had previously enjoyed it. And same thing today with the Haydn sonatas.
Incidentally, I agree with you--the Beethoven Bagatelles are not played nearly enough. I'd say the same about Schubert's Moments Musicaux; they aren't exactly rarities, but somehow we seem to hear the impromptus and such a lot more frequently.
This disc 5 from the van Kempen box includes overtures from Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Rossini, Brahms, and Berlioz, but the most successful pieces are nine Hungarian Dances by Brahms, from 1952 with the Berlin Philharmonic. Paul Van Kempen Eloquence, 2020
After discovering Rostal long ago myself, I've only ever stumbled across two recordings in years of LP browsing. I get the impression that sadly, he recorded very little.
Well, just for once I am current. Logged onto my phone to look up the conductor of my on the player disc, and there was George's post. At this very moment, I am much enjoying Schumann's "Spring" Sym., wound--er, served up by the Philharmonia under Eliahu Inbal. It's one of those Pentatone SACD issues of a quad recording from the '70s. Lovely, although don't think it quite supplants Munch/BSO in my affections. Inbal is still around, but somehow his is a name that seldom seems to surface, and I think it has ever been so.
I'm starting to collect European classical LPs from the 60's and 70's (London, Phillips, Mercury Golden Imports, EMI, etc.) and was wondering if one was considered the best European label for classical.
Just got this in an email from Marston Records: JOSEF AND ROSINA LHEVINNE: Our next piano release and Lagniappe The Complete Josef Lhevinne 53023-2 (3 CDs) | $54 ($36 to preferred customers) The Complete Josef Lhevinne will be our next piano release. We have heard from many of you expressing tremendous interest in this project, and we are planning on a release in the fall. Along with this three-CD set, we will be offering the next edition in our “Lagniappe” series. Our “Lagniappes” present outstanding recordings of interest which we offer free of charge to our preferred customers. This CD will be devoted to the pianistic artistry of Josef Lhevinne’s wife and colleague, Rosina Lhevinne (1880–1976). She played frequently in four-hand concerts with her husband and they both taught at the Juilliard School, but Madame Lhevinne never pursued a solo career. This CD includes a 1951 half-hour four-hand duet radio recital with her former student, Josef Raieff, playing Mozart's “Theme and Variations in G” and Schubert's “Fantasy in F minor.” The CD concludes with two chamber works of Mendelssohn, “Piano Trio in D minor” and “Piano Sextet in D”, both from 1959 concerts. To find out more about our preferred-customer program and the other "Lagniappes" available for free to those who join, please visit the "Preferred Customers" tab on our website.
Welcome to the thread, Joel! I am not a vinyl guy, but I know others here are, so hopefully they will be able to help.
Vladimir Jurowski London Philharmonic Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony LPO, 2006 Vladimir Jurowski London Philharmonic Rachmaninov: Isle of the Dead; Symphonic Dances LPO, 2005 SACD/CD I enjoyed the performances. They were recorded live. Only the Symphonic Dances has memorable sound.
The Dutch Philips label was known for its excellence in Classical recordings. Vinyl lovers still rave about the quality of their recordings and pressings.
I don’t think you’d find a clear consensus for the best label among classical fans, among the top European labels it’s more a matter of preference. I would also add Deutsche Grammophon/DG to your list though.
Good point! Especially considering the consensus would 1st have to agree on a definition of best. Does best mean best performance? Best sound? Since frequently the best performances do not have the best sound it surely can't be both.
Welcome! The question of labels, at least for most of us, is subsidiary to that of artists and performances. All the labels you mention were and are considered "premium" purveyors of classical music: each had its own stable of orchestras, soloists, conductors, chamber groups, and so on, and in each case those would be drawn, for the most part, from the top names among active performers. Each had respected engineering teams recording the music, and each offered good quality pressings. Naturally, all had slightly less celebrated performers on roster, too, but generally you went to those labels, and top-end labels like them, for the "stars." No one would be considered "best" as a label; the choice really depends on how you react to the way a given label's performers presented the music. In other words, if, as I do, you find that you prefer how, say, Kurt Masur approached the Beethoven Symphonies with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra over how Herbert von Karajan did with the Berlin Philharmonic, you'd opt for Masur on Philips (or, possibly, in the co-released form on East German Eterna) rather than Karajan on Deutsche Grammophon. If, on the other hand, you prefer Maurizio Pollini's way with Beethoven's piano sonatas to Alfred Brendel's, you'd opt for Pollini on Deutsche Grammophon rather than Brendel on Philips. Pollini, as far as I know, hasn't recorded all the Beethoven sonatas, meaning you might well buy his recordings on DG but "fill in" with Brendel's on Philips. Or maybe you prefer Wilhelm Backhaus to either--in that case, you'd buy his Beethoven sonata recordings on London. Or, to cite a celebrated rivalry, do you like soprano Maria Callas better than soprano Renata Tebaldi? EMI (Angel in the United States). Like Tebaldi better than Callas? Decca (London in the United States). Of course, it's possible that you may like one performer in general but not a particular recording; as Lili Kraus once remarked, "Only mediocrity is always at its best." Maybe you usually like Wilhelm Kempff (DG) in Beethoven's sonatas but think his account of the "Hammerklavier" is a little too restrained; then you might in that one work choose, say, Peter Serkin on the US Pro Arte label over the former on Deutsche Grammophon. Unless, of course, you end up taking both, because each has aspects that appeal to you. By the way, note that Mercury Golden Imports was not really a "European" label, or at least not purely so, as it came into being when one of the European labels (Philips, was it? I forget) bought the American Mercury, and much of the material found there originated in the United States. Don't think a classical label must be European to be good; Mercury had a terrific reputation and its own stable of top-line performers. And so on. I hope that helps a bit. Again, welcome--to the thread, and to the joys of classical music. Enjoy the voyage!
Now playing... MOZART: Così fan tutte - Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Colin Davis conducting (US Philips Complete Mozart Edition CD)