That makes sense. Thanks for finding that info. Dresden was of course one of the most intense bombing campaigns of the allied forces, causing the air to turn into a super hot plasma that would melt everything in its wake (Tokyo suffered from similar bombing campaigns). There are still unresolved questions as to whether the bombing of Dresden may have constituted a war crime. That is why I found the cover surprising on a disc with works from an American and British composer...
I believe that was the 2nd LP of the Haydn / Jones series that Nonesuch issued. The performance of Symphony No. 44 here is superb, OTOH I found their take on Symphony No. 49 to be comparatively lackluster. (As with any of these series, they can't all be winners.)
On the turntable: Disc 11 of 35 from yesterday's used record store haul. Sviatoslav Richter - Schubert – Wanderer Fantasia · Sonata In A Major Op.120 Angel Records – S 36150
Well, I liked them both, but would agree that the reading of No. 44 here is particularly good. Enjoyed it very much!
Listening to French orchestral works by Berlioz, Ravel, and Fauré. Charles Munch / The Philadelphia Orchestra Odyssey LP from 1971 .
I recently read three volumes of the diaries of Victor Klemperer, a German Jew who survived in Dresden because he was married to a non-Jewish woman. They lived through the bombing and in the confusion afterward he was able to shed his Jewish identity as they wandered the countryside until peace came. He was a cousin of the conductor Otto Klemperer & at times expresses a feeling of inferiority & envy toward his "famous" relative.
On the turntable: Disc number 12 of 35 from yesterday. James Boyk, Sergei Prokofiev – Sixth Piano Sonata Performance Recordings – PR-3
Spinning in the CD player. Last of the night. Will return to the newly acquired LPs again in the morning.... Solti / Borodin, Glinka, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky – Romantic Russia Decca – 460 977-2
Recorded live at the Moscow Conservatory, 3/19/72. Producer/engineer: Igor Veprintsev. Issued in East Germany on Melodia-Eurodisc. Reissued in 1982 on MHS.
Now playing... Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) St John Passion, BWV 245 Soloists Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks Concerto Köln Peter Dijkstra 2016
Strauss’ Metamorphosen was written in the aftermath of the total destruction of Dresden. The destruction of the Dresden Opera House where most of his operas had premiered was devastating for Strauss. He wrote in his private diary:
I prefer THIS Persephone I wonder if my American friends understand the album cover........ Wishbone Ash - Persephone - YouTube
Now playing CD6 from the following box for a first listen ... Brahms Piano Sonata No. 3 has really grown on me over the past year but for the longest time, I had been under the impression the only version of this work in my collection is an older Denon recording by Helene Grimaud. But here is the problem with these big boxes: you don't have a clue what are included until you go through that box. I finally did some cross references and updated my spreadsheet to determine I have the following versions for now. Piano Sonata No. 3, 6 Klavierstucke, Op. 118 Grimaud Denon Piano Sonata No. 3 Radu Lupu (Complete Decca Solo Recordings) Decca Piano Sonata No. 3 Julian Katchen (Works for Solo Piano) London Piano Sonata No. 3 Lazar Berman (Lazar Berman Rarities) IDIS Piano Sonata No. 3 Murray Perahia (Perahia Plays Brahms & Schubert) Sony Piano Sonata No. 3 Dinu Lipatti (EMI Icon) EMI
More Landowski, he wrote some nice stuff. Not in anyway avant-guard but of the 20th century, think Honegger.
Now playing CD1 - Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Faure Ballade in F sharp, etc. with John Pritchard and the Philharmonia from the following box for a second listen ... While I have quite a few recordings by Ogdon but did not even realize I have a recording by John Pritchard whom I knew next to nothing ...
