On the turntable: Released circa 1972 Haydn, Beaux Arts Trio – Piano Trios Nos. 29 & 30 In E Flat / No. 31 In E Flat Minor - Volume 2 Philips – 6500 400
On the turntable--sadly: Florence Foster Jenkins – A Florence! Foster!! Jenkins!!! Recital!!!! RCA Victor Red Seal – LRT-7000
It was in the collection I recently acquired and, having never actually heard her sing, I was curious.... But I don't think I'll be listening to side 2.... My wife is not a singer. Whenever I happen to be listening to The Magic Flute, she can't resist doing her own rendition of the Queen of the Night's famous aria--which, honestly, is annoying. I reiterate: she (my wife) is not a singer. Having heard some of this now, I can say, however, that she sings many times better than Florence Foster Jenkins.
Moving right along.... On the turntable: Satie, Debussy – Satie: Socrate; Debussy: Chansons De Bilitis Candide – CE 31024
Listening to "1515 - The Sacred Works Of Jean Mouton" performed by Ensembles Diabolus In Musica & Clement Janequin on Bayard Musique.
Even though I've only heard it a few times, the FFJ caterwauling version is kind of stuck in my ear just seeing that record. My strong advice is not to listen.
I guess the Chord DAC is just not meant to be. Not only will it not work with my HP laptop, now it's rebooting on its own, which causes a loud pop in my system. I'm sending it back. Now that my HP is back in the picture, I'm enjoying this DSD recording--it's astonishingly real sounding.
On the turntable: Hugo Wolf, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Gerald Moore – Spanisches Liederbuch Deutsche Grammophon – 2726 071
On the turntable: Boulez Conducts Beethoven, New Philharmonia Orchestra, John Alldis Choir – Symphony No. 5 / Calm Sea And Prosperous Voyage Columbia Masterworks – M 30085. A 1970 release. Hmmm... First time I've heard this recording. It's a very slow reading of the score--maybe the slowest I've ever heard--but I rather like it this way.... [Edit: Doing some Internet reading, it seems this is a famously slow version.]
Disc 11 of this LP set. It remains a wonderful collection that I borrowed from my aunt thirty years ago and never gave back! Auber: Crown Diamonds Overture Gounod: Funeral March of a Marionette Pierne: March of the Little Lead Soldier Saint-Saens: Danse Macabre Ravel: La Valse Borodin: Polovetzian Dances (Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts Symphonique de Paris/Rene Leibowitz)
Now playing: Hildegard von Bingen - A Feather On The Breath Of God - Gothic Voices with Emma Kirkby directed by Christopher Page - rec. 1981
This is a new release from Native DSD. Wow, Schmitt's String Trio is an amazing piece. I understand its formidable difficulties have kept most ensembles from playing/recording it. I think this is the only currently available recording. Wonderfully realistic sound from the DSD 256 files.
1st Listen, Brahms Symphony No. 4, Carlos Kleiber & the Vienna Philharmonic, DG CD (from the Carlos Kleiber box set): Listening to the first few phrases of the first movement (Allegro non troppo)...so far, so good. I like the way the restrained opening opens out into a full orchestral dialogue. I like the clipped accents of the Vienna brass. The strings sound far less fierce (and strident) than they do in earlier (digital) iterations of this recording (orginally an early digital recording taped in 1981). This sonic improvement allows me to hear more of the interpretation. The drum roll that concludes the (first) movement sounds thrilling. I like the way the woodwind, brass, and (pizzicato) string trialogue opens the 2nd (slow) movement (Andante moderato).The strings do not sound as rich, romantic and voluptuos as they do in Karajan's Berlin recordings (or Simon Rattle's) but this seems to be the most listenable mastering of this recording that I have yet heard. I like the distinctive sound and resonance of the Vienna brass section. The third movement (Allegro giocoso) opens with a sense of excitement and high spirits. The triangle parts seem to add a patina of sparkle to the triumphal occasion. The distinctive sound and resonance of the Vienna brass section once again captures my ear. The Passacaglia, the 4th movement (Allegro energico e passionato) opens with a sense of agitation and emotion. Kleiber seems to struggle to sustain the tension of the opening though towards the middle of the movement. The tension momentarily sags (like a tight-wire that has snapped) before Kleiber whips the orchestra back into an emotional frenzy. The music does not (momentarily) stall in this fashion in the hands of the work's greatest interpreters (Stokowski, Kempe, Walter, Giulini) and to Kleiber's credit he does get the music back on track to close out the Passacaglia with the same passion and emotion with which he started it. This sounds like a lean and incisive interpretation that's only let down by the lapse of tension in the middle of the Passacaglia. The mastering greatly improves on the sound quality of previous digital versions of the recording and I think this (improvement) is cause for celebration. I would recommend this box for this improvement alone.
Feeling symphonic last night and this morning. Celibidache and Karajan. Good news too, because Bruckner finally clicked with me. Really enjoyed the 4th and 8th by Karajan from the 1970's set, 4th especially. The 1st movement is fantastic. Haydn: Symphony No. 104 in D major, Hob. I/104, "London" Sergiu Celibidache Münchner Philharmoniker - Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E flat major, WAB 104, "Romantic" (1878/1880 version) Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor, WAB 108 Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 Herbert von Karajan Berliner Philharmoniker
Now playing: Hugo Alfvén - Swedish Rhapsody No.1 "Midsommarvaka", Symphony No.2 - Royal Stockholm PO, Neem Järvi - recorded 1987 CD2 from the following box set:
NP: Dvořák Nature, Life and Love, Op. 91, B. 168 (I. In Nature’s Realm, II. Carnival, III. Othello) Czech Philharmonic Neumann