Recorded 9/27-28/75. Production/Dr. Hans Hirsch & Magdalene Padberg. Recording director: Michel Glotz. Tonmeister: Günter Hermanns. This is the second of three recordings of the Requiem Karajan made for DG and was first issued in 1976.
I am winding my way through the Previn Warner box( the subject of Mr Hurwitz’s video above posted [email protected].) along with the Ormandy mono box.
CD. Includes Debussy-Introduction et Allegro (Melos Ensemble) and Ravel-Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp (Melos Ensemble).
Today's Haydn Quartets: Joseph Haydn - String Quartets Op 76, 77 & 103 - Festetics Quartet This is Volume 9, the only 3 disc set in the series, and one of the hardest to find (it's mysteriously not listed on the current Arcana website). I got it from an Amazon seller in Germany, but contrary to the picture on the listing, it's the old fatbox+slipcase version, rather than the digipack with the volume number in the top corner. Given as it's a 3CD set, I'll allow that and won't make a fuss. Op. 76 is a traditional 6 quartet cycle, but Op 77 is just two quartets (from planned cycle of six dedicated to Prince Lobkowitz, possibly abandoned as he felt he couldn't compete with Beethoven's contemporary Op 18), while Op 103 is two movements from an unfinished quartet.
There's still something just so accessible about Vivaldi's work. Still great depth though, really enjoyed this disc. Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Trumpets, Strings and Continuo in C Major, RV 537 Vivaldi: Concerto for Piccolo, Strings and Continuo in A minor, RV 445 Vivaldi: Concerto for Violin, Oboe, Strings and Continuo in B flat major, RV 548 Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Violins, Two Cellos, Strings and Continuo in G major, RV 575 Vivaldi: Concerto for Violin, Organ, Strings and Continuo in F Major, RV 542 Jean-François Paillard Orchestre de chambre Jean-François Paillard Maxence Larrieu (piccolo flute) Pierre Pierlot (oboe) Marcel Lagroce, Maurice André (trumpet) Ginette Carles, Huguette Fernandez (violin) Bernard Fonteny, Constance Maurelet (cello) Marie-Claire Alain (organ) Anne-Marie Beckensteiner (harpsichord)
Bartok: Piano Concertos Budapest Festival Orchestra & Ivan Fischer Andras Schiff, piano Teldec I prefer Fischer's other concerto set with Kocsis by a slight margin, but these are very fine performances. Schiff has a softer, less percussive approach than is usually heard in Bartok, but it works. And now onto something completely different... Handel: Keyboard Suites; Chaconne Ragna Schirmer, piano Berlin Classics No, these compositions aren't up to the level of Bach's, or even Scarlatti's for that matter, but they are nevertheless quite enjoyable. Schirmer does a nice job on a modern instrument; while she doesn't try to pretend she's playing a harpsichord, she also doesn't abuse the use of the piano's modern accoutrements.
More old-school Bach, but less lush than the Munch recording I posted. Recorded on 10/25/48 & 12/2/49. Issued in a Columbia 78 set as well as on an early LP.
Just saw this on Barron's ... The battle for digital music listeners is going to 11. On Monday, both Apple (ticker: AAPL) and Amazon.com (AMZN) announced quality upgrades for their streaming music services, as they ratchet up the competition with category leader Spotify Technology (SPOT). Apple (ticker: AAPL) on Monday said it is adding support for Dolby Atmos, an audio standard for “spatial audio,” which creates the sense of being surrounded by sound. Apple Music subscribers will have access to more than 75 million songs in “lossless audio,” as close as possible to the way the songs were recorded. The upgrades will be provided at no additional cost. Apple Music by default will play Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods and Beats headphones with the company’s H1 or W1 chips, as well as through built-in speakers on the latest versions of the iPhone, iPad and Mac. Users of the latest version of Apple Music can choose different resolutions for different connections such as cellular, Wi-Fi, or for download. (Given larger file sizes and associated bandwidth requirements, users might not always want the highest possible quality.) Meanwhile, Amazon (AMZN) on Monday announced that it will provide its highest-quality streaming-music tier, Amazon Music HD, to all eligible Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers at no extra cost. Llisteners can also stream more than 7 million songs in Ultra HD, with a bit depth of 24 bits and a sample rate up to 192 kHz. Apple is offering the same option, but notes that listeners need to opt-in, given the bandwidth requirements. Apple also said that Hi-Res Lossless requires external equipment, such as a USB digital-to-analog converter. Amazon Music is priced at $7.99 per month for Amazon Prime members, $9.99 for other customers, or $14.99 for a Family Plan. The HD tier was previously an additional $5 extra per month. Apple Music is $9.99 a month, or $14.99 for a Family Plan. Spotify’s rates are $9.99 for a single user, $12.99 for two users, or $15.99 for a Family Plan. Both Apple and Spotify offer student plans for $4.99 a month.
Any earlier pressing will be more valuable in the long-run than a re-press. Especially given how expensive early CD pressings from small labels like Arcana and Astrée are already. So enjoy your old-school fatboy!
NP: Schoenberg The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Op. 15 Jennifer Lane, mezzo-soprano Christopher Oldfather, piano
Listening to "Echoes of Jeanne d'Arc" performed by Schola Discantus directed by Kevin Moll on Lyrichord. Reginaldus Liebert - Missa de Beata Virgine 1995
Listening to CD 2 from "Cabezon - Obras de Musica Complete Edition" performed by Harmonices Mundi, La Moranda and Claudio Astronio (organ/harpsichord) on Brilliant. CD 2 - Comiencan los duos para principiantes / Comiencan las obras de a tres para principiantes / Comiencan las favordones de todos los ocho tonos
Indeed, I have been scratching my head trying to figure this out as I do have quite a few of these recordings ...
Now playing: Robert Schumann - Geistervariationen (Papillons Op.2, Klaviersonate Op.11, Kinderszenen Op.15, Fantasie Op.17, Waldszenen Op.83, Geistervariationen) - András Schiff - recorded 2010
Great performances of French music by Ravel, Debussy, Mompou, Taileffere, originally for piano and harp and one original work for 2 guitars by Jolivet. Excellent sound, too. (Qobuz 24/96)
Oh, I’ve nothing against a good fatboy, it’s just that a) I’d quite like a matching set, and b) I’m very conscious of my limited shelf-space, and the digipaks are slimmer. But I doubt a 3CD digipak would be much slimmer, so it's probably not much of an issue. Astree got bought by Naive, who went bust in 2010. Someone else (Believe?) picked up the reins in 2016, but there was a big gap before they started issuing CDs. Arcana seem to have briefly slipped into limbo when Michel Bernstein died in 2006, before reappearing operated out of Italy by 551 Media Srl, disappearing again, then turning up under Outhere. All their stuff is available digitally, but it seems to be hard to acquire physical media - it's unclear whether Outhere have actually printed any Festetics discs other than the box set, or were just selling old Arcana/551 Media stock. I'd happily have paid good money for boxes of all the Festetic's Haydn and the Mosaique's Mozart, but it's just not available!
Revisiting this spectacular recording: Strauss Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59 Christa Ludwig, Lucia Popp, et. al. Wiener Philharmoniker, Chor der Wiener Staatsoper Bernstein
I'm looking forward to his new Hyperion release of Bach's Partitas on May 28. (Aside from the way he s-lo-w-l-y arpeggiates the first chord of Partita No.2--completely kills the drama. The other tracks I sampled seemed great.) I think he's one of the most interesting and exciting harpsichordists among today's artists.
Naïve is now indeed owned by Believe: Naïve Records - Wikipedia I contacted Outhere about the Festetics Haydn box when it was already OOP and was lucky, they told me they had one copy left, which I picked up immediately of course
