Listenin' to Classical Music and Conversation

I like Fricsay quite a lot - I think he's a bit less well-known due to his unfortunate early death just as classical music was booming in the early stereo years.

 

I've enjoyed listening to both of his box sets. Two of my favorite purchases.

 

Now playing:
Nikolai Myaskovsky - Symphony No. 6 - Academic SO of Moscow State Philh., State Academic Russian Choir, Kiril Kondrashin - recorded 1978

 

I sometimes like closing off the evening with a piece by Steve Reich. Tonight it's Eight Lines (Octet), recorded 1996

Cello – Greg Passelink, Mark Stewart
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet – Evan Ziporyn, Michael Lowenstern
Conductor – Bradley Lubman
Featuring – Bang On A Can
Flute, Piccolo Flute – David Fedele, Patti Monson
Piano – Edmund Niemann, Nurit Tilles
Viola – Martha Mook, Ron Lawrence
Violin – Gregor Kitzis, Jaqueline Carrasco, Elizabeth Knowles, Todd Reynolds

From CD 5 of this set:

 

NP:

Mahler
Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major
Vesko Eshkenazy (violin), Jan-Hendrik Rootering (bass), Jane Eaglen (soprano), Peter Mattei (baritone), Ruth Ziesak (soprano), Anne Schwanewilms (soprano), Ben Heppner (tenor), Sara Fulgoni (mezzo-soprano), Anna Larsson (contralto)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Choir, Prague Philharmonic Chorus, Jongenskoor Van Het Sacramentskoor, Breda, Jongens en meisjes van het Kathedrale Koor St.Bavo, Haarlem
Chailly

 

On the turntable: Mozart Symphonies 35 & 39.
George Szell / The Cleveland Orchestra

Epic "Stereorama" gold label LP / 1960





Fun look at the inner sleeve advertisements for other Epic records of the day:

 

Bought this new box. Barbirolli's recording of Mahler 9th is one of the best ever. Features 2020 remasters done by Art & Son. Any Mahler fan should own this box.

 

I love Mahler's Symphonies - except the eighth - and I have numerous Mahler CDs and sets, but not that one and I don't intend to get it, not my cup of tea.

 

I have them in the big Barbirolli box. I'd also recommend his later Sibelius cycle.
I stalled in my listening with the big box due to the arrival of other boxes, but I must try and get back to it soon.

 

Listening to "Dunstable - Motets" performed by The Hilliard Ensemble on EMI Angel.

1983

 

Listening to CD 2 from "Mr. De Sainte Colombe le Fils" performed by Jordi Savall on Alia Vox.

Suites 1, 3 & 6

 

Spotify Premium.

 

From the Yo Yo Ma classical cello collection cd box

 

Currently playing the CD layer of this SACD:

Escher String Quartet - Barber/Ives (BIS, 2021)




Samuel Barber
String Quartet in B minor, Op.11 18'35

01 Molto allegro e appassionato 8'05

02 Molto adagio - attacca - 8'10

03 Molto allegro (come prima) - Presto 2'20

String Quartet: original final movement

04 original final movement 5'45


Charles Ives
String Quartet No. 1 (From the Salvation Army) 21'42

05 I. Chorale 4'36

06 II. Prelude 6'17

07 III. Offertory 5'18

08 IV. Postlude 5'31


09 Scherzo: 'Holding Your Own' 1'37

String Quartet No. 2 26'28

10 I. Conversations and Discussions 9'50

11 II. Arguments 5'01

12 III. The Call of the Mountains 11'37

Album total 74'15

 

I have this box though I would hesitate to get his big box given the age of many of his recordings. More narrowly focused medium-sized box is not necessarily bad ...

 

NP:

Schulhoff
Violin Sonata No. 2, WV 91
Tanja Becker-Bender - violin, Markus Becker - piano

 

Today:

Janáček
Various works
Czech State Philharmonic
Reorded 1995-6 Stadion Hall, Brno, Czech Republic



An excellent 2-disc set with very good sonics. Might be even better if I still had an HDCD in my system. My beloved old Harman Kardon receiver had that chip in it. After listening to HDCD discs with and without decoding I heard slightly greater dynamics and tighter bass with the 20 bit decoder on.

 

I have this box below. Probably the same recordings of the 6th and 9th.

Gustav Mahler, Sir John Barbirolli, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – Symphony No. 6, Symphony No. 9
EMI – SLS 851

 

NP:

Vasks
Lonely Angel ("Vientuļais eņģelis")
Trio Palladio



This is a first-listen to this work in it's piano trio arrangement. Previously, I was only familiar with it in its orchestral arrangement (actually written for solo violin and string orchestra). Of course, it's ravishingly beautiful and I do rather like this chamber arrangement.

 

It took me a few years of exploring classical music recordings to discover and appreciate those conductors mentioned( and others).

 

Now playing: Franz Schubert - Piano Sonatas D784, D960 & D613 - Stephen Hough - recorded 1998

 

NP:

Sibelius
Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63
Moscow RSO
Rozhdestvensky



Man...this is fantastic and Rozhdestvensky's Sibelius is ice cold a la Vänskä in Lahti. Lovely music-making and I totally disagree with Hurwitz's whole "CD From Hell" criticism of this set.

 

I already own it. Actually, to be more technically precise, I preordered it as I didn't own any of Barbirolli's Mahler recordings in my collection strangely enough. I would say it is quite good, indeed. Is it some of my favorite Mahler? Absolutely not, but Barbirolli had a unique way with the composer that I enjoy. It's too bad he didn't do the 3rd or 7th as I'd love have heard him in these symphonies --- the 3rd being my favorite Mahler symphony.

 

Now playing: Beat Furrer - Drei Klavierstücke; Voicelessness. The Snow Has No Voice; Phasma - Nicolas Hodges - recorded 2004

 

Now playing:
Henry Purcell - Love's Goddess Sure Was Blind; The Complete Funeral Music for Queen Mary - The Sixteen & Orch., Harry Christopher - rec. 1994