On the turntable: Eight Symphonies by English composer William Boyce (1711-1779). Antonio Janigro / I Solisti Di Zagreb Bach Guild LP / 1972 / US pressing The I Solisti Di Zagreb do not utilize period instruments, but the performances here are nevertheless vital and energetic, with a bountiful rhythmic drive that makes these great, late-baroque works come alive. Credited as "A Philips-Vanguard Recording," it was first released in 1965 on Bach Guild (a sub-label of Vanguard). My copy is a 1972 reissue, which I bought in '74, and it still sounds great.
Now listening to CD 4 from this box. Czech Radio Broadcasts-1957 and 1967, respectively. Czech Philharmonic and Leningrad Philharmonic, respectively. David Oistrakh, violin. And of course, Mravinsky conducting. Edit: what an amazing performance by David Oistrakh! It has been a while since I listened to this and I forgot how good it is.
I got a copy of the DG repress. I will review it when I get it. I also was able to get the Erato recordings Icon CD box on Martinon’s recordings on that label.
And another CD from Mravinsky in Prague box set issued by Praga in 1999. 1967 Czech Radio broadcasts. A chilling Bartok! I think this box(OOP) is still available on the used market. It is certainly worth your while to seek it out to supplement your Mravinsky recordings. These are intense performances in very good to excellent sound.
Now streaming: an obscure but historically and musically interesting Soviet composer. Recording quality varies based on age of performance. Symphony 1 was dedicated to Mravinsky. Salmanov’s string quartets are available on CD issued by Northern Flowers.
Now playing CD5 from the following box for a first listen ... Beethoven: Concerto for Piano, Violin Cello and Orchestra in C major "Triple Concerto", Op. 56 with Renaud Capucon violin, Mischa Maisky cello, Orchestra della Svizzera italiana - Alexandre Rabinovitch - Barakovsky conductor Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5/2 with Mischa Maisky Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra in C minor "Choral Fantasy", Op. 80 with Laura Antonaz, Alice Rossi, Marta Fumagalli, Elisabeth Gillming, Martin Steffan, Gerhard Nennemann, Matteo Bellotto solo singers Coro della Radiotelevisione svizzera Orchestra della Svizzera italiana - Diego Fasolist conductor Martha Argerich piano
London CS 7006, 1/77. Recorded 8/26/75, Masonic Hall, Cleveland. (The building on the cover is Severance Hall, the orchestra's regular venue. Decca preferred to record them in Masonic Hall.) Producer: Michael Woolcock. Engineers: Colin Moorfoot & Michael Mailes.
Listening to "Agostino Steffani (1654-1728) - Stabat Mater" performed by Coro della RadiotelevIsione svizzera and I Barocchisti led by Diego Fasolis on Decca. Cecilia Bartoli (mezzo-soprano) Nuria Rial and Yetzabel Arias Fernandez (sopranos) Franco Fagioli (countertenor) Daniel Behle and Julian Pregardian (tenors) Salvo Vitale (bass)
Shot in the dark. It was on the 50% hourly sale on Chandos. Erwin Schulhoff Concertos, by Frank-Immo Zichner, Jacques Zoon and Roland Kluttig. Well, this is different. As a fan of Kapustin's mix of jazz and classical music, I'm always on the lookout for something in the same vein. The PC2 is pretty good, the middle movement is mysterious and the outer mouvements have energy. However, I feel the orchestral part is not the most interesting, and heavily weighted in percussive instruments. The Double Concerto for Piano and Flute is the most beautiful work here. Very nice back and forth between the piano, flute and orchestra. The other concerto didn't leave much of an impression. Still, an interesting change of pace. I can see myself purchasing Capriccio's 6CD box set in the future. After that, I moved on to Christoph von Dohnanyi 's Stravinsky: L'oiseau de feu and Bartok: Two Pictures with the Wiener Philharmoniker, from this set: (I separated the works according to the previous separate Eloquence CDs, and put Maazel' Sacre on its own). 1979 Digital recording? The recording quality is fantastic! Great spatial positioning of the orchestra, clear sound, well balanced. Easily the best Oiseau de feu I've heard (Salonen's has too much range between soft and loud passages, Chailly's the second closest, but he recorded the Suite).
Now playing: Andrea Gabrieli - Madrigali e Canzoni - Weser-Renaissance Bremen, Manfred Cordes - recorded 1998
Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia semplice" Pan and Syrinx, Op. 49 Andante lamentoso "At the Bier of a Young Artist" Herbert Blomstedt Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Now playing: Giovanni Battista Cirri - Cello Concertos Op. 14 Nos. 1-3 - Balázs Máté, Aura Musicale - recorded 2001 CD 1 of this set:
I've been picking up quite a few albums by Weser-Renaissance. They tend to focus on lesser known Renaissance composers.
Now continuing from yesterday: Igor Stravinsky - Chamber Music & Rarities - Sinfonietta de Montréal, L'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Charles Dutoit, Cleveland Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet - recorded 1991, 1992, 1986, 1985, 1962 CD 2 of this set:
Listening to CD 5 from the "Carl Nielsen" box set on EMI. Maskarade Overture ----BBC Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Davis Saga Drøm Op. 39 Pan Og Syrinx Op. 49 Flute Concerto FS119 – Frantz Lemsser (flute) Rhapsody Overture: An Imaginary Journey To The Faeroe Islands Clarinet Concerto Op. 57 FS129 – Kjell-Inge Stevensson (clarinet), Ib Jarlkov (side drum) ----Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Herbert Blomstedt
Einojuhani Rautavaara: Symphony #1 Belgian National Orchestra, Mikko Franck Symphony #2 Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Max Pommer
