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The Music Room => General Classical Music Discussion => Topic started by: Brian on March 02, 2018, 01:34:39 PM

Title: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Brian on March 02, 2018, 01:34:39 PM
http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/classical_music/jesus-lopez-cobos-25-february-1940-2-march-2018/


Spanish conductor Jesús López Cobos, renowned for his bel canto interpretations and his 15-year tenure as music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, has died aged 78 following a battle with cancer.

News confirmed by Cincinnati news paper and his agency on Twitter.
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Baron Scarpia on March 02, 2018, 01:37:13 PM
Quote from: Brian on March 02, 2018, 01:34:39 PM
http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/classical_music/jesus-lopez-cobos-25-february-1940-2-march-2018/


Spanish conductor Jesús López Cobos, renowned for his bel canto interpretations and his 15-year tenure as music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, has died aged 78 following a battle with cancer.

News confirmed by Cincinnati news paper and his agency on Twitter.

I particularly liked his recording of Honegger's Pastoral d'eta.

[asin]B00005A9NU[/asin]
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: André on March 02, 2018, 01:42:49 PM
Sad. He was a very fine brucknerian. I also love his Respighi, Albeniz and Villa Lobos recordings.
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: mc ukrneal on March 02, 2018, 05:01:32 PM
Very sad. I have a number of operas and other works with him at the helm and generally quite enjoy them. I always felt he was a bit under the radar, but perhaps he preferred it that way?
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Mirror Image on March 02, 2018, 07:16:12 PM
I don't really know much about López-Cobos, but I understand it that he was quite a good conductor. A shame. RIP, Maestro.
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: vandermolen on March 04, 2018, 09:52:30 AM
RIP
The Honegger CD is especially good but so are his recordings of Respighi's Metamorphoseon etc and Church Windows as well as a nice Hovhaness CD, not to mention Shostakovich's 1st and 15th Symphonies.
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Daverz on March 04, 2018, 01:35:03 PM
Excellent Dukas disc:

[asin] B00004T0G9[/asin]

Very fond of this excellent example of the Telarc sound:

[asin] B000003CUZ[/asin]

He was, of course, very good at Spanish music

[asin] B00005R1K1[/asin]

but also Mahler

[asin] B00000DMWW[/asin]

Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Mirror Image on March 04, 2018, 01:51:00 PM
I did find this disc amongst my collection with López-Cobos at the helm:

(https://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_1080/MI0001/061/MI0001061831.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)

The best to my memory, it's a great disc, especially noteworthy was the work Homenajes, which is seldom recorded and I remember hearing the work on GPR (Georgia Public Radio) driving home one night. I kept wondering "Who in the world is this?" When I found out it was Falla and this particular recording being played, I bought it immediately after I got home.
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Cato on March 04, 2018, 02:12:44 PM
Quote from: Brian on March 02, 2018, 01:34:39 PM
http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/classical_music/jesus-lopez-cobos-25-february-1940-2-march-2018/


Spanish conductor Jesús López Cobos, renowned for his bel canto interpretations and his 15-year tenure as music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, has died aged 78 following a battle with cancer.

News confirmed by Cincinnati news paper and his agency on Twitter.

Oy!  What a day!  I just received information about two other people (one being the wife of a former colleague, the other a high-school classmate) dying in the past two days!

I heard him once in a live broadcast from Cincinnati: marvelous conductor evoking a great sound from the orchestra.

Quote from: Daverz on March 04, 2018, 01:35:03 PM
Excellent Dukas disc:

[asin] B00004T0G9[/asin]

Very fond of this excellent example of the Telarc sound:

[asin] B000003CUZ[/asin]

He was, of course, very good at Spanish music

[asin] B00005R1K1[/asin]

but also Mahler

[asin] B00000DMWW[/asin]



Yes to all those TELARC CD's!

[asin]B000003CXD[/asin]

Amazon has a bunch of negative reviews for the Solti Bruckner Sixth...listed under this disc!!!  :o ???

Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Mirror Image on March 04, 2018, 02:14:42 PM
Quote from: Cato on March 04, 2018, 02:12:44 PMAmazon has a bunch of negative reviews for the Solti Bruckner Sixth...listed under this disc!!!  :o ???

This comes as no surprise really. I find incorrect listings on their site all the time. Seems like this is usually what happens when you have people who don't know what they're doing inputing the information.
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: André on March 04, 2018, 03:38:27 PM
I can assure you that this Bruckner 6th is excellent (Lopez Cobos, that is, not Solti  :D) !
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Cato on March 04, 2018, 04:11:33 PM
Quote from: André on March 04, 2018, 03:38:27 PM
I can assure you that this Bruckner 6th is excellent (Lopez Cobos, that is, not Solti  :D) !

Amen!  0:)
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Mahlerian on March 04, 2018, 04:12:14 PM
Quote from: André on March 04, 2018, 03:38:27 PM
I can assure you that this Bruckner 6th is excellent (Lopez Cobos, that is, not Solti  :D) !

Agreed.  I'm also fond of his recording of Mahler's Tenth in the Mazzetti orchestration.

(https://e.snmc.io/lk/l/a/cf3946d36226fe1a6d1442ee52176759/1607565.jpg)
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Daverz on March 04, 2018, 05:36:57 PM
Listening to these Telarcs (Chruch Windows and now Bruckner 6) reminds me what a huge dynamic range they have and how difficult it is to find a comfortable volume in my living room.  I'll have to wait until all the neighbors are at work to fully enjoy them.

Looks like this may be his last recording

[asin]B07895ZX4Q[/asin]

Sounds like very cinematic Spanish music.
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Baron Scarpia on March 05, 2018, 07:43:16 AM
Quote from: Daverz on March 04, 2018, 05:36:57 PM
Listening to these Telarcs (Chruch Windows and now Bruckner 6) reminds me what a huge dynamic range they have and how difficult it is to find a comfortable volume in my living room.  I'll have to wait until all the neighbors are at work to fully enjoy them.

My impression (I'm thinking mostly of the Respighi) was not of large dynamic range, so much as a poorly balanced recording. The brass seem inappropriately loud and direct compared with the strings, which seem recessed. I'm not sure whether to blame Telarc (whose recording technique depends on the acoustics of the hall to a greater degree than some other labels) or Lopez Cobos. I tend to blame Telarc, since I've enjoyed Lopoz Cobos conducting other orchestras.
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Brian on March 05, 2018, 07:59:07 AM
Quote from: Daverz on March 04, 2018, 05:36:57 PM
Looks like this may be his last recording

Sounds like very cinematic Spanish music.
There is another CD due in April of the same composer, recorded during the same week in 2016. For what it's worth, I do find Palomo quite enjoyable - he is not quite as splashy/flashy as the adjective "cinematic" suggests, but that is close, and he definitely follows the Spanish orchestral style set out by composers like Turina and Rodrigo.

(https://b2b.naxosusa.com/Images/LoRes/BackCovers/747313369379.jpg) (https://b2b.naxosusa.com/Images/BackCovers/747313369379.pt01.jpg)
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Cato on March 05, 2018, 08:25:25 AM
Quote from: Daverz on March 04, 2018, 05:36:57 PM
Listening to these Telarcs (Church Windows and now Bruckner 6) reminds me what a huge dynamic range they have and how difficult it is to find a comfortable volume in my living room. I'll have to wait until all the neighbors are at work to fully enjoy them.

8)  PUMP UP THE VOLUME!!!   8)
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Karl Henning on March 05, 2018, 08:25:56 AM
Right on!
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: vandermolen on March 05, 2018, 12:20:56 PM
Quote from: Cato on March 04, 2018, 02:12:44 PM
Oy!  What a day!  I just received information about two other people (one being the wife of a former colleague, the other a high-school classmate) dying in the past two days!

I heard him once in a live broadcast from Cincinnati: marvelous conductor evoking a great sound from the orchestra.

Yes to all those TELARC CD's!

[asin]B000003CXD[/asin]

Amazon has a bunch of negative reviews for the Solti Bruckner Sixth...listed under this disc!!!  :o ???
Sorry to hear of your sad news Leo.
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Cato on March 05, 2018, 12:40:07 PM
Quote from: vandermolen on March 05, 2018, 12:20:56 PM
Sorry to hear of your sad news Leo.

Thank you!  The Rota Fortunae has not been the best for too many people of my acquaintance recently.

However, I feel just fine!   8)

Lopez-Cobos apparently liked Respighi (but really, who doesn't?  ;)  ) quite a bit!


[asin]B000003CYL[/asin]

21 reviews, 90% of them are 5-star on Amazon!
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: ritter on March 05, 2018, 11:20:51 PM
R.I.P.

Surprisingly (or perhaps not), López Cobos had a warmer following abroad than in his native Spain. That I can remember, I experienced him live three times, in the pit of the Teatro Real: Verdi's Macbeth and  Don Carlo in 2004 and 2005, respectively, and Wagner's Tristan und Isolde (with Waltraud Meier) in 2008. They were all solid, if not particularly distinguished, performances (and we must allow for the fact that in those years the theatre's orchestra wasn't a very polished group, having improved dramatically some years later).


Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Daverz on March 06, 2018, 04:53:20 PM
Quote from: Baron Scarpia on March 05, 2018, 07:43:16 AM
My impression (I'm thinking mostly of the Respighi) was not of large dynamic range, so much as a poorly balanced recording. The brass seem inappropriately loud and direct compared with the strings, which seem recessed. I'm not sure whether to blame Telarc (whose recording technique depends on the acoustics of the hall to a greater degree than some other labels) or Lopez Cobos. I tend to blame Telarc, since I've enjoyed Lopoz Cobos conducting other orchestras.

I think you are right.  If I turn up the sound so I can hear the strings the brass are too loud.  Otherwise, I think this is a very good interpretation of No. 6.
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: vandermolen on March 11, 2018, 12:53:00 PM
Have just ordered his recording of Bruckner Symphony 6.
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: Karl Henning on March 12, 2018, 05:21:19 AM
Quote from: vandermolen on March 11, 2018, 12:53:00 PM
Have just ordered his recording of Bruckner Symphony 6.

We shall await your report.  (Meanwhile, I should revisit it . . . .)
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: vandermolen on March 13, 2018, 08:29:34 AM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 12, 2018, 05:21:19 AM
We shall await your report.  (Meanwhile, I should revisit it . . . .)
I really enjoyed it  Karl maybe partly because I hadn't listened to a Bruckner symphony for a while. What I really enjoyed was the modern recording, although Lopez Cobos's performance had me gripped throughout. Maybe the opening movement sounded a bit fast compared to other recordings I know (Klemperer) but it worked very well I thought in the overall conception. I have a soft spot for the Cincinnati SO as well as their wartime recording of the 1920 version of Vaughan Williams's 'A London Symphony' first alerted me to the greatness of the sections deleted from the 1936 version - a revelation to me. Also I had the privilege of seeing the Cincinnati SO live in London last summer giving a fine concert of music by Bernstein, Copland and Tchaikovsky (Symphony 5).
Title: Re: Jesús López Cobos 1940-2018
Post by: starrynight on March 28, 2018, 11:52:25 AM
I discovered the Arriaga symphony through his recording when I heard it in the early 90s.  It's a great performance, and for all I know may have been the only recording of it for years.

edit: I just discovered there's a later performance with him on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBmN4jA8Fug

Actually just checking it apparently wasn't the first recording, a Washington Post review (1977) says there were another two, but apparently inferior to the Cobos version. 

"The Symphony in D major surely owes its impetus to the model provided by Cherubini, but it is by no means a mere copy. Indeed, it is Arriaga who impresses more with his originality in shaping the respective movements, as well as with his. stronger themes and more imaginative orchestral coloring. The richness of his inventiveness and craftsmanship can be enjoyed more fully than ever in the new recording by the English Chamber Orchestra under another obviously gifted Spanish musician, Jesus Lopez Cobos, with the aforementioned Overture on the same disc (HNH 4001).

The second of Jesus Arambarri's two recordings of these two works has been circulating for a dozen years or so on MHS 578. His lackluster presentation of the Symphony, with a particularly lifeless finale, didn't keep the work from giving some pleasure as a novelty of passing interest; but Lopez Cobos's stunning realization shows it to be a good deal more than that. It is in fact no less a gem than the early symphonies of Schubert, and should be taken into the general repertory by now."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/books/1977/07/17/juan-arriaga-the-spanish-mozart/f3f36c0e-5e08-4f57-9474-2ce2c9be718e/?utm_term=.10d4bed0a43e