Gurn's Classical Corner

[Gurn Blanston]

Rolla, Alessandro - today received the CD packages shown below discussed earlier - listening to the Flute Quartets at the moment; composition dates unclear from the liner notes, but just melodious composing w/ well integrated strings - the flute is quite up front (Tactus seems to be quite good in their sound engineering) - if you like the flute combined w/ strings, then this disc will not disappoint! 

The other offering is a 4-disc set (comes in a compact 2-CD jewel box w/ good liner notes) - the first disc comprises Violin-Viola Duets which are wonderfully complex; Rolla was considered a virtuoso w/ these instruments and one of the best of his time - he also was innovative in introducing string techniques which were expanded upon by the likes of Paganini (one of his students).  The second disc is of 3 String Quartets - again excellent compositions, performances, and recorded sound - these are definitely transitional between the classical-romantic eras, i.e. late Wofie-early Ludwig? But the disc is just an enjoyable listen - keep in mind that for just over 30 yrs, this guy was the head of the La Scala orchestra in Milan - his job was to please the audience - I think this carries over into his compositions - all that I've heard to date (not that much considering his extensive output) fulfill that promise - Rolla is another of the 'lost ones' worth exploring -

Hey Dave,
Those look interesting, particularly the box set. I double checked, of course, and indeed, you DID get the last one...

I got this one today:



and am listening now to the Basset Horn Concerto. Quite unusual to find one, not by Mozart or Stadler! It's really quite good, it has a distinctly Viennese feel to it, although Rolla was purely Italian.

I saw that you also got your Reicha disk today. Mine should be here tomorrow or Friday. We need to compare notes.




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Now playing:
Milan Chamber Orchestra \ Caldi  Carbotta (Flute) - Zanchietta (Basset Horn) - Rolla Concerto in F for Basset Horn 2nd mvmt - Largo sostenuto

[Gurn Blanston]

Oh, Dave, here's another disk I got today:



I can't remember if we have ever discussed Edelman or not. I have some keyboard sonatas of him, but that's about it. Anyway, these piano quartets are driven by Spányi on the tangentenflügel, and you can barely make out that down in the bottom left corner, that little tag says "Tangent Piano Collection", which leads me to believe that maybe there is a series of disks from that era which need to be looked into. My experience with Hungaroton hasn't been too extensive, but I'll see what I can find. I was thinking that you might be interested in this too...




----------------
Now playing:
Consortium Classicum - Hoffmeister Parthia in d for Wind Sextet 2nd mvmt - Menuetto I

[Que]

[...] that little tag says "Tangent Piano Collection", which leads me to believe that maybe there is a series of disks from that era which need to be looked into. My experience with Hungaroton hasn't been too extensive, but I'll see what I can find. I was thinking that you might be interested in this too...

Here you go, Gurn, eight discs in total:

http://miklosspanyi.de/miklos_spanyi_discography.html#tangent_piano_collection

Q

[Gurn Blanston]

Here you go, Gurn, eight discs in total:

http://miklosspanyi.de/miklos_spanyi_discography.html#tangent_piano_collection

Q

Q,
Hey, thanks for doing the hard work! I want 'em... Hopefully I'm not going to discover that the hard work (finding them for sale) is yet to be done.

[SonicMan46]

Oh, Dave, here's another disk I got today:

 

I can't remember if we have ever discussed Edelman or not. I have some keyboard sonatas of him, but that's about it. Anyway, these piano quartets are driven by Spányi on the tangentenflügel, and you can barely make out that down in the bottom left corner, that little tag says "Tangent Piano Collection", which leads me to believe that maybe there is a series of disks from that era which need to be looked into. My experience with Hungaroton hasn't been too extensive, but I'll see what I can find. I was thinking that you might be interested in this too...

Hey Dave,
Those look interesting, particularly the box set. I double checked, of course, and indeed, you DID get the last one...

I got this one today: RE: Rolla - pic put above!

and am listening now to the Basset Horn Concerto. Quite unusual to find one, not by Mozart or Stadler! It's really quite good, it has a distinctly Viennese feel to it, although Rolla was purely Italian.

I saw that you also got your Reicha disk today. Mine should be here tomorrow or Friday. We need to compare notes.

Hey Gurn - that Rolla disc would nicely complement my 'small' collection but was listed @ $100 on the Amazon MP - yipes; you must have found a bargain site?  Let us know your thoughts - I've listened to only half of that box but expect that the last 2 discs will be just as fine - believe that you would like the SQs - 

I have that Edelmann disc (can't remember if it showed up on BRO - not there now) and enjoy - will have to give it another spin - have just a small number of CDs w/ Spanyi on the tangent piano - like the instrument!

Love the cello works w/ Bylsma on the Reicha disc - my 'used' copy came in pristine shape and played fine (x3 now!) - Dave 

[Que]

Q,
Hey, thanks for doing the hard work! I want 'em... Hopefully I'm not going to discover that the hard work (finding them for sale) is yet to be done.

Gurn, I won't deny that actually finding them might be the real challenge here. Hungaroton is rather exotic but maybe a tiny bit more easily available then Arcana or Naïve!

Q

[Leon]

This is a bit OT - but since most of my collection falls within the Classical Corner, I'm posting it anyway.

I am about to embark on a major re-tagging effort for my music library, the gist of which will be changing the year field from "year of recording" to "year of composition". 

Yes, this will entail a tedious process of highlighting the tracks that make up a piece and then changing the date - but when I'm done, and I expect this to take no more than a month - I will be able to call up nothing but works composed in , say, 1791, and that prospect has me salivating with anticipation of how enjoyable that will be for me. (A side benefit will be that I will learn the compositon dates for the much of the Classical period music, which is not a bad thing.)

And yes, I do have a life, and in fact, with some serious demands on my time - but this process is relaxing (in a librarian - which I am - kind of way) and gets my mind off other more pressing issues.

[Gurn Blanston]

This is a bit OT - but since most of my collection falls within the Classical Corner, I'm posting it anyway.

I am about to embark on a major re-tagging effort for my music library, the gist of which will be changing the year field from "year of recording" to "year of composition". 

Yes, this will entail a tedious process of highlighting the tracks that make up a piece and then changing the date - but when I'm done, and I expect this to take no more than a month - I will be able to call up nothing but works composed in , say, 1791, and that prospect has me salivating with anticipation of how enjoyable that will be for me. (A side benefit will be that I will learn the compositon dates for the much of the Classical period music, which is not a bad thing.)

And yes, I do have a life, and in fact, with some serious demands on my time - but this process is relaxing (in a librarian - which I am - kind of way) and gets my mind off other more pressing issues.

That's interesting, Leon. If you enjoy researching (and have the books to look in!) this will be a great project for you.

About 6 years ago I decided to try to collect the complete works of Mozart. BTW, I rip everything so ordering the files and tags is vital. With Mozart it turned out to be easy, I used the latest Köchel numbers which are allegedly chronological, and it all turned out well. I can click anywhere on the list and get a great variety of different genres played in succession. In short, it was just right for me.

So I did Beethoven. I used the Biamonti catalog which is also chronological and there again, the listening experience was just what I was hoping for.

So then, Haydn. A whole different kettle of fish, since there is nothing chronological about the Hoboken catalog. So this is what I did. Maybe it can be of some help to you.

I made a series of folders starting with the earliest composition (1749, a mass) through the last of them (1804 IIRC). Then as I was able to identify the year of composition, I moved the files into the right folder. In addition, when I was tagging, in the "ALBUM" field, I put just the year there.

In any given year, the first things to play will be symphonies, then overtures, divertimentos, string quartets etc. I most generally play a year at a time and it is a very enjoyable listening experience for me, which is all I ask out of life.

I am considering expanding that idea to other composers. So I will be keenly interested on how you progress. Keep in touch, please.

[MN Dave]

I use the higgledy piggledy system.

[Gurn Blanston]

I use the higgledy piggledy system.

But you aren't anal...  0:)

[MN Dave]

But you aren't anal...  0:)

Am too! Just not about everything.  0:)

[SonicMan46]

Well, I tacked on a Helios disc to a BRO order to save shipping - a new composer to me (but not in his time!):

Arne, Thomas (1710-1778) - English composer pretty much a contemporary w/ the Papa Bach sons; he was mainly a composer of stage works w/ a limited instrumental output, but which was in that wonderful 'transitional period' of the mid-18th century - a Wiki Bio HERE, and a listing of his many compositions HERE - 

His fame seems to rest mainly on his MANY non-instrumental works, but he did write Rule, Britannia!, a version of God Save the King, and A-Hunting We Will Go (and likely other familiar songs?) - the disc that I purchased was his Keyboard Concertos w/ Paul Nicholson & the Parley of Instruments - there are 6 works on the recording, each in 3-4 movements and recorded w/ 3 period keyboards, i.e. organ, harpsichord, and fortepiano - this is a fascinating offering; the harpsichord could have been miked a little closer for me but the balance is done quite well (recording engineer was Tony Faulkner).

In looking at Arne's compositions and reviewing other recordings on Amazon, there are additional instrumental offerings (not sure that I have much interest in his vocal stage works), such as overtures, symphonies, and trio sonatas - any comments or suggestions?  Thanks all - Dave 



 

[Leon]

Well, I tacked on a Helios disc to a BRO order to save shipping - a new composer to me (but not in his time!):

Arne, Thomas (1710-1778) - English composer pretty much a contemporary w/ the Papa Bach sons; he was mainly a composer of stage works w/ a limited instrumental output, but which was in that wonderful 'transitional period' of the mid-18th century - a Wiki Bio HERE, and a listing of his many compositions HERE - 

His fame seems to rest mainly on his MANY non-instrumental works, but he did write Rule, Britannia!, a version of God Save the King, and A-Hunting We Will Go (and likely other familiar songs?) - the disc that I purchased was his Keyboard Concertos w/ Paul Nicholson & the Parley of Instruments - there are 6 works on the recording, each in 3-4 movements and recorded w/ 3 period keyboards, i.e. organ, harpsichord, and fortepiano - this is a fascinating offering; the harpsichord could have been miked a little closer for me but the balance is done quite well (recording engineer was Tony Faulkner).

In looking at Arne's compositions and reviewing other recordings on Amazon, there are additional instrumental offerings (not sure that I have much interest in his vocal stage works), such as overtures, symphonies, and trio sonatas - any comments or suggestions?  Thanks all - Dave 



 

I have this disc (my only Arne recording, so I can't make any other suggestions). I would expect you to consider it a worthwhile purchase.  "Stately" would be a word I might use to describe his music.

[Gurn Blanston]

Somewhere recently in discussion about fortepianists, I mentioned (to Antoine?) how highly I thought of Malcolm Bilson at the keyboard. Actually, Bilson's recorded legacy (hopefully not yet complete) contains a lot more than one can find with just casual looking around. I just acquired this example which I didn't even know existed until it was offered to me. Now, Vermeulen and Badura-Skoda are going to have a bit of competition! 



Suffice to say I am looking forward to spending a bit of my Christmas holiday with these fellows.

[DavidRoss]

(in a librarian - which I am - kind of way)

Who digs period instrument performances of Beethoven and Haydn as well as Brazilian music.  Cool beans!  Where do you practice your trade?

[SonicMan46]

Somewhere recently in discussion about fortepianists, I mentioned (to Antoine?) how highly I thought of Malcolm Bilson at the keyboard. Actually, Bilson's recorded legacy (hopefully not yet complete) contains a lot more than one can find with just casual looking around. I just acquired this example which I didn't even know existed until it was offered to me. Now, Vermeulen and Badura-Skoda are going to have a bit of competition! 

Gurn - MY GOD - did you order all of those Hungaroton discs individually or is there a BOX? 

Plus, thought that you already had Paul Badura-Skoda in these works (as I do) - now if you have BOTH sets, I'll be looking forward to your comparisons!  Dave 

[Gurn Blanston]

Gurn - MY GOD - did you order all of those Hungaroton discs individually or is there a BOX? 

Plus, thought that you already had Paul Badura-Skoda in these works (as I do) - now if you have BOTH sets, I'll be looking forward to your comparisons!  Dave 

Bought them from a private individual, Dave. Reasonable price was offered for 7 individual disks. Couldn't refuse, didn't want a horse's head in my bed...

Yes, I have Badura-Skoda, and Jan Vermuelen too. Picking and choosing amongst the bunch will be very difficult, but hey, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do....

[Antoine Marchand]

...or is there a BOX? 

Yes, Sonic, it exists a boxset. It usually costs near to $100 or something like that...

[SonicMan46]

Bought them from a private individual, Dave. Reasonable price was offered for 7 individual disks. Couldn't refuse, didn't want a horse's head in my bed...

Yes, I have Badura-Skoda, and Jan Vermuelen too. Picking and choosing amongst the bunch will be very difficult, but hey, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do....

Gurn & Antoine - thanks for the comments - figured that Gurn would find a good deal on the individual disks - 

I did search Amazon USA and found the box mentioned, i.e. 7 discs from 3 Market Place merchants w/ the least expensive about $80 - looking forward to Gurn's comaparison comments w/ the other fortepiano sets, of course, would enjoy comments from other who have heard two or all three of these PIs recordings - thanks all! 

[Antoine Marchand]

... looking forward to Gurn's comaparison comments w/ the other fortepiano sets, of course, would enjoy comments from other who have heard two or all three of these PIs recordings - thanks all! 

IMO, all three are mandatory, but I soppose that's not very useful  , although I have purchased just two discs by Vermeulen because they are extremely expensive. BTW, Leonhardt (*) also recorded an interesting cycle dedicated to Schubert's solo piano music (unfortunately, I have just one of them).

(*) Trudelies, sister of Gustav.