Gurn's Classical Corner

Started by Gurn Blanston, February 22, 2009, 07:05:20 AM

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karlhenning

Quote from: SonicMan on October 21, 2009, 06:20:44 AM
Mysliveček was also known as Il Boemo (The Bohemian) - apparently the Italians had a difficult time pronouncing his name!

It might have been easier if they re-spelled it Mislivecieccho  8)

Quote from: SonicManHe died destitute in Rome in 1781.

Pity about the destitution, but Rome is a great place to tarry!

Franco

QuoteMysliveček contributed to the formation of late 18th century classical music, especially in his symphonic and wind writing.  In the 1770s, during Mozart's visits, some of the stylistic aspects of the older composer's writing certainly influenced the younger Wolfgang.  Il Boemo was a prolific composer - his works include 26 operas, oratorios, cantatas, and other vocal works. He composed nearly 50 symphonies, which are often in a short Italian overture form (such as the works on the disc shown).  He also wrote dozens of concertos and chamber works for one or more instruments, including string quartets/quintets and wind quintets & octets.

An entirely new composer for me, but sounds like one I would enjoy checking out.  Thanks for bringing this music to our attention.

Gurn Blanston

#862
Quote from: Franco on October 21, 2009, 07:40:00 AM
An entirely new composer for me, but sounds like one I would enjoy checking out.  Thanks for bringing this music to our attention.

A nice beginning is this disk:



which was first recommended to me by Don Bulldog. All the works on here are very nice, good intros to Spohr, Viotti and Myslivecek for those who don't know them well, and a nice, rarely recorded piece by Schubert too. Walffisch is her typical excellent fiddler self. :)

Amazon has it here


8)
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Franco

Thanks for that suggestion, Gurn, looks interesting.

SonicMan46

Quote from: Franco on October 21, 2009, 07:40:00 AM
An entirely new composer for me, but sounds like one I would enjoy checking out.  Thanks for bringing this music to our attention.

Hi Franco - the other disc that I own is shown below, left - Concerto Köln performing Symphonies & Overtures; since Myslivecek wrote 45 or so of these works and the numbering system is somewhat confusing, I'm not sure at the moment 'how much' if any overlap is present w/ the Chandos CD that I showed earlier?

BTW - the Violin Concerto recording was just superb, so I put in an order for Vol. 2 by the same performers!  :D


 

SonicMan46

Below is a post that I left in the 'Listening Thread' which will likely be buried soon w/ little response, so I'm quoted it below - for those who love the 'classical period' and Mozart, these new recordings by Mackerras are just wonderful - all that I can add from the description below is that one has to hear them on a good stereo system w/ the volume up!  :D

QuoteMozart, WA - Symphonies, Nos. 38-41 - 2 CD set w/ Mackerras & the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (below, left); now I already own the complete Telarc set (below, right) w/ Mackerras, but this new release (2007 recording date) received such superlative reviews (and at a great price for 2 discs) that I had to hear the performances - MusicWeb Review HERE:)

Susan is off to choir rehersal tonight and left me a dinner to re-heat - I have this recording 'con blasto' and cannot eat @ the moment!  ;D

Boy, I've not done a comparison yet w/ his earlier recordings of these final Mozart Symphonies, but this recording on Linn Records is just demonstration quality!  The sound & balance are perfect, the individual instruments (esp. the winds) just 'pop out' of the speakers, and the interpretation by Mackerras bespeaks (note - I never use this word!) of exuding experience w/ this music.  If you are a Mozart fan & love his last symphonic works, this is a MUST listening, if not a purchase.   8)

P.S. - now off to heat up my dinner!  :)

 

DavidW

Hey Dave, if you don't want a listening post to not be buried, post it in The Classical Chat Thread instead. :)

Gurn Blanston

Quote from: SonicMan on October 21, 2009, 06:43:50 PM
Below is a post that I left in the 'Listening Thread' which will likely be buried soon w/ little response, so I'm quoted it below - for those who love the 'classical period' and Mozart, these new recordings by Mackerras are just wonderful - all that I can add from the description below is that one has to hear them on a good stereo system w/ the volume up!  :D


Thanks for pointing this disk out, Dave. I also have and greatly enjoy the Telarc set, so I wasn't paying proper attention when this one came along. Need to check it out. :)

8)
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DavidW

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on October 22, 2009, 04:27:32 AM
Thanks for pointing this disk out, Dave. I also have and greatly enjoy the Telarc set, so I wasn't paying proper attention when this one came along. Need to check it out. :)

8)

But you also have Hogwood!  Wait you broke your collecting rule for Mozart didn't you? ;D

Gurn Blanston

Quote from: DavidW on October 22, 2009, 04:32:24 AM
But you also have Hogwood!  Wait you broke your collecting rule for Mozart didn't you? ;D

Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. But hey, that's just 3 out of dozens, nay, hundreds of composers. So a minor rule break is OK. :)

8)
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SonicMan46

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on October 22, 2009, 05:08:29 AM
Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. But hey, that's just 3 out of dozens, nay, hundreds of composers. So a minor rule break is OK. :)

David - don't believe that I've posted yet in that 'chat thread' - will need to join!  :D

But, I'm like Gurn - with the above composers + Bach, I do own up to 3 versions of many of their works (maybe 4 sets of LvB's Symphonies?); otherwise usually just one or rarely 2 duplications w/ others.  Dave

DavidW

Quote from: SonicMan on October 22, 2009, 06:26:07 AM
David - don't believe that I've posted yet in that 'chat thread' - will need to join!  :D

But, I'm like Gurn - with the above composers + Bach, I do own up to 3 versions of many of their works (maybe 4 sets of LvB's Symphonies?); otherwise usually just one or rarely 2 duplications w/ others.  Dave

Interesting. :)  I indulge in multiplerecorditis alot more often even for minor composers like Schnittke and Bax, well at least in the past.  I'll probably head that way again, I'm just so much into rehearing music and hearing new things that I haven't obsessed over it.

Franco

Frankly, with the older literature, especially the Classical period, I don't see the wisdom in not having at least a dozen different conductors or ensembles in the major works.  Probably two dozen is more realisitic.  The music is so familiar, all that is left are interpretative differences.  And it goes without saying that there is hardly any point in investing in other than the "Big Name" composers, i.e. Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven - after all the minor lights pale in comparison, so instead of buying one of their mediocre symphonies, it makes much more sense to buy another conductor's take on one of the genius' Opi.

(Is there an emoticon for sarcasm?)

Gurn Blanston

Quote from: Franco on October 22, 2009, 06:41:58 AM
Frankly, with the older literature, especially the Classical period, I don't see the wisdom in not having at least a dozen different conductors or ensembles in the major works.  Probably two dozen is more realisitic.  The music is so familiar, all that is left are interpretative differences.  And it goes without saying that there is hardly any point in investing in other than the "Big Name" composers, i.e. Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven - after all the minor lights pale in comparison, so instead of buying one of their mediocre symphonies, it makes much more sense to buy another conductor's take on one of the genius' Opi.

(Is there an emoticon for sarcasm?)

I use this one:  :P

It can be a lifesaver when making a post like that. ;D

But as I noted elsewhere, I don't have the curiosity (I guess you could call it) to find out who in the world did the (totally subjective) "best" recording of something, when I can otherwise be delighted with what I have and try something totally new to me instead. To each his own, of course... :)

8)
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Gabriel

I finally bought Jacobs' recording of Haydn's Die Schöpfung. It is an excellent recording, but it is not one step ahead the other available ones, as it happened with his Seasons and the Mozart operas recorded so far. In my opinion, it is not the fault of Jacobs, but simply the fact that this work has been recorded more times and has been well served by discography. However, if Jacobs is not "over" the other versions, this recording is clearly at the top, together with Hengelbrock and some others.

In fact, Jacobs doesn't sound too "radical", as he often sounds when he performs classical works (Hengelbrock sounds sometimes to me more radical than Jacobs). But there are clear signs of Jacobs' "touch": for instance, the inventive lines of the pianoforte in the recitatives. I guess they can bother some listeners, most of all in an oratorio; my reaction was most of all of surprise.

I also purchased another recording by Jacobs: Gluck's Le Cinesi. A very nice short stage work, with some excellent early-classical music.

karlhenning

A great friend on the West Coast sent a recently redundanted disc of Ries's Symphonies nos. 4 & 6.  I might have known that this disc was what essentially encouraged him to go ahead and buy the whole set.  Still, I let it sit on my desk for a week or more before I could get around to listening to any of it.  Listened to much of the Sixth Symphony last night;  very nice, well written, just plain good music.  To state the obvious, the music is generally in the style of Beethoven, but not quite of Beethoven's character.  If the music is shy of great, I don't think this is strictly a matter of 'deviation from Beethoven's character' (since a composer must be allowed character of his own).

I'll be listening to this again, and in its entirety, which is actually better than I quite expected when popping the disc in (I half-expected a later-generation Vanhal8)

Gabriel

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on October 27, 2009, 04:11:36 AM
A great friend on the West Coast sent a recently redundanted disc of Ries's Symphonies nos. 4 & 6.  I might have known that this disc was what essentially encouraged him to go ahead and buy the whole set.  Still, I let it sit on my desk for a week or more before I could get around to listening to any of it.  Listened to much of the Sixth Symphony last night;  very nice, well written, just plain good music.  To state the obvious, the music is generally in the style of Beethoven, but not quite of Beethoven's character.  If the music is shy of great, I don't think this is strictly a matter of 'deviation from Beethoven's character' (since a composer must be allowed character of his own).

I'll be listening to this again, and in its entirety, which is actually better than I quite expected when popping the disc in (I half-expected a later-generation Vanhal8)

Thanks, Karl, for this review. I've been thinking of purchasing the Ries symphonies for a while, but I've given priority to the exploration of other composers' works.

And about Vanhal, I guess I haven't found yet any direct musical heir! ;)

Franco

I am awaiting delivery of a disc of Piano Quartets by Ries, so, I am now even more eagerly looking forward to its arrival.

Thanks, Karl.

Sorin Eushayson

#878
Quote from: Gurn Blanston on October 21, 2009, 08:07:46 AM
A nice beginning is this disk:

which was first recommended to me by Don Bulldog. All the works on here are very nice, good intros to Spohr, Viotti and Myslivecek for those who don't know them well, and a nice, rarely recorded piece by Schubert too. Walffisch is her typical excellent fiddler self. :)

That's really a fantastic disc, I have it myself.  The highlight for me was the Viotti: an excellent A Minor violin concerto!

About the Scottish Chamber Orchestra: I'm under the impression they're using rotary valved brass, but steel strings.  I can certainly hear clear period brass in their rendition of Beethoven's Fidelio.  Can I assume their much-lauded Mozart symphonies feature the same?

Gurn Blanston

Quote from: Sorin Eushayson on October 27, 2009, 02:10:29 PM
That's really a fantastic disc, I have it myself.  The highlight for me was the Viotti: an excellent A Minor violin concerto!

About the Scottish Chamber Orchestra: I'm under the impression they're using rotary valved brass, but steel strings.  I can certainly hear clear period brass in their rendition of Beethoven's Fidelio.  Can I assume their much-lauded Mozart symphonies feature the same?

Sorin,
Yes, that's a very nice Viotti piece on there. People can say whatever they want about Bulldog, but I owe him for that rec... ;D

I have always been under the impression that the Scottish CO were purely modern. Never heard their "Fidelio" though... I have the Prague/Mackerras, still my favorite modern instrument Mozart. Wouldn't mind to hear the Scots though... :)

8)

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