Gurn's Classical Corner

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

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Henk

#1660
Quote from: SonicMan on March 25, 2011, 11:46:17 AM

Like you I own a number of their other recordings, e.g. the two pictured below are just excellent - for me at least, a THUMBS UP on this group!

I suggest the group L'Orfeo Barockorchter, here a page with recordings and samples :

http://www.lorfeo.com/en/cd-einspielungen-2/

SonicMan46

Quote from: Henk on March 26, 2011, 06:23:28 AM
I suggest the group L'Orfeo Barockorchter, here a page with recordings and samples :

Actually, I own about a half dozen of their discs, mainly on the CPO label (a favorite of mine), so can vouch for their skills & recordings - excellent group recommendation!   :D

Leo K.

I have been enthralled to get to know the sonatas of Jan Dussek. Here is a disk I'm currently really enjoying.



I also love the sound of the fortepiano in this recording.

These sonatas are rather revelatory to me, in all the color, melodic material and rhythmic variety I'm hearing here. I like the journey Dussek sets me off on as his music progresses, through interesting contrasts and melodic progression. I'm just getting started on hearing sonatas outside the usual Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert repertoire.

Gurn Blanston

Quote from: Leo K on March 27, 2011, 12:57:51 PM
I have been enthralled to get to know the sonatas of Jan Dussek. Here is a disk I'm currently really enjoying.



I also love the sound of the fortepiano in this recording.

These sonatas are rather revelatory to me, in all the color, melodic material and rhythmic variety I'm hearing here. I like the journey Dussek sets me off on as his music progresses, through interesting contrasts and melodic progression. I'm just getting started on hearing sonatas outside the usual Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert repertoire.

Leo, that's great! This is one of my favorite disks and got me going down that Dussek Road too. I think we will discover here that eventually he was pointing the way towards Romanticism, but the essentials of music structure are beyond me for now. In any case, I think he is a very entertaining sort of guy. IIRC, that disk has the Op 35 sonatas on it, of which Op 35 #3 in c minor is among my favorite works by him

8)
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mc ukrneal

Quote from: SonicMan on March 25, 2011, 11:46:17 AM
I'm listening to the Johann Wilms disc as I type - music well composed (not Beethoven) and performed w/ brilliance & gusto - love the winds; others think so too - attached are two reviews from Fanfare back in 2005, both lauding these performances.
My library has this and I have to say it was one of the few I did not like from the Concerto Koln (though I have only heard a few). For me, it was the sound. The precision was lacking in the brass and some of the strings. The result is a sound world limited within a certain frequency (if that makes sense).  When the highlighted instrumental parts came around, I enjoyed the results more as the sound opened up (or wasn't reinforcing itself with each instrument on the other). The exception was the horn solo, which I thought was just awful. I felt like the player had a veil or something that was preventing the sound from opening up. Anyway, it distracted me (in a bad way) every time. A good example of this is the first track of the disc. Of course, it could just be the music didn't connect (I did take it out several times), but I felt like it should have. I did like the slower/quieter movements more.

I hate to be negative, and I am not trying to slam the Koncerto Koln (who I like in my Vanhal disc for example), but felt this deserved a mention.
Be kind to your fellow posters!!

Gurn Blanston

Quote from: mc ukrneal on March 28, 2011, 05:18:22 AM
My library has this and I have to say it was one of the few I did not like from the Concerto Koln (though I have only heard a few). For me, it was the sound. The precision was lacking in the brass and some of the strings. The result is a sound world limited within a certain frequency (if that makes sense).  When the highlighted instrumental parts came around, I enjoyed the results more as the sound opened up (or wasn't reinforcing itself with each instrument on the other). The exception was the horn solo, which I thought was just awful. I felt like the player had a veil or something that was preventing the sound from opening up. Anyway, it distracted me (in a bad way) every time. A good example of this is the first track of the disc. Of course, it could just be the music didn't connect (I did take it out several times), but I felt like it should have. I did like the slower/quieter movements more.

I hate to be negative, and I am not trying to slam the Koncerto Koln (who I like in my Vanhal disc for example), but felt this deserved a mention.

Certainly it does deserve mention. It makes a lot more sense to me than 'modern Germans are so lazy', so to speak. Thanks for the input. :)

8)
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Leo K.

#1666
Quote from: Gurnatron5500 on March 28, 2011, 04:11:42 AM
Leo, that's great! This is one of my favorite disks and got me going down that Dussek Road too. I think we will discover here that eventually he was pointing the way towards Romanticism, but the essentials of music structure are beyond me for now. In any case, I think he is a very entertaining sort of guy. IIRC, that disk has the Op 35 sonatas on it, of which Op 35 #3 in c minor is among my favorite works by him

8)

That c minor sonata is a great journey indeed.

I'm also enjoying this disk, that I found uploaded to a blog:



It's not a fortepiano, but I'm happy to discover these sonatas.  8)



I'm also interested in trying out this series of Dussek piano sonatas played by Frederick Marvin. Again, on a modern piano, but I'm curious to hearing these played more romantically too:




Leo K.

By the way, is anyone here a big fan of Norbert Burgmuller (1810-1836)? I may have time to hear his OP.8 Piano Sonata in F Minor, tonight, for the first time, from this recording:



SonicMan46

Quote from: Leo K on March 28, 2011, 04:57:26 PM
By the way, is anyone here a big fan of Norbert Burgmuller (1810-1836)? I may have time to hear his OP.8 Piano Sonata in F Minor, tonight, for the first time, from this recording:

   

Hi Leo - yes, many of us know about Burgmuller, but I have just 2 discs (inserted above) - there must be much more to enjoy - I've not thought about him for a while and must put on the discs I own at the moment -  :D

Antoine Marchand

Quote from: Leo K on March 28, 2011, 04:57:26 PM
By the way, is anyone here a big fan of Norbert Burgmuller (1810-1836)? I may have time to hear his OP.8 Piano Sonata in F Minor, tonight, for the first time, from this recording:



Unfortunately I haven't listened to anything composed by Burgmüller, but this disc will be probably attractive for people interested in his music:


Florestan

Quote from: Leo K on March 28, 2011, 04:57:26 PM
By the way, is anyone here a big fan of Norbert Burgmuller (1810-1836)?

I've heard only his symphonies and some piano pieces --- seems to me he was an extremely gifted composer who might have made it big had he not died that young. Those discs with SQ's and complete piano music look particulary attractive to me, I'll have to get them sooner or later.
"Ja, sehr komisch, hahaha,
ist die Sache, hahaha,
drum verzeihn Sie, hahaha,
wenn ich lache, hahaha! "

mc ukrneal

Quote from: Leo K on March 28, 2011, 04:57:26 PM
By the way, is anyone here a big fan of Norbert Burgmuller (1810-1836)? I may have time to hear his OP.8 Piano Sonata in F Minor, tonight, for the first time, from this recording:


A wonderful disc this. His first symphony has really become a favorite of mine. But everything I've heard of his so far has been melodious and well crafted. He is well worth exploring.
Be kind to your fellow posters!!

Gurn Blanston

Quote from: Leo K on March 28, 2011, 04:57:26 PM
By the way, is anyone here a big fan of Norbert Burgmuller (1810-1836)? I may have time to hear his OP.8 Piano Sonata in F Minor, tonight, for the first time, from this recording:



I think we all are. Despite the other rec's, my choice is these:

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His string quartets are rather Late Schubertian in style, and they don't suffer from getting overly heavy the way some Early Romantics tend to do (which IMO his symphonies suffer from). I have very much enjoyed these 2 disks. :)

8)
Visit my Haydn blog: HaydnSeek

Haydn: that genius of vulgar music who induces an inordinate thirst for beer - Mily Balakirev (1860)

Leo K.

Thank you all for the recommends and thoughts on Burgmuller. I didn't get a chance to listen to the F Minor Sonata yet, but tonight I'm hoping to get to it, and I'm excited to hear it.

I'm definitely going to try the string quartets too, and the symphonies  8)

Leo K.

#1674
I finally heard Burgmuller's sonata, and his 2nd Symphony too, and I'm totally captivated, especially the 2nd Symphony, a composition with subtlety and epic phrases.



Gurn Blanston

Quote from: Leo K on April 01, 2011, 04:15:14 PM
I finally heard Burgmuller's sonata, and his 2nd Symphony too, and I'm totally captivated, especially the 2nd Symphony, a composition with subtlety and epic phrases.



I will likely try to find a disk of his pianoforte works. I haven't even dipped a toe in the waters yet, but I nearly always go for the solo piano works early on when exploring a new composer. Perhaps being so exposed brings out the best in a writer. :)  Glad to hear you like it. I'll likely save the orchestral works for last (might as well be true to myself). :)

8)

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Leo K.

Quote from: Gurnatron5500 on April 01, 2011, 04:35:12 PM
I will likely try to find a disk of his pianoforte works. I haven't even dipped a toe in the waters yet, but I nearly always go for the solo piano works early on when exploring a new composer. Perhaps being so exposed brings out the best in a writer. :)  Glad to hear you like it. I'll likely save the orchestral works for last (might as well be true to myself). :)

I like that idea of starting with a composer's piano solo works first. I like it for the reason you stated.

Burgmuller's piano sonata is on a grand scale, with very lovely textures in the writing for the solo piano, with fluid phrases and a structure that is flexible and well thought out. The melodies are subtle, quietly moving and profound, like those in the 2nd Symphony, and I look forward to hearing the piano concerto soon, to listen for his quality and style again.


Leo K.

I'm listening to this now, for Symphony No.41. It's been a long while since I heard this, and upon revisting I'm enjoying it immensely.


Leo K.

So, what do you all think of Leopold Kozeluch?

I just came across his name a few days ago, and I'm intrigued (and I already know I'm going to have to hear his stuff  :P)


Gurn Blanston

Quote from: Leo K on April 02, 2011, 10:15:55 AM
So, what do you all think of Leopold Kozeluch?

I just came across his name a few days ago, and I'm intrigued (and I already know I'm going to have to hear his stuff  :P)

Well, at the very least, Dave, Gabriel and myself like Kozeluch. Brief discussions have jumped up from time to time, but not a steady stream of them. The most likely rec's you will get are his symphonies on the "Contemporaries of Mozart" series on Chandos. And rightly so, since they are not only well done here, but also available (a lot to be said for that).

That would be these:

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or more to the point, if you don't have any or many of that series, then these are a far better bargain:

[asin]B003TLRKAK[/asin]

since it is 5 of the better disks in the series for the price of 2!

Now, mind you, Kozeluch was known in his own time as a virtuoso pianist. And true to form, you will be hard pressed to reach in and grab a fortepiano disk of his music. When it was first released, I bought this one for less than $10 brand new. Now it's a million, of course. Anyway, it's a good disk if you can find it reasonably. :-\  There aren't a whole lot of others, but worth looking for. I will be trying one of his piano concerto disks if I can snap one up fair. And there are also works by him scattered all over the place with other composers. I have somehow acquired a considerable number of them, and not found a clinker yet. So my advice is to see what you can actually lay your hands on. You have a very good chance of finding something you like.

8)

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