Gurn's Classical Corner

[chasmaniac]

I left the 14th century this morning long enough to take in Bengraf's 4s:



Tuneful, optimistic writing full of jaunt and, seems to me, an implicatin of dancing. Folk dancing no less. I wouldn't seek moral improvement here, just delight.

[Leo K.]

I left the 14th century this morning long enough to take in Bengraf's 4s:



Tuneful, optimistic writing full of jaunt and, seems to me, an implicatin of dancing. Folk dancing no less. I wouldn't seek moral improvement here, just delight.

This is a recording I am very interested in! Thanks for your thoughts. 

[chasmaniac]

This is a recording I am very interested in! Thanks for your thoughts. 

My pleasure!

[Gurn Blanston]

Thanks!  Not overwhelmed, the CD recomendations make things quite simple.  Its also nice that this is a set I can explore within.  Good to know there aren't any stinkers.

Yes, that's a great post by Neal. Good solid rec's, and things you can actually find when you go looking for them. If you are irrevocably committed to period instruments (just PI around here) then getting a good start is far more difficult. But to get to hear the music here and now, I believe one needs to be heedless in that regard. Concerto Köln is a great exception, but the years spent hunting are best filled with music, and that means some MI in the pie.



----------------
Now playing:
English Baroque Soloists / Gardiner Bilson - K 482 Concerto #22 in Eb for Piano 2nd mvmt - Andante

[Gurn Blanston]

I'm considering a couple of Boccherini string quintet, sextet cds performed by Ensemble 415 (in my bro cart at the moment), are these good or should I be looking for other recordings or works?

[asin]B00004TVGQ[/asin]

I know I have the first, it's tits. I may have the second too, I get easily confused in hot weather...   In any case, if a careful search of my shelves didn't reveal it there, I would snap it right up. I'm a big fan of Ensemble 415.




----------------
Now playing:
English Baroque Soloists / Gardiner Bilson - K 482 Concerto #22 in Eb for Piano 2nd mvmt - Andante

[Gurn Blanston]

I left the 14th century this morning long enough to take in Bengraf's 4s:



Tuneful, optimistic writing full of jaunt and, seems to me, an implicatin of dancing. Folk dancing no less. I wouldn't seek moral improvement here, just delight.

Well, that's interesting. I thought that the Festetics most obscure composer was this one:



Clearly I was wrong. Well, if Bengraf is nearly as good as Grill, then I'll need to commune with him. Thanks for the tip, chasm.



----------------
Now playing:
English Baroque Soloists / Gardiner Bilson - K 482 Concerto #22 in Eb for Piano 3rd mvmt - Allegro

[Leo K.]

Another fascinating disk of works for chorus and orchestra I am listening to this morning:



On this disk:

Confitebor
Glori in Excelsis, in Pastorale
Laudate Pueri
Magnificat
Te Deum



I searched high and low for more information about Giacinto Calerara (1729-1803). I finally found an Italian Website with information, and so I google-translated it below:

The music is galant-like, very cheerful in contrast to the subject matter to some of the sacred latin texts. I simply love it.

Once in a while there is a recording that deeply takes you away on first listen (for me, this occurs often), and surprises you with it's power and beauty. This is one of those recordings! I wish I owned it, but a friend of mine played it at his house yesterday, and I was floored. Apparently, it's a live recording. Sometimes the singing is off, but the orchestra is assurred, and Calderara's fine and elegant orchestration is heard in all it's glory. The singing is honest and pure, and makes up for any missed note. Wonderful! Bravo!

[Leo K.]

Here is another very fine recording of 18th Century symphonies, by Johann Sperger:





Wiki:

Johannes Matthias Sperger (March 23, 1750, Feldsberg  – May 13, 1812, Schwerin) was an Austrian contrabassist and composer.

Sperger trained from 1767 in Vienna as a contrabassist and composer. He worked from 1777 in the Hofkapelle of the Archbishop of Pressburg. From 1778 he was also a member in the Wiener Tonkünstlersozietät, in whose concerts he appeared several times with his own works and as soloist. From 1783 to 1786, Sperger was a member of the Hofkapelle of count Ludwig von Erdödy in Kohfidisch. From 1789 he was employed as first contrabassist of the Mecklenburg Schwerin Hofkapelle in Ludwigslust. He was an extremely productive composer who wrote more than forty-four symphonies, numerous instrumental concertos, among them eighteen contrabass concertos, sonatas, rondos and dances, cantatas, choral works, and airs.

[Gurn Blanston]

Thanks for that, Leo.  Sperger is one of those names that you read about, but rarely see music by. A few years ago I searched around for some, but there was nothing readily available at the time. I see Naxos have remedied that. Time for me to do the same.



----------------
Now playing:
Pregardien\Staier - D 957  Liederkreis for Tenor   'Schwanengesang' #02  'Kriegers Ahnung'

[Antoine Marchand]

Thanks for that, Leo.  Sperger is one of those names that you read about, but rarely see music by. A few years ago I searched around for some, but there was nothing readily available at the time. I see Naxos have remedied that. Time for me to do the same.

... and fortunately Musica Aeterna Bratislava is an excellent HIP ensemble.

I have their outstanding recordings of Muffat's concerti grossi.

[asin]B00005N8DP[/asin][asin]B00005UO8O[/asin]

[Gurn Blanston]

... and fortunately Musica Aeterna Bratislava is an excellent HIP ensemble.

I have their outstanding recordings of Muffat's concerti grossi.

Well, there you go, it just gets better and better! Hurrah for Naxos!   Thanks for that info, 'Tonio, it eased my mind.



----------------
Now playing:
Pregardien\Staier - D 957  Liederkreis for Tenor   'Schwanengesang' #06  'In der Ferne'

[Antoine Marchand]

... it eased my mind.

I thought it would be useful to know that they are playing period instruments (or copies of them) which is not always the case on Naxos. I recall I purchased these fantastic two discs several years ago with some discs by the Capella Istropolitana directed by Jaroslav Krček (Geminiani, Manfredini & Locatelli). Those discs by the Capella Istropolitana (modern instruments) are still some of the best discs of concerti grossi that I have listened to...   

[Gurn Blanston]

I thought it would be useful to know that they are playing period instruments (or copies of them) which is not always the case on Naxos. I recall I purchased these fantastic two discs several years ago with some discs by the Capella Istropolitana directed by Jaroslav Krček (Geminiani, Manfredini & Locatelli). Those discs by the Capella Istropolitana (modern instruments) are still some of the best discs of concerti grossi that I have listened to...   

Yeah, I know about them too. They have done a bunch of things for Naxos, including a lot of Vivaldi. Always very well played. Pity about the instruments though...      




----------------
Now playing:
Pregardien\Staier - D 957  Liederkreis for Tenor   'Schwanengesang' #12  'Am Meer'

[chasmaniac]

Well, if Bengraf is nearly as good as Grill, then I'll need to commune with him.

I think Grill's 4s lean towards the Viennese style, Bengraf's to the Parisian, if you know what I mean.

Hungaroton seems to take classical 4s seriously. They've put out quartet recordings of Grill, Bengraf, Albrechtsberger, Pleyel, Krommer, Zmeskall, Spech, Lickl and Wolfl, plus no doubt some that had already been deleted before I started hunting them, Tomasini being one example of that I think.

[chasmaniac]

Speaking of which, Hungaroton has put out a couple of discs with sonatas by Mozart arranged for string quartet, played by the Luigi Tomasini Quartet. This music strikes me as diffuse in the quartet format, unfocused. But I'm an aesthete, not a musician. Anyone else heard them?

Mozart: Transcriptions for String Quartet by I. Pleyel(1), Hungaroton 32343
-- Quartetto Luigi Tomasini
Mozart: Transcriptions for String Quartet by J. André(1), Hungaroton 32408
-- Quartetto Luigi Tomasini

[Gurn Blanston]

Speaking of which, Hungaroton has put out a couple of discs with sonatas by Mozart arranged for string quartet, played by the Luigi Tomasini Quartet. This music strikes me as diffuse in the quartet format, unfocused. But I'm an aesthete, not a musician. Anyone else heard them?

Mozart: Transcriptions for String Quartet by I. Pleyel(1), Hungaroton 32343
-- Quartetto Luigi Tomasini
Mozart: Transcriptions for String Quartet by J. André(1), Hungaroton 32408
-- Quartetto Luigi Tomasini

No, haven't heard them. I would like to give them a try though. I do have 3 or 4 of the violin & keyboard sonatas arranged for clarinet quartet. They don't seem to lose their focus, but I wonder if the presence of the clarinet on its own isn't enough to give some focus. Anyway, I rather like the lot of those.

[clavichorder]

Got those CDs I said I'd order in the mail today!

[clavichorder]

I posted in Talkclassical forums a thread on early Haydn symphonies and have gotten little response, all the classical era buffs seem to congregate here, and make me look like a novice.  So I have a question to ask, that's probably already been covered in the classical corner, although its far more mainstream than what is commonly to be found here.  What are the best early Haydn symphonies in your opinion and why?

Here is my post:

"So far, I've taken a liking to 1, 5, 16, 26(Lamentation), and 28 the most. However, I have not listened to 17-24 because my MP3 player mislabeled them when the CD ripped! I also kind of like 39(the fist).

I'll have more to say about why I like these symphonies later. But don't just give me numbers here like I've done so far, tell us why you like those particular symphonies."

[DavidW]

Got those CDs I said I'd order in the mail today!

Which cds?

[DavidW]

I'm sorry I haven't logged into TC yet, else I would have replied to your thread.  I like your list, btw check out (you probably already know this, but just in case) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_symphonies_by_Joseph_Haydn the numbering is a little off from the chronology.  In particular #11 was composed only 3 years before his more popular Storm and Stress symphonies.

Funny enough #1 is also a little favorite of mine, perhaps because I got a chance to see it performed live!