Gurn's Classical Corner

[Leon]

It's nice to see some CPE Bach love in the Corner!

[chasmaniac]

That's just it. Where are the recordings, man?

Slipped my mind, but there are violin/piano sonatas in Viotti's world too.

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[SonicMan46]

Slipped my mind, but there are violin/piano sonatas in Viotti's world too.

 

The Viotti package above interests me a lot - looked at the contents (inserted above) which provides a lot of variety; not sure that I want 10 CDs of the 29 Violin Concertos but this 'mix' would be a nice introduction (currently just own a single disc of 3 VCs) - please let us know about the recording, i.e. sound, performance, and quality of the various genres - thanks!  Dave

[chasmaniac]

The Viotti package above interests me a lot - looked at the contents (inserted above) which provides a lot of variety; not sure that I want 10 CDs of the 29 Violin Concertos but this 'mix' would be a nice introduction (currently just own a single disc of 3 VCs) - please let us know about the recording, i.e. sound, performance, and quality of the various genres - thanks!  Dave

Going from memory, so look out!

Concerti don't interest me, so I have nothing to say about the first 3 discs. It's chamber music I really want to hear. The overall sound is dry and very clear, violins perhaps a little thin. No issues that I recall with intonation or competence on the part of the players. The quartets are solid, generic classicism, but not up to the standards of Titz, Eybler et al. (let alone Haydn!) The duos are lovely, and not overly delicate. A good deal of energy there. The sonatas with (modern) piano very fine, the string trios excellent - these remind me strongly of Rolla, a master of the form - and the flute music (this surprised me, because I've never been nutty for flutes) quite gorgeous.

If you're looking specifically for variously arranged classical era chamber music and can get this set at a budget price, it's a worthy purchase. Dabblers should look elsewhere.

[SonicMan46]

Thanks Chas... for your excellent comments above on the Viotti box - the chamber works do interest me the most; at the moment, $45 on the Amazon MP - will put on my 'wish list' at the moment!  Dave

[chasmaniac]

That's just it. Where are the recordings, man?

Well, here's a discovery, just released. 3 duo sonatas from Hummel, 2 with violin and 1 with viola. Arkiv calls the set "vol. 5", but it's pretty clear that's a mistake for opus 5. Anyone got a clue what it's like?

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EDIT: The pianist blogs here: http://www.michaeljarvis.ca/blog/michael/it039s-here-j-n-hummel-sonatas-fortepiano-and-violinviola-op-5-c1797-marquis-cd-81419 One excited dude! A Canucklehead to boot! I'd better order up a disc and share my Loony loot! 

[chasmaniac]

Thanks Chas... for your excellent comments above on the Viotti box - the chamber works do interest me the most; at the moment, $45 on the Amazon MP - will put on my 'wish list' at the moment!  Dave

Rock on, man!

[Gurn Blanston]

Well, here's a discovery, just released. 3 duo sonatas from Hummel, 2 with violin and 1 with viola. Arkiv calls the set "vol. 5", but it's pretty clear that's a mistake for opus 5. Anyone got a clue what it's like?

[asin]B0073US7S2[/asin]

EDIT: The pianist blogs here: http://www.michaeljarvis.ca/blog/michael/it039s-here-j-n-hummel-sonatas-fortepiano-and-violinviola-op-5-c1797-marquis-cd-81419 One excited dude! A Canucklehead to boot! I'd better order up a disc and share my Loony loot! 

I have the Op 5 #3 in Eb, at least 2 performances of it in fact, and I really like it a lot (it was my first music by Hummel, in fact). I haven't heard the other 2, they are seldom recorded, so when I get this disk it will fill a gap in my knowledge of Hummel, and I always like when that happens. Thanks for the tip, Chas!

[chasmaniac]

The first sonata has just ended, but I'm ready to apply for membership in the cat's a** brigade. This is just what I was looking for. The Hummel will have to wait for fun money to be freed up, but it's on my wishlist. And I already adore the Immerseel/Seiler Mozart set, so it looks like I'm hungry for HIP in this area.

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[Gurn Blanston]

Zig Zig's presentation is precious, to be sure, but they've put out some zingers, including seminal sets by Ensemble Musica Nova of motets et al. by Machaut and Dufay. Material not up your street, Gurn, but I've come to expect good things behind those gauche designs!

I have the original (not the re-release) of the Mozart 2 disk set with Ensemble 415 / Gilles Thomé called (pardon my French) "Une soirée sur les Jacquins" (there, by god, I butchered that up!). In any case, it is the most beautiful and artistically designed CD set I have ever purchased. Full of original art and excellent music. That sold me on Zig-Zag right there.

[chasmaniac]

What do we make of Bohemian Songs on Brilliant?

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[chasmaniac]

Pichl's string trios. Solid set here. Well played, clear, and the historischen Instrumenten have a muscular sound I quite enjoy.

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[chasmaniac]

I have the original (not the re-release) of the Mozart 2 disk set with Ensemble 415 / Gilles Thomé called (pardon my French) "Une soirée sur les Jacquins" (there, by god, I butchered that up!).

You sure did! Une Soirée chez les Jacquin This is the original, right? Arkiv still has some, so consider it...

ORDERED!

[Gurn Blanston]

You sure did! Une Soirée chez les Jacquin This is the original, right? Arkiv still has some, so consider it...

ORDERED!

  Well, I was sorta close... Anyway, that's the right set. I understand that the bargain re-release they did a couple of years ago didn't have all the nice things in it. Which, the music itself is worth having, but the art and booklet are a very nice bonus.

[Gurn Blanston]

Pichl's string trios. Solid set here. Well played, clear, and the historischen Instrumenten have a muscular sound I quite enjoy.

[asin]B000005SBW[/asin]

I like the look of that one, I wish listed it. I have the Ensemble Agora playing Haydn's flute trios, which is quite a nice disk. And one scarcely hears enough Pichl these days...

[Uncle Connie]

What do we make of Bohemian Songs on Brilliant?

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What I make of it at least is that we need more like it - and there doesn't seem to be much of a market for this sort of thing.  My reason for buying it in the first place was the single Rosetti item included; I try to keep up with that person, to the point of almost-completeness, and at the time this album came out it was the only way to hear any of his vocal music at all.  Minor, but it made me feel good that at least I had SOMEthing....  (There's some choral music out now, but that's much more recent.) 

[SonicMan46]

Pichl's string trios. Solid set here. Well played, clear, and the historischen Instrumenten have a muscular sound I quite enjoy.

BOY - have not thought about Pichl for a while! 

Amazon MP had this 2-CD set for $10 (plus the usual $3) - just made an order!  Thanks - Dave

[Uncle Connie]

What do we make of Bohemian Songs on Brilliant?

[asin]B001VO7O26[/asin]

It occurs to me, perhaps what is wanted is some sort of comment on the music and performance?

Claron McFadden is a very good, not great, singer, and it's a real pleasure to hear her tackle this off-the-wall repertory and really, I think, make more of it than is actually there.  Bart Van Oort can be a dreadful pedant in his solo stuff, almost as bad as Bilson, but here - with a partner - he does a much better job than I frankly had expected.  All in all a pleasant listen from time to time, though I have to say I'm glad it was cheap, as what I really and truly wanted runs less than 3 minutes....  (Rosetti)

As to the music, it's charming and period-pleasant, but let's face it; despite some very nice things by several very gifted precursors, e.g. Mozart, the brothers Haydn, Weber, Zelter et al. (and not excepting all the guys on this disc), the Lieder  form as we know it really did start with Schubert.  Rosetti nut I may be, but his catalogue lists 82 art songs and I cannot imagine wanting to hear them all!   

("It is protocol to speak patronizingly of the songs of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, which is an awkward and offensive way of saying that there is only one Schubert."  C. G. Burke, music critic and Haydn-fanatic, in an almost-perfect quote remembered from 30+ years ago.  It became something of a mantra for me when I took up singing and made a speciality of 'unknown' Schubert songs.)

[chasmaniac]

It occurs to me, perhaps what is wanted is some sort of comment on the music and performance?

Your comments are most welcome. The Brilliant price has induced me to plunk, so I'll hear it for myself soon enough. I have no problem with Oort's Haydn, so he doesn't worry me. And I am not looking for pseudo-Schubert, just some room-sized melody sung well with a fortepiano comp. Odds are I'll enjoy. Cheers!

[chasmaniac]

BOY - have not thought about Pichl for a while! 

Amazon MP had this 2-CD set for $10 (plus the usual $3) - just made an order!  Thanks - Dave

You'll like it! And when you've heard it maybe you can solve a mystery for me. There's a melody on the second disc - I'll find it when I get home - that I KNOW I've heard elsewhere in classical rep, probably in another string trio or quartet. And I'd really like to i.d. that baby!

EDIT: Just looked at my catalogue and the most likely candidates are Titz, Förster, Reichardt and Jadin. An all-out search might prove a pleasure, methinks. Must give it a try!