New Releases

[JBS]

And on the opera front

[Florestan]

Calixto Bieito means Regietheater writ large. 

[Daverz]

This is something I thought I'd never see: DG has digitized some of Otto Gerdes recordings.  Otto Gerdes was a DG producer who dabbled as a conductor on the side.  The story goes that Gerdes got himself fired as

  Gerdes, fresh from a conducting assignment, addressed Karajan as one conductor to another
  with a "Herr Kollege" (my dear colleague). - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Gerdes

Which sounds like an apocryphal story if there ever was one.

I haven't seen that there's an "Otto Gerdes Edition" anywhere, just a few things streaming.  I had the Brahms Symphony No. 4 on Lp, and I remember it having some unusual balances:

[Brian]

This is something I thought I'd never see: DG has digitized some of Otto Gerdes recordings.  Otto Gerdes was a DG producer who dabbled as a conductor on the side.  The story goes that Gerdes got himself fired as

  Gerdes, fresh from a conducting assignment, addressed Karajan as one conductor to another
  with a "Herr Kollege" (my dear colleague). - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Gerdes

Which sounds like an apocryphal story if there ever was one.

I haven't seen that there's an "Otto Gerdes Edition" anywhere, just a few things streaming.  I had the Brahms Symphony No. 4 on Lp, and I remember it having some unusual balances:

It's preparation for an upcoming 11 CD Eloquence reissue box set.

[(poco) Sforzando]

It's preparation for an upcoming 11 CD Eloquence reissue box set.

He even looks like Karajan!

[Mandryka]

Honnegger's melodies are rather nice. This is streaming now, and I'm quite enjoying it.

[Roasted Swan]

He even looks like Karajan!

in his mind at least........

[Florestan]

They photographed her as if she were Xenakis, left side of the face in the dark. 

[Lisztianwagner]

He even looks like Karajan!

Haha, that's true!

[Mandryka]

The Art of Fugue / James Johnstone, harpsichord

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9780595--the-art-of-fugue

Clips sounding really beautiful.

I'm liking what I'm hearing. Introverted, thoughtful.

[Mandryka]

[Harry]

Looks the works this Organ, is it worth the bother?

[prémont]

Looks the works this Organ, is it worth the bother?

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9753597--die-orgeln-im-freiburger-munster-langschifforgel-in-stylo-phantastico

It's a Marcussen organ from 1965 and in 1977 it was good enough for Wolfgang Rübsam to choose to record about a fifth of his Philips Bach integral on it.

https://www.muensterorgel.de/

[Mandryka]

[Mandryka]

[Symphonic Addict]

A welcome and refreshing release due to 3 October:

[Brian]

Robert Russell Bennett who is not Richard Rodney Bennett nor William Sterndale Bennett!

(This Bennett was an assistant to Gershwin)

[Roasted Swan]

Robert Russell Bennett who is not Richard Rodney Bennett nor William Sterndale Bennett!

(This Bennett was an assistant to Gershwin)

NOT only an assistant to Gershwin!  Bennett was a composer in his own right and an ORCHESTRATOR for most of the big Broadway composers - Kern (Showboat & others), Richard Rodgers (Oklahoma) and Gershwin amongst others.  He also worked with Rachmaninov.  A couple of his symphonies have appeared on Naxos.  He was also responsible for a lot of the "symphonic pictures" (medlies really) of the big Broadway shows - the tie to Gershwin is his Porgy and Bess was for many years the 'preferred' selection of this score - although of course Gershwin had made his own "Catfish Row".  His work with Gershwin was mainly to help the speedy writing of music for film - in the same way most Hollywood composers used orchestrators to facilitate this process.

PS:  Hanslip is a TREMENDOUS violinist, and Litton superb in this type of repertoire so this should be a winner.........

[Harry]

A welcome and refreshing release due to 3 October:

YAY!

[Brian]

October



Nutcracker Suite (arr. Pletnev)
Three Movements from Petrushka
Sleeping Beauty Suite (arr. Pletnev)
Firebird Suite (arr. Agosti)