Past Purchases (CLOSED)

[Mirror Image]

Just bought a recording I've been heavily anticipating:

[asin]B004YNRHB4[/asin]

Another Bluebeard's Castle for the pile.

[Bulldog]

Just bought a recording I've been heavily anticipating:

[asin]B004YNRHB4[/asin]

Another Bluebeard's Castle for the pile.

Should be a winner, and I love the city of Budapest.

[Mirror Image]

Should be a winner, and I love the city of Budapest.

I'd love to visit Budapest at some point as well. I have an affinity for East European composers and culture in general.

[Brian]

I'd love to visit Budapest at some point as well. I have an affinity for East European composers and culture in general.

One of my biggest regrets of this year was that I wasn't able to make it to Prague.

Sigh.

But I did get to see the Warsaw Philharmonic at home - and what an experience it was. Would have loved to catch Budapest/Fischer, too, for that is a very special collaboration.

[Bulldog]

One of my biggest regrets of this year was that I wasn't able to make it to Prague.

Sigh.

Prague is also a beautiful city.  Before I took my first trip to Eastern Europe a few years ago, I just assumed the whole place was a giant dump.  Boy, I was sure wrong. 

[zmic]

Two reissues, somewhat contrasting in mood. £7.50 each on British Amazon, who am I to say no? 

[asin]B003PN5U5E[/asin]
[asin]B0048IDRFU[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

One of my biggest regrets of this year was that I wasn't able to make it to Prague.

Sigh.

But I did get to see the Warsaw Philharmonic at home - and what an experience it was. Would have loved to catch Budapest/Fischer, too, for that is a very special collaboration.

Well, I'm sure you'll make it to Prague one day, Brian. As far as seeing the Warsaw Philharmonic, was Wit the conductor per chance?

[Brian]

Well, I'm sure you'll make it to Prague one day, Brian. As far as seeing the Warsaw Philharmonic, was Wit the conductor per chance?

Warsaw, Wit, and Mahler 3. That's the best orchestra I've ever seen - anywhere. I'm afraid my admiration for the Warsaw/Wit combo after witnessing that concert is a bit like yours for Koechlin: when others on the board will agree, "oh, yes, the recordings I've got are very good," I'm going to want desperately to grab them by the shoulders and shout, "but don't you see this is something totally spectacular?" I feel it is very likely that the level of rapport between orchestra and conductor, the perfectly-drilled ensemble, the unique warmth and character of the 'Warsaw sound', and the way in which Wit did not need to make any gestures whatsoever apart from keeping time (no cues for soloists, for instance), are as close as I shall ever get to seeing a Karajan or a Szell in action. So undemonstrative, but by his very lack of 'action' you knew that he was in total command, and you knew the orchestra was giving him exactly what he wanted because the music-making was ecstatic, enveloping, as if the orchestra were a single massive instrument.

[Brahmsian]

Warsaw, Wit, and Mahler 3.

Oh my!  That sounds utterly fantastic, indeed! 

[Mirror Image]

Warsaw, Wit, and Mahler 3. That's the best orchestra I've ever seen - anywhere. I'm afraid my admiration for the Warsaw/Wit combo after witnessing that concert is a bit like yours for Koechlin: when others on the board will agree, "oh, yes, the recordings I've got are very good," I'm going to want desperately to grab them by the shoulders and shout, "but don't you see this is something totally spectacular?" I feel it is very likely that the level of rapport between orchestra and conductor, the perfectly-drilled ensemble, the unique warmth and character of the 'Warsaw sound', and the way in which Wit did not need to make any gestures whatsoever apart from keeping time (no cues for soloists, for instance), are as close as I shall ever get to seeing a Karajan or a Szell in action. So undemonstrative, but by his very lack of 'action' you knew that he was in total command, and you knew the orchestra was giving him exactly what he wanted because the music-making was ecstatic, enveloping, as if the orchestra were a single massive instrument.

Well I've been an admirer of Wit's for many years now. He always brings a level of authority and confidence to his performances that, especially in Polish music, remain the stuff of legends. Mahler's 3rd is a large work, but with Wit's total command of the orchestra, I'm sure it kept people mesmerized throughout the performance.

My dream is to see a Koechlin work performed live because that's where the true magic happens, and, like so many of you seeing Havergal Brian's Gothic, it can only elevate your appreciation for that composer.

[Brian]

My dream is to see a Koechlin work performed live because that's where the true magic happens, and, like so many of you seeing Havergal Brian's Gothic, it can only elevate your appreciate for that composer.

Yes - that's where the true magic happens.

Hey, never give up. Before this year I had a list of four works I'd never, ever see live in my life* and now I've seen three of them in the span of one week. Someday it will happen for you.

*Janacek Glagolitic Mass (original score), Smetana's full Ma Vlast, Atterberg's Eighth, Brian's Gothic

[Mirror Image]

Yes - that's where the true magic happens.

Hey, never give up. Before this year I had a list of four works I'd never, ever see live in my life* and now I've seen three of them in the span of one week. Someday it will happen for you.

*Janacek Glagolitic Mass (original score), Smetana's full Ma Vlast, Atterberg's Eighth, Brian's Gothic

Thanks, Brian. I hope so. You've seen some great pieces live. Janacek's Glagolitic Mass is another work I would like to see live. It gets played a good bit by the Atlanta Symphony, so hopefully I'll make it next time they perform it. Seeing Brian's Gothic is a once in a lifetime experience though, so count your blessings that you were able to that massive work live.

[kishnevi]

Probably not going to get anywhere close to Central Europe or anywhere else in Europe for the foreseeable future, but this little piece of Central Europe came to me, slightly delayed because Arkiv shipped it from their Canadian location.

[Que]

Probably not going to get anywhere close to Central Europe or anywhere else in Europe for the foreseeable future, but this little piece of Central Europe came to me, slightly delayed because Arkiv shipped it from their Canadian location.

I'm curious to hear what you make of it.

Q

[Bogey]

Arrives Friday.

[kishnevi]

I'm curious to hear what you make of it.

Q

The first CD is now playing.  So far, some very fine musicianship on display, but my ears don't hear any extra benefit from PI.  Possibly the differences between 18th century and modern string instruments and technique are too subtle;  then again,  there are a lot of violinists/violists/cellists who play 18th century instruments (or modern copies based on them) with modern strings and bows, so the differences probably are rather subtle. The line between PI and MI strings is a lot less audibly obvious than it is with, say keyboards, where you know at once what's a fortepiano or harpsichord and what's a modern pianoforte.

At any rate, what I'm now hearing approximates what I would expect from a very good MI string quartet.

[Sergeant Rock]

Arrives Friday.

I've been re-listening to those performances the last few days. Shocking, really, how good 1-7 (the mono recordings) sound. One thing I wish they had done differently: John Gielgud reads the superscriptions at the beginning of each movement of the Sinfonia antartica. Unfortunately the spoken parts aren't tracked separately (they are on Previn's recoding). It doesn't bother me, though. I like to hear those poetic words. The music began life as a film score; seems fitting.

Sarge

[prémont]

Warsaw, Wit, and Mahler 3. That's the best orchestra I've ever seen - anywhere. I'm afraid my admiration for the Warsaw/Wit combo after witnessing that concert is ,,,, he was in total command, and you knew the orchestra was giving him exactly what he wanted because the music-making was ecstatic, enveloping, as if the orchestra were a single massive instrument.

That´s only natural. Mahler without wit is like bread without butter.

[zmic]

Ok I've been wanting this one long enough now...

[asin]B0013PS4AO[/asin]

[Antoine Marchand]

To save some money for the Beethoven piano sonatas / Takács set, I have cancelled my Klinkhammer WTC book II order, which has been in backorder at JPC for 2½ month by now.

I did something quite similar. Two months ago I ordered one set of Peter Maag's recordings on Arts (Beethoven, Mozart, Mendelssohn et al.). Unfortunately it was not in stock on Amazon UK for two months, so I cancelled the order.