Past Purchases (CLOSED)

[DavidW]

That's awesome George, what a deal!   Those are some great players for Mozart, aren't they?

[George]

That's awesome George, what a deal!   Those are some great players for Mozart, aren't they?

Indeed, I just put this on. I think their style is much better suited to Mozart than Beethoven, though don't get me wrong, I enjoy their more lyrical approach to LvB from time to time. Plus, the sound is SO much better than their Beethoven set, where the piano sounds like it was down the hall. 

[DavidW]

Indeed, I just put this on. I think their style is much better suited to Mozart than Beethoven, though don't get me wrong, I enjoy their more lyrical approach to LvB from time to time. Plus, the sound is SO much better than their Beethoven set, where the piano sounds like it was down the hall. 

I haven't heard their Beethoven, I'll take your word for it and avoid it then.

[Novi]

These arrived recently:



I've been intermittently picking up these Ancerl Gold Edition recordings - some Stravinsky, Mahler, Shostakovich. So far, they've all been great 0:) (as most people around here seem to know. I guess I'm late to the Ancerl party). This one is Brahms's Double Concerto (Suk, Navarra) and the 2nd.



I got excited and put this one on after the postie delivered it earlier today, but it wasn't quite Saturday morning fare , so took it off after a few minutes .

[Mark]

This (though in its original CD transfer):



Got it for £2.99 at Oxfam.

[Heather Harrison]

I've had a busy week and haven't been here much.  In spite of this, I have managed to buy a few CDs lately.



Gounod - St. Cecilia Mass - conducted by Georges Pretre.  This is a work that, for whatever reason, I had not previously encountered (as far as I know).  I'm glad I was curious enough to buy it because it is a beautiful choral Romantic piece, and it is impeccably performed.  This is why I like to go to CD stores (in this case, Barnes & Noble); I am bound to stumble upon items like this while I am scanning the racks.



Anna Netrebko & Rolando Villazon - Duets.  There has been a lot of hype surrounding these two singers.  I try to ignore the hype as best as I can, but it is difficult to avoid.  I have heard enough good work from them in the past that I was interesting to hear what they would do with this CD.  After one hearing, I find the results to be a bit mixed; it didn't capture my interest as much as some of their other offerings have.  This is a selection of opera duets, mostly from the Italian and French Romantic repertoire.  Two of the more interesting items are a duet from Tchaikovsky's Iolanta and one from Torroba's Luisa Fernanda.  In the Tchaikovsky, Netrebko is in her home territory and performs very well, and Villazon handles it admirably.  One of the less successful numbers is the love duet from Puccini's La Boheme; it seems to lack passion, and the tempo feels a bit wrong.



Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique - Gardiner.  I hadn't realized how much the "period instrument" movement had gone into the Romantic repertoire until I started paying attention.  It is interesting to hear this piece in its original orchestration, with the unusual instruments (i.e. ophicleide, serpent) that Berlioz originally had in mind.  The sound quality is a bit dry (it was recorded in the small concert hall where the work was first performed), but that enhances the clarity of the performance.  I'll have to hear this one a few more times and compare it to other performances before I can come up with a strong opinion.  However, my first impression is favorable, and it is interesting in the way that it brings out the early history of the piece.

There are a few more waiting to be played; I'll post them later.

Heather

[Bogey]

There are a few more waiting to be played; I'll post them later.

Heather

Any jazz purchases Heather?

[Heather Harrison]

Yes - See this thread.

http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,2875.60.html

Heather

[Heather Harrison]

Here are two more.



Susan Graham - La Belle Epoque - Songs of Reynaldo Hahn.  This is a recital of French songs from around the early 20th Century.  Hahn's composition style is light, melodic, and rather conservative when compared with his better-known contemporaries (i.e. Debussy).  The songs are enjoyable and they are very well performed.



Angela Gheorghiu - Live from La Scala.  This is a live recording of a song recital featuring numerous Italian, French, and Romanian songs.  Everything is performed well, and the Romanian songs are a real treat; they are seldom heard outside of Romania.  The recording quality exhibits flaws at times (the balance between the singer and the piano is sometimes a bit off), but live concert recordings seldom come out perfectly and, for the most part, it is acceptable.

Heather

[George]

Oh, happy day!! This one has:

# Piano Sonata No. 21 in B flat major, D. 960 (Aldeburgh, 1964)
Composed by Franz Schubert
with Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter

# Piano Sonata No. 9 in B major, D. 575 (Op. posth. 147) (Aldeburgh, 1966)
Composed by Franz Schubert
with Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter

# Variations (13) on a Theme by Anselm Hüttenbrunner, for piano in A minor, D. 576
Composed by Franz Schubert
with Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter

# Piano Sonata No. 19 in C minor, D. 958 (Budapest, 1958) SEE THIS, TONY!!! 
Composed by Franz Schubert
with Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter

# Piano Sonata No. 6 in E minor, D. 566 (Aldeburgh, 1964)
Composed by Franz Schubert
with Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter 

[sidoze]

nice one, i haven't seen that reissue before. Where'd you find it?

See, I said it would be worth waiting for

[George]

nice one, i haven't seen that reissue before. Where'd you find it?

See, I said it would be worth waiting for

I hate to say it but you're right! 

This is where I got it.

[sidoze]

thanks. Living Stage, I'm not surprised (but am used to seeing their covers set up differently). I'm not sure where they get their source material but I recall they claim to remaster so the sound should be fine.

by the way, how do you know it's the '58?

[George]

thanks. Living Stage, I'm not surprised (but am used to seeing their covers set up differently). I'm not sure where they get their source material but I recall they claim to remaster so the sound should be fine.

by the way, how do you know it's the '58?

Trovar says it's the same one, plus someone on rmcr confirmed it earlier today.

[sidoze]

Trovar says it's the same one, plus someone on rmcr confirmed it earlier today.

ah okay, Steve's a lovely guy and knows way too much about music. I'm sure what he says is spot on

[Harry]

Two small acquisitions.

[Sergeant Rock]

The last classical music outlet in my city has a sale on some of their budget-priced discs: 6 CDs for €20. I've been meaning to complete the Sanderling/Brahms cycle anyway and I needed the Gesualdo Book V. The Bach looks interesting as does the Davis/Dresden Schubert 9












This Fischer Mendelssohn CD was full price...but she's so cute it's worth it 




Sarge

[ragman1970]

This Fischer Mendelssohn CD was full price...but she's so cute it's worth it 




Sarge

Maybe cute, but since her first recording it's getting "worst"!
BTW I saw all 3 once live! Not so great

[dtwilbanks]

Just ordered:

Petre Munteanu - Songs by Schubert and Schumann

And...

Clementi: Complete Sonatas Vol 1 / Mastroprimiano

[Kullervo]

Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 1 (Guiomar Novaes, Piano/Jonel Perlea, cond./Bamberg SO)

Copyright says 1988 but a cursory listen suggests it's much older. For $2 the price is right.