Past Purchases (CLOSED)

[rubio]

My shopping in Oslo today:

        

[hautbois]

My search at local Towers for something Rostropovich resulted with:


Shame on me! 

p.s. I saw some BBC legends records of Rostropovich performing the standard Dvorak, Elgar etc. Are these where Slava thrived or should i look elsewhere? These were priced pretty hefty. There was also a David Ostrakh Dvorak violin concerto (Prague Symphony) record with Karl Ancerl, coupled with Dvorak's 8th symphony (Czech Philharmonic) on the Praga label, recommended?

[Guido]

Well none of them are his best performances, but I enjoy hearing him playing live at his prime. He only played the Elgar concerto for 4 years as he thought it didn't suit him (he thinks its naive), but the performance there is stunning. But generally there are better performances of his (including live ones).

Also thats the best recording of the Hindemith Kammermusik no.3 that I've heard.

[Michel]

What label on this one Michel?  Thoughts?

Naxos, largely similar transfers to Pearl, although they may be slightly superior, but for me, I can't be bothered with the extra expense.

I know lots is written about Schnabel, but I am still not convinced, especially in these sonatas. I will need more time to oganise my thoughts, but since I have been listening to Serkin's Beethoven, I've generally found nothing else as satisfying!

[Heather Harrison]

I have been busy lately, so I haven't been here much.  However, I have found time to shop for CDs - that is a very high priority.

I'm going to try something new in this thread.  From now on, I will hold off on posting my purchases until I have had a chance to listen to them at least once and post a quick review of each one.  This way, people won't have to ask me to report back (which I often forget to do).

Here are some recent purchases.



This is one of the best purchases I have made recently.  It includes many of my favorites of Haydn's symphonies (I have always been partial to the "Sturm und Drang" period).  These are lively, agitated period instrument performances that capture the nature of these pieces better than other performances I have heard.  (This is the collection of "Sturm and Drang" symphonies performed by Trevor Pinnock.)



I first took notice of this singer when I bought her Mozart CD.  She has a rich and beautiful voice and is quite versatile, as this new CD shows.  Everything on the CD is performed well, but there is a bit of sameness among the tracks (as is often the case on recital albums).  The selection is quite diverse, and there are arias on this CD that are not so often heard.  Overall, I like this CD, and it is a welcome addition to the large number of mezzo recital CDs out there.



This is a new CD of Portuguese Fado music (sometimes referred to as "Portuguese Blues").  It is an intimate and sensual style of music, usually consisting of female vocals accompanied by guitars.  This performance is largely traditional.  I haven't encountered Mafalda Arnauth before, but she compares very favorably to my current favorite in the genre - Cristina Branco.  If you like beautiful, sensual, somewhat sad romantic music, you might want to give this a try.



Before now, I haven't really gotten around to finding CDs of HIP performances of Mozart's symphonies.  But given my good experience with such recordings of Haydn's symphonies, I grabbed this one when I saw it in a store.  (This one includes Nos. 40 and 41, and the final ballet scene from "Idomeneo".)  Minkowski attacks this music with a vigor seldom found in performances by larger, Romantic-influenced orchestras.  This style isn't quite what I am used to (especially in Symphony No. 40), but then I have previously heard only the Romanticized performances.  However, it is nice to hear them in a different way which is probably closer to the original style.  After one hearing, I like this style of performance a lot, and I suspect this CD will become one of my favorites.

I'll post more from my recent purchases as I listen to them and form opinions.

Heather

[George]

A gift from my girlfriend:

[Dancing Divertimentian]

(Is that TWO cycles with the SAME orchestra by N. Jarvi???)

It be.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

It might be cheaper then to order it from the UK!  

That's where I got mine from!

Ended up being cheaper than ordering it domestically. But whether or not that still holds I can't say.

[Sergeant Rock]

Promising, Sarge, promising! And what a young Katie you have there!

The recording is 19 years old now. Yes, she was just a wee lass then

Sarge

[Lilas Pastia]

Downloaded: Tchaikovsky's violin concerto, Francescatti, Mitropoulos NYP (1950, very clean sound).

[Drasko]

 

 

[Haffner]

A gift from my girlfriend:

Hey! Now I'm really curious! Love Borodin's Beethoven (as you know, George)!!

[George]

Hey! Now I'm really curious! Love Borodin's Beethoven (as you know, George)!!

I'll let you know in a couple of hours, after I've had time to hear it. 

[Florestan]

A gift from my girlfriend:

That's an excellent recording. Borodin Quartet playing Borodin's quartets. What more would you want? Highly recommended!

[George]

That's an excellent recording. Borodin Quartet playing Borodin's quartets. What more would you want? Highly recommended!

Now I really can't wait to hear it!

[Florestan]

Now I really can't wait to hear it!

You're in for a real treat, my friend. Well, IMHO, anyway. Please let me know your opinion.

[George]

You're in for a real treat, my friend. Well, IMHO, anyway. Please let me know your opinion.

Will do.

[Heather Harrison]

Here are a few more recent purchases:



Two CDs of music by C.P.E. Bach - both very good.  The first is a selection of keyboard music, played on a modern piano.  Of course, a harpsichord or clavichord might be more appropriate to the period, but I found that his music worked well on a piano, and the performance is quite good.  I especially like the minor-key pieces, which exhibit much of the character of "Sturm und Drang", even though they are earlier than Haydn's music in that style.  The second CD is a selection of choral cantatas.  Again, the music is very good and it is well performed.  C.P.E. Bach's music is quite unique and interesting - a nice diversion from the sameness that often afflicts the early Classic period.  I'll have to look for more of his music.



This is a selection of chamber cantatas by Alessandro Scarlatti, sung by Elisabeth Scholl.  These are gorgeous pieces, and beautifully performed.  Alessandro Scarlatti wrote in a style that was a bit old-fashioned for his time, and rather more complex than that of many of his contemporaries.  I have found a few CDs of his music lately, and I seem to like him more with each one that I find.  This one is a welcome addition to my collection.

Heather

[Lilas Pastia]

Thanks for the recommendations, Heather. These are right down my alley!

[Steve]

Here are a few more recent purchases:



Two CDs of music by C.P.E. Bach - both very good.  The first is a selection of keyboard music, played on a modern piano.  Of course, a harpsichord or clavichord might be more appropriate to the period, but I found that his music worked well on a piano, and the performance is quite good.  I especially like the minor-key pieces, which exhibit much of the character of "Sturm und Drang", even though they are earlier than Haydn's music in that style.  The second CD is a selection of choral cantatas.  Again, the music is very good and it is well performed.  C.P.E. Bach's music is quite unique and interesting - a nice diversion from the sameness that often afflicts the early Classic period.  I'll have to look for more of his music.



This is a selection of chamber cantatas by Alessandro Scarlatti, sung by Elisabeth Scholl.  These are gorgeous pieces, and beautifully performed.  Alessandro Scarlatti wrote in a style that was a bit old-fashioned for his time, and rather more complex than that of many of his contemporaries.  I have found a few CDs of his music lately, and I seem to like him more with each one that I find.  This one is a welcome addition to my collection.

Heather

C.P.E Bach is certianly a composer with whom I am desperate to become more aquainted with. I see that at least one of your suggestions is a Naxos Recording, so I will gladly be listening to those soon. Any other CPE Bach suggestions? Thanks.