Past Purchases (CLOSED)

[12tone.]

Oh, you didn't know? M's schizoid with multiple alphabetical personalities.  When the post says M did this, M did that, it's actually B talking. When it says B did this, B did that, it's S talking. Most of the time though, BS is in control of M.

Sarge

Ack, it's Schumann all over again!!! 

Except he isn't composing... though he does compose posts  Whether or not they're good is up to mods!

[Daverz]

Today was the first day of the Record Surplus super sale (they have these twice a year; it lasts 'til Sunday).  The place was packed with record geeks and it was total record insanity.  I don't think I'm likely to go to many more of these as I spend more time in my car than browsing records, even though my new GPS sent me zigging and zagging all over L.A. to avoid traffic.  That's not to mention the unpleasant shock I had when I went to fill up last night. 

This is just the CDs:

Vivaldi, Viola d'amore concertos: Biondi/Europa Galante (Virgin)
Ravel with Martinon conducting the Chicago SO (RCA).  Listened to this in the car.  Even though I have way too much Ravel already, this sounds particularly gorgeous and beautifully played.
Talich conducting Mozart 33 & 38 and Tchaikovsky's Suite #4 (Supraphon)
Geminiani Cello Sonatas: Pleeth/Webb/Hogwood, a recent Decca reissue (didn't I just get another disc of Geminiani cello sonatas a few weeks ago?)
Beecham conducts Atterberg's Symphony No. 6 (Dutton)
Field, Complete Piano Concertos: John O'Conor on Onyx (he also did some later for Telarc)
Gliere, Coloratura Concerto with Joan Sutherland; Harp Concerto with Ossian Ellis (Decca)
K.A. Hartmann, String Quartets 1 & 2: Pellegrini Quartet (CPO)
Barber/Ives/Copland/Cowell/Creston: Marriner/ASMF on Decca
Shostakovich Cello Concertos: Schiff/M. Shostakovich (Philips)
Richter "The Master" v. 11 (Prokofiev/Shostakovich/Stravinsky/Bartok/Szymanowski/Hindemith)
Zemlinsky, String Quartets 3 & 4: Artis Quartet Wien (Nimbus)
Rachmaninov & Miaskovsky cello sonatas: Michal Kanka/Jaromir Klepac (Praga)
Villa Lobos Symphony 7 (CPO)
Boulez conducts Webern III  (DG; I was primarily interested in the Cantatas).
Leibowitz conducting Beethoven Syms 2 & 5 with the RPO on Chesky
Bernard Herrmann conducting music from Great Shakespeare Films
Glazunov, Symphonies 1 & 7: Rozhdestvensky USSR MiniCult SO (Olympia)
Copland, Symphony No. 3: Mata/Dallas (EMI; with some other Copland works which I think I already had).

From Amoeba Hollywood:

Works by Stephen Paulus: Levi/Atlanta (New World)
Complete Alexander Nevsky: Temirkanov/St. Pete PO
Bruckner 9: Skrow/Saarbrucken RSO (Oehms)
Flagello, Symphony No. 1, etc. (Naxos)
Judith Lang Zaimont, reSOUNDings (Arabesque)
Szymanowski, Symphonie Concertante: Rubinstein (RCA)
Works by Vivian Fine on CRI
Donald Erb, The Watchman Fantasy and other works (Albany)
Canteloube, Auvergne Songs: Davrath (Vanguard)
Respighi, Pines,  Fountains & Birds: Lane/Atlanta (I thought I had this but couldn't find it recently; I'll probably find it now.)
John Knowles Paine, Symphony No. 1: Mehta/NYPO

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Johann Sebastian Bach, Brandenburg Concertos (BIS/Suzuki-Bach Collegium Japan).

A download from eclassical.

[Harry]

Johann Sebastian Bach, Brandenburg Concertos (BIS/Suzuki-Bach Collegium Japan).

A download from eclassical.

I knew they were there, but never heard them, so I would appreciate it, if you tell me what you think of them, foremost, tempi, articulation, especially the winds, recording, and of course the famous Harpsichord entry, which winds he is using, etc.

[marvinbrown]

  My love for the the music of Shostakovich grows by the hour which I am sure should please Karl Henning immeasurably !  I was pleased to discover that Shosty wrote an opera, I'm a late comer so please forgive me  .  I decided this is a must have:

 

  marvin

[Harry]

  My love for the the music of Shostakovich grows by the hour which I am sure should please Karl Henning immeasurably !  I was pleased to discover that Shosty wrote an opera, I'm a late comer so please forgive me  .  I decided this is a must have:

 

  marvin

That is not a easy work to approach Marvin, I will not dare to go there, for a long time!

[marvinbrown]

That is not a easy work to approach Marvin, I will not dare to go there, for a long time!

  What do you find difficult with it?  Is it dissonant like Richard Strauss's Elektra.  Does it lack melody like Berg's Lulu??  I have not yet heard it so I am curious.

  marvin

[Harry]

  What do you find difficult with it?  Is it dissonant like Richard Strauss's Elektra.  Does it lack melody like Berg's Lulu??  I have not yet heard it so I am curious.

  marvin

Stark contrasts, intense singing, heights in the soprano voice, that scare the hell out of me. Elektra and Lulu are completely unknown to me, so I could not compare. The first time I heard this was in a live performance in St Petersburg Russia, being there some 8 years ago, and I promised myself then and there never to approach this work again, until my ears could attune to it. You have a somewhat older recording with Gedda, Petkov, and Vishnevskaya, right, so I am curious what you make of the singing.
Mind you, my impression could have changed, since I started on my Wagner journey, must now, because some 80 cd's will not play by themselves right?
But I must be silent, for I have not one syllable to say about Wagner yet, with such experts as you around.

[The new erato]

Scared is good. Saw this opera live i 1975 - my first live opera - and was completely overwhelmed.

Janson on DVD is a good recommendation also.

[marvinbrown]

Stark contrasts, intense singing, heights in the soprano voice, that scare the hell out of me. Elektra and Lulu are completely unknown to me, so I could not compare. The first time I heard this was in a live performance in St Petersburg Russia, some 8 years ago, and I promised myself then and there never to approach this work again, until my ears could attune to it. You have a somewhat older recording with Gedda, Petkov, and Vishnevskaya, right, so I am curious what you make of the singing.
Mind you, my impression could have changed, since I started on my Wagner journey, must now, because some 80 cd's will not play by themselves right?
But I must be silent, for I have not one syllable to say about Wagner yet, with such experts as you around.

  Harry sometimes repeated listening is required to appreciate or respond well to a piece of music.  From what you are telling me Shosty's Lady Macbeth mirrors Richard Strauss's Elektra in that it is dissonant with soprano roles that sore to remarkable heights.  That said, Elektra is a GERMAN opera and Lady Macbeth is RUSSIAN- I would imagine that there are stark differences between the two.  I won't know until I hear it.  With regard to Wagner it took me quite some time to get used to him although you will find that Wagner's operas are far more lyrical than many operas of the 20th Century, especially Richard Strauss's Elektra.

  marvin

[PaulR]

  My love for the the music of Shostakovich grows by the hour which I am sure should please Karl Henning immeasurably !  I was pleased to discover that Shosty wrote an opera, I'm a late comer so please forgive me  .  I decided this is a must have:

 

  marvin

That's a fantastic CD of an amazing opera (The last act is incredible).  Hope you enjoy it.

BTW, Shostakovich wrote another opera, an earlier work called "The Nose". 

[bhodges]

Marvin, if you want to see the opera performed, this recent DVD with Jansons (also mentioned by erato) with the Netherlands Opera is just outstanding in every way (and quite graphic).  The DVD cover is below, along with a few still photos.

--Bruce

[marvinbrown]

That's a fantastic CD of an amazing opera (The last act is incredible).  Hope you enjoy it.

BTW, Shostakovich wrote another opera, an earlier work called "The Nose". 

  Thanks Ring of Fire and Bruce for your feedback and recommendations.  The DVD recording of Jansons's Lady Macbeth will probably be my next purchase. I have the Jansons's recording of Shosty's symphonies (COMPLETE) and I love his interpretation. Also I always like to have a CD and DVD recording of all operas in my collection- I'm an opera fanatic. 

  I have not gotten this excited about a composer since Wagner and Bruckner and that's saying a lot! I find Shosty's works very intense and remarkably captivating.  I have all his symphonies and piano concerto no.2 I have yet to hear his operas and string quartets.  Is there any other work that I should be aware of that deserves immediate attention?

  Thank You
  marvin     

[PSmith08]

  I have not gotten this excited about a composer since Wagner and Bruckner and that's saying a lot! I find Shosty's works very intense and remarkably captivating.  I have all his symphonies and piano concerto no.2 I have yet to hear his operas and string quartets.  Is there any other work that I should be aware of that deserves immediate attention?

The cello concertos. I have the Philips set of nos. 1 and 2, with Heinrich Schiff as the soloist and Maxim Shostakovich conducting the SOBR. Definitely worth a listen.

[marvinbrown]

The cello concertos. I have the Philips set of nos. 1 and 2, with Heinrich Schiff as the soloist and Maxim Shostakovich conducting the SOBR. Definitely worth a listen.

  Thanks PSmith08  .

  marvin

[PaulR]

  Thanks Ring of Fire and Bruce for your feedback and recommendations.  The DVD recording of Jansons's Lady Macbeth will probably be my next purchase. I have the Jansons's recording of Shosty's symphonies (COMPLETE) and I love his interpretation. Also I always like to have a CD and DVD recording of all operas in my collection- I'm an opera fanatic. 

  I have not gotten this excited about a composer since Wagner and Bruckner and that's saying a lot! I find Shosty's works very intense and remarkably captivating.  I have all his symphonies and piano concerto no.2 I have yet to hear his operas and string quartets.  Is there any other work that I should be aware of that deserves immediate attention?

  Thank You
  marvin     

Along with the Cello Concerto's, The violin Concerto's are fantastic (Love the 2nd one), The Cello Sonata, and the viola sonata are very nice.  One of my favorite works of his is The Execution of Stepan Razin.  Another piece I would recommend is the Suite on Words of Michelangelo 

For piano works, I strongly recommend the 24 Preludes and fugues Op. 87, and the 1st Piano Concerto

For other chamber works, I'd go for the piano trio op. 67 and the Piano Quintet

[Bonehelm]

Oh, you didn't know? M's schizoid with multiple alphabetical personalities.  When the post says M did this, M did that, it's actually B talking. When it says B did this, B did that, it's S talking. Most of the time though, BS is in control of M.

Sarge

ROFL

Easily the best post this year so far.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

  My love for the the music of Shostakovich grows by the hour which I am sure should please Karl Henning immeasurably !  I was pleased to discover that Shosty wrote an opera, I'm a late comer so please forgive me  .  I decided this is a must have:

 

  marvin

Marvin,

I hope you haven't pulled the trigger yet. Not because the work is unworthy but because this first edition EMI CD (pictured above) is horribly transferred. Go for the new GROTC reissue on EMI. From all I've read the sound is vastly more spacious and detailed.

[George]

Marvin,

I hope you haven't pulled the trigger yet. Not because the work is unworthy but because this first edition EMI CD (pictured above) is horribly transferred. Go for the new GROTC reissue on EMI. From all I've read the sound is vastly more spacious and detailed.

I hope EMI can consistently stay away from the over-NR techniques of the past. I know some of their recent work has been good in this respect. 

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I hope EMI can consistently stay away from the over-NR techniques of the past. I know some of their recent work has been good in this respect. 

Interestingly enough this recording isn't even historic. It was recorded in 1978!

But at the dawn of the digital age not even good stereo recordings from a single generation before were immune to an engineer's (or company's) unfamiliarity with the new digital medium. So transfers from any era could suffer.

Thankfully that (mostly) seems to be behind us, now...