Past Purchases (CLOSED)

[jwinter]

[Scarpia]

The implication being, to want to buy this record you have to have a screw loose?   

[Coopmv]

Just placed the order on this PentaTone recording this evening ...

[haydnguy]

[marvinbrown]

Even though I don't much care for Wagner's "music dramas," this is a great recording of a significant cultural artifact.  

Well, well, well....... I never thought I'd see the day when you would acknowledge Wagner's significance in the realm of music.  Now if only I can get Karl to post as you do my work would be done here  .

  marvin

[FideLeo]

[DavidRoss]

Well, well, well....... I never thought I'd see the day when you would acknowledge Wagner's significance in the realm of music.  Now if only I can get Karl to post as you do my work would be done here  .

I have a habit--by dint of practice--of saying what I mean.  Sadly, few people make the effort required to learn to read or listen for what's really being said, thus their prejudices inspire frequent misunderstanding.

I do like some of Wagner's music.  I do respect the grand vision underlying The Ring.  And I'm very well aware of Wagner's influence on other composers of his time and later.

On the other hand, I think Wagner was a horrid little man who offered an inadvertent portrait of his own crippled soul in the character of Alberich; that his spiritual shallowness undermined his artistic success by elevating the demands of his ego above the requirements of craft; and that worship of him as a great artist--much less as a great man--is a mistake which sometimes merits correction.

[Harry]

A few that I have ordered.

[Harry]

 

[Valentino]

The 1972 Time-Life edition of The Ring Resounding by John Culshaw. Supposed to have more and bigger pictures than the '67 Viking edition.

Found it at www.Alibris.com.

[marvinbrown]

I have a habit--by dint of practice--of saying what I mean.  Sadly, few people make the effort required to learn to read or listen for what's really being said, thus their prejudices inspire frequent misunderstanding.

I do like some of Wagner's music.  I do respect the grand vision underlying The Ring.  And I'm very well aware of Wagner's influence on other composers of his time and later.

On the other hand, I think Wagner was a horrid little man who offered an inadvertent portrait of his own crippled soul in the character of Alberich; that his spiritual shallowness undermined his artistic success by elevating the demands of his ego above the requirements of craft; and that worship of him as a great artist--much less as a great man--is a mistake which sometimes merits correction.

I do not agree with you that his spiritual shallowness undermined his artistic success.  Wagner's intention was to elevate opera from where it had sunk in the capitalistic bourgeois society of Paris, the center of the opera world during his time. Tristan und Isolde is an astounding work of art. It is innovative and daring.  Mahler, Schoenberg, Richard Strauss were captivated by it's innovative genius.  Every time I listen to the Ring Cycle I can not believe that one man had it in him to produce such a cohesive, fully integrated set of operas spanning 14+ hours.

  Now we come to the man, Wagner, yes he was arrogant but there is nothing arrogant about his work, yes he was racist/antisemitic but you will be hard pressed to find any of these traits in his works (allegations of antisemitic sentiments in his operas have never been convincingly established) Personally I believe that Wagner was clever enough to rise above his despicable persona and produce pure, unadulterated (no pun intended vis-a-vis Tristan und Isolde) works of art.  He kept the ugliness in his life away from his artwork that is why he is a great man.


       

  marvin   

[DavidRoss]

I do not agree with you that his spiritual shallowness undermined his artistic success.  Wagner's intention was to elevate opera from where it had sunk in the capitalistic bourgeois society of Paris, the center of the opera world during his time. Tristan und Isolde is an astounding work of art. It is innovative and daring.  Mahler, Schoenberg, Richard Strauss were captivated by it's innovative genius.  Every time I listen to the Ring Cycle I can not believe that one man had it in him to produce such a cohesive, fully integrated set of operas spanning 14+ hours.

  Now we come to the man, Wagner, yes he was arrogant but there is nothing arrogant about his work, yes he was racist/antisemitic but you will be hard pressed to find any of these traits in his works (allegations of antisemitic sentiments in his operas have never been convincingly established) Personally I believe that Wagner was clever enough to rise above his despicable persona and produce pure, unadulterated (no pun intended vis-a-vis Tristan und Isolde) works of art.  He kept the ugliness in his life away from his artwork that is why he is a great man.

As you are probably aware, I disagree vehemently with all of these opinions and with your expression of them as if they were fact and not just your views.

It seems as if your worship of the man prevents you from grasping a more balanced understanding of the nature of his achievement and his character.  Marc Weiner's Richard Wagner and the Anti-Semitic Imagination could help remedy that if you're willing to risk disturbing the comfort of your beliefs.  I think I've referred you to it before.  Here is a brief review.

[Brian]

A few that I have ordered.

Harry, you chose the four Naxos discs I have my eye on! They've got a great lineup this month. I am also planning to pick up these as well:



The Symphony No 2 arranged for piano trio



Studies for solo violin - apparently only being released globally in August, but available in some places now?

And if you are a fan of music downloads, this is a 320 mp3 download (CD release next year sometime):

[karlhenning]

Harry, you chose the four Naxos discs I have my eye on!

I've liked very much all the Martinů piano discs by Giorgio which I have heard so far.

[Brian]

I've liked very much all the Martinů piano discs by Giorgio which I have heard so far.

He's now on to the "Bonus Discs" - Volumes 5, 6 and 7 are entirely comprised of works that Giorgio and/or Naxos researchers discovered after they released the original "last volume" of the series, No 4. So these last three are all world premieres of works we previously thought were lost and/or nonexistent. Pretty cool stuff.

[Franco]

After soliciting some comments on the Recordings That You Are Considering  thread from fellow GMGers about which complete set of the Bach Cantatas offered the best value, I was saved from spending several hundred dollars and can now report to be waiting for delivery of this set:

Cantatas (Box) [BOX SET]
Bach (Artist), Holland Boys Choir (Artist), Leusink (Artist)


The Leusink set was the least expensive and has more works than the Hanoncourt, which was the other one I was seriously considering.  I've been generally pleased with my other Brialliant Classics collections, but after sampling these, I may wish to acquire a few of my favorites by other conductors in individual recordings.

[marvinbrown]

As you are probably aware, I disagree vehemently with all of these opinions and with your expression of them as if they were fact and not just your views.

It seems as if your worship of the man prevents you from grasping a more balanced understanding of the nature of his achievement and his character.  Marc Weiner's Richard Wagner and the Anti-Semitic Imagination could help remedy that if you're willing to risk disturbing the comfort of your beliefs.  I think I've referred you to it before.  Here is a brief review.

  NOTE: This will be my last post relating to this issue as this is not the thread for it!

  I don't know where you got this biased anti-Wagnerian article from but I seriously recommend that you read a more balanced critique of Wagner's operas. I will tell you that Love, Death and Redemption are the recurring themes of those operas and not antisemitism. It is absurd to  believe that Wagner wrote 13 operas just to extol antisemitism as Marc Weiner argues! Some of Wagner's closest friends and patrons were Jews. Solti, Barenboim, Levine all avid Wagnerians and all Jewish conductors of Wagner's operas. 


  marvin   

[PerfectWagnerite]

Here is a brief review.

Here is the resume of the reviewer:

http://www.usao.edu/~facshaferi/RESUME.HTML

Basically he/she is a nobody teaching a joke-subject (probably to football or basketball players) at a no-name school without any serious scholarships to his/her credit. That makes his/her opinion no more or less credible than any others. Looks like all he/she has done in her life is go sniffing out potential sources of antisemitism in society.

[Renfield]

Basically he/she is a nobody teaching a joke-subject (probably to football or basketball players) at a no-name school without any serious scholarships to his/her credit.

I'm sorry, but although he's not W. V. Quine, I don't see how he or his subject is a joke, or how anyone not in an Ivy League institution is worthless. Likewise, he has a significantly expansive CV, if nothing world-shattering in terms of content.

I have no personal interest in this exchange of tirades discussion. But I invite some restraint in labelling people.

[Brian]

Here is the resume of the reviewer:

http://www.usao.edu/~facshaferi/RESUME.HTML

Basically he/she is a nobody teaching a joke-subject (probably to football or basketball players) at a no-name school without any serious scholarships to his/her credit. That makes his/her opinion no more or less credible than any others. Looks like all he/she has done in her life is go sniffing out potential sources of antisemitism in society.

Funny ... I didn't think you were M forever 

I am kidding of course. M forever would side with David because the reviewer is Germanic and graduated with the abitur.