Past Purchases (CLOSED)

[Gurn Blanston]

I am very grateful for your explanation dear friend, and I will take your points in consideration, valid enough for me. And its 30 euro's at JPC, another reason for wanting this HIP recording, although I realize it has its short comings.

Harry,
Whilst I do agree with FideLeo, I will also add that this set is full of excitement and joie de vivre that contributes a lot to the overall impression of the music. I think that is why several people here were quite bowled over by it. My own taste runs in other directions, I am still very satisfied with Bilson/Gardiner and Levin/Hogwood, but that doesn't make me less pleased in their own way with Sofronitzky and Immerseel either. And for 30€ you can't go wrong!



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Now playing:
Czech Chamber Philharmonic \ Spurny - Myslivecek Sinfonia #6 in D 2nd mvmt - Andantino

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Harry,
Whilst I do agree with FideLeo, I will also add that this set is full of excitement and joie de vivre that contributes a lot to the overall impression of the music. I think that is why several people here were quite bowled over by it. My own taste runs in other directions, I am still very satisfied with Bilson/Gardiner and Levin/Hogwood, but that doesn't make me less pleased in their own way with Sofronitzky and Immerseel either. And for 30€ you can't go wrong!



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Now playing:
Czech Chamber Philharmonic \ Spurny - Myslivecek Sinfonia #6 in D 2nd mvmt - Andantino

Thanks Gurn, that's good to hear coming from you, this carries some weight with me.

[Antoine Marchand]

Harry,
Whilst I do agree with FideLeo, I will also add that this set is full of excitement and joie de vivre that contributes a lot to the overall impression of the music. I think that is why several people here were quite bowled over by it. My own taste runs in other directions, I am still very satisfied with Bilson/Gardiner and Levin/Hogwood, but that doesn't make me less pleased in their own way with Sofronitzky and Immerseel either. And for 30€ you can't go wrong!

Proved again, a good reasoning requires not just logic, but a good dose of prudence, too... And you're a master in that field, Gurn.

Like you, I also agree with FideLeo, especially about the quality of the orchestra, but I see difficult to resist the price of this re-release. 

[Que]

Would you kindly elaborate on that view? 

Gladly, Harry. 

But beware that I made a decison not to buy - so based on all the samples I could find on the internet. Took me a while BTW before I reached a conclusion, and it still seems very nice HIP recording of integrity. But in the end I thought both Sofronitsky as well as the accompaniment being rather too literal, too straight forward, missing the Mozartian finesse and wittyness (not to be confused by the "preciousness" of old style Mozart). What will be attractive for many however, will be the sound of the McNulty after Walter fortepiano. As well as the balance with the orchestra, though I have to take issue there - I agree with Huss that the orchestra is too thick and much for Mozart, which is compensated by placing the fortepiano unnaturally (for Mozart) forward in the recording.

Just mere personal first impressions, Harry. Real conclusions can only be reached be exentensive listening!

Q

[Antoine Marchand]

Purchased this week:

[Coopmv]

Placed the following orders today with 3 different Amazon MP vendors ...

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Gladly, Harry. 

But beware that I made a decison not to buy - so based on all the samples I could find on the internet. Took me a while BTW before I reached a conclusion, and it still seems very nice HIP recording of integrity. But in the end I thought both Sofronitsky as well as the accompaniment being rather too literal, too straight forward, missing the Mozartian finesse and wittyness (not to be confused by the "preciousness" of old style Mozart). What will be attractive for many however, will be the sound of the McNulty after Walter fortepiano. As well as the balance with the orchestra, though I have to take issue there - I agree with Huss that the orchestra is too thick and much for Mozart, which is compensated by placing the fortepiano unnaturally (for Mozart) forward in the recording.

Just mere personal first impressions, Harry. Real conclusions can only be reached be exentensive listening!

Q

Thank you Que, I am grateful for these thoughts.

[Conor71]

My first Classical Purchases in a few months - An unknown quantity this lot, apart from the Borodin SQ #2 so it will be interesting to explore this new music! .

[PaulSC]

Francesco Tasini - Ascanio Mayone: Primo/Secondo libro di capricci
Jan Katzschke - Matthias Weckmann: Die lieblichen Blicke (Works for Harpsichord)
Mario Raskin - Jacques Duphly: Selected harpsichord pieces

[SonicMan46]

Francesco Tasini - Ascanio Mayone: Primo/Secondo libro di capricci

Hi Paul - I don't own any works by Maione so will be interested in your comments after arrival; I do have quite a few Tactus CDs and find all quite interesting w/ their emphasis on period instrument recordings of Italian composers, many unknown to me until recently - 

[Que]

Hi Paul - I don't own any works by Maione so will be interested in your comments after arrival; I do have quite a few Tactus CDs and find all quite interesting w/ their emphasis on period instrument recordings of Italian composers, many unknown to me until recently - 

Paul, please count me in as well!

Q

[Coopmv]

Paul, please count me in as well!

Q

Tactus is a great Italian classical music label I discovered almost 10 years ago.  I bought over a dozen of them at $7.99 each then - those good old days when the dollar could still buy something ...   LOL

[PaulSC]

Hi Paul - I don't own any works by Maione so will be interested in your comments after arrival; I do have quite a few Tactus CDs and find all quite interesting w/ their emphasis on period instrument recordings of Italian composers, many unknown to me until recently - 

Paul, please count me in as well!

Q

Que and SonicMan, I purchased the Tasini/Mayone recordings as downloads, so they've already arrived, and I gave the first book a listen today. If you enjoy Frescobaldi and Froberger, I can recommend these discs (or at least book 1) with confidence. Essentially the same mix of keyboard genres -- the relatively sober Ricercare, Canzone on rhythmically livelier subjects, freer and more episodic Toccatas. Mayone is a bit less adventurous with chromaticism than his better-known successors, but conversely he has a knack for long, lyrical lines, which makes his work distinctive.

While I've heard no other recordings as a basis for comparison (apart from preview clips of one or two alternatives online), I find Tasini to be a very compelling performer. The recorded sound is fine -- close-up, but free of excess mechanical noise from the instrument (which is nicely tuned and has a crisp, sinewy quality that's very much to my taste).

Incidentally, for variety as I listened, I mixed in a few of the Benda keyboard sonatas, performed on harpsichord by Sylvia Georgieva. I owe both of you thanks for recommending that set.

Paul

[marvinbrown]

  BOOM! 
 

   My 3rd RING CYCLE ON CD (Fourth in total with Levine on DVD).  This was a very agonizing purchase.  Bought from amazon.co.uk marketplace sellers for a whopping £63  including shipping (OH GOD I REALLY HOPE I MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE HERE) this set has a lot to live up to.  It will sit alongside the SOLTI RING, THE BOHM RING and as mentioned above the Levine DVD ring.  Now why buy it?  Well I wanted a totally different interpretation to all the other ring cycles I have.
 
   marvin

[SonicMan46]

Paul, please count me in as well!

Q

Que and SonicMan, I purchased the Tasini/Mayone recordings as downloads, so they've already arrived, and I gave the first book a listen today. If you enjoy Frescobaldi and Froberger, I can recommend these discs (or at least book 1) with confidence. Essentially the same mix of keyboard genres -- the relatively sober Ricercare, Canzone on rhythmically livelier subjects, freer and more episodic Toccatas. Mayone is a bit less adventurous with chromaticism than his better-known successors, but conversely he has a knack for long, lyrical lines, which makes his work distinctive.

While I've heard no other recordings as a basis for comparison (apart from preview clips of one or two alternatives online), I find Tasini to be a very compelling performer. The recorded sound is fine -- close-up, but free of excess mechanical noise from the instrument (which is nicely tuned and has a crisp, sinewy quality that's very much to my taste).

Incidentally, for variety as I listened, I mixed in a few of the Benda keyboard sonatas, performed on harpsichord by Sylvia Georgieva. I owe both of you thanks for recommending that set.

Thanks, Paul, for the comments - believe that I may have started (or a least contributed) to a thread on Frescobaldi and own some Froberger, so this composer should be right up my alley; and I like your description of the harpsichord playing - I've found the Tactus label uniformly excellent in their engineering, also - BTW, for those interested and who order from BRO, the first book CD of this composer is available for $5!  I may place a BRO order at lunch time if I can find some more 'wish list' selections (or others more likely) to justify the S&H - Dave 

[Que]

Incidentally, for variety as I listened, I mixed in a few of the Benda keyboard sonatas, performed on harpsichord by Sylvia Georgieva. I owe both of you thanks for recommending that set.

Paul

Very glad you like it, that set is a (sleeping) beauty

Q

[The new erato]

It will sit alongside the SOLTI RING, THE BOHM RING and as mentioned above the Levine DVD ring.  Now why buy it?  Well I wanted a totally different interpretation to all the other ring cycles I have.
 
   marvin

It certainly is different (I have two of those; not the Solti) - and I like it a lot.

[Daverz]

From Archivmusic's Albany sale:

[asin]B0000DG05V[/asin] [asin]B00006RY6C[/asin]
[asin]B000JJSP4K[/asin] [asin]B0000DG05X[/asin]

The remaining two volumes of David Diamond string quartets that I didn't have, some more Don Gillis, and the orchestral music of a composer I'd never heard of before, Edward Joseph Collins.

[Sergeant Rock]

Arrived today from JPC: Kleiber's Rosenkavalier and Taneyev chamber music.

The fact that they dared put it on SACD suggests that the sound quality ought to be leagues better than the usual Opera d'Oro stuff. Let us know how this sounds.

Which recording? Do tell how's the sound when you get it.

I'm listening to the first act now (the CD layer; don't have a SACD player). Other than the usual problems with live opera recordings (voices sometimes recede when they go off mike, sound too close and loud at other times) the sound is very good.

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

  BOOM! 


This was a very agonizing purchase.

After nearly four years discussing this, you've finally done it! Agonizing indeed   Congratulations    I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. It's worth whatever you paid just to hear Karajan/Vickers/Janowitz's Walküre Act I Scene 3. The way Vickers sings Braut und Schwester bist du dem Bruder, so blühe denn Wälsungen-Blut! will curdle your blood.

Sarge