Viva Vivaldi!

[kishnevi]

Bump this thread to highlight this set I am now listening to.

Some further details here in the WAYLT thread:
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,21492.msg882108.html#msg882108

Reference to Azzolini in that post reminds me to ask if there is any word on the next release of Naive's project.

[Gurn Blanston]

Bump this thread to highlight this set I am now listening to.

Some further details here in the WAYLT thread:
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,21492.msg882108.html#msg882108

Reference to Azzolini in that post reminds me to ask if there is any word on the next release of Naive's project.

I like that set, I got it perhaps 10 years ago, it was on ASV back then, IIRC. Did Decca end up with them too?

At the time, bassoon concerto recordings were thin on the ground, so it was a pleasure to be able to get them all. I do prefer Azzolini, but I don't have any reservation about pulling out the old Smith from time to time! 

[kishnevi]

I like that set, I got it perhaps 10 years ago, it was on ASV back then, IIRC. Did Decca end up with them too?

At the time, bassoon concerto recordings were thin on the ground, so it was a pleasure to be able to get them all. I do prefer Azzolini, but I don't have any reservation about pulling out the old Smith from time to time! 

Per Wiki, ASV was sold to Sanctuary Group in 1999.  Decca bought Sanctuary in 2007.
Ironically, ASV was started in the wake of Decca being bought by Polygram by former executives from Argo, a subsidiary of Decca.
What comes around...
My set lists the original copyrights by ASV and a new copyright by Decca.

And just for the record, the soloist's last name has no bearing on my liking for this set.

[Gurn Blanston]

Per Wiki, ASV was sold to Sanctuary Group in 1999.  Decca bought Sanctuary in 2007.
Ironically, ASV was started in the wake of Decca being bought by Polygram by former executives from Argo, a subsidiary of Decca.
What comes around...
My set lists the original copyrights by ASV and a new copyright by Decca.

And just for the record, the soloist's last name has no bearing on my liking for this set.

Thanks for the info. Without searching things out, it is virtually impossible to keep up with who owns what these days. I can see the end coming though for things I really like, for example, ASV/Gaudeamus. Some fine recordings on that label, maybe they can be picked up at BRO still for a while.

I know how you Smith's like to hang together, you can't fool me!   

[SonicMan46]

Bump this thread to highlight this set I am now listening to.

Some further details here in the WAYLT thread:
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,21492.msg882108.html#msg882108

Reference to Azzolini in that post reminds me to ask if there is any word on the next release of Naive's project.

Jeffrey & Gurn - I have the Azzolini CDs (and hope that he does more!), so the 'complete' set by Daniel Smith piqued my interest - however, I looked at some of the reviews on Amazon - some horrible ratings w/ five 1* reviews HERE - just an example shown in a screen capture below - WELL, can these performances really be that BAD! ?

So I tried to find some 'professional' comments - attached is a PDF file of quite positive reviews from Fanfare & ClassicsToday - SO, there seems to be a lot of opinions on this 'reprinted' collection of the Red Priest's bassoon concertos - I would have probably ordered this set from Amazon but now am reluctant - do these people giving one stars to these recordings have gas issues themselves and are in need of a laxative or Beano -   Dave

[Mookalafalas]

Jeffrey & Gurn - I have the Azzolini CDs (and hope that he does more!), so the 'complete' set by Daniel Smith piqued my interest - however, I looked at some of the reviews on Amazon - some horrible ratings w/ five 1* reviews HERE - just an example shown in a screen capture below - WELL, can these performances really be that BAD! ?

So I tried to find some 'professional' comments - attached is a PDF file of quite positive reviews from Fanfare & ClassicsToday - SO, there seems to be a lot of opinions on this 'reprinted' collection of the Red Priest's bassoon concertos - I would have probably ordered this set from Amazon but now am reluctant - do these people giving one stars to these recordings have gas issues themselves and are in need of a laxative or Beano -   Dave

  Is it only me, or do all of the bad reviews sound like they are written by the same person?  Amazon reviews are rife with cranks who have become addicted to various hobby horses (and sometimes, judging by their over-the-top rants, controlled substances).  I haven't heard this disc, but agree that you should find alternative opinions/reviews!

[Florestan]

Besides the Azzolini, I have the Thunemann twofer. Am very pleased with both of them.

[The new erato]

New releases from Naive's mostly fine series of Vivaldi opera releases seem to have dried up. Are there no more operas in the Turin (?) sources that their releases are drawn from?

Also I miss the last two discs which I hope will come from their series of bassoon concertos. 

[Gurn Blanston]

  Is it only me, or do all of the bad reviews sound like they are written by the same person?  Amazon reviews are rife with cranks who have become addicted to various hobby horses (and sometimes, judging by their over-the-top rants, controlled substances).  I haven't heard this disc, but agree that you should find alternative opinions/reviews!

Many of them don't even make sense. One of my favorites is "Bernard O'Hanlon", who hates PI. He is a fine writer though, far better than that twat Hurwitz, and he really can make you laugh, albeit while admitting that he is full of sh!t to the nth degree.    He is on the same plane for me as "Santa Fe Listener"; much better writer, but equally insipid in his tastes. I use them as a sort of 'anti-touchstone'.

Jeffrey & Gurn - I have the Azzolini CDs (and hope that he does more!), so the 'complete' set by Daniel Smith piqued my interest - however, I looked at some of the reviews on Amazon - some horrible ratings w/ five 1* reviews HERE - just an example shown in a screen capture below - WELL, can these performances really be that BAD! ?

So I tried to find some 'professional' comments - attached is a PDF file of quite positive reviews from Fanfare & ClassicsToday - SO, there seems to be a lot of opinions on this 'reprinted' collection of the Red Priest's bassoon concertos - I would have probably ordered this set from Amazon but now am reluctant - do these people giving one stars to these recordings have gas issues themselves and are in need of a laxative or Beano -   Dave

That said, Dave, I have never read of a bassoonist saying anything nice about another bassoonist. Rather than giving them an expert position for an opinion, it gives them an opportunity to play the larger penis game.

I don't play the bassoon, but I've heard a few. I like these disks pretty well, I was always glad to have them. Am I replacing them with PI and newer performances? Hell yes, it's what I do. But not because they suck. If you want to have all the bassoon concertos, then these are good, if they are priced right (I got mine at BRO 10 years ago). If you want to wait for Azzolini and know you'll be happy, hell, there's no rush anyway.

[Wakefield]

I was thinking: we, Vivaldians, really suck!

Several years and just 23-pages written here.

Probably the only great composer of 18th Century, even more underrepresented on this board is "Il Caro Sassone." 

[Florestan]

I was thinking: we, Vivaldians, really suck!

Several years and just 23-pages written here.

Writing about (Vivaldi's) music is like dancing about architecture.  

[Mookalafalas]

Many of them don't even make sense. One of my favorites is "Bernard O'Hanlon", who hates PI. He is a fine writer though, far better than that twat Hurwitz, and he really can make you laugh, albeit while admitting that he is full of sh!t to the nth degree.    He is on the same plane for me as "Santa Fe Listener"; much better writer, but equally insipid in his tastes. I use them as a sort of 'anti-touchstone'.

  Just today I was wishing that I somehow had the power to get Bernard O'Hanlon banned (and all his posts erased) from Amazon.  He's a pestilential force, all on his own.

[Gurn Blanston]

I was thinking: we, Vivaldians, really suck!

Several years and just 23-pages written here.

Probably the only great composer of 18th Century, even more underrepresented on this board is "Il Caro Sassone." 

But I do have ~90% of the known works though, so I do him justice de facto. You're right though, and I think that somehow, people have been made to feel inferior in their tastes for liking his music. That didn't work on me though.  0:)

[Gurn Blanston]

  Just today I was wishing that I somehow had the power to get Bernard O'Hanlon banned (and all his posts erased) from Amazon.  He's a pestilential force, all on his own.

  Nice to meet you, Kindred Spirit! 

[Gurn Blanston]

Probably the only great composer of 18th Century, even more underrepresented on this board is "Il Caro Sassone." 

The great scale of life thus balances out....   

[North Star]

Probably the only great composer of 18th Century

I like Vivaldi's music too, but that's just silly.

[Jo498]

I think Gordo meant that among 18th century composers Vivaldi and Handel do not frequently come up on this board, not that Vivaldi was the only great composer of his time.
I think there are a few other great ones who are rarely mentioned here, but these two are probably the ones who are hugely populare and quite well-served on recordings.

In any case last weekend I "boycotted" Bach and listened, among other things, to Vivaldi's Stabat Mater (also to Haydn's) and Handel's "La Resurrezione"

This is a great disc (ignore the terrible cover). Apart from the sacred works it also contains concertos featuring clarinets and chalumeaux, very nice and peculiar sounds.

[asin]B000065SXI[/asin]

[Wakefield]

I think Gordo meant that among 18th century composers Vivaldi and Handel do not frequently come up on this board, not that Vivaldi was the only great composer of his time.
I think there are a few other great ones who are rarely mentioned here, but these two are probably the ones who are hugely populare and quite well-served on recordings.

In any case last weekend I "boycotted" Bach and listened, among other things, to Vivaldi's Stabat Mater (also to Haydn's) and Handel's "La Resurrezione"

Yes, it's exactly what I was trying to mean.

No doubt you chose great music to replace Bach during Holy Week. 

[North Star]

Yes, it's exactly what I was trying to mean.

No doubt you chose great music to replace of Bach during Holy Week. 

Alright, that makes sense.

[SonicMan46]

That said, Dave, I have never read of a bassoonist saying anything nice about another bassoonist. Rather than giving them an expert position for an opinion, it gives them an opportunity to play the larger penis game.

I don't play the bassoon, but I've heard a few. I like these disks pretty well, I was always glad to have them. Am I replacing them with PI and newer performances? Hell yes, it's what I do. But not because they suck. If you want to have all the bassoon concertos, then these are good, if they are priced right (I got mine at BRO 10 years ago). If you want to wait for Azzolini and know you'll be happy, hell, there's no rush anyway.

While I was reading some of the reviews on the Daniel Smith performances, a discussion of 'flicking' on the modern bassoon came up in 2005 (assume when these recordings were first released?) in the Classical Music Guide Forum, and might interest some of us 'windy music' fans - 

But, last night I listen to the Smith recordings off Spotify (iPad plugged into my den stereo system) - I thought that the sound was rather good and cannot say I noticed any harsh transitions in his playing (according to the link above, he is a 'non-flicker') - Dave