The Classical Chat Thread

[SurprisedByBeauty]

I haven't been there. Do you dislike Brutalism in general or do you think Barbican is a bad instance of it?

Don't know about Brian, but even if you are not a fan of Brutalism, you could still like, say, the Copan or other select Niemeyer works, and hate that grimy, black, anti-aircraft bunker masquerading as a concert hall a.k.a. Barbican. Also: Every time I go there, I can never find the entrance on the first attempt. Brutalism is generally an unfortunate period in architecture, that created monuments, not dwellings (a very contemporary problem, come to think of it), and the Barbican is certainly not an above-average example of it. Architecture is the one among the arts (is it one of the arts?) where my tastes run comparatively conservative - and I think it's because ever since neo-classicism (not including fascist versions thereof), the human scale has been missing as the elemental ingredient... and you simply can't get around that when making good buildings for humans.

[Brian]

New Cedille Records album with Mahershala Ali includes a page thanking the label's major/frequent donors - including Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

[Todd]

I may very well have missed discussion of this before, but the Eloquence website (https://eloquenceclassics.com/) lists the Eloquence catalog, new releases, and upcoming releases.  There are two other items of note:

1.) There is a "Suggest a Release" contact button.  Perhaps a coordinated effort could result in a reissue.

2.) There is a link to a massive Decca discography, with an updated copyright year of 2017, by Philip Stuart.  (http://toto.adstream.com/public#preview/1n04uyjd9qust).  It's 1494 pages and lists 5994 recordings.  It cites why it is not truly complete.

[lisa needs braces]

In a way, this is the least necessary list for the GMG Classical Music Forum members, who have swallowed the bait -- and the line, and the sinker -- long ago.
But I would be interested in what others think are the best 'grabbers' in classical music to get either the non-existent average listener or every listener hooked.

How To Build A Top Quality Classical Music Library: The Second $100

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2017/06/02/how-to-build-a-top-quality-classical-music-library-the-second-100/

I just purchased the Pollini late LvBs. Seems like a good list. Sigh my working class life situation doesn't currently allow MOAR CDs. 70% of my CDs are from bi-weekly trips I used to make to Tower Records circa 2004 to 2006. Then they closed.



Heard Mahler 6th last and finally cracked this nut. 

[SurprisedByBeauty]

I just purchased the Pollini late LvBs. Seems like a good list. Sigh my working class life situation doesn't currently allow MOAR CDs. 70% of my CDs are from bi-weekly trips I used to make to Tower Records circa 2004 to 2006. Then they closed.



Heard Mahler 6th last and finally cracked this nut. 

Which Tower Records did you frequent? I worked at the 2000 Penn Tower from ca. 2004 until the very last day they were open.

[lisa needs braces]

Which Tower Records did you frequent? I worked at the 2000 Penn Tower from ca. 2004 until the very last day they were open.

Tysons Corner, Northern VA.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Tysons Corner, Northern VA.

Oh... it still hurts that we couldn't lure you over to our section in DC.  It had a renaissance in those years and was quite nice until it all ended.

[Omicron9]

The Fourth is probably my favorite Shostakovich symphony at the moment, especially after hearing two blazing live performances of it in the last few years: first with Andrey Boreyko making his debut with the New York Philharmonic, and then with Haitink and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  And interestingly, in the Boreyko evening, which was part of a series called "Inside the Music," it emerged that Shostakovich himself thought the Fourth might be finer than any of the symphonies that came afterward.  (I'm not necessarily agreeing, just reporting.  ) 

Last year Haitink and the CSO then released a recording taped from their concerts in Chicago, which I thought was one of the best recordings of 2008.  Both the performance and the sound quality (on CSO-Resound) are stunning.  I have yet to hear the Ormandy/Philadelphia one, but if you are looking for another version, I can't recommend this one highly enough.

--Bruce

4 is my favorite Shostakovich symphony; 5, 8, and 14 are not far behind. 

In 1998, I was fortunate enough to catch a performance of Shostakovich 4 at the Barbican in London.  LSO conducted by Rostropovich.  Before they started 4, Rostropovich explained that what we now know as 4 was not the symphony with which Shostakovich had started.  He went on to say that DS had begun 4, but was unhappy with its progress.  He abandoned what he had so far, and started over from scratch.  The "started over from scratch" version is what we now know as 4.  Rostropovich explained that he had the original material, and the LSO would perform it, exactly as DS had left it; then begin the 4 that we know immediately after.  The piece they performed was nothing like the 4 that we know.  It was more subdued and "safe," for lack of a better word.  But still a very interesting piece; just nothing like 4 in any way.  The first version of 4 lasted for, as I recall, between 5 and 10 minutes.  Eventually, each instrument began to trail off and drop out, exactly where DS had stopped composing for that instrument in his original sketch.  After the final instrument stopped, Rostropovich paused for a few seconds,  and the LSO exploded into a ripping performance of the 4 that we know.  It was a fantastic experience.  I've looked for a recording of the preliminary 4th symphony sketch, but never located.  If anyone knows of one, I'd be grateful if you could point me in that direction.

TIA and regards,
--09

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Not The CD Of The Week: Claudio Abbado's Croaking Swansong

[mc ukrneal]

So the composer for the Simpsons was canned after 27 years...
http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/simpsons-composer-alf-clausen-fired-1202543183/

[North Star]

[SurprisedByBeauty]

The Paganini String Quartet set (formerly Cleveland & Tokyo quartets) has found a new home!



From Washington To Tokyo To Cremona: The Most Famous Set Of Instruments Finds A New Home
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2017/09/29/from-washington-to-tokyo-to-cremona-the-most-famous-set-of-instruments-finds-a-new-home/

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Classical CD Of The Week: Folk Music For String Quartet, Out Of The Woodwork


https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2017/10/04/classical-cd-of-the-week-folksy-string-quartet-out-of-the-woodwork/#6f82c574d0c9

[mc ukrneal]

Not sure if this should go somewhere else, but Thomas Dausgaard was appointed to lead the Seattle Symphony (he was Principal Guest Conductor):
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/03/arts/the-seattle-symphony-looks-inward-for-its-next-maestro-thomas-dausgaard.html?ref=todayspaper
https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/classical-music/seattle-symphony-picks-thomas-dausgaard-to-succeed-ludovic-morlot-as-music-director/

[lisa needs braces]

Did you guys know that youtube uses machine learning/neural-networks to select the videos they suggest to you? Anytime I play something by an obscure composer I get suggestions for all manner of other obscure composers, usually from the same era. Pretty cool. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ_5NwGn28E 

[North Star]

[Karl Henning]

That's what I'm talking!

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Speaking of Youtube: If any of the German speakers / understanders are interested: Here's a video interview with Bo Skovhus in his wine cellar in Vienna:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGuo_R--vRE

https://www.youtube.com/v/yGuo_R--vRE

[Todd]

MTT to step down from SFS in 2020.  Could be interesting to see who replaces him.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

A portrait of Geza Anda. For Steinway / @ListenMusicMag

"Only the Steinway piano provides me with wings."
https://www.steinway.com/artists/geza-anda ...




The title loses a wonderful pun in translation from the German, where the
same phrase ("Nur Steinway verleiht mir Flügel") also means: "Only
Steinway rents pianos out to me."