The Classical Chat Thread

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vers la flamme

Quote from: Brian on October 04, 2019, 01:17:29 PM
I made a meme about Chicago Symphony conductors


I didn't even know Martinon ever conducted the Chicago Symphony. (I'm not very familiar with him, nor with the CSO to be honest). What are some of the great recordings he made with them that make you think this way? For what it's worth, I love some of Solti's CSO recordings, but I was under the impression that Reiner was the greatest of them all.

Biffo

Quote from: vers la flamme on October 05, 2019, 03:56:35 PM
I didn't even know Martinon ever conducted the Chicago Symphony. (I'm not very familiar with him, nor with the CSO to be honest). What are some of the great recordings he made with them that make you think this way? For what it's worth, I love some of Solti's CSO recordings, but I was under the impression that Reiner was the greatest of them all.

Martinon was conductor of the CSO from 1963 - 68. He was allegedly sacked for conducting too much modern music. The same fate befell Kubelik. There is a box set (10 CDs) of Martinon's complete RCA recordings with the CSO. All the performances are very good and the Varese, Nielsen, Bartok and Hindemith are outstanding.  Some of this material has been repackaged in different combinations in single albums. The sound quality is also outstanding.

ChopinBroccoli

Quote from: vers la flamme on October 05, 2019, 03:56:35 PM
I didn't even know Martinon ever conducted the Chicago Symphony. (I'm not very familiar with him, nor with the CSO to be honest). What are some of the great recordings he made with them that make you think this way? For what it's worth, I love some of Solti's CSO recordings, but I was under the impression that Reiner was the greatest of them all.

He was.  Martinon did generally excel in the French repertoire though
"If it ain't Baroque, don't fix it!"
- Handel

SurprisedByBeauty

#2463
Quote from: vers la flamme on October 05, 2019, 03:56:35 PM
I didn't even know Martinon ever conducted the Chicago Symphony. (I'm not very familiar with him, nor with the CSO to be honest). What are some of the great recordings he made with them that make you think this way? For what it's worth, I love some of Solti's CSO recordings, but I was under the impression that Reiner was the greatest of them all.
Quote from: Biffo on October 06, 2019, 04:01:35 AM
Martinon was conductor of the CSO from 1963 - 68. He was allegedly sacked for conducting too much modern music. The same fate befell Kubelik. There is a box set (10 CDs) of Martinon's complete RCA recordings with the CSO. All the performances are very good and the Varese, Nielsen, Bartok and Hindemith are outstanding.  Some of this material has been repackaged in different combinations in single albums. The sound quality is also outstanding.

Martinon's Nielsen Sy4 (along with Sy2 which Morton Gould recorded) is an absolute classic! It used to be a cheapo disc that combined both... but now it's quite pricey. Old copies of the Classical Navigator series are still available... where it's coupled with Previn's very decent Nielsen 1.

It used to have a great cover on LP:




SurprisedByBeauty

New reviews of mine on ClassicsToday since the last update.


Oddly Frustrating #Bach Motets From Bavarian Radio Chorus

https://classicstoday.com/review/oddly-frustrating-motets-from-bavarian-radio-chorus/




Enjott Schneider's Latest: Cribbed Beethoven; Darling Schneider

https://classicstoday.com/review/enjott-schneiders-latest-cribbed-beethoven-darling-schneider/

Modern composers leaning on the greats from the past is all well and good. Until it's not...

...very well played (very fine brass!) by the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra under Simon Gaudenz...




Slow Flow Beauty: A Tribute To Hans #Knappertsbusch (Blu-ray)

https://classicstoday.com/review/slow-flow-beauty-a-tribute-to-hans-knappertsbusch-blu-ray/




Bernhard Lang Fools Around With Parsifal

https://classicstoday.com/review/cd-from-hell-bernhard-lang-fools-with-parsifal/

[Mean insider review; sound clips]




Icelandic #Bach With Heart and Panache

https://classicstoday.com/review/icelandic-bach-with-heart-and-panache/

10/10




Prosseda Splashes Sunshine Over Mendelssohn's Piano Concertos

https://classicstoday.com/review/prosseda-splashes-sunshine-over-mendelssohns-piano-concertos/





Filling In The Gaps: #Handel's Glorious Occasional Apple-Polish Oratorio

https://classicstoday.com/review/filling-in-the-gaps-handels-glorious-occasional-apple-polish-oratorio/

[Insider content]




CD From the Elevator to Hell: 12 Conversations With Thilo Heinzmann

https://classicstoday.com/review/cd-from-the-elevator-to-hell-12-conversations-with-thilo-heinzmann/




Another #CDReview on @ClassicsToday: Filling In The Gaps: Dukas' Marvelous Ariane With Gary Bertini

https://www.classicstoday.com/review/dukas-marvelous-ariane-with-gary-bertini/?search=1

#ReferenceRecording?



ChopinBroccoli

The CDs from hell are always fun though I think you guys missed the boat with Gergiev's Rite... yes, the playing is second-rate but the savagery is thrilling ... the other CD from hell reviews for Gergiev's many shitty recordings are well deserved, though
"If it ain't Baroque, don't fix it!"
- Handel

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: ChopinBroccoli on October 15, 2019, 10:39:53 AM
The CDs from hell are always fun though I think you guys missed the boat with Gergiev's Rite... yes, the playing is second-rate but the savagery is thrilling ... the other CD from hell reviews for Gergiev's many shitty recordings are well deserved, though

Secretly, I like the slobbering-dog Rite of Gergiev's myself.  ;D It's in my Top-6 Rites, I'd say. Glad you're reading... and making CD reviews fun to read is just about the highest compliment we can get.

ChopinBroccoli

Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on October 16, 2019, 01:12:58 PM
Secretly, I like the slobbering-dog Rite of Gergiev's myself.  ;D It's in my Top-6 Rites, I'd say. Glad you're reading... and making CD reviews fun to read is just about the highest compliment we can get.

It's just fun!  Slobbering dog is exactly right lol

I'm a happy subscriber to the site, keep up the great work!
"If it ain't Baroque, don't fix it!"
- Handel

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: ChopinBroccoli on October 16, 2019, 04:36:20 PM
It's just fun!  Slobbering dog is exactly right lol

I'm a happy subscriber to the site, keep up the great work!

Very grateful for your subscribing! I love being able to write exactly what I think and not to have to pull punches and it's really only Hurwitz's site that allows for that. Most other sites or magazines I write for or have written for, both professional and amateur (except in those few cases when I am/was my own editor) either explicitly or implicitly tell you to pull your punches. Exceptions being only ARG and Fanfare, the latter of which is, however, also plagued by the review-for-money and interviews-for-money bugbear... and come to think of it: They're not as much an exception as I'd like. After all, their Editor fired me after an artist complained that she didn't think an interview with her was as flattering as she had hoped it would be, when purchasing it. (Despite numerous reiterations on my - and agreements on her - part, prior to consenting to do this together, that I would not write a fluff-piece.) So yes, the liberty of writing for ClassicsToday is something I value and subscribers make it possible, hence my gratitude.

TD:


On ClassicsToday: Rusalka at Theater an der Wien (Review & Production Photos)
(via ionarts)


Ionarts-at-Large: The 2018 Pärnu Music Festival



My Uncle, Harpsichordist: Session 005 (Jean Françaix)

ChopinBroccoli

Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on October 17, 2019, 02:32:18 AM
Very grateful for your subscribing! I love being able to write exactly what I think and not to have to pull punches and it's really only Hurwitz's site that allows for that. Most other sites or magazines I write for or have written for, both professional and amateur (except in those few cases when I am/was my own editor) either explicitly or implicitly tell you to pull your punches. Exceptions being only ARG and Fanfare, the latter of which is, however, also plagued by the review-for-money and interviews-for-money bugbear... and come to think of it: They're not as much an exception as I'd like. After all, their Editor fired me after an artist complained that she didn't think an interview with her was as flattering as she had hoped it would be, when purchasing it. (Despite numerous reiterations on my - and agreements on her - part, prior to consenting to do this together, that I would not write a fluff-piece.) So yes, the liberty of writing for ClassicsToday is something I value and subscribers make it possible, hence my gratitude.

TD:


On ClassicsToday: Rusalka at Theater an der Wien (Review & Production Photos)
(via ionarts)


Ionarts-at-Large: The 2018 Pärnu Music Festival



My Uncle, Harpsichordist: Session 005 (Jean Françaix)


Exactly the reasons I like the site ... there's never any BS
"If it ain't Baroque, don't fix it!"
- Handel

Karl Henning

Quote from: ChopinBroccoli on October 15, 2019, 10:39:53 AM
The CDs from hell are always fun though I think you guys missed the boat with Gergiev's Rite... yes, the playing is second-rate but the savagery is thrilling ... the other CD from hell reviews for Gergiev's many shitty recordings are well deserved, though

"It's a train-wreck, but WHAT a train-wreck!"   8)
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

ChopinBroccoli

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on October 17, 2019, 09:03:44 AM
"It's a train-wreck, but WHAT a train-wreck!"   8)

Exactly!  If you want to hear it so perfectly played that musically-trained bats would be hard-pressed to find mistakes, the Chailly/Cleveland version from the 80s will do nicely

But if you want to wonder if the orchestra actually sacrificed someone on stage (like a Violist or something), the Gergiev is the one!
"If it ain't Baroque, don't fix it!"
- Handel

Karl Henning

Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

So, what is the Chinese chop on the Celibidache recordings?
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on November 06, 2019, 10:41:49 AM
So, what is the Chinese chop on the Celibidache recordings?

Well, which ones? All of them? Munich Phil/EMI? Stuttgart/Swedish RSO/DG? All composers? Bruckner?

Karl Henning

Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on November 06, 2019, 03:07:03 PM
Well, which ones? All of them? Munich Phil/EMI? Stuttgart/Swedish RSO/DG? All composers? Bruckner?

Bruckner Munich Phil
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

j winter

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on November 06, 2019, 04:35:58 PM
Bruckner Munich Phil

Love 'em, but they are definitely unique -- I have to be in the right mood.  And I can't listen to more than one at a time, it's just too much....

Some of his other late Munich recordings are similar... his Beethoven 7 is just bizarre, enough to make a HIPster slit his wrists, but he brings out some of the inner voices in an really extraordinary way.  I have no idea how he holds it together at that speed, but he does.

Listening to some of those Munich Bruckner recordings is like a meditation; the way it slows down yet keeps coming at you wave upon wave, building, it's hypnotic, it can almost put you in a trance....
The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils.
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,
And his affections dark as Erebus.
Let no such man be trusted.

-- William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

SurprisedByBeauty

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on November 06, 2019, 04:35:58 PM
Bruckner Munich Phil

Unique; broad (we know that); cultist-material. Lush; great supple but never brash horns. Parsifal-esque in their dealing with time. Overrated by one spectrum of listeners, unfairly dismissed by others. Part of every larger Bruckner collection. Venzaga-Antitodes.

Personally, I find his 3rd, 5th, and 6th to be among the best - most convincing - recordings of these symphonies there are. (I also love Norrington's Stuttgart B6, so it's not a matter of tempi; it's more a matter of conviction and execution.)

I know a lot of people who heard lots of these performances live; they all love even the other Bruckner recordings intensely. I appreciate those, too, wouldn't be without them, but I don't think they work nearly as well. At least for me they don't. (Meanwhile I LOVE his Russian disc with the Pictures + R&J Ovt..)

Karl Henning

Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on November 07, 2019, 12:54:21 AM
Unique; broad (we know that); cultist-material. Lush; great supple but never brash horns. Parsifal-esque in their dealing with time. Overrated by one spectrum of listeners, unfairly dismissed by others. Part of every larger Bruckner collection. Venzaga-Antitodes.

Personally, I find his 3rd, 5th, and 6th to be among the best - most convincing - recordings of these symphonies there are. (I also love Norrington's Stuttgart B6, so it's not a matter of tempi; it's more a matter of conviction and execution.)

I know a lot of people who heard lots of these performances live; they all love even the other Bruckner recordings intensely. I appreciate those, too, wouldn't be without them, but I don't think they work nearly as well. At least for me they don't. (Meanwhile I LOVE his Russian disc with the Pictures + R&J Ovt..)

Thanks. I've very much enjoyed this Bruckner box.

Do you know aught of the Chinese chop on the sleeve?
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Papy Oli

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on November 06, 2019, 10:41:49 AM
So, what is the Chinese chop on the Celibidache recordings?

The back page of the Bruckner EMI leaflet has the following, Karl :

Symbol of Longevity - Sergiu Celibidache's view of life and music was markedly influenced by Zen. A Japanese Zen Master once described Celibidache's conducting as "free music through free hands". Shou is a Chinese symbol for longevity. (snip) For this edition, the Shou has been chosen to symbolise Celibidache's ongoing musical and spiritual legacy.

Olivier