The Classical Chat Thread

[Karl Henning]

Yes. They do basically what they say. I am a repeat customer. Some batches have one side slightly wider than the other, in which case you'll want to put the back tray card in the wider side.

Ditto.

[jlaurson]

Does anybody have any experience with space saving cd sleeves? http://www.spacesavingsleeves.com Any opinion would be appreciated.

Brilliant! Life-safers. (If by life you mean shelf-space and domestic harmony.)
You lose something in the spines not being visible anymore (though you can still browse by thumbing over them, in which case you can read them), but you save so much space (an average of 2/3, I'd say or differently: tripling your shelf capacity). You don't save weight per square inch, incidentally, because three CDs + sleeves make up for the jewel case, easily... so if your shelves were bending then, they'll bend as much or more. I don't re-pack SACDs (so I can find them more easily) and operas (because too many don't have the right size booklet, anyway. The result is a little higher and a little wider than a jewel case... note that, if you have any boxes in which you put them that fit too snugly to a jewel case.
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Latest on Forbes.com:
Classical CD Of The Week: Bach for Solo Soprano

Johann Sebastian Bach, Cantatas for Solo-Soprano, Dorothee Mields / L'Orfeo Baroque Orchestra / Michi Gaigg, Carus

...This is arguably the weaker part of the recording at hand (Suzuki presents all 12 strophes, which even Carolyn Sampson, a rare singer I cherish just as much as Mields, can only just about make bearable), but in a way that speaks to the disc's strength rather than any weakness...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/03/23/classical-cd-of-the-week-bach-for-solo-soprano/#120b34ce6c50

[Artem]

Thanks for the comments regarding the sleeves. I was a bit concerned about how the spines would look. Also the issue of the weight is a bit of concern too, because I have to move a number of disks overseas. But I guess to really reduce the weight I must get rid of the liner notes too.

[Pat B]

Thanks for the comments regarding the sleeves. I was a bit concerned about how the spines would look. Also the issue of the weight is a bit of concern too, because I have to move a number of disks overseas. But I guess to really reduce the weight I must get rid of the liner notes too.

Aesthetically the spines look really good, though Jens is correct that they are harder to read.

For shipping purposes note that Jens was talking weight-per-inch -- they surely save quite a bit of weight per disc. I'll try to measure that tomorrow.

[jlaurson]

Aesthetically the spines look really good, though Jens is correct that they are harder to read.

For shipping purposes note that Jens was talking weight-per-inch -- they surely save quite a bit of weight per disc. I'll try to measure that tomorrow.

That is correct; you will save PLENTY weight per CD. More specifically 62 gramms* or thereabouts. And you will save many cubic inches/yards. (Or square, if you go by shelf-space.) Just not any weight per cubic yard because now they stack more tightly.

* An avg. disc with nice booklet and jewel case may weigh ~108g and only 46g with a sleeve. The sleeve itself weighs <6g to the ~68g (jewel cases differ; the cheaper the lighter) of the jewel case... so less than a 1/10. That's a considerable 6kg/>13lb on 100 discs.

Sleeves: If you are willing to ditch the liner notes (apart from the fact that I think that that's tantamount to castrating your collection), well, I don't know even where to begin. Yes, the advantage of these sleeves is specifically their ability to let you keep the back-inlay, which allows for the spine to remain in place and (sortof) readable... but really these sleeves work so well because they turn your CDs in to mini-LPs with all the information retained. I don't think I would spend ~25ct per sleeve/CD if I didn't take full advantage of them.

That said, I need to make another order of them darn things; 1000 at least. Any central European/German/Austrian who wants to try a few is welcome to piggy-bag ride on that order to test them sleeves out.

P.S. if you look at the picture of the tweet that goes with the above CD-of-the-Week post (not the picture posted in this forum), you can see one of those sleeves in action, if you look closely.

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:

Music For The Easter Weekend: From Dresden Schütz to Elgar in Dresden

Anton Bruckner: Symphony No.2 | Edward Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius | Heinrich Schütz, Resurrection Historia | Gottfried August Homilius, St. Mark Passion | George Philipp Telemann, Brockes-Passion

...What soundtrack to the Passion of the Christ, Pesach, or the Easter bunny? Bach wrote eight cantatas for Easter that survived, the Easter-Oratorio, and the two Passions. That's standard stuff and glorious and worthy any occasion but it's been written about plenty. Including in last year's post about Music for Easter on Forbes: "Bach And Beyond: Music For The Easter Weekend". (Nods were also given to Dieterich Buxtehude (Membra Jesu Nostri) and Wagner's Parsifal, and the less well known Carl Heinrich Graun and his Easter Oratorio.)...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/03/24/music-for-the-easter-weekend-from-dresden-schutz-to-elgar-in-dresden/#393a2abc66d6






Classical CD Of The Week: Charles Ives Down Under

Charles Ives, Orchestral Works v.2, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis (conductor), Chandos SACD

...This disc, nominally the second volume in the Melbourne Orchestra's cycle of Charles Ives orchestral works, contains three of his major goodies (Central Park in the Dark, Three Places in New England, and The Unanswered Question) and one of his less performed, perhaps underappreciated works in the most phenomenal performance I have heard: The New England Holidays Symphony. This combination makes the release a perfect starting place for this series and indeed a perfect starting place for your Ives-adventure...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/03/30/classical-cd-of-the-week-charles-ives-down-under/#20229fe06ede

[jochanaan]

This is what happens when an engineer gets a copy of the score for Messiaen's Turangalila-Symphonie for Christmas. Probably isn't too different from a 5-year-old with colored pencils getting one.

It is said that Leopold Stokowski marked up his scores with similar colored pencils.

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:


Classical CD Of The Week: Croatian Romantic Discovery

Dora Pejačević, Piano Concerto, Orchestral Songs, Overture op.49, Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt/Oder, Howard Griffith (conductor), cpo

...There are those who might wish to make a point of Dora Pejačevič being a composer of the female persuasion, but I would consider that possibly sexist; certainly faux-feminist posturing. She's simply a good composer from a time where few women ardently pursued that kind of career. The music deserves credit on account of its beauty, not on account of Pejačevič's chromosome-makeup....


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/04/06/classical-cd-of-the-week-croatian-romantic-discovery/
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[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:


Gergiev Starts Into Second Season In Munich

...On the subject of live-streaming concerts (a concept about which slight confusion seems to reign, when a live-stream of a concert from a few days ago was being promised) there came the comment, almost an aside, that because Gergiev's a star, there were plenty of streaming requests coming forth. It was a blink-or-you-miss-it moment. But Woha! I'll explain in a second....


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/04/09/gergiev-starts-into-second-season-in-munich/#2a6df96c34b7

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:


In Search Of A Home, Abroad: The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra In North America

Forbes: The Bavarian RSO hits N.America today, starting @kencen & finishing @carnegiehall


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/04/12/in-search-of-a-home-abroad-the-bavarian-radio-symphony-orchestra-in-north-america/

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:


Classical CD Of The Week:
Danish Schumann With A Punch

Until not so long ago, Wolfgang Sawallisch's set of Schumann Symphonies was
the universal consensus reference-recording which conveniently meant that
thinking about new recordings wasn't necessary – nor listening...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/04/13/classical-cd-of-the-week-danish-schumann-with-a-punch/

[jlaurson]

latest on ionarts... or actually just dusting off of a post that has languished for almost ten years after WETA dumped their blog including the Mahler survey I wrote for them. Here is, at nearly-last (Symphony 4 has yet to be restored), the Introduction:

Gustav Mahler – A Brief Introduction



http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2016/04/gustav-mahler-brief-introduction.html

[North Star]

Hannu Lintu has extended his contract as the chief conductor of Finnish RSO to 2021, with an option of two more years. His reign started in autumn 2013.

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:
Bach At Home In Japan

Where resides the best Bach Orchestra and Chorus in the world? Leipzig? Berlin?
Germany at least? Amsterdam – where the great Bach tradition still lives on vibrantly?
London, where the early music movement attained its first heights? Maybe, but for
my money try Kobe, Japan[1]. Forgive for a second the hyperbole of "best": there
are other really, really fine ensembles that do Bach extremely proud. But the Bach
Collegium Japan (BCJ) and its founding director Masaaki Suzuki are are part of the
exclusive high-end of interpreters of the Leipzig's Master and need yield to no one in
the quality of their Bach performances....


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/04/17/bach-at-home-in-japan

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:
Classical CD Of The Week: Living History Mozart

Paul Badura-Skoda seems like a pianist from another era – t'is almost surprising he
is still alive and busily recording! But he certainly is – and the wealth of his musical
knowledge shows in this latest of his recent Mozart solo-recordings on a 1790s
Anton Weller instrument....


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/04/20/classical-cd-of-the-week-living-history-mozart/

[jlaurson]

Latest on ionarts:
Ionarts-at-Large: The Vienna Symphony's B Minor Mass: Bach to Snooze To

The Vienna Symphony Orchestra under Philippe Jordan has taken on the sensible, laudable,
wonderful mission of adding Bach to its regularish fare. Last year they performed the St.
Matthew Passion.[1] Next season it will be the St. John Passion. And on March 19th, it was
the Mass in B minor at the Vienna Konzerthaus – part of the now defunct "Osterklang"
Festival of secular music associated with the Theater an der Wien (or rather: its Intendant,
Roland Geyer).

In short, this Karl Richter memorial performance was...


http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2016/04/ionarts-at-large-vienna-symphonys-b.html

[EigenUser]

When I went to see Mahler 6 a couple of months ago with Brian, Bruce, and a few friends of mine, I told them that I listened to it at the gym. Brian specifically asked "When it is hammertime, what do you do?" Now I have a good answer: https://www.instagram.com/p/BFKdasmmDB3/

(since this is GMG, I should tell you that the audio clip used is from Bernstein's DG recording)

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:
Classical CD Of The Week: Revelation Of A Mystery Play

Alongside Mieczysław Weinberg (Passenger and especially Idiot), Walter Braunfels is the greatest
among least known opera composers. (Needless to say, he was given an overdue chapter in the
new, second edition of Surprised by Beauty, Robert Reilly's "Listener's Guide to the Recovery of
20th Century of Music" for which it was my privilege to contribute this particular chapter.) Record-
ings of Jeanne D'Arc and at last a new recording of The Annunciation show Braunfels at his best...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/04/20/classical-cd-of-the-week-living-history-mozart/


Classical CD Of The Week: Domestic Violins & Four Last Songs for Chorus

It's easy to be dismissive about Richard Strauss' Sinfonia Domestica, with its purported or actual
depiction of his eggs sunny-side-up for breakfast, afternoon nap, and a digestive movement (ma
non troppo). And although it's likely Strauss was deliberately poking fun at the symphonic tradition
with his juxtaposition of the most banal topicality, he didn't compose his 9th (of 10) tone poem
just as a lark...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/04/27/classical-cd-of-the-week-domestic-violins-four-last-songs-for-chorus/


Boston Symphony's Gift To Mahler In Vienna

...And that was achieved, and with perfectly hushed tones in the bargain, interrupted only by the
marimba ringtone of a goddamned iPhone, the owner of which was undoubtedly tarred and
feathered and thrown into the Danube Canal immediately following the concert...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/05/10/boston-symphonys-gift-to-mahler-in-vienna/

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:
Classical CD Of The Week: Mozart With Je Ne Sais Quoi

To say that Mozart wrote some pieces that are greater than others is not to
denigrate the miracle-man from Salzburg. Even to say that he is an overrated
composer – which as the easily most popular classical composer, relative to
his colleagues, he must be – doesn't put a dent into his magnificent, ravishing
output. So to say that Mozart's violin concertos are wonderful works but not
of the same complexity and even quality as, for example, the later piano
concertos; to say that three of them are plenty in one sitting, and to say that
it needn't always be a complete recording of all five to adequately satisfy the
daily dose of Mozart, doesn't constitute a Lèse-majesté...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/05/12/classicalcdoftheweekzimmermann/

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:
Classical CD Of The Week: Once-In-A-Decade Schumann

The three Schumann String Quartets (op.41/1-3) are not as present on the recital- or recording
scene as one might assume, given the fame of the composer and the relative popularity of the
genre. We notice this when there comes a recording our way – as seems to happen every decade
or so – that turns our heads and makes us go: "Woha! Right – those works!"...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/05/19/classicalcdoftheweek_schumann_hermes-quartet_la-dolce-volta/#5147bc8c345a