Mozart in Period Performances (HIP)

[M forever]

I am researching the best recording to get for a HIP symphonies cycle.

What do you think?

I think you should scroll back just a few posts.

[12tone.]

The HIP scene is starting to get sci-fi features: things are developping at light speed and are getting more amazing by the day!   After the resurrection of the lute-harpsichord (Lautenwerck) and the clavichord,
next is the Tangentenflügel (tangent piano)!

This is the first release of a new German label: "Ludi Musici".
Two SACD's in a booklet with 6 violin sonatas by Mozart with a Tangentenflügel (and an interview in German) - isn't it fascinating? Anton Steck is a superb baroque violinist and the sound of the Tangentenflügel, played by Marieke Spaans, is very cute IMO.

Online Review

[mp3=200,20,0,left]http://www.jpc.de/mp3/780/7808456_01.mp3[/mp3]
[mp3=200,20,0,left]http://www.jpc.de/mp3/780/7808456_04.mp3[/mp3]
Longer samples of higher quality can be found here (tracks 5-9) and here.

Q

Q:

A couple questions!

1) How is it that you are putting up these sound samples?  Really good!  You should make a thread of all your favorites so we can hear some more snippets 

2) Can you explain more about this 'Tangent Piano' and 'lute-harpsichord'?  This is interesting!  Which instrument did we hear in your samples?

[Que]

1) How is it that you are putting up these sound samples?  Really good!  You should make a thread of all your favorites so we can hear some more snippets 

Rob has a thread on this: Embedding MP3 files. But it's mostly not easy to find the url of the MP3-file on a webpage (to find with: "view source") and it does only work with (most) MP3 files. The MP3 function is for these reasons hardly used on the forum.

2) Can you explain more about this 'Tangent Piano' and 'lute-harpsichord'?  This is interesting!  Which instrument did we hear in your samples?

The recording, and the samples, is with a tangent piano. The names of the instruments in the post you quoted are linked to wikipedia for explanation. There are some lute-harpsichord (my favourite) and clavicord suggestions on this thread: Bach on the Harpsichord (lute-harpsichord, clavichord, etc.).

Q

[bassio]

I think you should scroll back just a few posts.

Thanks M, I nearly missed that.

[Harry]

I saw this release on the JPC site, 10 cd's going for 39,95 euro's, and ordered it right away.
Exciting.
For all the HIP dudes!

[rickardg]

FWIW, if you are pinching pennies, europadisk.co.uk has it in a special offer for £24.95 (~€31.50) until 26/03/2008. I assume it is the 'budget' issue with reduced liner notes?

I actually had it in my basket there for a while together with a few of Immerseels Mozart recordings on Zig-Zag and some other stuff mentioned on the HIP Mozart thread but I was to cheap to pull the trigger...

[FideLeo]

I think Immerseel is waiting to re-record them for Zig-zag Territories later.  He already has some live performances in the can (n. 6, 8, 15, 22, 23) for that label but these can only be downloaded (for a fee) from the zzt site.  I had every single one from the channel set - sound quality is excellent - the performances are attenuated and smooth.   

fl

http://www.zigzag-territoires.com/catalog.php3?id_rubrique=47

[FideLeo]

FWIW, if you are pinching pennies, europadisk.co.uk has it in a special offer for £24.95 (~€31.50) until 26/03/2008. I assume it is the 'budget' issue with reduced liner notes?

You are correct - I don't really think I have learned much that is new from the notes though.  Neal Zaslow's notes for the Bilson Gardiner are definitely more interesting for me.

fl

[bassio]

I saw this release on the JPC site, 10 cd's going for 39,95 euro's, and ordered it right away.
Exciting.
For all the HIP dudes!

Hi Harry, great suggestion. I was just asking about some HIP Mozart some time back.

I am waiting for your feedback regarding how this compares with the Hogwood and Bilson set.

[Harry]

Hi Harry, great suggestion. I was just asking about some HIP Mozart some time back.

I am waiting for your feedback regarding how this compares with the Hogwood and Bilson set.

It will however take some time before I get to listening to the concertos, and compare....

[FideLeo]

the Hogwood and Bilson set.

That's the Gardiner and Bilson set.  Hogwood recorded them with Robert Levin.

FL

[BorisG]

I saw this release on the JPC site, 10 cd's going for 39,95 euro's, and ordered it right away.
Exciting.
For all the HIP dudes!

It is a disappointing set for any amount of money. The weight of the orchestra infringes on the soloist. The strings are often swamped by the close micing of other sections. This poorly recorded sound makes it difficult to enjoy the performances, not that the playing is anything special.

[FideLeo]

It is a disappointing set for any amount of money. The weight of the orchestra infringes on the soloist. The strings are often swamped by the close micing of other sections. This poorly recorded sound makes it difficult to enjoy the performances, not that the playing is anything special.

I think that's the orchestral balance that van Immerseel wants - even if it sounds like a poor one to you.
I reckon Channel Classics' rendering of the acoustics a HIP orchestra vs solo fortepiano to be, in fact, quite natural.

fl

[Harry]

I saw this release on the JPC site, 10 cd's going for 39,95 euro's, and ordered it right away.
Exciting.
For all the HIP dudes!

And from the same forces all the Beethoven Symphonies will appear coming April, for the same price.

[FideLeo]

And from the same forces all the Mozart Symphonies will appear coming April, for the same price.

Has van Immerseel recorded all Mozart symphonies? 

[Que]

And from the same forces all the Mozart Symphonies will appear coming April, for the same price.

All the Mozart symphonies?
Could you mean Beethoven, or did I miss something?

Q

[Harry]

All the Mozart symphonies?
Could you mean Beethoven, or did I miss something?

Q

Yes, Beethoven! I am sorry Que.

[Harry]

Has van Immerseel recorded all Mozart symphonies? 

No,...sorry my mistake!

[FideLeo]

did I miss something?

I think not.

32 euro (list) is actually a very good price - it is even cheaper than the Badura-Skoda complete LvB sonatas re-release (Gramola) which is about 49 euro current.

ps.  B-S is recording still - new release of Schubert sonatas on Genuin.

[rickardg]

I think Immerseel is waiting to re-record them for Zig-zag Territories later. 

Aha, interesting...

the performances are attenuated and smooth.   

Pardon a n00b, but is that good or bad...? 

Well, I can imagine smooth and I guess it's a matter of taste, but what does attenuated mean in this context?

And how would you, or anyone else for that matter, describe the Gardiner/Bilson set? Oh well, I guess I'll have to sign up to emusic to sample Immerseel properly. DGG has actually got decent samples of Gardiner/Bilson on their website, but there are still quite a few movements where you don't get to hear the keyboard in the sample.