David Hurwitz

[Karl Henning]

OTTOMH, symphonies and divers orchestral works of Wm Schuman, and symphonies of Hovhaness.

[DavidW]

I have a number of those Gardiner ones and enjoy them.  Think that the only Bach recording that I have with Harnoncourt is one of his masses?

PD

Harnoncourt recorded the cantatas with Leonhardt, which I believe is in that big teldec set.  And in the other big set in the picture is the Rilling set.  I think they're both considered proto-HIP as they stand out from traditional performances but are not in the same sound space as the modern sets (Suzuki, Koopman, Gardiner etc)

Both Harnoncourt and Leonhardt have a great affinity for Bach.  In particular, Leonhardt's solo keyboard recordings are phenomenal.

[Karl Henning]

OTTOMH, symphonies and divers orchestral works of Wm Schuman, and smphonies of Hovhaness.

It predated Naxos, but my first impression of Schwarz was unfavorable: a recording with Seattle chamber players of the Brandenburgs. At this remove in time, I think I recall that my sense was "competent but little more," and that of course I wanted better in those concerti.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Harnoncourt recorded the cantatas with Leonhardt, which I believe is in that big teldec set.  And in the other big set in the picture is the Rilling set.  I think they're both considered proto-HIP as they stand out from traditional performances but are not in the same sound space as the modern sets (Suzuki, Koopman, Gardiner etc)

Both Harnoncourt and Leonhardt have a great affinity for Bach.  In particular, Leonhardt's solo keyboard recordings are phenomenal.

I'll check some of those out.  By the way, I goofed!  The mass that I was thinking of was with Herreweghe--the Matthew one.  I do have the complete set with Richter (love so many of those singers in those recordings; it's been a while though since I have listened to them.  Still have a soft spot for them though.    I've also heard some of the Suzuki recordings (over the radio) but never felt like I HAD to go out and purchase any of them--perhaps my mood at the time?  Been quite some time since I have revisited his cantatas; I should rectify that soon.

Oh!  Another favorite recording of mine of "Ich habe genug" is with Gérard Souzay.  Have you ever heard that one David?

PD

[DavidW]

Oh!  Another favorite recording of mine of "Ich habe genug" is with Gérard Souzay.  Have you ever heard that one David?

PD

Oh no, I'll have to check it out!

[Atriod]

I have a number of those Gardiner ones and enjoy them.  Think that the only Bach recording that I have with Harnoncourt is one of his masses?

PD

Gardiner's Archiv recordings were the first ones that made me fall in love with the music. The live SDG cycle performances are for the most part highly enjoyable as well, a bit too brisk in some cantatas for my taste. My favorites are Suzuki for his spirituality and Herreweghe for an infectious warmth and tenderness.

[Atriod]

Harnoncourt recorded the cantatas with Leonhardt, which I believe is in that big teldec set.  And in the other big set in the picture is the Rilling set.  I think they're both considered proto-HIP as they stand out from traditional performances but are not in the same sound space as the modern sets (Suzuki, Koopman, Gardiner etc)

Both Harnoncourt and Leonhardt have a great affinity for Bach.  In particular, Leonhardt's solo keyboard recordings are phenomenal.

Harnoncourt/Leonhardt is fully HIP. It is also the only cycle to use boy sopranos. Hurwitz loves the Rilling cycle but it's a bit academic and dry.

[Mookalafalas]

It predated Naxos, but my first impression of Schwarz was unfavorable: a recording with Seattle chamber players of the Brandenburgs. At this remove in time, I think I recall that my sense was "competent but little more," and that of course I wanted better in those concerti.

  I know he does a lot of David Diamond, William Schuman, David Piston, etc., in the American repertoire. He was on my radar back when I listened to the Mercury Living Presence boxes, because he was basically the only guy out there covering those gouys, and I wanted to hear more. I never got any though, because I'm sort of allergic to paying full price for single disks, even Naxos-priced. However, I'm definitely going to get that 30 disk box. Like immediately.
    About your evaluation, that is what I'd imagine, i.e. that he does a fine job and has a pretty good orchestra, but that's all. I think Hurwitz suggested that he is somewhat better than that, but he didn't claim (as he did with Slatkin in St. Louis) that he had fantastic orchestra.

 Edit:  looked at the contents of the Schwarz box, and it has more "standard" material than I had hoped--including the Brandenbergs... :-(

[Karl Henning]

dit:  looked at the contents of the Schwarz box, and it has more "standard" material than I had hoped--including the Brandenbergs... :-(

a 30-disc Schwarz box of off-the-beaten-path rep, esp. Diamond, Piston, Schuman ... that would be choice!

[Mookalafalas]

a 30-disc Schwarz box of off-the-beaten-path rep, esp. Diamond, Piston, Schuman ... that would be choice!

 It seems to be striving to cut a broad cross-section across his repertoire. For example, it has 1 Bach Brandenburg suite.
  Here is a sample:
 CD 8 :
Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25
Schubert: Symphony No. 3 in D major, D200

CD 9 :
Carter, E: The Minotaur
Fine, I G: Notturno for Strings
Barber: Serenade for String Orchestra, Op. 1
Carter, E: Elegy
Carter, E: Canon for 3 - In memoriam Igor Stravinsky

CD 10 :
Diamond: Rounds for String Orchestra
Albert, S: Flower of the Mountain
Perle: Serenade No. 3 for Piano and Chamber Orchestra
Perle: Piano Concertino
Dlugoszewski: Space is a Diamond
Whittenberg: Polyphony
Wolpe: Solo Piece for Trumpet

CD 11 :
Herbert, V: Suite for Cello & Orchestra, Op. 3
Herbert, V: 3 Compositions for String Orchestra
Herbert, V: Serenade, Op. 12
Jones, Samuel: Tuba Concerto

CD 12 :
Panufnik, A: Symphony No. 10
Panufnik, A: Autumn Music
Panufnik, A: Heroic Overture
Panufnik, A: Symphony No. 3 'Sinfonia sacra'

CD 13 :
Schreker: Kammersymphonie
Hindemith: Kammermusik No. 1 Op. 24 No. 1 für 12 Solo-Instrumente
Busoni: Concertino for Clarinet and Small Orchestra, Op. 48
Honegger: Concerto da camera for Flute, Cor Anglais & String Orchestra

CD 14 :
Strauss, R: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, Op. 60

CD 15 :
Bernstein: Symphony No. 3 'Kaddish'
Taylor, J D: Peter Ibbetson, Op. 20 (Highlights)

  I'm looking at the guy's discography, and its insane. Over a hundred disks on Naxos, but then tons on Delos. I'm sampling, and it's very solid, and generally really good sound. And stuff I wouldn't have expected. How about Haydn and Hummel trumpet concertos---with Schwarz as soloist?! (He's got nice tone, but his chops aren't quite top tier, IMO.) He has a lot of war horses, and then living American women composers I've never heard of. I'm listening to his LvB Pastorale right now--and it's no slouch. I think he's my new hero

[Jo498]

Delos was apparently quite active in the 90s (the tail end of the CD boom) and Schwarz their main conductor.

[Mookalafalas]

Delos was apparently quite active in the 90s (the tail end of the CD boom) and Schwarz their main conductor.

 According to one of his web-sites, he has recorded 350 disks!
     I started reading his autobiography. I hadn't realized he'd been lead trumpet in New York, under Boulez, Bernstein, and Lensdorf--while still very young.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

According to one of his web-sites, he has recorded 350 disks!
     I started reading his autobiography. I hadn't realized he'd been lead trumpet in New York, under Boulez, Bernstein, and Lensdorf--while still very young.

Quite interesting!

And, wow!  Yes, that's a lot of recordings!

PD

[ando]

If you don't agree with him much, doesn't he drive you nuts?

No. Why would you allow anyone to drive you nuts? I find him spot on (and entertaining) most of the time, in any event; especially his latest rant:

"There's no demand for Bruchner. I guarantee you. There isn't. And everyone's doing it anyway..." 

He obviously hasn't visited this site. 

[Mookalafalas]

No. Why would you allow anyone to drive you nuts? I find him spot on (and entertaining) most of the time,

  I agree, for the most part. Actually, I just watched him do an attack video where he really went after Jordi Savall's romantic repertoire, and said, in so many words, "He has no place doing this material," and said it was god-awful. That's the first time I've completely disagreed with him.

[71 dB]

David Hurwitz has very strong opinions, but he doesn't expect/demand other people share them. All he wants people to do is to "keep listening." One thing people overlook I think is that disagreements aren't always bad. I can respect an opinion different from my own opinion if I know the opinion comes from a place of knowledge and understanding. In the case of David Hurwitz they tend to be that way. He is not running his mouth on things he doesn't know anything about. He has listened to classical music much much more than I have and he knows about it much much more than I do. That's why it is wise for me to listen to what he has to say and possibly learn something new. In the end of the day I don't have to agree with him about everything, because these opinions are so subjective in nature. His life and journey into exploring classical music has been completely different from my life and journey. It would be strange if he had 100 % same opinion with me.

This sounds like I was a David Hurwitz apologist, but this is really about tolerating opinions of other people based on how informed they are rather than how similar they are to yours. 

[71 dB]

Very unfairly, I had always discounted NAXOS as a bargain-basement label.

In the beginning, say for the first 5 years up to early 90s, Naxos was kind of a bargain-basement label, but it developed fast into a quality label with bargain-basement label pricing made possible by the business success (large average amount of copies sold of releases). However, the amount of copies sold has shrunk since and Naxos isn't anymore priced as a bargain-basement label, unfortunately. The price advantage has been lost, but on the other hand the overall quality is quite high.

[Mookalafalas]

In the beginning, say for the first 5 years up to early 90s, Naxos was kind of a bargain-basement label, but it developed fast into a quality label with bargain-basement label pricing made possible by the business success (large average amount of copies sold of releases). However, the amount of copies sold has shrunk since and Naxos isn't anymore priced as a bargain-basement label, unfortunately. The price advantage has been lost, but on the other hand the overall quality is quite high.

  Yes, they recently bought another whole label. I didn't see that coming.

  Anyway, back to Hurwitz. I think this is a perfect example of why he is valuable. This is a nice, reasonable review of the Berglund box, with good points and good info. It's in Dave's typical "rough and ready" style, but I can't imagine anyone finding anything objectionable here. {well, I supposed GMG folk will readily prove me wrong }
https://youtu.be/wbr32waHrS8?si=4Zi1d5fW9OwDy5nU

[DavidW]

It's in Dave's typical "rough and ready" style,

More like youtube style, his written content is far more polished for obvious reasons.  VLOGs are expected to be more spontaneous or at least feel that way.

[Brian]

Yes, they recently bought another whole label. I didn't see that coming.

Not the first time! Naxos also owns Ondine, Capriccio, Oehms Classics, and a couple others. 

I'm definitely going to listen to DH's Berglund review today while cleaning the bathroom.