What are you listening 2 now?

[Florestan]

People who play Chopin as if he belongs in a polite ladies' drawing room somewhere do him a massive disservice. Chopin is dramatic.

No doubt, but who plays him like that? An example or two would be helpful.

[Traverso]

Beethoven

Another eight and I like this recording better than the Monteux,especially the articulation.

Symphony No.8

Wiener Philharmoniker

[ChopinBroccoli]

I love this image.  I also love the two recordings it represents - they are even very good sound by any standard, let alone 1960 CBS.

Agree on both counts

[Biffo]

Schoenberg: Violin Concerto - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kiril Petrenko with Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin - concert from March 9th 2019

[prémont]

Listen again to the way the crescendos swell in op 45, the way he indulges the resonances of the piano, and the dynamic changes, the pauses.  I can imagine Kenner flicking his head back ecstatically in a Liszty type of way.  Even more so the op 66

Also kein Kenner sondern vielleicht ein Liebhaber.

[Mandryka]

No doubt, but who plays him like that? An example or two would be helpful.

Moravec? (I like this sort of politeness)

https://www.youtube.com/v/3LIoAvlBX7c

[Mandryka]

Also kein kenner sondern vielleicht ein liebhaver.

I'll tell you the truth. I don't speak German at all. And when I first came across CPE Bach's Kenner und Liebhaber sonatas, I thought they were written for two real people, Herr Kenner and Herr Liebhaber!

[André]

Ormandy's Prokofiev recordings are all outstanding

His Shostakovich were almost always exceptional (especially the first and the cello concerto with Rostropovich)

His Mussorgsky "Pictures" might be the best ever

His Tchaikovsky was always excellent

His Rachmaninoff cycle is one of the best

The guy was great in Russian music

Other composers he did exceptional work of include Sibelius, Saint-Saëns, Vaughn Williams, Ives and Dvorak

His orchestra was one of the most ridiculously skilled on the planet

He gets killed for three reasons:
1) he didn't excel in the core Germanic repertoire... usually offering beautifully played but puzzlingly neutral interpretations (especially not doing more to reign in the opulent, lush "Philly" strings in material from the Classical era)

2) He was a little chubby guy with a relatively unremarkable personality by conductor standards in contrast to younger, pompadour sporting colleagues like Lenny and Karajan or intimidating or severe contemporaries like Szell or Reiner ... he also sold a lot of records... easy target

3) like Szell and Bernstein, he suffered from Columbia engineering that hurt his chances with the audiophile contingent... ironically, when he moved to RCA in the 70s they were far removed from their "Living Stereo" glory years

The man was at the helm of one of the world's elite orchestras for 44 years and made a huge number of recordings.  There are some absolutely great ones in there if one simply takes the time to look.

+1
Shostakovich 15 from the RCA period is scandalously underrated. One of the best DSCH recordings ever. Also his mono Sibelius Legends, symphonies 4 and 5. And in the more popular repertoire, nobody brings more exhilaration to the Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture or the Russian Easter Overture, both taken at a moderate tempo, proving that mere speed tends to spend itself before reaching the finishing line, while he builds up excitement inexorably without ever resorting to an accelerando. I should also mention that I spent felicitous hours last month listening to his recordings of Beethoven symphonies 5-9.

[Karl Henning]

Before work.
Weinberg: Symphony No.5 (again! )
My thanks to Cesar (SA) whom I think first posted about this new release. It has given me much pleasure:

Listening to Weinberg before work? Brave man! 

[Florestan]

Moravec? (I like this sort of politeness)

https://www.youtube.com/v/3LIoAvlBX7c

All of what you said about Kenner applies here as well: swelling crescendos, indulging resonances, dynamic changes, pauses. Plenty of drama, actually. There's nothing in this performance that sounds like "belong[ing] in a polite ladies' drawing room somewhere".

I think you confuse beauty of sound and beautiful piano playing with politeness, even blandness --- but you're wrong. Chopin himself was universally famous, and praised, for his beautiful playing and the beauty of his sounds.

[SimonNZ]

[Florestan]

I'll tell you the truth. I don't speak German at all. And when I first came across CPE Bach's Kenner und Liebhaber sonatas, I thought they were written for two real people, Herr Kenner and Herr Liebhaber!

[Mandryka]

All of what you said about Kenner applies here as well: swelling crescendos, indulging resonances, dynamic changes, pauses. Plenty of drama, actually. There's nothing in this performance that sounds like "belong[ing] in a polite ladies' drawing room somewhere".

I think you confuse beauty of sound and beautiful piano playing with politeness, even blandness --- but you're wrong. Chopin himself was universally famous, and praised, for his beautiful playing and the beauty of his sounds.

It was the relative dynamic restraint which made me post it, it's never very loud. I like it very much, by the way.

[Florestan]

It was the relative dynamic restraint which made me post it, it's never very loud.

You mean the Youtube or the actual CD? There might be a difference between the two. I have the latter and the dynamic contrast is noticeable. It might not break your ears in louder moments but I wouldn't say it's particularly quiet either.

[ChopinBroccoli]

+1
Shostakovich 15 from the RCA period is scandalously underrated. One of the best DSCH recordings ever. Also his mono Sibelius Legends, symphonies 4 and 5. And in the more popular repertoire, nobody brings more exhilaration to the Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture or the Russian Easter Overture, both taken at a moderate tempo, proving that mere speed tends to spend itself before reaching the finishing line, while he builds up excitement inexorably without ever resorting to an accelerando. I should also mention that I spent felicitous hours last month listening to his recordings of Beethoven symphonies 5-9.

Spot on.  Agree completely

[Traverso]

Boulez

It seems time to listen to Boulez again.

[Mirror Image]

You gave your subjective opinion

I gave mine

It's a message board.  That's the way it functions.  If you don't wish to discuss anything, then don't quote my post and give an opinion on its content.  Pretty straightforward setup.

Thanks for telling me how a forum functions as I never knew beforehand. I don't wish to discuss Ormandy with you, because you're a fanboy and I'm not. Pretty straightforward.

[Karl Henning]

Nielsen
Symphonies 4, 5 & 6
SFSO
Blomstedt

[Karl Henning]

Ormandy's Prokofiev recordings are all outstanding

His Shostakovich were almost always exceptional (especially the first and the cello concerto with Rostropovich)

His Mussorgsky "Pictures" might be the best ever

His Tchaikovsky was always excellent

His Rachmaninoff cycle is one of the best

The guy was great in Russian music

Other composers he did exceptional work of include Sibelius, Saint-Saëns, Vaughn Williams, Ives and Dvorak

His orchestra was one of the most ridiculously skilled on the planet

He gets killed for three reasons:
1) he didn't excel in the core Germanic repertoire... usually offering beautifully played but puzzlingly neutral interpretations (especially not doing more to reign in the opulent, lush "Philly" strings in material from the Classical era)

2) He was a little chubby guy with a relatively unremarkable personality by conductor standards in contrast to younger, pompadour sporting colleagues like Lenny and Karajan or intimidating or severe contemporaries like Szell or Reiner ... he also sold a lot of records... easy target

3) like Szell and Bernstein, he suffered from Columbia engineering that hurt his chances with the audiophile contingent... ironically, when he moved to RCA in the 70s they were far removed from their "Living Stereo" glory years

The man was at the helm of one of the world's elite orchestras for 44 years and made a huge number of recordings.  There are some absolutely great ones in there if one simply takes the time to look.

I really liked his substitution of men's choir for the cellos at the start of the 1812 Overture, which suits beautifully, since it is a liturgical chant.

[ChopinBroccoli]

Thanks for telling me how a forum functions as I never knew beforehand. I don't wish to discuss Ormandy with you, because you're a fanboy and I'm not. Pretty straightforward.

Well, you seem shocked I'd dare respond to your comment.  I thought maybe you didn't understand what we're all doing here: giving our opinions on stuff. 

"Fanboy"?  Pithy commentary, that ... "you disagree with my dismissal of this person, therefore you must be a fanboy"

"I don't wish to discuss Ormandy with you" ... so why did you?