What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[jlaurson]

A short Mass to begin the day:

BACH - Missae Breves BWV 233-236
Cantus Cölln/ Konrad Junghanel
Harmonia mundi, 2 CD
1h50'

Great performances of these usually overlooked works. Nothing to be desired here, excepting a massive choir and big orchestra.  

Great way to start the day, indeed! These are such terrific works.

http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=611
Ton Koopman and Bach's Missae Breves

...The performances kindled in me an instant love for these works. Comparison to two of my favorite Bach conductors—Philippe Herreweghe (Virgin) and Konrad Junghänel (Harmonia Mundi) confirmed their excellence. I might not prefer Jörg Dürmüller over Christoph Pregardien (Herreweghe) in the G-major Mass, but Koopman's other soloists (Deborah York, Johannette Zomer, Bogna Bartosz, Klause Mertens) leave nothing to be desired and his choir excels at all times. I also prefer Koopman's usually swifter tempos compared to both, Herreweghe and Junghänel. And I prefer—marginally—the sound of the Challenge Classics recording (direct, but with a glow) over the slightly recessed resonance of Herreweghe and Harmonia Mundi's captured sound (also direct, but minus that glow). One should not forget the marvelous Purcell Quartet's recording (Chandos); one of their earlier forays into Bach and at the time still radical for being One-Voice-per-Part. But even if I could somehow replace the Purcell's counter tenor Robin Blaze with alto Bogna Bartosz, Koopman would remain my favorite account of these splendid works.

Thread duty:

Beethoven, "Consecration of the House Overture", on Classical WETA's iTunes stream.

That's apropos (although I'm pretty sure they were not aware of that, when programming), because today, 100 years ago, Gustav Mahler (who would have thought) gave his first concert as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. With, among other works, that Overture.

[Valentin]

[Henk]

PC 6, 17.

[Novi]

The one you have in your jpc basket (photo above) is the one to have. Same performances, but on the one pictured above the sound is noticeably better, less filtered and better piano tone. That set is easily worth $100 IMO. Grab it while you can!

Oh dear, not what the credit card wanted to hear. Thanks for the warning though. I see that this set is available from ebay sellers for a less ruinous price, which is great news. While I'm thinking about the Feinberg, I'll put this on:

[not edward]

Schmidt: Symphony No 4 (WP/Mehta). Not the most cheerful way to start the day.

[mahler10th]

This is the recording which illumined the Sinfonia antartica for me.

I know Karl.  It was your gushing for the RVW Antarctica Symphony under Bakels about a year ago that woke me up to him.

Listening to:

BRUCKNER 9
RCO
Chailly

[jlaurson]

Speaking of WTC:

Cat-arrivals today:


J.S.Bach
WTC Bk.1
S.Richter
Melodiya / Eurodisc
re-released by Sony
re-mastered by Yukio Takahashi


J.S.Bach
WTC Bk.2
S.Richter
Melodiya / Eurodisc
re-released by Sony
re-mastered by Yukio Takahashi

beautiful retro look--"LP Style", original artwork...

[Conor71]

Josquin: Missa La Sol Fa Re Mi - Phillips/Tallis Scholars

[Franco]

I have a previous reisssue of those Richter WTC, and assume he only recorded it once, but in any event, I really like his playing of Bach.

[bhodges]

Review from Amazon:

atonal, amusical combinations of sounds by a mathematician who lacks the slightest fragment of a musical bone in his body. this cd contains music for the eye and head by all-star theorist milton babbitt. recommended listening for the intellectual and mathematically talented deaf person with score in hand.

Unfortunately, I am neither deaf nor mathematically inclined—yet I press on in my mistaken enjoyment.

That is a really hilarious comment, even if I don't agree with it.  Babbitt is quite musical, but in a very uncompromising way; it's the aural equivalent of severe abstraction.  Anyway, don't want to go off on a long discourse, just wanted to thank you for posting that description.  (As well as your "mistaken enjoyment" phrase.)

--Bruce

[Harry]

OOOOOOO, this is so beautiful


http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Istanbul/hnum/9196120

[Novi]

Speaking of WTC:

Cat-arrivals today:


J.S.Bach
WTC Bk.1
S.Richter
Melodiya / Eurodisc
re-released by Sony
re-mastered by Yukio Takahashi


J.S.Bach
WTC Bk.2
S.Richter
Melodiya / Eurodisc
re-released by Sony
re-mastered by Yukio Takahashi

beautiful retro look--"LP Style", original artwork...

I was just listening to the older RCA re-issue - I'm pretty sure these are the same performance (Salzburg? I think Richter recorded the complete WTC twice.) Yours have much better artwork for sure. The RCA set is atrocious (visually).

[Keemun]

Schmidt: Symphony No 4 (WP/Mehta). Not the most cheerful way to start the day.

But a good one, nonetheless. 

Now:

Mahler
Symphony No. 2
Bernstein
NYPO
1987

[jlaurson]

I was just listening to the older RCA re-issue - I'm pretty sure these are the same performance (Salzburg? I think Richter recorded the complete WTC twice.) Yours have much better artwork for sure. The RCA set is atrocious (visually).

Yep... Schloss Klessheim, Salzburg. 21.-31. 07. 1970 Bk.1 and August, September, February 1972/73 Bk.2
On a Boesendorfer

[Lethevich]

Inspired by the foresight of the world premiere of his Requiem (1935, but only rediscovered last year) in two weeks, Cornelis Dopper's Seventh Symphony `Zuiderzee' (1917) in a modern recording (even if all combined forces in his Wikipedia article seem to think there isn't any other recording available but Mengelberg's 1940 rendering   ).

                 

I'm grateful for that Bakels - the orchestra plays very well and the microphone balance is spot-on. If only all obscure symphonies could have such well-presented recordings... As much as I wish to enjoy the Mengelberg recording, the sound quality is quite poor, plus I prefer the "straight" way which Bakels plays it - It feels as if Mengelberg is forever tweaking things...

[Dancing Divertimentian]

(Salzburg? I think Richter recorded the complete WTC twice.) Y.

Technically you're correct, but officially he recorded the complete WTC only once. The other set (Innsbruck, 1973) exists in bootleg form and has since been withdrawn.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Speaking of WTC:

Cat-arrivals today:


J.S.Bach
WTC Bk.1
S.Richter
Melodiya / Eurodisc
re-released by Sony
re-mastered by Yukio Takahashi


J.S.Bach
WTC Bk.2
S.Richter
Melodiya / Eurodisc
re-released by Sony
re-mastered by Yukio Takahashi

beautiful retro look--"LP Style", original artwork...

Any thoughts on the transfers between these and what's on RCA?

[mahler10th]

I've still to get Solt doing Walton 1, which I'm told is hotter than boiling mercury.
However, this Mackerras presentation of Walton 1 (on a budget) has a nice sizzle to it.
Sir Colin Davis did one which was so hot my eyes were roasted from their sockets. 

I have taken such a roasting from this symphony in the past that I have purchased some dry powder fire protection vessels for my own safety.   

Just another way of saying I like this album.

[bhodges]

I've still to get Solt doing Walton 1, which I'm told is hotter than boiling mercury.
However, this Mackerras presentation of Walton 1 (on a budget) has a nice sizzle to it.
Sir Colin Davis did one which was so hot my eyes were roasted from their sockets.

I have taken such a roasting from this symphony in the past that I have purchased some dry powder fire protection vessels for my own safety.   

Just another way of saying I like this album.

High marks for creativity!

--Bruce

[Keemun]

Bax
Tintagel
David Lloyd-Jones
Royal Scottish National Orchestra