What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[bhodges]

Wagner: Das Rheingold, Scene 4 (Zubin Mehta/Orquesta de la Comunitat Valenciana, DVD) - A friend wanted to show me some of this, so we watched the final scene, and I must say: very, very impressive.  The production makes liberal use of rear projections, but here they come across as the sharpest, crispest images available.  And I'm not the biggest Mehta fan, either, but he coaxed magnificent results from this orchestra.  Makes me want to see the entire opera, and the other 3 in the cycle as well. 

--Bruce

[Scarpia]

Wagner: Das Rheingold, Scene 4 (Zubin Mehta/Orquesta de la Comunitat Valenciana, DVD) - A friend wanted to show me some of this, so we watched the final scene, and I must say: very, very impressive.  The production makes liberal use of rear projections, but here they come across as the sharpest, crispest images available.  And I'm not the biggest Mehta fan, either, but he coaxed magnificent results from this orchestra.  Makes me want to see the entire opera, and the other 3 in the cycle as well. 

--Bruce

I must say, I had the opposite reaction.  I found all of the rear projections and technical wizardry to be rather distracting.  I also felt that the awkward costumes, props and sets made it difficult for the singers to portray their characters effectively.

[jlaurson]

Wagner: Das Rheingold, Scene 4 (Zubin Mehta/Orquesta de la Comunitat Valenciana...

Watched that on TV tonight. Well, not the Rhinegold, but the Goetterdaemerung. Impressive to a point.

[Bogey]

[Scarpia]

Blank screen here.

[MN Dave]

Mozart 
Piano Quartet in G Minor, K478
Nash Ensemble

[Brian]

Just finished my MusicWeb review of this. Nominated it for Recording of the Month, wrote that it has replaced Kubelik as my reference edition of these works...such rhythmic snap, such great balancing of instruments and sections, such excitement and passion! One of those very happy marriages of great conductor, great orchestra and clear sound which really lives up to expectations.

[Conor71]

Conor, that is a great disc, from the musically worst composer! 

Now Playing:
Mozart: Piano Trio No. 2 In G Major, K 496

[not edward]

Just finished my MusicWeb review of this. Nominated it for Recording of the Month, wrote that it has replaced Kubelik as my reference edition of these works...such rhythmic snap, such great balancing of instruments and sections, such excitement and passion! One of those very happy marriages of great conductor, great orchestra and clear sound which really lives up to expectations.

I never really liked Kubelik in these. To my mind, he simply played them too straight: Chalabala was the conductor who unlocked them for me by bringing out the strange, almost proto-Janacekian aspecs of the scores. I'd be interested to see how Mackerras compares.

Meanwhile, here:



Recordings that still stand up pretty well despite the years. I'll have to move on to their Zemlinsky soon.

[MN Dave]

An Edward sighting!

What do I win? 

[Sergeant Rock]

An Edward sighting!

What do I win? 

Nothing...he's been around quite a lot recently but in threads you dare not enter 

Sarge

[karlhenning]

Nicole Chamberlain, Toxicodendron for flute, clarinet & guitar (MIDI)

This is a piece we will perform on the 21st & 22nd when Nicole and Brian come to Boston.
Charming piece, very well composed!

Mark Gresham, Three Essays for viola and string orchestra.

Recording of the premiere performance.  Mark was a little distressed to find that in passages where the soloist ought to be out of the "limelight," and even at times overwhelmed by the tutti, this performance treated the soloist always as foreground.  I am alive to his concern!  Still, setting aside that (significant) matter, the presentation of the piece has a lot going for it, and it is a very fine piece.

[Lethevich]

Edit: Oh man, I love this recording. After Levine it sounds like a totally different piece.

[Coopmv]

Now listening to the first of 25 CD's received from Presto Classics today.  This is a Naxos Historical reconstructed/ remastered by MOT ...

[Brian]

I never really liked Kubelik in these. To my mind, he simply played them too straight: Chalabala was the conductor who unlocked them for me by bringing out the strange, almost proto-Janacekian aspecs of the scores. I'd be interested to see how Mackerras compares.

I heard a lot about the Chalabala recordings on this forum, but was never able to track a copy down. Mackerras is as likely a conductor as any to bring out the Janacekian qualities in a score, one should hope. 

[kishnevi]

Those songs for women's chorus, horns and harp are among my favorite Brahms works, and I'm delighted to know of another recording of them. 

--Bruce

Harmonia Mundi has reissued this one as part of their HMGold series


And one of the Opus 17 works is among the choral pieces Gardiner uses to fill out his recording of the 3rd Symphony

[kishnevi]

Now listening to the first of 25 CD's received from Presto Classics today.  This is a Naxos Historical reconstructed/ remastered by MOT ...

Are there any perceptible differences from these issues of the same recordings?

[Antoine Marchand]

Johannes Brahms - Trio in B major for piano, violin and cello Op. 8/ Trio in E flat major for piano, violin and horn Op. 40
Florestan Trio
Anthony Marwood, violin
Richard Lester, cello
Susan Tomes, piano
with Stephen Stirling, horn
Recorded in June-August 1997

Originally issued on Hyperion CDA67251:

Now here:





Wonderful renditions. It's really difficult to imagine these works better played than here: technical precision and emotional commitment in equal parts.     

[Bogey]

[mc ukrneal]

I bought this back in the day just for the cover.