What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Gurn Blanston]

Kuijken/Devos better than Podger/Cooper!

After all, your legendary good taste was not infallible, Gurn. This is the fall of a myth. 

Perhaps you could say 'more to my taste'. I don't really subscribe to better or worse, unless it is due to massive errors or something like that. I was much more comfortable with Kuijken/Devos. Although Rivest/Breitman lead the way, IMO.   

Anyway, if we all agreed on things like that, there wouldn't be room for other versions.



Schubert - D 803 - L'Archibudelli/Mozzafiatto - Octet in F for Strings & Wind.  0:)

[Keemun]

Dvorak
Symphony No. 8
Mackerras
Prague SO

[Papy Oli]

good evening all 



maiden run through those works (No. 4 - 5 - 10)

very good 

[listener]

PAUL WHITEMAN'S  HISTORIC AEOLIAN HALL CONCERT OF 1924
reconstructed & conducted by Maurice Peress
Ivan Davis & Dick Hyman, pianists      Andy Stein, jazz violin
includes GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue    HERBERT A Suite of Serenades
ELGAR  Pomp and Circumstance  #1  (with banjos! ) GROFÉ Russian Rose
2-disc set, 60 page booklet including the notes from the original concert.   

[Antoine Marchand]

Perhaps you could say 'more to my taste'. I don't really subscribe to better or worse, unless it is due to massive errors or something like that. I was much more comfortable with Kuijken/Devos. Although Rivest/Breitman lead the way, IMO.   

Anyway, if we all agreed on things like that, there wouldn't be room for other versions.

When I say "the best version" or "better than", usually it should be understood as "more suitable to my taste". Additionally, I think the most of us -I mean members of this forum- use those expressions in a similar way.

Personally, I rate Podger/Cooper very high because of many considerations: freshness, youthful spirit, beautiful recorded sound and, very especially, the superb interplay between the performers. Among my other recordings I see some of similar tlevel (Uchida/Steinberg being a notorious case), but very few of higher level... to my taste, of course.     

[jlaurson]

Personally, I rate Podger/Cooper very high because of many considerations: freshness, youthful spirit, beautiful recorded sound and, very especially, the superb interplay between the performers. Among my other recordings I see some of similar tlevel (Uchida/Steinberg being a notorious case)...

You mean to say that Uchida Steinberg is notoriously WONDERFUL, right?

Because you'd be absolutely bloody correct. 
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2005/10/universal-releases-fall-2005.html
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2005/12/best-recordings-of-2005.html

Man... I *love* that recording.

[DavidRoss]

Bruckner, 6th, Jochum, SKD

[Antoine Marchand]

Man... I *love* that recording.

We both share the "superstition" of that recording, Jens. 

[Brian]

Paging Mr Henning... come in, Mr Henning...

SHOSTAKOVICH | Symphony No 10
Philadelphia Orchestra
Mariss Jansons

[Antoine Marchand]

[karlhenning]

Paging Mr Henning... come in, Mr Henning...

SHOSTAKOVICH | Symphony No 10
Philadelphia Orchestra
Mariss Jansons

Sweet! I'll put that one on again this evening. Long time since I last listened . . . .

[DavidW]

Xenakis Synaphai and Jonchaies, awesome!  Especially like the latter.

[Scarpia]

Paging Mr Henning... come in, Mr Henning...

SHOSTAKOVICH | Symphony No 10
Philadelphia Orchestra
Mariss Jansons

I have most of the Janson's cycle.  This one, like the others I've listened to from the series, seems properly done, but not particularly inspired. 

[Brian]

Jansons   21:49 4:19 12:03 12:56
Petrenko 22:48 4:00 12:15 12:59

No wonder the whole performance feels similar! Differences/analysis: Jansons's clarinet solo at the start does sound markedly faster, though on return it does not, and I like Petrenko's horns better in the third-movement climax. Gosh darn the Philadelphians are good, though, and Jansons has a really powerful conception of the piece. The andante introduction to the finale is more nervous/tense, and flows better, in Jansons than in any of my other faves. What a glorious oboe solo. I have to say the DSCH timpani figure in the last four bars is not as clear, not as viciously sharp - probably down to the engineers, but a serious flaw when set directly aside Petrenko. (I tried this: played the last 30 seconds of Jansons 3 times and then the last 30 seconds of Petrenko twice.)

Definitely in my top 3, one of three near-equals that is, with Petrenko and Sanderling/Berlin SO. They're only near-equals because they have different strengths; Sanderling is quite distinct from the other two. I do like Jansons as much as Karajan II, and more than Maxim/LSO, Barshai, Skrowaczewski, or Wigglesworth. 

EDIT: Still coming up in my DSCH 10 listening queue: Andre Previn, Neeme Jarvi, Kyrill Kondrashin, Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, all on Spotify or NML. At that point I'll have heard 13 recordings and that seems to be enough for 6 weeks of marathon listening to one symphony! I've already heard the Tenth something like 15 times in 30 days... 

[DavidW]

Although I do enjoy Perahia's set of the English Suites, I hear what you're saying about his lack of risk-taking.  Perahia is all about mainstream interpretations.

Well I want to make it clear that I like the recording, but what it really did for me is open my ears to Bach on the modern piano.  It expanded my horizons, and now I'm ready for something less safe.

[Sid]

Buxtehude: Organ Works Volume 3
Wolfgang Rubsam on the organ of the Cathedral of St Martin in Colmar
Bellaphon (1983)

Buxtehude was a Baroque composer who was known in some circles at "the Danish Bach." I admit that Buxtehude's organ works are perhaps less captivating and flamboyant as J. S. Bach's (although I'm no fan of the latter), but I really like how these works are more lyrical and calming. This is a great recording which I picked up second hand for a mere $3 along with some other good stuff. The sound is magnificent, even on my small portable cd player...

[Bulldog]

Well I want to make it clear that I like the recording, but what it really did for me is open my ears to Bach on the modern piano.  It expanded my horizons, and now I'm ready for something less safe.

The only way my horizons could expand listening to Perahia would be for me to also be eating junk food.

[Philoctetes]

The only way my horizons could expand listening to Perahia would be for me to also be eating junk food.

..or an icepick to the balls.

[Bulldog]

..or an icepick to the balls.

Very descriptive.

[Conor71]

Beethoven: String Quintets
Dvorak: String Quintets/Sextet