What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Franz Lehar.

Schon ist die Welt.
Operetta in 3 parts.
Libretto by Ludwig Herzer, and Fritz Beda Lohner.

Performers:
Anny Schlemm (wonderful lyrical soprano) Rudolf Schock, Hubert Marischka, Hertha Worell, Willy hofmann, Brigitte Mira, Ludwig Bender, Anton Reimer, Johann von Bonsdorf.

Choir and Orchestra Bayerischen Radio Munich, Werner Schmidt Boelcke.
Recorded in March 1954 in Munich.

This is a wonderful performance with excellent soloists, choir and orchestra. A joy to listen to, in the early morning.

[mc ukrneal]

Franz Lehar.

Schon ist die Welt.
Operetta in 3 parts.
Libretto by Ludwig Herzer, and Fritz Beda Lohner.

I recently added it to my wishlist! And for those looking on Amazon, it is spelled incorrectly!! But a search of 'Lehar Welt' brings it up. The other Lehar discs from CPO that I have are good, so I actually have a few more of these wishlisted as well. Oh, and the image isn't showing for some reason Harry.

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

I recently added it to my wishlist! And for those looking on Amazon, it is spelled incorrectly!! But a search of 'Lehar Welt' brings it up. The other Lehar discs from CPO that I have are good, so I actually have a few more of these wishlisted as well. Oh, and the image isn't showing for some reason Harry.

Just click on my link below the posting, its the first CD, In the sub album!
I have another image but it is the same recording



[asin] B000FBHSJU[/asin]

[mc ukrneal]

Just click on my link below the posting, its the first CD, In the sub album!
I have another image but it is the same recording

Ah - not the CPO release! Interesting.

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Ah - not the CPO release! Interesting.

I have the CPO release too, its incomplete, the one I posted is complete, sort of.

[Lisztianwagner]

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No.8
Wiener Philharmoniker
Leonard Bernstein

[Antoine Marchand]

I am Que, Rheinberger's music is of a high level, certainly on a level with Brahms.

Being on the same level of one of the greatest composers of chamber music of history, it's not a bad thing for a quite unknown composer.

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Being on the same level of one of the greatest composers of chamber music of history, it's not a bad thing for a quite unknown composer.

Nevertheless in my humble opinion it is the truth, but is only my opinion of course. Rheinberger has the bad luck of being quite unknown by the classical establishment.

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

From the Complete Solo Piano Music, CD VIII, filled with Transcriptions. Howard Shelley is playing them quite expertly.

[Opus106]

Nevertheless in my humble opinion it is the truth, but is only my opinion of course.

I'm confused.

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

I'm confused.

So soon, huh? Well you have my compassion all the way.

[mc ukrneal]

I've been in a romantic music mood all day. So here is Kullak/Dreyschock Piano Concertos. Love this series!
[asin]B00000JPYO[/asin]

[Coopmv]

Back to the following set, now playing CD19 - hightlight of SMP for a first listen ...

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

I started with this fine box on the 12-11-2009 and came unto the Symphony No. 8 on the 8-9-2010, then suddenly stopped for no apparent reason. Some difficult times where for me in store, and that made me forget about this box, which I discovered under a layer of dust in yet another corner of my listening room, totally amazed I might add.
So today I put in the player the Symphony No. 9 opus 208, "In the Summer" (1878), brilliantly orchestrated with fine effects, imaginative colors, surprising contrasts, and varied melodies carried by complex formal structures. That about sums it up. He is one of the greats in matters of orchestration, and one has to stay focused in order to hear all the intricate melodies bursting out of the speakers. Wonderful! Great sound with lots of dept and marvelous playing by the Bambergers, one of the great orchestra's we have in Europe.

[mc ukrneal]

I started with this fine box on the 12-11-2009 and came unto the Symphony No. 8 on the 8-9-2010, then suddenly stopped for no apparent reason. Some difficult times where for me in store, and that made me forget about this box, which I discovered under a layer of dust in yet another corner of my listening room, totally amazed I might add.
So today I put in the player the Symphony No. 9 opus 208, "In the Summer" (1878), brilliantly orchestrated with fine effects, imaginative colors, surprising contrasts, and varied melodies carried by complex formal structures. That about sums it up. He is one of the greats in matters of orchestration, and one has to stay focused in order to hear all the intricate melodies bursting out of the speakers. Wonderful! Great sound with lots of dept and marvelous playing by the Bambergers, one of the great orchestra's we have in Europe.

That box stubbornly does not go get cheap. The best I have ever seen it or been able to get it is in the $60-70 range. One day, I suspect I will just give in, but I am being stubborn too for now!

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

That box stubbornly does not go get cheap. The best I have ever seen it or been able to get it is in the $60-70 range. One day, I suspect I will just give in, but I am being stubborn too for now!

True, and it will not, Tudor is known for keeping their prices up.
But I wanted them so I gave up resistance and bought it when released.

[Brahmsian]

In memory of all of those lost in war, I'm listening to this on Remembrance Day.

Vaughan Williams

Symphony No. 3 - A Pastoral Symphony

Margaret Price - soprano

Sir Adrian Boult
New Philharmonia Orchestra

EMI Classics

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Another composer much admired by me, must out of necessity be, Ferdinand Ries. I simply adore his Symphonies, and consider them as worthy as say Beethoven's work. He was neglected and underrated all his life, and he does not deserve this. (Takes cover)
Today his wonderful Fifth Symphony opus 112 in D minor, a invigorating and propulsive composition, full of genial melodies, and fine orchestration.
The Orchestra plays it with zest. They are well rehearsed. State of the art sound.

[DavidRoss]

It's Veterans Day in America.

[jlaurson]

Being on the same level of one of the greatest composers of chamber music of history, it's not a bad thing for a quite unknown composer.

No, not at all a bad thing! 

It's a great compliment, in fact. And I'm not a Brahms-hater.

The little Rheinberger Digest

Some of Rheinberger's sacred music and choral works (though not all!) have a Christmasy-sweet  character that can be super-charming with overtones of cloying.
(Short acapella works like the Missa brevis op.83, and op.117 "in honorem sanctissimae Trinitatis" are very neat; I loved them even as a choir boy singing them in the cathedral on Sunday-duty. One of the few available recordings even uses my choir -- not with my contribution, though. :-))

The solo-organ music ... well, if you really like organ music, I suppose it's worth while. But there's a lot of it.

Odd-ones-out like Christoforus [horrible recording, but the only one so far] or the Florentine Symphony ) are quite marvelous.

The chamber music, however, is unequivocally first rate.

As Harry pointed out, there's a lot of Piano Music... enough to fill 10 CDs. It was recorded for Thorofon, also, and Carus brought it out as a box. There are beautiful things among it, and really valuable pieces to my ears (I haven't heard all of it yet), but I really wish there was a good two-disc "best of" Rheinberger Piano Works. All ten discs, unlike with the six to eight discs of chamber music, seem a bit of overkill, especially for Rheinberger-newcomers.

Since pipe organs are hard to accommodate in a living room (though not impossible, granted), the sonatas for violin and organ, the "6 Pieces", and the Suite for cello, violin, and organ are not in the chamber music box. They are, however, stupendous music... with much of the 'proper' chamber music some of Rheinberger's best... though with a neo-baroque touch stronger here than elsewhere. There are lots of recordings available; with Christopher Herrick (Helios), Zygmunt Strzep (Arte Nova),  Joachim Diedrichs (Cantate), Marie Ziener (Naxos) et al.

et al. My favorites are, by some measure, Andreas Juffinger (Capriccio, re-issued, at last, in Europe) and Ulrik Spang-Hanssen (Classico). The two organ concertos really go right along with those pieces and are also, in my opinion (though obviously not for organ-dislikers) "Must-Have Rheinberger". Again I love Juffinger with the RSO Berlin and H.Haenchen (Capriccio). That was briefly available as a (budget SACD) and can probably still be gotten at a decent price. (Certainly still available thus in Germany.)

The Concertos on Naxos are with Paul Skevington (Naxos) but in the recording, I find, lose a good deal of their swerve. You don't want perfunctory Rheinberger. MDG) has a recording which throws in the 3 Pieces for Organ & Cello. Yumm-yumm. (w/Stefan Johannes Bleicher)

If you prefer your Rheinberger [piano concerto] lightly tossed over a portion of home-made Sgambati, go right ahead!



P.S. Harry agree on another thing: Raff & those Bamberg Recordings. http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2010/12/best-recordings-of-2010-2.html (Although I seem to remember that he really didn't like it when I dumped on the CPO recordings of the Raff Symphonies which I find dour and drab and in every way inferior to those on Tudor.)


P.P.S. Thread duty:



J.S. Bach
Thomanerchor Leipzig & Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum
Hans Joachim Rotzsch
Cantatas

disc 9
BWV 110 "Unser Mund sei voll des Lobes"
BWV 40 "Dazu erschienen der Sohn Gottes"
BWV 71 "Gott is mein Koenig"
Berlin Classics


Twice Christmas-cantatas (essentially the first third of the Christmas-oratorio) and one cantata for the "Council Election in Muehlhausen of 1708"