Purchases Today

[Harry]

I was intrigued as well, will be curious about your findings. 

I will report, of course, it will take a bit of time though. At first hearings I tend to listen very attentively, and play whole sections over and over again, just to find all the details, merits and demerits. The organs are intriguing too. The success of such a box stands or falls with the instruments.

[pjme]

Just ordered:


For Reynaldo Hahn's Violin Concerto. It's not my favourite work by the composer, but thought that having it in a performance by a star violinist would be interesting.

Please, let me know what you think of the recording and Szeryng's approach. I like the slow movement (sad & sentimental), Chant d'amour, a lot.
I only know this version:

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Thank you both for your suggestions!

PD

[Florestan]

(you receive 100 points for spotting a blatant error on the second one's back cover.)

[ritter]

(you receive 100 points for spotting a blatant error on the second one's back cover.)

Frühlingsstimmen is attributed to the wrong Strauss?

Servus, lieber Andrei.

[Florestan]

Frühlingsstimmen is attributed to the wrong Strauss?

Genau.

Servus, lieber Andrei.

Grüß Gott, Rafael.

[Madiel]

Frühlingsstimmen is attributed to the wrong Strauss?

Servus, lieber Andrei.

It's so difficult to keep one's Strausses in order. Especially with opus numbers that high.

[Que]

(you receive 100 points for spotting a blatant error on the second one's back cover.)

No matter, it piqued my interest since it is conducted by Josef Krips! 

[Florestan]

No matter, it piqued my interest since it is conducted by Josef Krips! 

Indeed, when it comes to Viennese light music, Josef Krips is matched only by Willi Boskovsky and Clemens Krauss. All three were born in Vienna and absorbed that tradition through their mother's milk. 

Krips and Boskovsky also excelled in Mozart's music, the latter not only as conductor but also as violinist (his partnership with Lili Kraus for the violin sonatas and piano trios is legendary, desert island stuff --- do give them a try if you haven't already).

[Papy Oli]

Received those goodies today:

   



And a Penguin hardback translation of the Ring.



I guess that sets my listening project for this year! 

[Florestan]

[classicalgeek]

Over the last month...

Hit a couple of book stores in December, picked up (among other things) some essential recordings:



A few Christmas gifts:



And finally, my first purchases of the new year, both on the way from Discogs:

[Papy Oli]

That Canteloube is a beauty!

[classicalgeek]

That Canteloube is a beauty!

I know I've heard some selections from it before and thoroughly enjoyed it - there are many who consider it to be the reference recording. I'm looking forward to listening to it all the way through!

[Florestan]

[Todd]

$0.00.  I have literally always wanted a Harvard Glee Club recording, and now I've got one.

[Florestan]

plus

[vandermolen]

plus

Nice Rota selection Andrei - I especially like the 1st Symphony.

[vandermolen]

HB

[pjme]

I know I've heard some selections from it before and thoroughly enjoyed it - there are many who consider it to be the reference recording. I'm looking forward to listening to it all the way through!

It is very good indeed, and IIRC,it is the most complete set. I do like Von Stade and Gens a lot - and both singers recorded the beautiful Triptyque aswel.

Canteloube's reputation is seriously damaged by his sympathy for the Vichy regime. Still I'd love to hear some of his orchestral works sleeping in the archives:
"Citons parmi ses oeuvres, outre une vingtaine de mélodies, Dans la Montagne, suite pour piano et violon en quatre parties (Société nationale 1907) ; Églogue d'automne pour chant et orchestre (Société nationale 1909); Vers la Princesse lointaine, poème symphonique pour orchestre (Concerts Colonne 1912) ; Au Printemps, poème lyrique, chant et orchestre (Concert Colonne 1919); l'Arada (La Terre), suite de six mélodies (Société nationale 1923) ; Les Préludes du Mas, pour orchestre (Concert Colonne 1922), dont l'exécution fut une révélation et classa leur auteur au premier rang des compositeurs français actuels; Triptyque, chant et orchestre (Concert Colonne 1923) ; Pastorale roumaine, chant, orchestre et danses (Concerts Lamoureux 1927) ; Chants d'Auvergne, en quatre séries pour chant et orchestre, qui obtinrent partout les plus éclatants succès. Enfin le Mas, représenté à l'Opéra en 1929, et plus récemment la suite Lauriers (Concerts Colonne 1931)."

French only : http://www.musimem.com/Canteloube_Joseph.htm

From the same source, about the opera "Vercingetorix" (Google translate):

"The music further accentuates this character of fresco, the author having voluntarily treated it in this spirit, by large shots. Furthermore, Mr. Canteloube, with his usual independence of mind, his complete contempt for coteries, schools, theories, employed all the means he deemed fit to allow him to say what he wanted to express and always , especially since it was theater, as strongly and as directly as possible. The music is therefore very simple in writing, without contrapuntal complexities or harmonic chinoiseries, and the roles are written with a view to the "singing".

The instrumentation is as light as possible, so the vocals can come out and take center stage.

In the orchestra, the author uses, for the first time in the theatre, a set of four radio-electric devices: the "Ondes musicales Martenot", either as soloists or mixed with the orchestra. They are intended for the mystical scenes of the score where they produce, by their almost immaterial sonorities, a strange effect of the unheard, of mystery."