Best looking CD/LP for sleeve & artwork

[pjme]

I was drawn to the album cover as well. I wonder if that's the Art Institute of Chicago.

I had the Lp and later the cd. indeed excellent ! And a good - if green...- photograph.

[Irons]

Imho I find the chosen fragment (Gruenewald/Isenheim altarpiece) a strange choice for Mendelsohn's quartets;
The extremely dramatic painting was the inspiration for Hindemith's opera & symphony.
I don't know the mendelsohn quartets. Is there a connection with death and suffering?

Quite the opposite, I think. More a connection between peace and love in the quartets.

Seems that hands are theme.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I was drawn to the album cover as well. I wonder if that's the Art Institute of Chicago.

Not saying it isn't, but I don't recall it ever being that green before.

Looking at Discogs (and the print is really tiny tiny), I believe that it says that the cover photo was taken at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (in NYC).

PD

[pjme]

Seems that hands are theme.

Indeed - hands. This (refined, elegant,"romantic")fragment from Georges de la Tour (Saint Joseph) seems more appropriated to me than those "terrible", twisted (almost expressionistic...) hands by Gruenewald. 
Still, hands are wonderful.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Some more SEPTEMBER stuff I found on Presto:

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

He plays all three Sonatas with tremendous technique, power, and poetry.

[JBS]

Going through the Blomstedt Complete Decca Recordings box--which utilizes the "original jackets" approach--I am curious about the source/inspiration of the artwork on the Hindemith CDs.



I realize the cover of the Mathis der Maler CD derives from Grunewald's Isenheim Altarpiece, but I don't recognize the originals of the other two CD covers.

Anybody here have the answer?

[JBS]

From these images on discogs, the first cover is an illustration by Graham Ward, and the second an illustration by Janet Woolley:

Thank you. But I'm wondering what (if any) piece of art was the inspiration/starting point of those two covers, in the way that the Isenheim Altarpiece was the jumping off point for the Mathis der Maler CD.

[T. D.]

Sorry, misunderstood. No clue.

[pjme]

Fresco in Subiaco - 12th century - this very early portrait (or similar) may have inspired Graham Ward.  Apart from that, this cd cover seems to be Ward's own creation, using several themes relating to Francis'life and Hindemiths libretto for Nobilissima visione:

"CONTENTS
Francis, a talented troubadour, is the son of the rich cloth merchant Bernadone in Assisi. He chases away a beggar who asks for alms, but then runs after him and gives him some money. Meeting a knight awakens his interest in adventurous life. He is moving away with three friends. – Francis witnesses how soldiers attack a rich family in front of the knight, whom he admired so much. At his request to stop the soldiers, he is struck down and disarmed. – In a vision, Francis encounters the allegorical figures of Humility, Chastity and Poverty. – At a party, Francis feels little joy in dancing and can no longer sing as expressively as before. Amused, the party guests crown him with a fool's crown. Francis resists the abuse and distributes food to a group of beggars. An argument with Bernadone makes him realize that nothing connects him to his former life. He takes off his robes and walks away, wearing only an old cloth given to him by a beggar. – Francis' prayer in front of a chapel ends in overwhelming bliss. When his friends run in fear of a dangerous wolf, he tames the animal by playing the violin on two sticks. Guarded by his friends, he lies down on the bare floor to sleep. When Poverty appears, he wakes up, approaches her, embraces her and celebrates his marriage with her. After the bridal meal, consisting of water and bread, Francis begins to dance. His ecstasy increases into divine inspiration for his Canticle of the sun, whose symbolic figures now pass by in a great procession. The three friends adore the new couple, Francis and Poverty."

https://www.hindemith.info/en/life-work/catalogue-of-works/?tx_cagtables_pi2%5Bdetail%5D=15


Janet Woolley's illustration for Die Harmonie der Welt, appears to be inspired by the closing scene of the symphony (the opera):
"At the end of his life, Kepler looks back, falls into resignation and takes stock that death is the great harmony. Music of the spheres sounds in his agony; the stars appear allegorically as characters in the opera and contradict Kepler's negative summary: Above everything that can be researched by man lies a kingdom of supreme majesty, which has the power to "let us rise in its great harmony of the world."

https://www.hindemith.info/en/life-work/catalogue-of-works/?tx_cagtables_pi2%5Bdetail%5D=11

Woolley may have done some research, of course, in early (German) illustrations of planets, stars and heavenly creatures. As did Schott for the score....

[JBS]

Fresco in Subiaco - 12th century - this very early portrait may have inspired Graham Ward.  Apart from that, this cd cover seems to be Ward's own creation, using several themes relating to Francis'life and Hindemiths libretto for Nobilissima visione:

"CONTENTS
Francis, a talented troubadour, is the son of the rich cloth merchant Bernadone in Assisi. He chases away a beggar who asks for alms, but then runs after him and gives him some money. Meeting a knight awakens his interest in adventurous life. He is moving away with three friends. – Francis witnesses how soldiers attack a rich family in front of the knight, whom he admired so much. At his request to stop the soldiers, he is struck down and disarmed. – In a vision, Francis encounters the allegorical figures of Humility, Chastity and Poverty. – At a party, Francis feels little joy in dancing and can no longer sing as expressively as before. Amused, the party guests crown him with a fool's crown. Francis resists the abuse and distributes food to a group of beggars. An argument with Bernadone makes him realize that nothing connects him to his former life. He takes off his robes and walks away, wearing only an old cloth given to him by a beggar. – Francis' prayer in front of a chapel ends in overwhelming bliss. When his friends run in fear of a dangerous wolf, he tames the animal by playing the violin on two sticks. Guarded by his friends, he lies down on the bare floor to sleep. When Poverty appears, he wakes up, approaches her, embraces her and celebrates his marriage with her. After the bridal meal, consisting of water and bread, Francis begins to dance. His ecstasy increases into divine inspiration of his Song of the sun, whose symbolic figures now pass by in a great procession. The three friends adore the new couple, Francis and Poverty."

https://www.hindemith.info/en/life-work/catalogue-of-works/?tx_cagtables_pi2%5Bdetail%5D=15


Janet Woolley's illustration for Die Harmonie der Welt, appears to be inspired by the closing scene of the symphony(and the opera):
"At the end of his life, Kepler looks back, falls into resignation and takes stock that death is the great harmony. Music of the spheres sounds in his agony; the stars appear allegorically as characters in the opera and contradict Kepler's negative summary: Above everything that can be researched by man lies a kingdom of supreme majesty, which has the power to "let us rise in its great harmony of the world."

https://www.hindemith.info/en/life-work/catalogue-of-works/?tx_cagtables_pi2%5Bdetail%5D=11

Woolley may have done some research, of course, in early (German) illustrations of planets, stars and heavenly creatures. As did Schott for the score....

Thank you.
I had forgotten the Franciscan and Kepler connections.

[Symphonic Addict]

This always has attracted me:

[Brian]

This always has attracted me:

Tastes differ, this immediately looks to me like it belongs in "worst"!

[Symphonic Addict]

I'm very fond of this one too:

[JBS]

Tastes differ, this immediately looks to me like it belongs in "worst"!

It's not as bad as that, but it doesn't thrill me.

For a beautiful Langaard cover image I would submit this one

[Florestan]

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Szell, Prokofiev.

[KevinP]

Szell, Prokofiev.

Nice. I might like it even better without the white frame and all the black text and icons. But then I might complain about having text on the painting itself.

[JBS]

Milky Way over the Piatra Craiulu Mountains, Romania
Cornel Constantin photographer.

The Piatra Craiulu range is part of the Southern Carpathians and the main element of a national park. According to Wikipedia the name means "King's Rock" or "Rock of the Prince".

[Florestan]

Milky Way over the Piatra Craiulu Mountains, Romania
Cornel Constantin photographer.

The Piatra Craiulu range is part of the Southern Carpathians and the main element of a national park. According to Wikipedia the name means "King's Rock" or "Rock of the Prince".

King's Rock is the better translation. Crai is an obsolete term for king (usual term, rege, from the Latin rex) or emperor (usual term, împărat, from the Latin imperator) that originates in the Slavic krali (краль) and it is used exclusively in poetic or literary contexts. It's actually a very good translation for Szymanowksi's Król Roger as Craiul Roger, preserving both the meaning and the etymology, and for Erlkönig as Craiul ielelor, more euphonic and rythmic than Regele ielelor. Also, the Three Wise Men are traditionally rendered as trei crai de la Răsărit, literally three kings from the East (Răsărit is another obsolete but poetical term for East, originating from the Latin resalire; the usual term is est).

Interestingly enough, in a widely used figure of speech crai also means a womanizer.

Hope this helps.

And yes, the photo is splendid.