Past Purchases (CLOSED)

[Harry]

And on goes the quest, Volume 43.

[George]

Rudolf Firkusny plays Janacek

[Antoine Marchand]

Some beautiful transcriptions by Ferruccio Busoni. The set on Capriccio includes a wide range of composers, the another ones "just" Bach.  

[Henk]

Ensemble Orchestral de Paris/John Nelson's Beethoven cycle. I'm really looking forward to this, as the samples I listened to left a most favourable first impression. I sampled both this and Blomstedt on Brilliant and found the latter set (once more) severely not to my taste.

Interesting. Also Blomstedt's not my cup of tea. I have Immerseel's cycle and I think it's very good.

[Bogey]

Rudolf Firkusny plays Janacek

Is this an intro to Janacek for you George, or another recording?

[Coopmv]

Is this an intro to Janacek for you George, or another recording?

If this is a good recording, I may consider it since I like Firkusny and only have his recordings on LP.

[George]

Is this an intro to Janacek for you George, or another recording?

An intro. I sampled the Brilliant (Austbo) set and it didn't grab me. This DG one got me to buy the set after just a few samples. I think it might be either OOP or going OOP.

[Coopmv]

An intro. I sampled the Brilliant (Austbo) set and it didn't grab me. This DG one got me to buy the set after just a few samples. I think it might be either OOP or going OOP.

The best price I see on Amazon is $18 and it is used ...

[jlaurson]

An intro. I sampled the Brilliant (Austbo) set and it didn't grab me. This DG one got me to buy the set after just a few samples. I think it might be either OOP or going OOP.

Hmm... sorry to hear that, re: Austbö. By sampled, do you mean: bough, played, and disliked? Or Amazon-audio-peeked?

[George]

Hmm... sorry to hear that, re: Austbö. By sampled, do you mean: bough, played, and disliked? Or Amazon-audio-peeked?

The latter.

[SonicMan46]

Hmm... sorry to hear that, re: Austbö. By sampled, do you mean: bough, played, and disliked? Or Amazon-audio-peeked?

Jens & George - I've own the Brilliant set for a while and thought that I enjoyed the playing until reading some of the recent comments - the reviews were quite good (one from Fanfare quoted below); now I've not heard the Rudolf Firkusny recordings, but would certainly like to if available as a 'new' offering - I find that listening to 'short' snippets on computer speakers unsatisfying, so not sure that I would trust my judgment relative to making a purchase.

But, will follow the comments w/ interest - this is quite enjoyable music that needs a special interpreter, so willing to listen! 

Brilliant Classics has chosen the Norwegian-born Håkon Austbø, who teaches piano in Amsterdam, to record Janáček. He certainly has a flair for the Moravian composer, playing with the elegant authority of Firkušný while demonstrating both sympathy and enthusiasm for the music. His two CDs are all solo piano works—not quite everything there is. Austbø's Sonata is especially winning, more forthright than Páleníček's, even though at a slower tempo; the rest of the major pieces have more life than with the Czech pianist and benefit from the brighter sound of the 2004 digital recordings. The works on the second disc form a veritable kaleidoscope of music. The 1880 Theme and Variations (the composer was 26) is a striking work, looking back to Bach, Brahmsian, and yet building a character all its own. I am very taken with Austbø's performances and consider them a satisfying alternative to Kvapil's darker, moodier ones. There are things here that make both sets keepers. James H. North

[The new erato]

Just ordered my first Bacewicz disc:



as well as, at last, the Bridge Oration:

[Brian]

Just ordered my first Bacewicz disc:

That album cover seems to echo this:

[The new erato]

That album cover seems to echo this:

Except for the paedophilia angle.

[jlaurson]

Except for the paedophilia angle.

Exactly what was on my mind, responding. And minus the nudity and shocking tastelessness.

[Bulldog]

Exactly what was on my mind, responding. And minus the nudity and shocking tastelessness.

Also, only Lara's violin is horizontal.

[Coopmv]

Just ordered this set 10 minutes ago.  The price was too good to pass up ...

[Brian]

Exactly what was on my mind, responding. And minus the nudity and shocking tastelessness.

Yeah, but the milk-gland-shield angle is still there. 

[Wanderer]

Interesting. Also Blomstedt's not my cup of tea. I have Immerseel's cycle and I think it's very good.

I'm not familiar with Immerseel's Beethoven (I've sampled it in the past and it didn't leave much of an impression); he has made some exquisite recordings for Zig Zag (e.g. Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade).

[jlaurson]

Yeah, but the milk-gland-shield angle is still there.  

Careful: You're telling me more about yourself than the cover photo.  

Thread Duty: Look what the cat dragged in...

"Hommage a Haydn" Keyboard Ctos. arr. for Harp Xavier de Maistre, B.de Billy, Vienna RSO RCA Red Seal

Mahler, Sy. 7 Zinman, Tonhalle O. Zurich RCA Red Seal SACD

Wagner, Orchestral Music Mariss Jansons, BRSO Sony

La poesia cromatica di Michelanglo Rossi Huelgas Ensemble, Paul Van Nevel DHM - SACD

"Kapsbergiana" Libro Terzo 1626 Los Otros, Hille Perl et al. DHM