What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[listener]

will put off the Glière for now, 92 min. on 2 discs, and THE CD'S HAVE BRONZE ROT and will have to be discarded so I'll give them a farewell play later and hear the S. Wagner instead.

[offbeat]

Bax
Tintagel
David Lloyd-Jones
Royal Scottish National Orchestra

of these three i suppose November Woods i like the best - very haunting and atmospheric....

[Benji]

I've still to get Solt doing Walton 1, which I'm told is hotter than boiling mercury.
However, this Mackerras presentation of Walton 1 (on a budget) has a nice sizzle to it.
Sir Colin Davis did one which was so hot my eyes were roasted from their sockets. 

I have taken such a roasting from this symphony in the past that I have purchased some dry powder fire protection vessels for my own safety.   

Just another way of saying I like this album.

I had some Walton 1st earlier - from the 'new' double disc of Walton conducting his own music:



Very moving, insightful. Not too shabby sound (2004 remaster).

p.s. I was naughty, I just ordered a copy of the Mackerras Walton disc on Amazon. Can never have too many Walton Firsts, right? Is that a Solti Walton First you say? I wasn't aware such a recording existed.

Current listening:

Copland - Dance Symphony; Fanfare for the Common Man. Detroit Symphony Orchestra - Antal Dorati.



Another favourite symphony, but not convinced by Dorati. I much prefer Copland's own recording on Sony with the LSO. Characterful, colourful early music from Copland. Great fun!

[Antoine Marchand]

Great way to start the day, indeed! These are such terrific works.

http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=611
Ton Koopman and Bach's Missae Breves

I totally agree, Jens: very enjoyable works indeed.

I have two versions: Junghänel and Koopman (Complete Cantatas vol. 22). I enjoy both of them although its approaches are rather different, even opposite: where Koopman is austere and slow-paced (in a very characteristic Lutheran way); Junghänel is impassioned and vibrant, but -IMO- not "operatic", although he is walking on the edge of the cliff.

It's curious to notice how the more copious forces (Koopman and The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir) give the more measured and austere performance.

Finally, although Koopman has an almost unerring ear for voices, here the Junghänel's choices are excellent too.

     

[Antoine Marchand]

Speaking of WTC:

Cat-arrivals today:


J.S.Bach
WTC Bk.1
S.Richter
Melodiya / Eurodisc
re-released by Sony
re-mastered by Yukio Takahashi


J.S.Bach
WTC Bk.2
S.Richter
Melodiya / Eurodisc
re-released by Sony
re-mastered by Yukio Takahashi

beautiful retro look--"LP Style", original artwork...

Probably I will purchase those WTC's, but if I do it, I won't say anything, you know: to protect the good name of the HIPsters. 

[Carolus]

Domenico Scarlatti, 32 sonatas by Marcelle Mayer. Magnificent. She, Maria Tipo and Horowitz are perfect on those pieces IMO.

[Coopmv]

George,  What are your thoughts on this recording?

[SonicMan46]

Mozart, WA - Symphonies, Last 20 w/ Krips et al - a second listening to this new acquisition - enjoying! 

Mendelssohn, Felix - String Quartets & Octet w/ the Emerson SQ - these guys get 'mixed' reviews often for being 'too perfect'?      But I do enjoy these performances - I'd like to acquire another set, since 'so many' seem to now be available! 

 

[Coopmv]

I was just listening to the older RCA re-issue - I'm pretty sure these are the same performance (Salzburg? I think Richter recorded the complete WTC twice.) Yours have much better artwork for sure. The RCA set is atrocious (visually).

I am perfectly happy with this set I bought early this year ...

[greg]

Ooooohhhh - BAROQUE, Greg!

My favourite is Alessandrini with Sara Mingardo and Gemma Bertagnoli (Naïve)

Some nice discussion here: A benchmark Pergolesi Stabat Mater?

Q

Wow, that thread is old. 
Cool... I'll give it a read.

[Keemun]

of these three i suppose November Woods i like the best - very haunting and atmospheric....

Thanks, I'll have to listen to it again.  Of these, only Tintagel has ever made an impression on me.

[George]

George,  What are your thoughts on this recording?

The label's reputation is poor, so I would seek his Scriabin elsewhere, like on Philips (The Master, GPOTC), Music and Arts Melodiya. All but the Master set is OOP.  

[Coopmv]

The label's reputation is poor, so I would seek his Scriabin elsewhere, like on Philips (The Master, GPOTC), Music and Arts Melodiya. All but the Master set is OOP.  

Aren't most older Russian-made recordings of poor SQ in general?

[George]

Aren't most older Russian-made recordings of poor SQ in general?

I haven't heard enough of them to answer that, but I can say that I have been amazed with how poorly stuff has been mastered by a lot of the pirate (and even some of the major) labels. Noise reduction, needledrops of old LPs, poor sources, fake stereo, you name it. So, I don't bother with these labels anymore.

[classicalmusicfan]

Café Vienna - 19th Century Cafe Music
Guitarist Lars Hannibal and Recorder player Michala Petri
Composed by Giuliani, Carulli, Kuffner, Beethoven, Krahmer, Mayseder and Scheindienst

*Mandolin Sonatina in C major, WoO 44a (arr. for recorder and guitar)

[Conor71]

Chopin: Sherzi & Variations - Nikolai Demidenko

[Brian]

"Moviebrass"

Highlights from West Side Story, Indiana Jones, and even "The Simpsons," on Naxos. A brass quintet from Italy that I've never heard before; they sound terrific, although when they shout "Mambo!" in West Side Story, you can tell they have an Italian accent 

[Que]

Good morning.

Q

[Harry]

First listen to the opus 47, and so far I think its very good.
Well performed, and recorded, although the balance is a bit forward, but not unpleasantly so.
I found the Symphonies that I bought 2 years ago, intriguing, and in some ways original, albeit I was not too happy about the recording.
The Chamber works are to my ears fine, and thoroughly romantic in nature.


http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Friedrich-Gernsheim-Klavierquartette-Nr-1-3/hnum/7556107

[Harry]

Good morning.

Q

I would like your thoughts about this recording, as well as the Gilles, you played recently.