What were you listening to? (CLOSED)

[Bogey]

Wonderful....thanks for the lead on this, Gurn.

[Sergeant Rock]

I am really charmed by the grace of Ozawa's account of the Opus 25, Sarge.

I am too.

On the same disc as the First, now listening to the Sixth:



Sarge

[karlhenning]

On the same disc as the First, now listening to the Sixth:



Sarge

Wish I had brought this box in with me this morning . . . .

[karlhenning]

Mompou
Variations sur un thème de Chopin (1938-57)
The composer playing
(recorded in Barcelona, 1974)

Mompou – Complete Piano Works

A curious little piece!  Cheeky to select the A Major prelude from the Opus 28 as a theme for variations.  Doesn't seem like the sort of piece which would take 20 years to finalize . . . but maybe there's some mundane explanation, he started it, did other things for 20 years, found the now-forgotten sketch 20 years after and wrapped it up . . . I dunno.  As it is, very likeable.

[Scarpia]

I cannot cite details today;  last I heard that recording was in December of 2007 (I think it was).  I was a guest of a friend who was curious what I meant, too;  so we listened to the entire symphony in his living room, on a very impressive and eminently enjoyable sound system.  At three or four points, I remarked, "Guess which instrument(s) should now be playing fortissimo?"

Three or four points in a one hour symphony?   I don't consider Karajan's Shostakovich terribly idiomatic, I would say he tends to find grandeur where Shostakovich was thinking sarcasm, but I wouldn't listen to a Karajan recording without expecting him to put his imprint on it.  As to these mysterious three or four passages, I can't say.  But in every recording of this piece I've listened to something has jumped out at me as being something I never noticed before.  I don't think you will find a recording that doesn't have a few discrepancies between what is heard and what the score would indicate.  It is said Shostakovich was in tears when he heard Karajan/Berlin perform his 10th symphony in Moscow.  Now I understand, he was weeping over those ignored fortissimi. 

[George]

I am too.

On the same disc as the First, now listening to the Sixth:



Sarge

Have you compared Gergiev's set to Ozawa's?

Has anyone else done so? Can you please share your impressions?

Thanks!

[Scarpia]

Have you compared Gergiev's set to Ozawa's?

Has anyone else done so? Can you please share your impressions?

Thanks!

I'm interested too.  I had Weller's set and found it insufferable.  I think I sold it after listening to one disc.  Since then I've gotten Jarvi and Gergiev but haven't listened to either.  On the other hand, Ozawa's set goes for $15, pretty tempting, but do I really need another set?

[The new erato]

I'm interested too.  I had Weller's set and found it insufferable.  I think I sold it after listening to one disc.  Since then I've gotten Jarvi and Gergiev but haven't listened to either.  On the other hand, Ozawa's set goes for $15, pretty tempting, but do I really need another set?

Which means you found one disc insufferable. Which symphonies were that?

[Sergeant Rock]

Have you compared Gergiev's set to Ozawa's?

Has anyone else done so? Can you please share your impressions?

Thanks!

Sorry, George, I don't have Gergiev's cycle. I have Ozawa, Kitajenko, Rostropovich, Weller and Järvi.

On the other hand, Ozawa's set goes for $15, pretty tempting, but do I really need another set?

Worth it just for his "Classical." But I think the whole cycle is terrific. Different, though. It's rather laid back; his Second and Third easier on the ears than most. Ozawa finds the beauty in all that industrial strength noise. If it matters, he doesn't include the original version of the Fourth; and he doesn't tack on the tacky "happy ending" to the Seventh.

About the sound. The Hurwitzer wrote:

"DG's shallow, multi-miked sound doesn't help either. There's a particularly loathsome example of this at the beginning of the Sixth Symphony where "Jumbo the Killer Oboe", clacking keys and all, wreaks havoc with instrumental balances."

His description is not wrong but his conclusion is, I think. I grew up with Columbia recordings from the 60s. A one-dimensional soundstage, multi-miking and spotlit instruments were the house style and I enjoyed hearing the inner workings so clearly. Still do. The close-up, larger than life Berlin winds are gorgeous and I love the detail. I don't find it objectionable at all. Just be aware of what you're getting.

Sarge

[Scarpia]

Which means you found one disc insufferable. Which symphonies were that?

I vaguely remember listening to the 1st and the 5th.  I didn't have the courage to go any further.

[karlhenning]

Three or four points in a one hour symphony?   I don't consider Karajan's Shostakovich terribly idiomatic, I would say he tends to find grandeur where Shostakovich was thinking sarcasm, but I wouldn't listen to a Karajan recording without expecting him to put his imprint on it.  As to these mysterious three or four passages, I can't say.  But in every recording of this piece I've listened to something has jumped out at me as being something I never noticed before.  I don't think you will find a recording that doesn't have a few discrepancies between what is heard and what the score would indicate.  It is said Shostakovich was in tears when he heard Karajan/Berlin perform his 10th symphony in Moscow.  Now I understand, he was weeping over those ignored fortissimi.

Droll!  Of course, the string choir of the Berlin Phil would have been finer than Shostakovich might have heard from Soviet orchestras of the day.  Nor would it have been like Shostakovich to say to a foreign guest, You know, maestro, pretty good, but would you please adjust these certain things for me?

I trust you know how it is;  when certain details are part of what you expect in the piece, and you know that they are there in the document, you are disappointed when they are not there, and astonished that an artist of HvK's stature would be cool with their non-appearance.

But at least you understand part of why I prefer other recordings.

[George]

Different, though. It's rather laid back;

Thanks. This information was all I needed. 

[karlhenning]

Worth it just for his "Classical." But I think the whole [Ozawa] cycle is terrific.

I endorse this message ; )

[karlhenning]

Mompou
Música callada: Tercer cuaderno (1965)
The composer playing
(recorded in Barcelona, 1974)

Mompou – Complete Piano Works

[karlhenning]

I vaguely remember listening to the 1st and the 5th.  I didn't have the courage to go any further.

Well, but you know, the First and Fifth in the Järvi cycle are not the best of what that box has to offer.  (Standard disclaimer: I haven't heard the Weller set, so I neither defend it nor denounce it.)

[Scarpia]

About the sound. The Hurwitzer wrote:

"DG's shallow, multi-miked sound doesn't help either. There's a particularly loathsome example of this at the beginning of the Sixth Symphony where "Jumbo the Killer Oboe", clacking keys and all, wreaks havoc with instrumental balances."

His description is not wrong but his conclusion is, I think. I grew up with Columbia recordings from the 60s. A one-dimensional soundstage, multi-miking and spotlit instruments were the house style and I enjoyed hearing the inner workings so clearly. Still do. The close-up, larger than life Berlin winds are gorgeous and I love the detail. I don't find it objectionable at all. Just be aware of what you're getting.

I know exactly the DG sound he is referring to, and it has been cleared from my shopping cart now and forever.     Maybe I should actually listen to what I have before getting more.     Actually, I don't think I've ever heard a Prokofiev symphony other than the 1st and 5th.

[Antoine Marchand]

Robert Schumann
String Quartet in A minor, Op.41 no.1 (1841)
Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op.44 (1842)
Prazak Quartet [Václav REMEŠ, Vlastimil HOLEK, violins; Josef KLUSOŇ, viola; Michal KAŇKA, cello]
Evgeni Koroliov, piano
Praga Digitals

[karlhenning]

Mompou
Música callada: Cuarto cuaderno (1967)
The composer playing
(recorded in Barcelona, 1974)

Mompou – Complete Piano Works

[listener]

I'll keep away from fff brass with
TCHAIKOWSKY    Piano Sonata in G, op. 37    PROKOFIEV Piano Sonata 9 in C, op.101
Richter
BACH     The keyboard concerto transcriptions  BWV 972-987
Sophie Svirsky, piano

[Brahmsian]

Brahms

Disc 32 of the box

Hungarian Dances 1-10 for piano solo
5 piano studies (arrangements of Chopin, von Weber, and J.S. Bach for piano solo)

Louis Demetrius Alvanis - piano