Recordings That You Are Considering

[Mandryka]

Pluhar's Monteverdi improvisations.

[mc ukrneal]

Pluhar's Monteverdi improvisations.

Ho-boy. It's different. It's not for everybody. The second main review on Amazon gives a fairly accurate review I think (Mr. Evil). Which leads me back to - it's different (though a very high level of playing and singing in any case). Here are a couple of longer excerpts from youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm641MrwPN0&feature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=020L1rGjnng&feature=related. There were more to listen to if you wanted a wider selection of pieces. I think for the most part it works.

[jlaurson]

Pluhar's Monteverdi improvisations.

They're a hoot -- and transcend the genre, for better or worse. For better, as far as I am concerned... but when I listen to her recordings (Monteverdi or not), I do it to listen to music, not Monteverdi, per se.

[Opus106]

Here are a couple of longer excerpts from youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm641MrwPN0&feature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=020L1rGjnng&feature=related.

If you haven't already, you should check out their live version (also available on YouTube) of Ohime, chio cado.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Although I'm happy with the Martinu symphony recordings I already have, the new Belohlavek cycle is getting such great reviews that I simply had to plop it into my cart:



And the revived Norgard thread inspired me to do the same with this one:

[mc ukrneal]

If you haven't already, you should check out their live version (also available on YouTube) of Ohime, chio cado.

Oh yes, I agree. I didn't want to give Mandryka links to different performances though (so that he could hear exactly what is on the disc). The others are worth exploring (and fun to watch some of them too).

[Mandryka]

Mozart wind band music including the Gran Partita, Ensemble Zefiro

[Mandryka]

Goldberg Variations CD

[kishnevi]

Mozart wind band music including the Gran Partita, Ensemble Zefiro

If it's the same group that recorded this one

(Naive names them Orchestra Barocca Zefiro), probably yes, but I'm presuming you're looking at a source that is not AmazonUS (where the only thing on offer seems to be used at $49.95)

And the Goldbergs on saxophones--sounds like the sort of thing that might be very good or might be very bad, but won't be somewhere in between.  (Are you aware that Fretwork has just released a recording of the Goldbergs transcribed for viol consort?)

[mc ukrneal]

Goldberg Variations CD

Cannot add anything either, but boy does that look tempting...

[prémont]

Goldberg Variations CD

Hmm. and even Danish. If you opt for a purchase, I would like to know what you think of it.

[Mandryka]

I asked a french friend about the Goldbergs and got this reply which has put me off:


Interprétation totalement neutre et à peu près inhabitée (difficile d'aller jusqu'au bout  on a l'impression qu'il se contente de jouer la partition ./), dont le seul intérêt est probablement qu'on ne l'y entend pas couiner (de ce point de vue-là - seulement évidemment, Glenn Gould fait petit joueur à côté de KJ). On peut trouver, il est vrai, bien plus insupportable encore que Keith Jarrett pour ce qui est des grognements ou couinements parasites, cf. par ex. le pianiste de jazz Masabumi Kikuchi

If you don't read French he's basically saying it's uninspired. But you never know: neutre et à peu près inhabitée may be just his way of saying that it isn't romantic. What to do?  what to do? To buy or not to buy?  Tel est la question.

[Coopmv]

I asked a french friend about the Goldbergs and got this reply which has put me off:


Interprétation totalement neutre et à peu près inhabitée (difficile d'aller jusqu'au bout  on a l'impression qu'il se contente de jouer la partition ./), dont le seul intérêt est probablement qu'on ne l'y entend pas couiner (de ce point de vue-là - seulement évidemment, Glenn Gould fait petit joueur à côté de KJ). On peut trouver, il est vrai, bien plus insupportable encore que Keith Jarrett pour ce qui est des grognements ou couinements parasites, cf. par ex. le pianiste de jazz Masabumi Kikuchi

If you don't read French he's basically saying it's uninspired. But you never know: neutre et à peu près inhabitée may be just his way of saying that it isn't romantic. What to do?  what to do? To buy or not to buy?  Tel est la question.

It is always difficult to decide on a single version of some significant classical work you must have ...   

[mc ukrneal]

I recently came into contact with a name entirely new to me and was intrigued: Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis. Anyone heard thsi composer? There were some interesting piano discs. The first is a set already issued, but I see Naxos have recorded some music too. Anyone familiar with these or other pieces?

[asin]B0038IVOWO[/asin]
[asin]B0052FG85O[/asin]

[Lethevich]

The EMI disc of piano works is particularly good, but a quick amazon search reveals that it's horribly OOP.

Do try his string quartet, rather of its time and place and pretty fine. The few tone poems I found pleasant but not amazing.

[Brian]

Is the Naxos Mahler box -



- worth the $30 MDT is asking for it? Of course, there are several other Mahler boxes in the $30 range, like Bertini's and Levine's...

[jlaurson]

Is the Naxos Mahler box -



- worth the $30 MDT is asking for it? Of course, there are several other Mahler boxes in the $30 range, like Bertini's and Levine's...

no*.









*  Well, it depends on how much spare money you have. If the monetary supply is unlimited, yes, of course it's 'worth' it in some abstract sense. After all, a lot of people's fine labor went into this set, and the music is above reproach. But once you start doing a relative assessment:, no. Berini, Kubelik, Bernstein I, Inbal, and goodness knows how many other complete sets can be had for less or the same or little more and are just a whole lot better. The only outstanding recording in this set is the 8th. Easily gotten as a stand-alone if it interests you. Oh... and aficionados and collectors will want to have the Wheeler-version of the Tenth, of course. The gushing Fanfare review was written by -- who else -- that hack extraordinaire, Lynn René Bayley. Nothing needs to be added to that, methinks.

[Opus106]

Of course, there are several other Mahler boxes in the $30 range, like Bertini's and Levine's...

Bertini actually went down to 14.99 P. yesterday at Amazon UK. And Levine's isn't complete.

[Opus106]

no*.









*  Well, it depends on how much spare money you have. If the monetary supply is unlimited, yes, of course it's 'worth' it in some abstract sense. After all, a lot of people's fine labor went into this set, and the music is above reproach. But once you start doing a relative assessment:, no. Berini, Kubelik, Bernstein I, Inbal, and goodness knows how many other complete sets can be had for less or the same or little more and are just a whole lot better. The only outstanding recording in this set is the 8th. Easily gotten as a stand-alone if it interests you. Oh... and aficionados and collectors will want to have the Wheeler-version of the Tenth, of course. The gushing Fanfare review was written by -- who else -- that hack extraordinaire, Lynn René Bayley. Nothing needs to be added to that, methinks.

I can understand that you're trying to be goofy and all that, but please try to be less so when putting down something substantial (quantitatively at least ) as a footnote.

[jlaurson]

I can understand that you're trying to be goofy and all that, but please try to be less so when putting down something substantial (quantitatively at least ) as a footnote.

By quoting me, you already got the full text in perfectly legible font right in front of you. :-)

I think my point--a simple "No"--was muddled by an explanation... of whatever qualitative or quantitative merit.