Past Purchases (CLOSED)

[bhodges]

I attended the German premiere of "Magma" (Symphony No.4), also with Glennie and under Järvi, with his Frankfurt Radio Symphony. Quite an enganging work at about a half hour. A great big lump, but a very colorful great big lump.

Thomas

I am not that familiar with Tüür's work, so I wanted to hear something by him.  But I got it mostly for Evelyn Glennie, whose playing I admire a great deal.

--Bruce

[Lilas Pastia]

I am not that familiar with Tüür's work, so I wanted to hear something by him.  But I got it mostly for Evelyn Glennie, whose playing I admire a great deal.

--Bruce

I have Architectonics. The onus is now on the other side to prove me he can write interesting music. I doubt I'll ever play that again, other than out of sheer duty.

[Florestan]

(My first Elgar disc )



(It comprises also Allegro in B minor op. 8 and Gesänge der Frühe, Op.133)

[Mark]

Elgar's Froissart is one of my favourite pieces by him.

[Florestan]

Elgar's Froissart is one of my favourite pieces by him.

How about the Menuhin / Boult / NPO Violin Concerto? Are you familiar with it?

[Mark]

How about the Menuhin / Boult / NPO Violin Concerto? Are you familiar with it?

Sadly not. I only have Kennedy / Rattle / CBSO.

[Florestan]

Sadly not. I only have Kennedy / Rattle / CBSO.

My choice was between the one I bought and Kennedy/Handley/Royal PO, but since it had only one filler (Introduction and Allegro) for slightly more money, I opted for Sir Yehudi and Sir Adrian.

[Mark]

The big plus of the Kennedy/Rattle disc is that it has one of the most exquisite recordings of Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending. One of the longest, too, at 17' 37". No longer my top choice, however: I've since awarded the laurels to Jonathan Carney with the RPO conducted by Christopher Seaman. Shorter at 14' 51", but more satisfying overall.

[71 dB]

Elgar's Froissart is one of my favourite pieces by him.

Your taste is my opposite Mark. Froissart is imo relatively weak Elgar, kind of an early orchestral exercise for the more sophisticated works to come. Cockaigne and In the South are superior overtures compared to Froissart.

[71 dB]

How about the Menuhin / Boult / NPO Violin Concerto? Are you familiar with it?

I don't know that one but I have these:

Dong-Suk Kang / Polish NRSO / Adrian Leaper / Naxos 8.550489
Yehudi Menuhin / London Symphony Orchestra / Edward Elgar / Naxos 8.110902
Pinchas Zukerman / Saint Louis Symphonic Orchestra / Leonard Slatkin / RCA

Slatkin is my favorite of these. Leaper is good too. Elgar's own version is extremely interesting (recorded in 1932 when Yehudi Menuhin was only 16) but naturally the sound quality is horrible.

[sound67]

Of the dozen recordings of Elgar's Concerto that I own, I'd recommend these:


Alfredo Campoli, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult (Beulah)
- now also available as part of the LPO's 4-CD Elgar box


Philippe Graffin, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Vernon Handley (Avie)



Nigel Kennedy, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vernon Handley (EMI)
- made before Kennedy went banana, his later version is just too slow in that he speeds up certains passages and draws out many other ones, creating an artificial "drama" that just isn't there. The 1984 recording is also slow, but more natural and graceful.


Itzhak Perlman, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim (DGG)

The above-mentioned later Menuhin recording is mediocre, as is Hugh Bean's (unfortunately).

Thomas

[sound67]

But now on to today's new CDs:


JOHN CORIGLIANO: The Red Violin Concerto, Sonata for Violin and Piano
Joshua Bell, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop (Sony)

I was happy to attend the world premiere of the concerto at the Proms two years ago (also with Bell and Alsop, and the Bournemouth Symphony). I was less happy to have been asked out by a security guard in the middle of the performance because someone had told them I was filming it with my handy (which I didn't, it was a guy sitting next to me). That was right after the underground attacks so I wasn't too angry about it, I understood their concern. The Red Violin Concerto, based on the incidental music written by Corigliano for The Red Violin, uses the well-known Chaconne as its first movement, and adds two others.


various violin concertos, played by Joshua Bell

Bought this twofer for the Schumann concerto, one of my favorite violin concertos.

Thomas

[Hector]

Recording of the month:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2007/Sept07/Bantock_Omar_Khayyam_CHSA5051.htm

Hmmm. A very persuasive review.

However, I've ordered Handley/Hyperion 'Sapho' because it was, inexplicably, missing from my Bantock library.

Load of music I am not interested in on R3, so Kodaly's 'Harry Janos' suite on an ancient CD by Tennstedt and the LPO on EMI.

This used to be very popular, full of great tunes and good humour but, until today, I had not heard it for a long time.

Sadly, we seem not to hear Kodaly's music much these days. No great Hungarian conductor to promote it, perhaps?

Up to this early evening It will be Magnard's four symphonies on iPod. Sanderling's boy in Malmo on BIS.

[Sergeant Rock]

No music purchases today but I did acquire a book about one of my favorite musicians:




Sarge

[Haffner]

No music purchases today but I did acquire a book about one of my favorite musicians:




Sarge

That is really beautiful, Sarge.

[George]

[George]

Finally got this (for next-to nothing):

[not edward]

Finally got this (for next-to nothing):

How are the transfers on this one? (I guess you don't know yet...but I'd be interested to know.)

[George]

How are the transfers on this one? (I guess you don't know yet...but I'd be interested to know.)

I've heard that they are decent and I found it for under $19, so I couldn't say no, especially with the 2nd PC with Fischer. 

[Harry]

Two of the sweetest boxes from JPC filled to the brim with fantastic cd's.
Yummy.