What are you listening to now?

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

From the big box.  Revisiting one of my favorite Pictures.  The Glinka/Balakirev and Bach/Busoni are superb, too.

How do you like this as compared with the famed Richter recording?

There's no excuse for me not having heard Kissin's endeavors by now, of course.

[aligreto]

Lively, charming, entertaining and well played.

[Florestan]

Gaetano Pugnani, Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Václav Pichl - Violin Concertos - Prague Chamber Orchestra, Jitka Adamusová

Splendid music and musicmaking.

[Wakefield]

And artwork. 

I find deeply provocative - and "provocative" isn't a random word - this relationship among image, sexual appeal and artistic values.

Probably, there is no place for surprise if classical music adopts the same values prevailing in pop music; after all, their owners and executives are the same, at least if we talk about corporations like Sony.

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Often forgotten and very difficult to get hold of, this is surely one of the best studio recordings of Tristan und Isolde, with Linda Esther Gray a superb Isolde, warm and vulnerable in a way Nilsson is not, but with plenty of steel when required, the voice rich and firm in the lower register, gleaming and powerful at the top. What a tragedy that illness cut short her career. Mitchinson is not on her level, but his is still a creditable Tristan, and there are excellent performances from Wilkens, Joll and Howell as Brangane, Kurewenal and Marke.

Goodall's experience and love of the score is evident in every phrase. His tempos may be slightly slower than some, but the music never drags and there is no want of power. Recorded in very natural sound, this is in every way a five star recording, which should be far better known than it is.

Beautiful talking points for this Tristan, Greg. . . . . . 'sold.'

I really do appreciate all of your opera breakdowns- and I can't tell you how much I learn from them; and how much joy and excitement I've had in listening to so much of what you run up the flagpole. 

I would not be going out on a limb in saying that you're the 'Anna Wintour' (founder and Editor Supreme- praise be her name- of Vogue) of the operatic world- you really do separate the 'Supremely-and-Sublimely-Gorgeous' from the merely 'beautiful-and-distinguished.' Only the best of the best makes it on to your editing table.

The famed 'September issue' of Vogue really should have your opera breakdowns for the year. Ha.  Ha.  Ha. 

Anyway, I can't wait to hear Linda Ester Gray's Isolde and to luxuriate in the gorgeously engineered Decca sound.

Great news. I so look forward to the discovery of what she brings to the table in Act II. 

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Excellent disc.

I agree.

I have all of Buniatishvili's recitals and I find her Chopin and her Frank/Grieg cd's the most engaging for me.

I love her command and attack on the presto of the Chopin's Sonata No. 2- which is faster than Argerich's (though Martha's is cleaner); and her Mazurka in A minor, Op. 17/4 is pure air-and-light lovely.

I found her Lizst cd too heavy in tone and hard-driven, although the her treatment of the last movement of Grieg's Sonata for Violin and Piano, No. 3 has a vivacious lightness of touch that's completely captivating to me in every way.

[Karl Henning]

I find deeply provocative - and "provocative" isn't a random word - this relationship among image, sexual appeal and artistic values.

Probably, there is no place for surprise if classical music adopts the same values prevailing in pop music; after all, their owners and executives are the same, at least if we talk about corporations like Sony.

If there is ever a compact disc with my music, heaven help my sales if the cover should have a photograph of the composer!

[Henk]

If there is ever a compact disc with my music, heaven help my sales if the cover should have a photograph of the composer!

Let her do the performance!

[Karl Henning]

Hers is a pretty face; but does she have the musical nerve to carry off Henningmusick? 

[Marsch MacFiercesome]

Got a fair bit of Sibelius planned for today, the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite
Lahti SO/Vänskä

Hail Sibelius!

"Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of Saari" all the way!!!!! . . .



I just got the Oramo/Birmingham Luonnotar, incidentally, and I have to say that I'm disappointed in his (shocking and counter-intuitive, I know) slack and slow conducting. Karita Mattila has neither the legato nor the more fierce expressivity that I like to hear with this piece, either. Oramo's build-up to the climax was weak as well.

I was, I'm afraid to say, entirely put off by the entire encounter.

When it comes to Luonnotar, the Gibson/SNO with Phyllis Bryn-Julson on Chandos is still my standard.

 

[Mookalafalas]

Probably, there is no place for surprise if classical music adopts the same values prevailing in pop music

  Actually, there is faaaar more nudity on classical covers than any other genre (of course usually--but not always--from close ups in paintings).  I wonder if there are actual charts that show how many more discs are sold if there is a nipple showing on the cover?

   TD:


  From the big Westminster symphony box (Korean Issue).   

[Florestan]

I find deeply provocative - and "provocative" isn't a random word - this relationship among image, sexual appeal and artistic values.

Probably, there is no place for surprise if classical music adopts the same values prevailing in pop music; after all, their owners and executives are the same, at least if we talk about corporations like Sony.

Honestly, I find nothing wrong with that cover. 

[North Star]

Hail Sibelius!

"Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of Saari" all the way!!!!! . . .

I just got the Oramo/Birmingham Luonnotar, incidentally, and I have to say that I'm disappointed in his (shocking and counter-intuitive, I know) slack and slow conducting. Karita Mattila has neither the legato nor the more fierce expressivity that I like to hear with this piece, either. Oramo's build-up to the climax was weak as well.

I was, I'm afraid to say, entirely put off by the entire encounter.

I have heard other similar opinions of those Oramo recordings. I'm sure he has improved a lot since then, but I'm not keen to hear the oldies. As for Mattila, well, she's no Soile Isokoski or Helena Juntunen, both do better in the work IIRC.

(I don't see any reason not to translate 'saari' to 'the island', BTW)

[Brian]

BIRTHDAY PARTY

Starting with a first listen to Sibelius' first string quartet, in E flat (1885):



It sounds very Mendelssohnian. But it's pretty good.

[Mirror Image]

Now:



Listening to Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40. Great stuff.

[Karl Henning]

Saari, Charlie.

[Karl Henning]

Honestly, I find nothing wrong with that cover. 

Agreed.

[Karl Henning]

Hers is a pretty face; but does she have the musical nerve to carry off Henningmusick? 

Fair disclosure:  There are pretty faces in Triad, and they do just with Henningmusick.  Just fine.

[North Star]

Honestly, I find nothing wrong with that cover. 

+2

Hers is a pretty face; but does she have the musical nerve to carry off Henningmusick? 

Well, she does alright in Beethoven, Liszt, Schumann and Stravinsky.



Thread duty

Sibelius
Malinconia, Op. 20
Torleif Thedéen, vc
Folke Gräsbeck, pf

[Brian]

BIRTHDAY PARTY

Starting with a first listen to Sibelius' first string quartet, in E flat (1885):



It sounds very Mendelssohnian. But it's pretty good.

BIRTHDAY PARTY

First-ever listens to "Adagio in D minor" (1890) and string quartet in B flat (1890):



I'm planning to go all chronological, all day.