Just ordered this Barbirolli 10-cd box set. I can't believe the treasures that are in here (many out of print) for a very reasonable price:
Mahler, Elgar, Sibelius, RVW, etc
http://img3.douban.com/lpic/s4709583.jpg
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Just ordered this Barbirolli 10-cd box set. I can't believe the treasures that are in here (many out of print) for a very reasonable price:
Mahler, Elgar, Sibelius, RVW, etc
http://img3.douban.com/lpic/s4709583.jpg
Ah yes, I got that one. For years I thought I didn't like Glorious John's conducting, so I decided to give him a proper try-out with this set.Quote:
Originally Posted by JJack
Yup !! -- I still don't like his conducting! :lol:
.... You missed a bargain on ebay when I sold it on! ;)
Yeah, a bit of a Brian revival going on. Loads of his symphonies coming out cheaply on Naxos.Quote:
Originally Posted by morris_minor
And there was his 1st Symphony - the gi-normous choral Gothic symphony - at the opening night of the Proms a year or so back. :stalks: ... also available on an excellent Naxos 2 CD set.
Of late ....
Vaughan Williams 2nd Symphony - Barbirolli / Halle EMI Eminence LP. :zzz: Why do I find Barbirolli so boring? :scratch: This up for sale soon on my charity sale thread!
Vivaldi flute concertos. William Bennett - EMI Eminence LP. Another from yesterdays's charity shop haul. Pleasant enough.
Beethoven 3rd symphony. Klemperer 1955 mono EMI LP. Zounds! - superb Beethoven conducting!
Dvorak 9th Symphony (New World). Rostropovich / LPO EMI Eminenece LP. A Russkie cellist conducting a Brit orchestra in a Bohemian's American-inspired music. :eyebrows:. I'm surprised at how good this is! ... and the top-notch sound quality doesn't hurt at all.
Dussek - piano sonatas. Markus Becker on a CPO CD. Kind of Haydn'esque-going-on-Beethoven, I guess, which is a huge compliment from me. Very enjoyable.
Penderecki Violin Concerto #2 - Mutter / Previn - a live recording off radio on a Mini-disc. Difficult music at first listen, but this grows & grows!
Oh no! Ah well, I really liked his Mahler 9 so I gave the box set a try for $35.Quote:
Originally Posted by jandl100
His Mahler 9 is brilliant.
Yes, Don't worry, Jack - it's just me & Barbirolli don't get on. He's music making is much loved by many!
Klemperer's reading of the Beethoven 3rd? That's about as exciting as watching paint dry and takes about as much time! (Only my opinion of course.)Quote:
Originally Posted by jandl100
I've just been listening to
Rachmaninov - Symphony No.2 in E minor, Op.27 and his Fantasy for Orchestra, Op.7, "The Rock". CSR Symphony Orchestra, cond. Stephen Gunzenhauser. 1989 Naxos 8.550272
The only version I have, picked up cheap in a charity shop, I can't say it has made much impression on me, though I enjoyed the Fantasy.
Will need to listen to it again to be able to form a more positive opinion.
At the risk of seeming cheeky :eyebrows: could I "pre-order" this, please, Jerry? Unless you change your mind of course. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by jandl100
I picked up a 6 LP Barbirolli box-set from the local charity shop a while back. It's still in the 'to be cleaned' pile (big pile) - will get my arse in gear and try and get a couple of dozen or so LPs cleaned over the weekend.
Nah - not imo - Klemps only got turgid as he got into old age, the mono Eroica I was listening to was recorded 1955 or earlier, and is quite a different proposition to his later stereo recordings.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
... mind you, I've got a bit of a soft spot for those, too! - the best of them have a kind of granitic strength that doesn't sweep you off your feet but does enthrall with its purposeful inevitability. But yes, quite a bit of late Klemperer is way too stodgy for me as well.
Re; Glorious John's London symphony LP ...
;) No problem. It needs a more caring home than it has got at the moment. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by morris_minor
Last night's listening (& viewing) ....
Bach - Well tempered clavier (excerpts) - Wilhelm Kempff, DG LP. Sigh ... what glorious, glorious music. :youtheman:
Liszt piano sonata - Yundi Li - DVD of 2004 concert in Baden-Baden. Golly gosh (& by gum) he goes for it. Mesmerising playing. :thumbsup:
Thanks Jerry. :thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by jandl100
Last nights listening included some, er, Debussy, kind of . . .
Art of Noise - The Seduction of Debussy. :lol:
(Is this the wrong thread :scratch:)
I've had some "borrowed" :eyebrows: mp3s of this for a while and only just got round to listening - mesmeric stuff, with the gravelly tones of John Hurt too . . .
Last night, I heard some voices....
Hildegard of Bingen
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg
Allegri's Miserere - Tallis Scholars - 96/24
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg
One of the all-time classics, imo! Did you enjoy it?Quote:
Originally Posted by Chops
Bought it a few years ago and it keeps getting played :) Just love it.Quote:
Originally Posted by jandl100
I have a variety of choral, generally earlier rather later. Any suggestions?
Chris
Whoa! - Jerry with expressions like that, you should be writing for The Gramophone! :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by jandl100
I guess my comments were based on late Klemperer. The only conductor to take an even slower reading was Furtwangler, but dispite that there is something about his recordings I do like.
Why is it that conductors when they are well into their career, often tend to offer the lifeless of interpretations? It happened with Karajan and clearly it happened with Klemperer. Are they sitting on their laurels, or is it only young conductors who are just starting out who are capable of providing new and refreshing insight?
Can't say John Elliot Gardiner is becoming stolid. Perhaps he is not old enough!
Regards
These two recording should be part of everybody's collection. Utterly sublime!Quote:
Originally Posted by Chops
Could I also suggest some John Dunstable, and good value at thatQuote:
Originally Posted by Barry
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg
And maybe even The Powers of Heaven (Paul Hillier, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg
Any other personal recommendations would be very welcome;)
Chris
Vivaldi - Gloria, Preston, AAM, Decca [cd]
One of the most sublime recordings I have ever bought. The singing in the Gloria is simply magical. I have loved it for years and it gets regular play - everyone who has ever heard it on my system agrees with me.
http://www.freecodesource.com/album-...(BVW-243a).jpg
Vivaldi Gloria lovely. I bought the Chandos Hickox/Kirkby version. I have a soft spot for Emma's work.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...2L._SX300_.jpg
So do I - if you look carefully, you'll see that she plays in my version too :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Chops
:doh: blame the iPod - screen too smallQuote:
Originally Posted by MartinT
So, insults now, eh? What have I ever done to you? :scratch: :eyebrows:Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
Yep, and Previn, for the most part. His RVW remakes with Telarc were dead boring.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
And, oh his Telarc Rachmaninov 2nd symphony. :nono: His early EMI recording is fantabulous.
I have the Karajan 1960's set of Beethoven symphonies - very fine. Oh dear, what a change with his later digital recordings. :doh: HvK's Bruckner lost its edge too, not that I'm a great fan of his earlier recordings, but they did have a certain zest to them, imo.
I guess we all lose it a bit as we get older! :wheniwasaboy: :lol:
Klemperer's final Beethoven 9th is also an exercise in drawing it out.
Gunther Wand's final Beethoven cycle was very good.
Martin, think I might have your recording as well, repackaged:Quote:
Originally Posted by MartinT
http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/im...00/4557272.jpg
Its the same performers, AAD and recorded in the 1976.
The FLAC can be bought & downloaded here for those interested: http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/ca...UCT_NR=4557272
Chris
That looks to be the one, Chris. The solo and choral singing are just outstanding.
Thanks Martin.Quote:
Originally Posted by MartinT
Done a quick A/B of the two versions, just Gloria in excelsis and Et in terra pax.
- Hickox runs a bit of a quicker pace on Gloria - I prefer the slower tempo of Preston. Hickox feels a little rushed. Track times 2:14 versus 2:22.
- This is reversed in terra pax - 5:12 versus 5:00. I didn't notice when listening, though.
- Preston sounds more closely miked, wider soundstage, more detailed, greater dynamic contrasts - voices more clear and apparant.
- Preston is a little more musically dynamic. I noticed a few things more forward in the mix, not just the voices.
- Preston sounds a little louder than Hickox.
- I felt Preston's trebles sounded just a little too forward and 'breathy' (or maybe hoarse - I'm trying to find the right adjective here) at times.
- In contrast, Hickox sounds maybe more 'romantic' (modern?) - it could wash over you more easily.
My vote would be for Preston, but then I like my hifi the same - detailed and dynamic, maybe at the expense of smooth. :)
I had a recent similar experience with Charles Avison - 12 Concerti Grossi after Scarlatti. I compared the Brandenburg Consort on Hyperion (http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/fi...t=Search&vw=dc) with Avison Ensemble on Divine Arts (http://www.avisonensemble.com/listen...y/default.html). You can hear the difference immediately on the samples you can play, eg No.3. I bought Avison Ensemble.
Chris
Nice comparison, Chris. I like my hi-fi the same as yours, given the choice.
Just plugged the gaps in my Shostakovich Symphony list with a two-fer of 13, 14, and 15 (actually a FLAC download from Universal).
Neeme Jarvi conducting the Gothenburg Orchestra on DG. Maybe not the last word on the symphonies, but having played through no.15 twice now I've been bowled over by the music, the performance and the recording. :eek:
I have to admit classical solo vocalists are not my cuppa tea. <ducks for cover>Opera is spoilt by all the screeching! </ducks for cover>. So having dipped into no.14, I'm a little, er, apprehensive. But I'll get in the mood to try it one day . . . .:rolleyes:
Try the 13th, Bob. It's dark and sobering and a little terrifying. The solo singing simply adds so much to the tension.
Yes - I certainly will Martin! My dislike for operatic divas (of either sex!) doesn't stop me listening to music which has, er, "other" qualities. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by MartinT
Bartok - String Quartet No5.Takacs Quartet.
Will be listening to this live at lunchtime at the Wigmore played by the Escher Quartet,looking forward to it.
You do like your music challenging, don't you, Roy! :thumbsup:
Of late chez-Jerry ...
Beethoven Violin concerto, Schneiderhan DG. A vintage stereo classic. Played on a DG Ferric Oxide C100 cassette :eyebrows: and sounding damn fine and hugely better than the CD mastering I used to own. That CD had the solo violin waaaay off to the left (most of the time, it kind of wandered around a bit :scratch:). The cassette mastering has Schneiderhan just left of centre. Perfick! And what a lovely performance! :)
The other side of the cassette has LvB's Emperor piano concerto with Eschenbach. I'll play that later.
Brahms Piano Concerto #2 - Pollini / Abbado / VPO DG LP. Fine stuff. Pollini can really tinkle those ivories. Strong support from Abbado, too. An excellent recording.
Bax tone poems Tintagel, Christmas Eve. Bryden Thomson, Chandos CD. .... and what super sq! Magisterial! :drool:
Well that was great fun,in the first movement of the Bartok the first violinist got a nose bleed and had to leave the stage for about six or seven minutes.He returned with a roll of tissue in his nostril,as the second movement proceeded it got redder and redder,between movements he changed it and again in the next break,this time the tissue was about six inches long.
Felt really sorry for them and they made a grand job of each separate section but did lose the overall arch of the piece,shame they are a young band.
Can't wait to see how Radio 3 handle the recording on Saturday.
Playing George Crumb - Ancient Voices of Children now,just got it in Oxfam on the way home,99 pence superb recording on Nonesuch.
Went to my favourite little classical music/book shop today in Shrewsbury and bought the following CDs:
Brahms Symphony No1 - with The Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique and The Monteverdi Choir. Conducted by John Eliot Gardiner.
Milhaud. Music for Two Pianists - With pianists Stephen Coombs and Artur Pizarro.
And on (minty) vinyl:
Ravel Bolero Rapsodie Espagnole, Le Tombeau De Couperin, Menuet Antique, Alborada Del Gracioso - With the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra. Conducted by Andre Cluytens, on EMI from 1982.
Off to spin them now! :cool:
Marco.
You won't be disappointed Marco!Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Or by Cluytens' Ravel.
Has anyone listened to the HiQ cut of Previn's version of Holst's the Planet Suite. I got this the other day and can honestly say I'm bowled over. ;)
Yesterdays choons ...
Schubert piano sonata D.960 - Clifford Curzon Decca Jubilee CrO2 cassette. I didn't think I liked Curzon, but I really enjoyed this. He messes around with tempos a bit - sometimes speeding up a bit for the exciting bits, and that rather spoiled things - Schubert knew what he was doing, trust him, Cliff! ;) But very enjoyable overall.
John Foulds - Dynamic Triptych for piano & orch. Warner CD. Well, this is different. Early-ish 20thC Brit piano concerto. Vaguely pre-Prokofiev, but kind of romantically so. Well worth investigating. :)
Hoddinott - Pasaggio, Heaventree of Stars (violin & orch), Doubles (oboe, strings & harpsichord) and Star Children. Nimbus CD. A bit off the beaten path, and all the better for it! Vaguely challenging, but it wouldn't cause Roy (royzak) to sweat!
Interesting, Jerry. I have a Lyrita disc of this (paired with the RVW Concerto) from Howard Shelley and Vernon Handley. Didn't know there was another recording - who are the performers?Quote:
Originally Posted by jandl100
Peter Donohoe (of course!) - with Aramo and the CBSO. CD released 2006.
Thanks Jerry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jandl100
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...446#post297446Quote:
Originally Posted by morris_minor
:thumbsup:
Have just won this on the 'Bay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/220952827304...ht_1296wt_1141
More than I'd normally pay for an LP like this, but "new" and "unplayed"?
Got to be worth a punt. Was very surprised mine was the only bid - though I'd sniped it up a couple of quid in case . . .:eyebrows: My only other version of this is a rather lacklustre Naxos SACD. Hopefully this will be rather more involving.
Meanwhile this afternoon it's been:
Schoenberg - Verklarte Nacht - Ashkenazy/ECO on Decca LP (A hi-res rip of an LP from a digital master :lol:). Splendidly fulsome string sound and emotional playing. :thumbsup:
Before that was some Art of Noise . . .
Bob - don't be surprised if it's crackly even from new. Many of the Melodiyas I bought in Russia were.
Yes, I'm not setting my expectations too high! It was available on an Olympia (?) LP in 1988 and the Gramophone reviewer rated it quite highly. We'll see .. :rolleyes:
Earlier...
Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances (for 2 Pianos) Ashkenazy/Previn
At the moment...
Ian Bostridge/Julius Drake: The English Songbook*
*I can thoroughly recommend this, a disc of absolute beauty and musical richness. I love it. :)
Overall, I quite like this on first hearing. But - "Glorious John" has a funny notion of Allegro Vivace in the Scherzo (more like Moderato), and Andante con moto in the Finale (rather senza moto!) - don't know the Italian for "plodding"*. It's all a bit like a cake with the middle that sinks when you take it out the oven :lol:. However there is a lot to enjoy - especially with (praise be) violins divided left and right as God intended (none of this sloppy conducting - lean left for treble, right for bass :eyebrows:).Quote:
Originally Posted by jandl100
Another outing for the Greensleeves from ASD521, too :rolleyes:.
Nice surfaces as well . . . so :thumbsup:, thanks Jerry.
* faticosa (according to Google translate)
Hmm, yeah, Barbirolli. :scratch:
This eve ...
Mozart - Magic Flute - the legendary Ingmar Bergman production, on VHS video tape :eyebrows: ... sung in Swedish (with some very yummy Swedish ladies :drool:) and with English subtitles. Not the greatest picture or sound, but quite serviceable - but oh my! - what a glorious production and performance! :thumbsup:
This morning a new arrival off the 'Bay:
Villa-Lobos - Bachianas Brasileiras 2,5,6,9: Paul Capolongo/Orchestre de Paris with Mady Mesple (HMV).
http://www.revalia.co.uk/villalobos.jpeg
A real nostalgia trip. I first heard this recording on a disc borrowed from Westminster Library while I was working for the Civil Service in Whitehall for a year between school and university (early 70s :eek:). The "backup" I made on cassette has long gone, so this copy is most welcome - especially as it could be new. Not the most demanding of music to listen to but very enjoyable.