I've got most of the Brits covered, but the rest will keep me off the streets for a bit :eyebrows:. Thanks, Jerry.Quote:
Originally Posted by jandl100
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I've got most of the Brits covered, but the rest will keep me off the streets for a bit :eyebrows:. Thanks, Jerry.Quote:
Originally Posted by jandl100
Ah, good stuff. The Dorati is an excellent version.
I'm looking forward to receiving the CD, as it was highly recommended. I've been playing the D'Erlanger violin concerto today, which is fantastic. If you don't have that, Martin, check it out :)
Marco.
Will do!
Howard Hanson - Symphony No. 2, Gerhardt, National PO, RCA [vinyl]
http://991.com/newGallery/Howard-Han...Rom-528424.jpg
Here's a fairly obscure one. Nice other-worldly opening and a romantic sweep that sounds vaguely familiar throughout. Finishes sounding much more American (could be Gershwin) than its opening. Rather enjoyable.
http://c3.cduniverse.ws/resized/250x...00/1042600.jpg
Mmm -- yum!
I reckon if you love Bach's preludes and fugues, you'll like this, too!
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 15, Rozhdestvensky, USSR MoCSSO, JVC/Melodiya [cd]
Where to start? This is unlike any of Shossy's other symphonies and perhaps shows the direction he would have taken had he lived longer. Quite bizarre but compelling with odd references to Rossini and others. The first movement is an experience! Performed with incredible gusto by the players and recorded by a mad engineer (one Severin Pazukhin) who must have been having a right laugh (or perhaps had never recorded classical music before). Trying to work out the layout of the orchestra requires a warp field, what with the glockenspiel appearing to be in front of the first violins, brass appearing from everywhere and the most ENORMOUS bass drum this side of a Telarc recording.
Great fun, but I don't know what Shostakovich was trying to say.
http://www.cdbiblio.com/eingang/cdim...kovich0006.jpg
Inspired by Martin's Shosty sym15 post, I had a listen to the recording in my box set conducted by Barshai. I've not listened to the 15th in ages, kind of put off by the Rossini William Tell / Lone Ranger weirdness.
I think it's the Lone Ranger connection that does our collective heads in (the famous theme from Rossini's William Tell opera was used as the main theme for the Lone Ranger TV series way back when).
Trying to ignore that connection, I think what we have is a first movement that is "variations on a theme by Rossini", which is not that unusual a thing for a composer to do - followed by 3 movements of fairly normal late Shostakovich.
It's actually quite good when viewed in that light! :)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg
By the way, for bargain hunting Shosty fans, this is a very fine and well recorded cheap set of all the symphonies.
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Anyhoo -- following the morning listen to Shosty 15, this was to be heard Chez-Jerry last night -->
http://www.sainsburysentertainment.c...ge-7548895.jpg
Good stuff, especially the Partita, which is a 30 minute+ multi mvt symphony, in effect.
The violin concerto is also growing on me.
Thanks for the boxed set recommendation, Jerry. You should really try to listen to the Rozhdestvensky if you ever get a chance, it's a hoot!
This evening...
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...1L._SL500_.jpg
A while ago picked up, more or less randomly, a good selection from Naxos's 'Japanese Classics' series - some nice stuff, this included.