Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #30)

Sibelius 4 and 6 - 6 maybe all time fav symphony: Karajan in 4 & 6.—The DGG recordings—though the remake of the fourth on EMI may be the chilliest on disc.

Mahler 4 through 7—Get the Reiner/Chicago Mahler 4 SACD. Fantastic sound, refined performance. As far as I'm concerned, Lenord Bernstein owns Mahler's Fifth, Sixth and Seventh.

Bruckner 8— Furtwängler/VPO [wartime recording, on Music and Arts]

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2008/July08/Bruckner_Furtwangler_CD1209.htm

Schubert - Impromptus, B-flat 960—Perahia is great in the Impromptus, there's almost too many good recordings of the B-Flat sonata. Clara Haskil and Clifford Curzon are worth hunting down. If you don't mind glacial tempos, try Richter. If you do, avoid him [that ought to rile George].

Schumann 2,3 Sinopoli versions—David Zinmann is wonderful in Schumann, the Tonehalle recordings are my new favorites.

Tchaikovsky - the ballet scores, especially Nutcracker—Dorati's Concergebouw remake of the complete Nutcracker, on the now defunct Phillips label.

 

Is this worth of my collection?

 

Why I oughta . . .

No, but seriously, you are correct. No riling over here.

 

You bet. A great one.

 

Ah I have that one too. A fine "cornerstone" for both works in my humble, can't say if it'll be a favorite but even if it is not, it will make a good reference.

 

i have 2 copies of the mono LP,as well as a 2-CD set with symphonies 4,5, & 6
in stereo.i don't like Tchaikovsky's symphonies as much as his ballet music,but
these are fine recordings.No. 5 was recorded 1/8/58 by producer Richard Mohr &
engineer Lewis Layton.

 

i've bought as many of these Everest reissues from the 90s as i could obtain
for a reasonable price.i'd have to play this one again to give an opinion,but generally these are historic recordings,with good performances in good sound.
i have 46 of the series.

 

One of my favorite Fifths. I love all of Monteux's Tchaikovsky.

 

Holy crap didn't realize there were that many in the series!!
I order that Syph 9 for $9.27 shipped ULN....not bad I guess.

 

i don't have them all-i think there was a series of Beethoven SQs that i
should have bought but didn't,and maybe others.i got a lot of them when
the company doing the reissues had a sale sometime in the late 90s.i think
they were also doing Vanguard reissues & i ordered a bunch of those as well.
in fact,those SQs i'm thinking of may have been on Vanguard rather than Everest.

 

A great holiday morning start with Double Cti by the Bach sons:



Bachiana (Music of the Bach Family): Double Concertos -

Johann Christian Bach: Sinfonia Concertante in A major /
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: Flute Concerto in D major /
Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach: Concerto for Fortepiano & Viola in E flat major /
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Concerto for Harpsichord & Fortepiano in E flat major -

Musica Antiqua Köln

 

I like Karajan in a couple things, mainly his Bruckner 8 - the scherzo of the 1988 version especially and his 1944 "early stereo" finale, but his Sibelius is not for me. For the numerous versions of 4 and 6 I've heard, Rattle does it in 4 (the opening bars - the most important part of this symphony, are handled exactly the way I hear it in my head....the utmost, bleakest, limitless horizon, and his tempo is perfect). In 6 Vanska/Lahti is the one for me, though I have an affinity for the Gibson/Scottish version of 6 and especially 3. Mahler 4 - Szell, 5 - Barbirolli, 6 and 7 Sinopoli for the interesting contrasts.
Bruckner 8 - first movement, Haitink/VPO for his handling of its architecture, scherzo, Karajan/VPO, Adagio and Finale Sinopoli Dresden....Dresden plays this symphony like no other band.....it's how it should sound. Schubert 960 - I like most of the Kovecevich, except he is a little forceful at times. I love the digital Perahia in the last movement - I need to hear the analog Perahia.
Schumann 2 - this above so many other symphonies is one that I think few conductors understand - tempos are always so fast and it comes across as a sprightly, almost schubertian early romantic work....it rather should be recognized as a precursor to Mahler and treated as such - Sinopoli all the way - as with so much Sinopoli, from the psychological perspective.

 

I like the Tallis Fantasy a great deal, one of my favourites. The best I have is the Barbirolli version, brilliant. The usually not very generous Hurwitz says "This is truly one of the greatest recordings ever made" and I can't disagree.

It was recorded in a church after a suggestion from Bernard Herrman:

"Herrmann insisted that "it must be done in a stone building not a studio". So Herrmann suggested the Temple Church. The recording session was started at midnight to avoid traffic noise. According to Ursula Vaughan Williams (the composers widow): "Coats and bags and thermos flasks were piled round the effigies of Crusader Knights. Benny was there, listening to the balance, listening to the music, and the resulting record is by far the best ever made of the work."

You can still buy the EMI cd very cheaply, and the same disc is included in the bargain EMI Barbirolli box.

 

thanks for the insightful Tallis story - also my fav version. I had never heard the piece and didn't know what it was until I heard it live in the concert hall as a part of a program in which I was attending to see another piece....what an experience! I have to add Herrmann to my list, particularly Vertigo!

 

Attended a fascinating concert last evening. Titled "East Meets West," its centerpieces were two works for violin, sitar and tabla composed and Gaurav Mazumdar a disciple of Ravi Shankar, and peformed by Mr. Mazumdar, Daniel Hope and Vishal Nagar. The second piece bore a very close relation to a certain Beatles tune. . .

The recital also included a Romance for Violin and Piano by Ellen Taafe Zwilich. The theme stirred up a distant musical memory, which I believe is to the score for John Huston's "The List of Adrian Messenger" (which I haven't seen in 35 years). I want to try to do a compare.

http://www.danielhope.com/the-violinist/cd-releases/east-meets-west/

 

Spotify has the Kirkpatrick as well as one disc by Troeger.

I did a quick comparison of my four clavichord recordings. Comparison was done through Sennheiser 590's. Take this for what it's worth from someone who may or may not have ever heard the instrument live - I think I may have in college.

The Leonhardt sounded the best - a colorful detailed sound even when played at a low level. The Handel/Hogwood sounded the worst -muddy. The Troeger/Bach Partitas and Tilney WTC I were in-between.

So, if you want a sample of clavichord music, I urge you to track down the Leonhardt disc (or have Arkivmusic make one for you).

 

Looking forward to this release. One of the best pianist around today IMO.

 

OK just to join in the fun I'll throw out a list of my top 10 favourites, listening the performers where I can (my collection is a bit scattered over two places though, so I won't be able to remember every detail off hand). One or two I lamentably don't even own but I'm always open for suggestions for filling in the gaps:

1. Schubert - String Quintet (Melos Quartet + Rostropovich)
2. Bartok - Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (Chicago Symphony Strings/Solti)
3. Brahms - German Requiem (recorded this off the radio a long time ago - probably need a much better recording!)
4. Mahler - Symphony No. 6
5. Mahler - Symphony No. 2 (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Rafael Kubelik)
6. Prokofiev - Symphony No. 6 (National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine/Theodore Kuchar)
7. Vaughan Williams - Symphony No. 5
8. Vaughan Williams - Symphony No. 4 (LPO/Boult)
9. Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet complete ballet, don't own, can anyone recommend?
10. Liszt - B minor Sonata, ditto

 

We share a No. 1 choice as far as repertoire goes. I don't have that recording, but I can recommend Alban Berg Quartet/Schiff and Casals et al from 1952.

I have the Klemperer German Requiem, and I feel no need to look further.

 

For Prokofiev you could safely go for Gergiev's first complete recording with the Kirov Orchestra:



However the following disc of excerpts with the New York Philharmonic under Mitropoulos (as it is more often recorded) is by far the best way to go - in fabulous stereo from late 50s:

 

Thanks.

I'll go for your first suggestion regarding the complete ballet - to me it's all or nothing!

 

Modern Lute music...it might take some time getting used to, when your programmed for beautiful melodies from Dowland, Kapserger, et al...

 

So I did the compare. And you can do it too.

Zwillich (the violin part that begins at about 24:45)

http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/JC69WQ46VBQ

Jerry Goldsmith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncs6rKp1gSU

Does anyone else hear a similarity?

 

Thanx again for the recommend George!

It came today.....EXCELLENT CD!!
I did a nicer scan of the cover than you can find online.