Classical Music for Aficionados
I've been plugging through the Hyperion 19C piano concerto series, with many worthy but ultimately forgettable pieces. Last night listened to some Scharwenka concertos, that were surprisingly good. On Collins, though I see he's on Hyperion as well. If you're tired of Grieg, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, etc., give it a try. |
Johnny R (audioconnection) used to carry the Belles, but now I see they're gone from the website. Back to classical. Farrar, Orchestral Pieces, on Chandos, is superb-sounding, a notably deep soundstage and some great bass thwacks. Style is post-Elgar/Vaughn Williams. (Warning: don't set the volume on the basis of the first few seconds of track 1, or you'll be in for a surprise.) |
At the risk of going slightly OT, seems like this is best directed at readers of this thread. Has it occurred to anyone else that Mahler must have heard the Adagietto from Bizet's L'Arlesienne Suite no. 1 before he composed his own, utterly sublime, Adagietto in Symphony 5? The more I listed to the Bizet, the more I hear echoes... |
Does anyone have the Oliveira CD of him playing different Stradivarius and Guarneri violins? Instead of using one's system to hear the more or less subtle differences in the sonorities, I was wondering if one could take those differences for granted, and instead use the CD for testing the resolving power of different systems. |
Scriabin was very taken with that whole Symbolist doctrine (involving synaesthesia) of correspondences between the senses. See Rimbaud’s poem on the different "color" of each of the vowels of the alphabet. This was in Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, years ago. There was definitely some correlation of the more obvious sort (darker sonorities, dark blue, brighter, yellow, louder, red, etc.), and it was interesting as a curiosity, but you ended up thinking about those possible correspondences rather than just immersing in the music. P.S. D'Albert two piano concertos in the Hyperion 19C series last night. Pleasant, but not compelling... |
I've been hooked on Mahler for decades. The first set of LPs I got were by Solti, so to a large extent I learnt them all in his interpretation, and as we all know, teenagers are impressionable, and his way has become for me in many ways the right way. That being said, I will admit a soft spot for Bernstein. His romantic way with the slow movements seems right--to me at least. Then there are a number of other conductors' individual versions of symphonies that are great. I'll pull out my favs and post a list later. |
@rvpiano Didn't you get a Belles amp that you liked? I thought that worked out OK. I'm already anticipating the release of the new integrated, the Belles Virtuoso. Took up clarinet at age 11. Played in all sorts of school orchestras (very musical school). Nothing like experiencing it "from the inside". Continued on in scratch bands through college. Friend at high school--father had a "fancy" stereo for back then, expensive Garrard deck, etc. etc., played me Mahler for the first time. A revelation. Soon after heard a series of broadcasts of Bernstein performances. Though by then I'd already started collecting Solti on Decca. Although my first love is late Romantic/decadent big symphonic movement, I've recently completed a thorough exploration of Stylus Fantasticus, from early Italian origins through Bohemians et al. In many ways I find it more enjoyable than the "predictability" of the high Baroque (Bach, Handel, Telemann, Vivaldi, etc.). |
OK, so the natural "progression" (backwards) from Mahler is to Bruckner. Over the years, here's what I've acquired based on a whole variety of recommendations. #0: Chailly, RSO Berlin #1: Sawallisch, Bayerisches Staatsorchester #2: Solti, Chicago SO #3 [first version]: Inbal, Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt #4: Jochum, Berlin PO #5: Haitink, Vienna PO #6: Klemperer, New Philharmonia O #7: Inbal, R-S-0 F #8: Chailly, RSO Berlin; Haitink, Concertgebouw; Ballot, Oberosterreichisches Jugendsinfornieorchester #9: Walter, Columbia SO; Giulini, Vienna PO; [completed version] Schaller, Philharmonie Festiva Number of CDs clearly reflects preferences among the ten. I've heard Celibidache in concert, and am surprised to find I don't have any recordings of his. What the "best" interpretation of any of these that I'm missing? |
If you enjoy Chopin and Liszt piano concertos (as I do), check out John Field. There are a couple of recordings, both good. Also, get his Nocturnes. I like John O'Conor's recordings on Telarc. Enough to buy also, back in the day, the set of Beethoven sonatas. Good balance of performance and recording quality. |
@jcazador Does that include this? http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=14872 If not, please give it a listen. And a second plug for John Field. |
Here's another name, Andrew Manze, to add to Andreas Staier, Rachel Podger, etc., as a great modern musician. Both as a performer and a conductor, there hasn't been a disc of his that I haven't liked. (We can't always stay wrapped up in Walter and Dorati.) And while I think of it, another Andrew, Lawrence-King, with another across-the-board recommendation, though his Spanish Dances CD is very special. |
Just listened last night to Teodor Currentzis/MusicAeterna's performance of Tchaikovsky's 6th (Pathetique). On Sony Classics. WOW. DOUBLE WOW. An extraordinary rendition. Crank up the volume, turn out the lights, sit back, and prepare to be... well, overwhelmed. [If anyone listens to this, can you report back on what you hear re. soundstaging and the orchestral seating. I hear divided violins, left and right, but also double basses hard left, which was a little disconcerting.] |
So many nominations. But how about this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttd9IhuZYqo And if you have 5-0 minutes, do try the Currentzis. (Hint, he makes Bernstein sound cool, calm and collected.) |
@jim204 I listened to disc 2 last night and liked it even more than 1. I found the playing meditative--perhaps matching my mood. I also think the recorded piano sound is superlative, at least I was really liking what I heard on my system. Also, does this new recording outdo one of my desert-island-discs, the Radu Lupu recording of late Brahms? Hard to imagine that it could. |
@jim204 Thanks! I embarked recently on a listening journey through piano concertos. Started with Dussek, worked through Beethoven, and last night was three from Hummel. Beautifully played by Stephen Hough. What happened to him? I remember he made a splash with a number of recordings and those two "Piano Albums". Then.... ? Who's up next. Chronology will decide. John Field must be approaching. |
Listened to Field ## 1 and 2 last night, John O'Conor, and so far I have to say I prefer the Nocturnes, which are absolutely delicious. We'll see if I like 3-7 better. 1 & 2 were obviously heading in the direction of Chopin, but frustratingly neither quite enough character of their own, and not quite Chopin-esque enough. |
Revisiting Chopin/Zimerman/Giulini on DGG. A remarkably engineered recording. If the soundstage isn't well outside your speakers, something is wrong. Depth is fine but not commensurate with width. Fine performance, not quite sure about the treble range of the piano--recorded a little forward I suspect. |
@newbee Just enjoyed a very spirited performance of the Schumann PC courtesy of Stephen Bishop and Colin Davis. Looking on Amazon, I see there are highly touted versions available from both Lupu and Perahia, two of my absolute favs. This will be the ruination of me... Listening as I type to second movement of Arrau Chopin PC 2. Yes, the balance of the piano sound is definitely more, err, robust. I love Arrau's phrasing and interpretation, I just wish the orchestra were balanced differently; it seems to me that this movement needs to shimmer more with a kind of restrained inner light. Going back to check Giulini now, though Inbal takes a full minute longer than he does. ...And yes, this is more like it! |
Bought a bunch of CDs recently, many of them based on recommendations from this thread. First one to arrive is Igor Levit, 2CDs, late piano sonatas. Recording: piano image is very present, well fleshed out, more neutral than warm in tonality. Sounds recorded in a fairly small space. The piano is right "there" starting at about the plane of the front wall behind the speakers, so if this were a concert, I'd be sitting close. Performance: 28 sounded, well, intellectual. 29 is a bit more stirring. Perhaps it's just the nature of the late sonatas that I'm reacting to, and perhaps it's Levit. |
