What Are You Listening to Now?

[Haffner]

Gurn,
Well, Brilliant has its moments like the Brahms chamber music set or the Liszt I was just describing but I bought a 40 CD Beethoven set featuring all the Piano, Violin and Cello sonatas, the Symphonies, the concerti (minus the triple), the Masses, the String Quartets and the overtures and truly, there is not one great recording in the bunch. You sound like you are doing some interesting listening though, I have not yet explored the "obscure" composers, I still have much music from the "greats" to listen to. Oh, and the Bruch I was referring to was G minor, Op. 26. I wasn't aware he wrote more than one VC, I will check that out.

atserriotserri,
Finally, I fellow admirer of Gould! And perhaps one more knowledgeable than myself. Was not Gould's final Bach recording the Goldberg Variations in 1981, please if I a wrong I would like to know, as I have been under this assumption for some time.


I am currently listening to Wagner's Die Walkure with James Levine conducting at the Met. I'm actually playing the DVD waiting for my favourite part, the farewell scene in Act 3 between Wotan and Brunhilde. It is coming up! I must go and give it my full attention
!

[Amalie]

A newbie for me
Durante: Harpsichord Concerto Bb,
Gerald Hambitzer [harpsichord]
Concerto Koln. Lovely!

Locke: Dialogue of the despairing lovers
New London Consort.

Beethoven: PC no.3 0p.37,
Rudolf Serkin, [piano]
Boston Symphony Orchestra

A lovely way to start the day!



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~ Unsterbliche Geliebte ~

[atserriotserri]

Originally posted by Haffner:
atserriotserri,
Finally, I fellow admirer of Gould! And perhaps one more knowledgeable than myself. Was not Gould's final Bach recording the Goldberg Variations in 1981, please if I a wrong I would like to know, as I have been under this assumption for some time.
!

I assumed that for long time (since I read the booklet of this "italian album" cd last weekend. Let's see: The goldberg variations 1981 was recorded April 22 - May 29, 1981 and the Italian Concerto in F major BWV 971 was recorded on august 29, 30, 1981. Question is that this 1981 recording is not the version on the cd! (is an early 1959 version). Literally, the booklet says:

"... and the italian album would inevitably have included Bach's italian concerto in f major, even though Gould never made any secret of the fact that he could not abide the piece. According to Columbia's Artist Contract Cards, a new recording of the work was due to have been made on August 29 and 30, 1981 (Gould's earlier recordin dates from the end of june 1959), although it could not have been made in the auditorium at Eaton's department store since the latter had been torn down in the spring of 1980. Wherever the recording was finally made, this was the last time that Gould recorded any of Bach's works, thus lending the failure of this recording a certain air of tragedy. Perhaps this was the reason why the italian album was never finished and why Gould preferred to record Brahms' Op.10 Ballades and op.79 Rhapsodies instead of any of Bach' vivaldian concertos (BWV 972, 973, 975, 976, 978, 980) all of which would still have had to be recorded before project #2417-2 could have been regarded as complete."

[Gurn Blanston]

Haffner,
Yes, I avoided that big B box, not only because I already had all the music but also because big mixed boxes by all different performers kinda scares me off, how can they all be great?? You have to admit though, the price was fair so you didn't lose a lot I have the set of Dvorak String Quartets that is pretty good, I would rate it 6 or 7 out of 10. And the Mozart Orchestral Serenade box that rates an 8! No liner notes in the Mozart though, and that is leass than ideal.
Yes, Bruch wrote 3 VC's, the 2nd and 3rd are both in d minor. The 2nd is particularly nice, the 3rd less so. His rhapsody for violin & orchestra Op 75(?) is probably better than any of them, as is Scottish Fantasy. Oh well.

Amalie,
Durante? You never fail to educate me. Have to check him out. Meanwhile, you have one of my favorite pianists (Serkin) playing one of my favorite works (Op 37), nothing obscure there!

Well, for me it is Franz von Suppé, Famous Overtures. Suppéwas a Middle Romantic, and you say "but I don't know anything by him"! Well, I bet you do! Only thing you didn't know was the name. He sounds like the heir apparent to Rossini in the overture arena. Right now it is the Overture to "Morning, Noon & Night in Vienna". Shall we dance?


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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[Sorrano]

Originally posted by Haffner:
Gurn,


I am currently listening to Wagner's Die Walkure with James Levine conducting at the Met. I'm actually playing the DVD waiting for my favourite part, the farewell scene in Act 3 between Wotan and Brunhilde. It is coming up! I must go and give it my full attention
!

I like that part a lot, too! Especially with the same version that you have; I remember when it came out of PBS some years ago. After that I just had to buy the DVD set when it was available.

This morning I caught Schubert's 3rd Symphony, finale.

[Pastorali]

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792)

Sinfonia per la Chiesa in D major, VB146 (Riksdagsymfon)
Symphony in F, VB145
Symphony in E flat major, VB144
Riksdagsmarsch VB154

[Tony John Hearne]

Originally posted by Rutradelusasa:
In the last few days I've been listening to all my recordings of the 9th. That is, Gardiner, Hogwood, Karajan (84), Klemperer, Masur, Harnoncourt and lo! Alberto Lizzio, a guy I don't know, to a label I never heard of with the Prager Festival Chorus and Orchestra, a very worthy of hearing recording. I realized that if I want nobility, I shall go to Klemperer; if I want power, Hogwood (8-O, but those horns HAVE TEH power); Accuracy, virtuosism, the wow! effect, Gardiner; this Karajan left me down, but has some nice touches to it; if I want balance and a good period informed performance on a very good modern orchestra, Harnoncourt. What about Lizzio on the ? label? It's natural, happy to be recording. Something like an every-sunday concert that has been brought to disc. I liked it very much.

Maybe this should go to a new topic, but what are your feelings regarding recordings of the ninth?

Predictably for those who know me here Toscanini and the NBC Symphony The supreme of the supremities

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Love from London

[King Stephen]

Rimski-Korsakov's Symphony No.2 as well as his Russian Easter Overture. As far fetched as it may seem he was one of Igor Stravinsky's teachers.

[This message has been edited by King Stephen (edited 10-15-2004).]

[Haffner]

Amalie,
That wouldn't be John Locke would it, the famous British philosopher? If so I was not aware he was also a composer, that would be most interesting to hear.

atserriotserri,
Well thank you for clearing that up. I know that he recorded the Italian Concerto earlier and was not aware he did a second recording, that is what gave me cause to question.

Gurn,
Well good thing you avoided the Beethoven box, because you would have been disappointed. The Masses are the worst, the soloists are laughable! But as for the boxes you mention I am not a big Dvorak fan and I have all of my Mozart on LP. It came in a big set under the Time Life label and features 100 LPs, which covers essentially everything except the vocal music. I got it second hand for only $100; now there's a deal I can get used to!

Sorrano,
Yes, James Morris is one of the great "acting" Wotans. I saw Die Walkure last year live and was very disappointed; it is hard to equal the perfection of that Met production.


For me it is Schumann's song cycle Dichterliebe Op. 48 performed by some greats: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone) and Jorg Demus (piano). I have been absorbed in Romanticism lately, hopefully I will be moving on to something different soon.

[Gurn Blanston]

Pastrl,
Ah, sinfonia per la chiesa, eh? I have read that many of Mozart's early sinfonias had some occasional church performance, but especially M. Haydn. Seems odd, but I guess it was taken for granted back then. Good tunes?

TJ,
Yes, I was waiting for you to chime in with that, you see, I had to do it myself! I guess I should have just been patient! ;D

King,
Are his symphonies good? I know his overtures are lovely (especially the Russian Easter!), and I just love Scheherazade, but everything else has been short pieces.

Haffner,
Yes, I would say that was a good deal. I saw on eBay not long ago the original 1970's edition of the CBE on original DG vinyl, and it went for a ridiculous low price like that. Not having anything to play them on, I passed, but if I was a vinyl collector I would have gone nuts over that kind of deal! How can you not be a big Dvorak fan? To know him is to love him

For me it is the Symphony in c minor - #7 - Johann Wilhelm Wilms (1772-1847). This was his last symphony, and it's a peach! I read somewhere that because of the internal tension and dramatic contrast it was speculated that he emulated Beethoven. For me, I hear a forecast of what Mendelssohn will do 10 years later. This is absolutely very early Romantic symphonic writing at its best. Here is a striking parallel with Beethoven (and Mozart, for that matter); it was premiered in 1830, and was very poorly received because it was too progressive. Ludwig would have been proud


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Regards,
Gurn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Peter]

Originally posted by King Stephen:
Rimski-Korsakov's Symphony No.2 as well as his Russian Easter Overture. As far fetched as it may seem he was one of Igor Stravinsky's teachers.

Not far-fetched at all, you can definitely hear the influence in a work such as the Fire-bird, especially orchestration.

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'Man know thyself'

[King Stephen]

Originally posted by Peter:
Not far-fetched at all, you can definitely hear the influence in a work such as the Fire-bird, especially orchestration.

Peter,
Sorry, but I have to disagree with you. The only peice of music that Stavinsky composed that would indeed reflect Rimski-Korsako's style in orchestration or evidence that he was his student is an early symphony in E-flat that has Rimski-Korsako's signature all through it. As far as the Firebird or The Rite of Spring I think Igor had by then developed his own style. Stavinsky dabbled in just about every phase of composition including 12 tone. His orchestral writing is not to far removed from Tchaikovsky, whom he worshiped.

[Peter]

Originally posted by King Stephen:
Peter,
Sorry, but I have to disagree with you. The only peice of music that Stavinsky composed that would indeed reflect Rimski-Korsako's style in orchestration or evidence that he was his student is an early symphony in E-flat that has Rimski-Korsako's signature all through it. As far as the Firebird or The Rite of Spring I think Igor had by then developed his own style. Stavinsky dabbled in just about every phase of composition including 12 tone. His orchestral writing is not to far removed from Tchaikovsky, whom he worshiped.

Well we must disagree then because I think Rimsky's colourful orchestration is very evident in the Firebird and the other early ballets.

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'Man know thyself'

[Pastorali]

Gurnrl
He linguisti, si la chiesa, it's weekendario! Very likeable tunes of Kraus indeed, super. There are six Symphonies, an Overture and some other stuff on these two Naxos disks (Vol. 3+4). One can hope there are also excisting #1+2 of them, would be nice!

W.A. Mozart
Grave Music KV.42
Cantata for Soprano (Angel), Bass (Soul), Choir, Organ & Orchestra



[This message has been edited by Pastorali (edited 10-15-2004).]

[JA Gardiner]

My bargain of the week - a complete set of the Maestro's Piano Sonatas played by Jean-Bernard Pommier (Erato) for £15. Now it may not be the Ashkenazy, Brendel, Arrau, Kovacevich or even Lill sets that I was contemplating, but at that price on that label it couldn't be missed! Anyone got an opinion on this set or on which of the others would be best for a more definitive set (I can't really justify having more than two when there's so much more music out there and my budget is limited......)

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Beethoven the Man!



[This message has been edited by JA Gardiner (edited 10-15-2004).]