One of my favorite horn solos is at the beginning of the 2nd movement of Brahms’ Fourth Symphony.
Haunting.
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Learsfool,
I knew I should have re-listened to the Brahms 4th before, off the top of my head, I cited the example as being a solo. Laziness!
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Hear, Hear for Haydn!A friend of mine who’s otherwise pretty knowledgeable, is an ignoramus when it comes to this composer, as are many music lovers. Although I take a backseat to no one in my love for Mozart, in general, I prefer Haydn’s symphonies. There are a few exceptions of course, but Haydn wrote so many great ones. He was always a master tinkerer, with a wonderful sense of humor. Even the early symphonies are creations of genius and invention.I can always find something to love in ANY of Haydn’s 104 symphonies.
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apm18,
I agree with you that the Johanos recording is very dry and somewhat sterile. I must admit that I recommended it on the basis of this being an audiophile site. That particular disc has really excellent sonics. Performance-wise there are many better versions. In general, I like Ashkenazy’s way with Rachmaninoff. |
A recording on Idagio inspired the above post:
Alexander Schimpf with the Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie.
Although it’s a version without winds (Mozart’s original draft,) the genius of invention still shines through. |
A lifetime project of mine, consciously started as a teenager, is baring fruits now in my advanced years. I determined quite early that Mozart’s piano concertos were too precious to spoil by listenIng to them too often. Hence, throughout my life I’ve listened to them sparingly, so as to discover new sweetnesses every time. I’m happy to say that it’s worked. I still thrill to each concerto I hear!
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The works are the 11th and 12th Piano Concertos.
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Schubert,
Yes, I believe the two greatest Rachmaninoff conductors today are Pletnev and Ashkenazy, both extraordinary pianists as well. (Although Ashkenazy just retired.) |
I just rediscovered a wonderful version of the Symphonic Dances by an old colleague of Rachmaninoff’s: Eugene Ormandy with the Philadelphia Orchestra.Really outstanding performance. Maybe my current favorite version.
On my system, the sonics are much better on this cheapo Sony Essential Classics label than on the super highly touted Reference Recording label with the Minnesota Orchestra.
Pardon me while I digress into audiophilia. I don’t know how others feel, but I, for one, have never liked the sound of Reference Recordings, no matter how good my system gets.
i find the sound perspective distant and Ill defined. The opposite of Mercury Living Presence, which may to some be a little too close up, but which I greatly prefer.
Please forgive my rant!
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Newbee,
Reference Recordings LP’s are fantastically good. I’ve just never had much luck in finding good sounding CDs, even though my player automatically reads their HDCD encoded discs. I’ll have to try your examples of good ones. I’ve noticed that lately their philosophy has changed: not such a distant, undefined presentation. Even so, not state of the art as far as I’m concerned.
btw, You might want to re-listen to the Ormandy “Symphonic Dances” Especially if your set has improved over the years. It was a revelation for me.
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The particular disc of the “Dances” with great sound that I’m listening to is a Sony Essential Classics with music also by Smetana and Offenbach. |
New on Idagio: “Volodos Plays Brahms,” a disc from 2017.
I’d be interested in opinions of his Brahms interpretations. |
Although Volodos may be my favorite among pianists performing today, i really don’t like his way with Brahms as represented in this album. He plays in a hushed, sort of reverential manner, eviscerating the bones of the music. It almost sounds impressionistic. Brahms’ inherent counterpoint is somehow lost. While this is not the heaven storming music of his youth, Brahms is emasculated in this manner.
Volodos’ tone is sumptuous, and the playing is immaculate. The recorded piano sound is really gorgeous. But, in my opinion these performances miss the mark by a wide margin. |
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I bought the Currentzis Tchaikovsky 6 some time ago.
Very exciting as usual with this conductor (listen to his Stravinsky Rite of Spring or Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto coupled with an insanely exciting version of Stravinsky’s “”Les Noces” — a system breaker!)
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A couple of new acquisitions that I find exciting are:
1.Francois-Xavier Roth’s recording of Ravel’s complete Daphnis et Chloe.
I’ve bought oodles of versions of this work, vainly searching for the ideal rendering. For me, This is the one! Sonically and musically it’s exquisite.
2. Volumes 4-6 of Heinz Holliger’s complete cycle of Schumann’s orchestral works, including a version of the aforementioned Konzertstuck for Four Horns and Orchestra (Volume 5.)
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I just discovered today a streaming service that’s dedicated solely to classical music: “IDAGIO.” It’s not Primephonic. It’s much better organized for a classical music lover. Costs $9.99/mo. FLAC sound quality available.
So far, despite a few bugs, It seems great. |
Jim,
Thank you for the recommendations!
I will look into them. |
As a sort of celebration for my obtaining new speakers (GoldenEar Triton 1’s) and to see what they can do, I played Beethoven’s 9th recorded by Sir Georg Solti with the Chicago Symphony.
It was a magnificent experience. I didnt realize the performance and sound was so wonderful until I heard them on the new speakers.
Both recording and speakers highly recommended!
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Al,
Thank you much for your good wishes.
I can’t tell you how much these speakers have exceeded my expectations. Listening to them is like being at an orchestral concert. The full spectrum of sound is there.
The Solti recording is a digital from 1986 with Norman, Runkel, Shunk and Sotin.
Surprising how well the speakers reproduce it.
I’ll look out for the ‘72 recording to compare.
Best,
Richard |
Schubert,
Good to see you back! |
I just obtained a new disc of the complete Etudes-Tableaux of Rachmaninoff played by Steven Osborne.
Some extraordinary piano writing and playing.
So far, my favorite piano disc of the year.
A must have for piano lovers
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I didn’t realize that my recommendation fit so well with this discussion in that Steven Osborne is Scottish! |
Haven’t heard the Schubert.
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Having a Mozart piano concerto feast, listening to various renditions on IDAGIO classical music streaming service.
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IDAGIO is fantastic for classical. Totally dedicated to it. Easy to search and find virtually any performance recorded of a particular piece. Also composers’works are broken down into categories: orchestral, chamber, choral etc.
Plus other niceties.
You can choose lossless quality sound for no additional charge. It only costs ten dollars a month here in U.S. and is similarly priced in Europe.
It is based in Europe, of course. Not here in the good old U.S.A.
I would get a trial subscription if I were you. |
No comparison to any other service I’ve tried!
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Schubert,
I want to thank you again for your recommendation of the Frank Sonata with Kyung Wha Chung. With every upgrade in my system it sounds more beautiful.
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I hate to add a dissenting note regarding
Igor Levit, Life. But, unfortunately I find he sleepwalks through disc one.
Especially in the vital and exciting Brahms arrangement of Bach’s Chaccone in D minor. Brahms loved to extemporize in the Bach keyboard style on both piano and organ in a rambunctious manner. This Levit performance misses the essential exuberance of the Baroque style. Violinists demonstrate this routinely.
I know Levit has a theme for this recording, but this piece does not fit in.
In disc two the atmospheric approach works better, but I’m not a big fan of the Liszt-Wagner ethos. |
I believe Trifonov, while very promising, has some growimg up to do. |
Yes, Matsuev, the “Siberian Bear” as he’s sometimes called, is a formidable player, especially of Russian music. He’s actually a weight lifter and body builder, as his powerful playing attests to.
A female version of him, I believe, is Khatia Buniatishvili. Also a very powerful pianist with a brilliant technique.
Listen to her very original rendering of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition or Ravel’s La Valse either on disc or streaming service for a real treat.
Highly recommended.
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Volodos is, to my mind, the most impressive technically of pianists today, the modern day Horowitz. Others may be impressive, but he combines absolute mastery of the keyboard with great taste. Lately, he’s eschewed the virtuoso fare and demonstrated he’s also a very probing musician. The Brahms disc is beautifully rendered.
Pletnev is also one of my favorite current day keyboard masters. |
Speaking of Horowitz, the other day I randomly picked from the shelf a Sony disc of his titled “Late Russian Romantics,” Volume IX of The Complete Masterworks Recordings. On it he plays Scriabin, Medtner and Rachmaninoff, including the latter’s Piano Sonata #2. (Other works include Scriabin Etudes, and Rachmaninoff Preludes and Etudes-Tableaux.)
If there ever was any doubt of his being the greatest pianist (at the very least technically) of the 20th century or perhaps of all time, listen to this disc.
Blazing intensity! Something unique to him and missing from just about every other pianist, especially today’s.
I’m still recovering from the frisson.
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One copy left in stock on Amazon of this disc. |
I find Buniatishvili to be an imaginative and probing musician as well as a formidable technician. |
I really haven’t heard too much of Boris Giltburg. |
Both great!
Among a crowded field of superb performances of late Brahms, there is a very early recording by Helene Grimaud in her early twenties that is amazingly cogent and perceptive for one so young. One of my favorite versions.
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As I mentioned in an earlier post, her recordings of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Stravinsky’s Three Scenes from Petrouchka and Ravel’s La Valse, all on one disc are really imaginative, especially the “Pictures,” unlike any other interpretation. She begins the “Pictures” like a stroll through the gallery rather than a bold statement of the theme.
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Just downloaded Qubuz. Really meager for classical music lovers.
Tidal is much better.
But IDAGIO leaves them both in the dust.
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Jim,
Yes, it’s just CD quality which is ideal for me in that my DAC is only designed for that.
BUT, IDAGIO has so much more content and wonderful search engines. There are many, many wonderful recordings out there with terrific sound not in hi def.
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Eventually, I suppose I’ll have to get a DAC that supports higher resolution. |
Jim,
The main situation with me is that, digitally I have many thousands of CD’s that sound great with my DAC. Also, almost as many records (that sound even better.) So most of my listening is not from streaming. I still buy CD’s even though the same content is available online because I like the way they sound with my DAC.
When I recover financially from expenditure of my new speakers, I’ll definitely consider a hi-res capable player.
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Interestingly, I just A-B ed Qubuz and IDAGIO in the same non hi-res selection and found the IDAGIO had slightly better SQ. I don’t know why.
You can try it yourself to see if you up with the same results. |
To add to the above list is a superb “Eroica” with Monteux and the Concertgebouw.
I have a great sounding copy of the original LP but it’s also available on CD. |
I’m sorry I cannot comment on the fine points of his Chopin concerto recordings because I don’t own them. But I have heard him live in concert, playing and conducting the E minor Concerto. A very original, some would say eccentric performance with great variation in tempo; a very personal interpretation like none other I’ve heard.
Truthfully, I was not totally convinced of his approach. While original, it did not let the music flow. He certainly is a fine pianist, but this performance did not work for me. His 1999 recording which I’ve heard is quite similar to what was executed in the concert. I would guess his earlier recording with Giulini is more conventionally rendered.
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“Swings and roundabouts?”
Not an American term, but I get what you mean.
Of course, I would expect the hi res files to sound better.
Maybe, some day... |
Newbee,
I’ve just located both Zimerman performances on IDAGIO. I’ll give them a listen and report back.
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Gdnrbob,
If you search Amazon deeply, you’ll find CD copies of the Argerich/Rostropovich.
It was re-released in 2016 |
I really can’t comment a lot on the debate over SQ because IDAGIO is not as revealing as my CD setup. I can say the piano appears to be slightly left of center, and at least on IDAGIO the sound is full and warm if not extending past the speakers too much.
As for the performances, I have more to say.
The 1999 performance is as I remember it live, if even more eccentric. Wide (if not wild) variances in tempo make it hard to appreciate the music. I remember when the recording first came out it was hailed by some as revolutionary or revelatory, but not by me. I heard it live around that time.
The 19 year old Chopin did a remarkable job orchestrating this piece for one so young, but he never became a great orchestrator as he composed almost exclusively for piano solo. (Exceptions include a cello sonata, a trio and some songs.)
I much prefer the Giulini recording. It’s more poetic and simpatico to me.
The orchestra is conducted with more authority. The 30 year old Zimerman is brilliant. |
