Classical Music for Aficionados
I had no idea we had such horn aficionados here. Regardless of what might be the best horn solo of all time, this guy’s CD brings the instrument to a whole different level. He’s brilliant. |
I would not presume to judge such a contest - those are all very good choices, and different people will have different favorites. I will mention one of my favorites, though, that I doubt would be mentioned by anyone but a horn player. It is near the end of the second of Strauss's Four Last Songs. Find the Schwarzkopf recording with the Philharmonia, Ackermann conducting, but most importantly in this case, Dennis Brain playing first horn. The most exquisite short little solo I have ever heard on recordings, and a favorite of a great many horn players. The original Angel blue label (at least I think it is without getting up out of my chair to make sure) LP sounds very good, at least the two copies I own both do. It is of course also available on CD, if one must, but that is NOT the same. Almarg, that is most definitely a solo in the Ravel - the second horn does enter a couple of times, at first on the same pitch as the first horn, but then descending down a fifth from there, just the two notes. Most of the time it is the first horn alone, though. For me, Myron Bloom's performance of it on the Szell/Cleveland recording was perhaps the most beautiful of his recorded orchestral solos. Cleeds, Adam is a great player. He mostly teaches now - full time major professor at the University of Michigan - but he was a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra horn section for ten or twelve years, I think, perhaps a little longer - he was the second horn player. |
rvpiano, your comments do indeed agree with that of many scholars. Many musicians, however, hear quite a few echoes of Handel in the orchestral music of Brahms in particular. I am not denying that Bach is a heavy influence at all, of course, just that Handel's influence is more than many academics give it credit for. |
I started typing a post, went back to refer to an earlier one, and then my text disappeared! So retyping, and apologize if this gets posted twice somehow. Just catching up on the thread. rvpiano, the Brahms horn excerpt you mentioned (from the 4th symphony) is in this case actually a duet, not a solo, unlike the Ravel one Al mentioned. But it is a very nice choice for favorite horn excerpt, nevertheless. All of us horn players wish that Brahms could have gotten over his musical conservatism enough to actually write the horn concerto he wanted to. But at least we have the Trio! fynnegan, another great recording of the Peter Grimes is the one with Jon Vickers in the title role, with Colin Davis conducting. That one and the one you mentioned are the two representatives in my collection. brayeagle, I celebrated yesterday by re-watching the film On The Waterfront, which is one of my very favorite Bernstein scores. |
Danny Norbury - Light In August Last track... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYS5vgSR2yw&frags=pl%2Cwn |
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.] |
I've been away, but seeing this I thought some might find it interesting. What can you do in 5 minutes? https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/06/arts/music/5-minutes-that-will-make-you-love-classical-music.html |
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.) |
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.) |
I have just purchased a 24/96 file of the pianist Igor Levit called Alive.The quality of the recording is stunning and I have to say it is the best piano recording I have heard. It is probably not for everyone but it is definitely worth it if you want to stun your friends. It comprises reworkings of music originaly from Bach and other composers and best of all is the chaconne from Bach's Violin Partita in D Minor not in the familiar guise by Busoni but the version for left hand by Johannes Brahms. The pianist turns this piece into something magical by way of a superhuman technique and a wonderously sumptuous tone . Definitely one to try. I have been following Levit's career since he was a new generation artist with the BBC.Other discs by him are Bach Goldbergs and Partitas and Beethovens Diabelli Variations, definite treasures and I remember a memorable night at The Wigmore Hall where he played the last three sonatas byBeethoven in two concerts on the one night such was the clamour for the tickets. Brought back wonderful concerts by Claudio Arrau in the same repertoir and I can't say better than that. Also I have been listening of late to a beautifully warm toned Harpsicord recital,
François Couperin : L'art de toucher le clavecin by,
Olivier Fortin
and this is one that I cam heartily recomend. The good thing about this recording is that the microphones are not right inside the instrument and allows a little bit of room for the right amount of ambience. Give them a try if you are seriously into Piano or Harpsicord. |
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! |
Congratulations on the new speakers, RV. I was happy to see in one of your other threads that they’ve worked out great! Is the Solti/Chicago 9th you referred to the 1972 recording with Burrows, Lorengar, Minton, & Talvela, that was co-engineered for Decca by the great Kenneth Wilkinson? If so, I have the two-LP Mobile Fidelity reissue of that recording, ca. early 1980s. And although somehow I haven’t listened to it in quite a few years I indeed clearly recall it as being wonderful in terms of both performance and sonics. In fact I recall that during the 1980s there were even some occasions when I used it in showrooms to audition speakers. Congratulations once again. Best regards, -- Al |
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 |
JimThanks for recommendation of Igor Levit.Have you heard "Life"?Reviewed today here
The Sprawling Piano Odyssey of Igor Levit’s “Life” By Alex Ross https://www.newyorker.com/recommends/listen/the-sprawling-piano-odyssey-of-igor-levits-lifeI am downloading it now along with several more of his recordings. |
@jcazadorI am so sorry I meant to type life and my fingers were elsewhere so please accept my apologies . It is an awesome disc of piano playing and how to record a piano. I was more used to him playing Bach and Beethoven and just wasn't prepares for that wondrous new disk of his. I still cannot believe that chaconne by Bach is only for left hand alone. I have a feeling this will be my disc of the year. You should hear it through a pair of Stax phones !!! |
One of the greatest pianists I have heard in person who is all but forgotten, Is the American John Browning, born in Denver in 1933 . Truth be told , I had all but forgotten him myself till I found a mint recording by him yesterday at Goodwill .Ravel: Concerto in D for the Left Hand and Prokofiev : Concerto No 3 in C .Seraphim/ S- 60224 / Erich Leinsdorf / Philharmonia Orch . FWIW , only others I have heard live that impressed me as much were Claudio Arau , Radu Lupu ., Mitsuko Uchida and Brendel . And strickly for Haydn, Angela Hewitt ,who cemented my feeling that the Haydn piano works are played far less than they should be . |
schubert You are fortunate to have heard such great pianists.The only great one i have actually heard live was Ashkenazy,at a high school auditorium, back in the 70's when he was stillon a leash held by USSR. Richter said he greatly preferred Haydn to Mozart, so you are in good company. Angela Hewitt, Arrau, and Brendel are my favorites too. I have a video of Brendel, "Man and Mask" BBC (2000). Post concert in London there is a long line of beautiful bejeweled women patiently waiting for his autograph, hoping for a word from the man. Shades of Mick Jagger.He played his last recital in 2008 (age 77), but his lecture/discussion/demonstrations continued, and are so excellent, in both content and tone.Love that soft refined Viennese accent. Alfred Brendel 2018 lecture about Beethoven last period, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFgfRZXsYVQ https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/08/the-writer-who-makes-perfect-sense-of-clas... |
more Brendel The 2011 Beatty Memorial Lecture - Alfred Brendel (over an hour) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmxFrzIxFqA 0:23 / 12:46 Conversations with Alfred Brendel - Oscar Caravaca, Man Minnie Ho (13 minutes)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCdN7JpKAss |
I too have seen some wonderful concerts over here in the UK. just a small selection are, Brendel in Glasgow, 1. - The last Three Schubert Piano Sonatas, 2 - Brahms First Piano Concerto 3 - Mozart - Piano Concertos. Ashkenazy in Glasgow - The Five Beethoven Piano Concertos and Choral Fantasy in one week. Absolutely amazing all from memory. Boris Beresovsky in Edinburgh - playing Mussorgsky Pictures and Liszt - Transcendental Etudes. I have never heard such volume from a piano. Pletnev in Edinburgh playing Bach Book 1 of the Forty Eight Preludes and Fugues. Perahia in Glasgow playing Bach Goldberg Variations. Kissin in Edinburgh playing Bach Busoni Chaconne and Chopin Etudes. and at the end of the concert he played 11 encores. Kissin in Glasgow playing Liszt B minor sonata and loads of Chopin. In Wigmore Hall in London Angela Hewit playing Bach Igor Levit playing Beethoven last three Piano Sonatas. In Royal Festival Hall my all time idol Claudio Arrau playing Beethoven last three piano sonatas. I was on cloud 9 all the way back up to Scotland I have been to many many more but these are the most memorable that spring to mind. All these people absolute masters of the keyboard and you havn't lived unless you have seen and heard a pianist of the highest rank playing a Steinway just yards from you. Also recordings are a poor second to listening to one of the greats live. |
Schubert and brayeagle In my youth I was a piper and played for a good few years with Ayr Pipe Band Society but I also played classical guitar and had to make a decision between them. The guitar won because as I also liked listening to music on good equipment and was afraid to dull my ears prematurely. The pipes are an outdoor instrument and at that age a guitar got you more girls than pipes did so no contest. Anyway it is great to see how many overseas people can claim a bit of our heritage. Jim. |
I'm afraid the Radu Lupu and Murray Perahia Schubert disc just eclipse this new one but not by so very much. They seen to have a lightness of touch and fleetness that just pips the new one for me. I don't feel the recording process does any good for Osborne as I have some recordings I made from Radio 3 of Osborne at The Wigmore Hall and he really is a different pianist with an audience in front of him. He just seems to come alive then. I found Arrau to be the same as I have got every record he made with Philips and with a few exceptions I find most of them to be a bit earthbound. Mind you when he was re recording the Beethoven Sonatas in the eighties in digital I started to hear that glorious tone of his that I heard live. I could never come to terms with the analogue recordings of his there really was something missing and there could also be a certain steeliness in the first Phillips set of the Beethoven Sonatas. And say all you like about Arrau but in front of an audience I have never ever heard a more ravishing piano tone. |
@schubert I would love to hear Kissin and Perahia get together even now. At one of the Proms this year Barenboim had Argerich on with him and at the end the two of them did a bit of Schubert and it brought the house down. I see there is a recording of the two of them doing a live recording together, I must seek that one out. |
