Classical Music for Aficionados
That’s good Jim, you deserve it.Here in North America we used to have Spring for 2-3 months , down now to 2-3 weeks at best. Seems to me that the pana thing is just showing that everything is related to everything . Mother nature seems fed up with the human race which has about killed her and it’s time for her to use what she has, the last card. I fear for the young humans, most of the older ones care not . |
frogman, I finally got a "puter that let me hear Wright . In my hears he is very lyrical which is Schubert all the way .He and Karl are a draw to me . I know that Valente is a great singer and has sung all kinds of classical to great result .Including chamber and all else. But for ME she is too much opera singer for Schubert. Elly is the darling of the original crowd , a plain beautiful women’s voice .I can see he on the Herrt. Benita would be a stretch for ME . |
Mozart Serenade for 13 Winds in B-flat major, K. 361 "Gran Partita" Orchestra of St. Luke's Sir Charles Mackerras Telarc 1994 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBjDdKdq_tQ&t=258s From The Notes: "The composition of the B-flat Serenade(K.361) coincided with Mozart's decision to leave his post with the Archbishop of Salzburg(Mozart injudiciously called his "slavery") and move to Vienna. The Serenade was apparently started in Munich late in 1780. The earliest public performance probably took place as part of a concert at Vienna's Burgtheater on March 23, 1784. Of the event, the playwright Johann Friedrich Schink wrote, "I have heard a piece for wind instruments by Herr Mozart today. Magnificent! It employed thirteen instruments, and at every instrument a master. The effect was Grand and Magnificent beyond description." -- Richard E. Rodda Mozart's biographer concluded that Mozart choose this music as the entertainment music at his own wedding reception on August 4, 1782. Cheers |
Thanks for your assessment, Schubert. Good point re Valente vs Elly. I’m very biased toward the Marlboro recording being one of the first Wright recordings I heard many years ago while still in HS. I will post Wright’s Brahms Clarinet sonatas later. You being a Brahms fan, I think you’ll enjoy them. Rok, The “Gran Partita” is indeed magnificent. One of the greatest works for winds, Mozart’s genius is all over the work. Notice the use of two Bassett horns (essentially alto clarinets in F with extended range) bridging the range gap between the clarinets and bassoons. Wonderful color. Great |
I went to Marlboro about a dozen times , Not hard when you live 60 miles away and not expensive . A truly great fest , far better than the one in Mass. I will never forget sitting 20 feet bur I have from present boss, MitsukoUchida.playing Schubert , it was a cool day but the blouse on her small back was soaking wet. Not easy being great which she sure is . I’m with Mazur , "I love every note he wrote " .Mazur had a large tome he wrote which showed that Sym 1-4 were of one piece .Could Be.I don’t have Brahms IQ score but I think he was the most intelligent of all the great composers . It’s not really bias , like a women, you like what YOU like period .And if you buds say different F....... them. P.S I don’t know if this is true or not and I have never said it . In 2 German books I read Brahms sleep with a bible under his pillow and knew every word of it. I imagine he could. |
More from Marlboro: https://youtu.be/0SPwPgeN-wo No sweeter tone anywhere: https://youtu.be/SA9UP23apVE |
Johann Strauss -- THE BLUE DANUBE Vienna State Opera Chorus Vienna Philharmonic Willi Boskovsky London label -- 1984 I remember the first time I heard this version, I was driving across Louisiana in my Taurus SHO, listening to PBS on the radio. Bought it as soon as I got home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntAsXVV7oCM The kind of music that attracts folks to Classical Music. Best LOUD! Cheers |
Well there is this guy called Heinz Holliger . As soon as your first CD started It came back to me . I had this recording a long time ago.In those days I didn’t care who was playing just wantedSchubert and Mozart .As I said Wright is lyrical + he REALLY helps the singer . There is a old Principle Oboe Man, soon to retire , In the Minnesota that does that as well and has a beautiful tone . Might be a tad easier on Oboe . Seems Wright has one tone, beautiful ..Karl has 2 . LOL. |
IMO , this is a Great Oratorio which seem to get very little play anywhere and none in North/ America . I realize God is not in vogue but even an atheist could enjoy this Masterpiece . Mendelssohn , Elias, with his band the Gewandhaus, Leipzig . https://youtu.be/Nqfeb0jWPkA 1968 Phiilips 420 106-2 I start with 2nd part as it is shorter and Elly Amellng starts it off . Words are from the Old Testament . The ever reliable Wolfgang Sawallisch at the helm.P.S. frogman, It came to Me, my first choice on the first day and page this forum started was the Mozart, Schubert , Serkin , Marlbourgh . Not far down the 1st page . About 41, Elly took over sung like an angle , my hair stood up ! |
Johannes Brahms Violin Concerto in D, Op.77 Jascha Heifetz, violin Chicago -- Fritz Reiner Recorded 1955. RCA, Sony SACD 2005 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJFJgVYFQh4 From the notes: On New Year’s Day, 1879, the concerto was introduced at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, on a program with an overture from a suite by Franz Lachner, an aria from Mozart’s Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail and some Chopin songs sung by Marcella Sembrich, the Chaconne from Bach’s D minor Sonata for solo violin, and Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony. The concerto’s reception was typically Brahmsian in that it was simultaneously praised and damned. Tchaikovsky, writing to Mme. von Meck, called the introduction "an admirable pedestal for a statue." adding, "but the statue is not there: we get merely a second pedestal placed on the first." The tidbits / details are always fascinating. Cheers |
Jim, how do folk in Scotland Feel about the Prince passing ? I never thought that grown ups needed Royalty but after last few years here I'm not so sure. In any event he seemed like a good enough bloke to me and I have a adult sadness for him . I wish we all has more sadness for these people upon their deaths . https://youtu.be/WaHcxz2fpvM?t=1 |
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@schubert Well Len regarding Phillip he was pretty well liked up here not least for the fact that he was always aware that the Queen was first in everything. I see Nichola getting her two faced tribute in, she never hid her dislike of the Royals. I find that I can be a bit ambivalent about them in that I find that they can be good to promote the country but there are too many of them. It has gotten so bad now that the Queen is supporting some of them from her personal estates. |
Brahms/Heifetz: Excellent recorded sound, but for me the performance feels rushed, too fast. Heifetz was a fantastic virtuoso, but sometimes sounded as if he used his virtuosity for the sake of showmanship. His earlier recording of this concerto with Serge Koussevitsky and Boston symphony, while not nearly as good recorded sound wise is more musical, taken at more reasonable tempos. In fact, the performance is more than three minutes slower than the Reiner/Chicago; a good thing, in this case. A favorite, warmer and more poetic performance is Nathan Milstein with Philarmonia Orchestra/Anatole Fistoulari. Of note is the fact that the first movement cadenza is by Milstein himself. Then again, I can’t think of a Milstein recording that I haven’t liked. |
Sometimes ? I thought was all the time . Another good one is Gil Shamam/Berlin Phil/ Claudio Abbado https://youtu.be/sXPKJjNNI1s?t=2 One Great of Brahms Symphonies that seems to not get much love is ,Staatskapelle Dresden /Kurt Sanderling . solid as a rock . You Tube clips are NOT ! |
Mozart Mozart Overtures Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Neville Marriner EMI Label, Recorded 1982 Marriner was one of the founders of ASMF. Now led by American Violinist Joshua Bell. From the Notes: " A night at the opera has not always been the event of serious enjoyment it is today. In earlier days, noise from an audience bent on treating the opera as an excuse for social merriment was likely to compete with the start of the music, very much to the latter's disadvantage. To combat this, composers developed the Overture (literally "opening"), in which instruments struck up with a few loud chords to quell conversation and capture attention ..... Gradually these chords grew into a complete and self-contained movement..." le nozze di figaro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOiTSAH7Bi0 don giovanni https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S45XHZbz84s die zauberflote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cU1VyECXAg Sometimes, the Overture is the best part of the Opera. Cheers In case you wondered. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Martin-in-the-Fields |
@edcyn: Your got me searching my record shelves. Yes, I've got that Heifetz Brahms Violin Concerto on a half-speed master "Red Seal .5 Series" LP. I'm committed to CD. Just so much easier. Btw, when I search my shelves I am always surprised by what I find. Esp the ones closest to the floor. :) Cheers |
Last night while watching an episode of "Endeavor" on the internet, this aria was part of the music soundtrack. The main character, a Police Detective, is a rapid Opera fan. Looking at the credits I found out it was from ’Madame Butterfly’. After searching my shelves, I discovered I had it on disc, 'The Ultimate Puccini Collection', and by the same singer that was on the soundtrack. Here she be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZZrD4_OAM4 I was not familiar with Ms Crespin Cheers |
I didn’t have time to listen to the Gil/ Abbado /Berliners and made a mistake. Been a while since I heard mine . They were not good , they were all that night, the Best in the World .The young Gil did what he does so well, play with imagination without going over the line And the Berliners went right with him ! You Tube did not finish it , at least on my "putter . But I imagine every one who hears it will buy one . rok, since it is THE greatest aria ever written all should buy that as well .I have 7 different ones and get my hanky out for every one . |
Jim., At least Nichola was not phony , I dare say she has done more for the youth of Scotia then Her Majesty . Over here It always looked like Charles was the pick of the litter to me because of his stands on keeping the Planet.Today I found on long BBC program here that his Dad had a lot to dowith that and many charities as well .Good on for Phillip ! |
I know I get carried away , but I just got through listening 3 times to the You Tube Shaman/ Abbado/Berlin Phil /Brahms Vn. It is the best clip I have ever seen on You Tube !Gil and Abbado are as one, the Berlin sounds like a SS Panzer and the audience stated normal clapping at the end and all of a sudden a 1,000 lb exploded ! . Film is fantastic as well . I see sometimes You Tube puts a square box on corner which you must tap if you want part 2 of where you are.IMO about as useful as boobs on a rattle snake . |
In case it hasn't been mentioned before, I'll put in a recommendation for Rameau's Imaginary Symphony, as conducted by Marc Minkowski: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOZxiPU7wo4 https://www.amazon.com/Rameau-Une-Symphonie-Imaginaire-Jean-Philippe/dp/B000935TV8 A delightful recording, in excellent SACD sound. It's hard to imagine anyone who likes classical music not finding this enjoyable. |
George Gershwin PORGY AND BESS (highlights) Simon Estes / Roberta Alexander Rundfunk - Sinfonieorchester Berlin Leonard Slatkin Recorded 1984 Another one with the German sales price sticker still attached. DM39.95 From the Notes: Talks about the deeper meaning of the piece. The ’complex’ relationship between Porgy, Crown and Bess. Porgy and Bess, Good and innocent, vs the evil Crown etc... They were not written by Gershwin, so they should be taken with a grain of salt. I think it was, just like most music, entertainment. A German Radio Band???? It will be played to 'perfection'. Act 1 - Introduction - Jazzbo Brown Blues - Summertime https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2btC1lleG5k Act 1 - My Man’s Gone Now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyGnw2aO6R4 Act 2 - I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L76mHyEIQCA Act 2 - I Ain’t Got No Shame - It Ain’t Necessarily So https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVv-GgJtlMQ Cheers |
@rvpiano You are right the miracle indeed is Mozart but the sound is wonderful. This is the first I have listened to a complete opera in years, Mozart was indeed the greatest operatic composer of his age. My last Figaro was Herman Prey and we could be doing with his power and wit in this performance , the rest of the cast are very good by the way. The orchestra is very vividly recorded and three cheers for the forte piano and lute, a period performance but with a full blooded orchestra. Yes I have to say I have enjoyed this very much, Curenzis notwithstanding sometimes. I have one recommendation of my ow this time , It's Bach - Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin by Augustin Hadelich. I have sampled the D Minor and E Major Suites. Don't expect a Fischer, Kavakos or Vengerov as his virtuosity takes a different route. He has a softer tone than the previous three wonders. The great Chaconne of the D minor suite is a wondrous affair as it is played in a distinctly romantic style full and very soft playing. At the beginning of the piece I was reminded of Nathan Millstein with superbly clean playing and his arpegios and especially his double stopping superbly clean. Although not for everyone at least his intonation and tone are beyond reproach. |
I enjoyed the Hadelich Bach very much. You’re right, his approach is low key, very different from the usual. Effective though. His bringing out of the contrapuntal lines at the beginning of the Chaconne was very impressive. ‘I have a further recommendation for you of another wonderful string player: cellist Pablo Ferrandez. His new recording entitled “Reflections,” is one of the top recordings of the year for me. It contains mostly Rachmaninoff, but also Spanish composers. His tone is to die for. He sounds like Piatigorsky, which is not surprising in that he’s playing on Piatigorsky’s Stradivarius cello. The playing and sound is really extraordinary. It’s also available on Idagio and Qobuz. ‘Enjoy! |
Beethoven VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin) New York Philharmonic -- Kurt Masur DG SACD Recorded 2002 The Notes Consist primarily of a conversation between Joachim Kaiser and Sophie Mutter. ASM: "It was in 1978, a year after my debut with Hebert von Karajan. He thought I should study the Beethoven next, which I did for half a year with my teacher Aida Stucki. Then, as agreed, I traveled to Lucerne to play it for Karajan. But a little way into the piece he said to me:"Go home and come back next year." (This is so 'German' of the Big Guy.) "Beethoven certainly never intended with this concerto to oblige violinists' cravings for technical antics" Beethoven: Violin Concerto In D, Op.61 - 1. Allegro ma non troppo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0Wc1cIJBRE Excellent booklet with wonderful insights into ASM, HvK and Beethoven. Thick booklet with glossy color photos and LARGE type. :) Includes a Complete Roster of the NYP. Cheers |
Each string section (1rst violins, 2nd violins, violas, cellos and basses) has a “Principal” (“Concertmaster” in the case of the 1rst violins), an “Associate Principal”, and in some orchestras an “Assistant Principal” in addition to the “Principal” and the “Associate Principal”. In some orchestras a player auditions for and would hold a specific chair in a specific stand (usually two players) in the section and that is where they will always sit. A very smart alternative method is the revolving seating method. In this method, with the exception of the “Principal” players, who will always sit in the first stand of the section, the other section players will rotate and take turns sitting in the various stands. The rotation can take place for different concerts or for different works within a concert. This allows each player to have an opportunity to sit in closer proximity to the section’s principal (and conductor) and avoids any one player having to sit in the last stand of the section which is sometimes comprised of a single player. There are very real musical advantages to this method. |
Beethoven EROICA - VARIATIONEN Bruno Leonardo Gelber (piano) Orfeo Label Recorded 1984 In the notes, they talk about and use the word 'improvisations' a lot. Maybe this should have been posted on JFA. Seems like here, the improvisations are done by the composer, not the player. 15 Variations & Fugue in E-Flat Major, Op. 35 "Eroica" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMt8IgOMjMc Another one from the dawn of the CD age. Made in West Germany DM35.80 Cheers |
Beethoven SYMPHONY NO.7 IN A MAJOR, OP.92 Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Manfred Honeck, Music director Reference Recordings SACD Recorded 2015 From the Notes: "Critics did not comment on the poetic melodies, but rather on the rhythm as the main element of this symphony. Richard Wagner would later famously refer to the Seventh as "the apotheosis of the dance" and Carl Maria von Weber even remarked that with this work, Beethoven was certainly "now ripe for the madhouse." also As Beethoven wrote in his diary,... there were 18 first violins, 18 second violins, 14 violas, 12 cellos, 7 concert basses and 2 contra bassoons. We have likewise played both the fifth and the seventh symphonies in Pittsburgh with a similarly large cast. ... Additionally, we have used the Viennese classical setting of the orchestra, with the violins sitting on opposite sides of the stage, thus making it possible to bring to life the strong Orchestral drama. -- Manfred Honeck I think they succeeded. Allegro con brio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPzR6kaRsAc Cheers |
Beethoven PIANO CONCERTO No. 5 Leif Ove Andsnes (piano) Mahler Chamber Orchestra - Andsnes Sony 2014 Notes: Talk about the events happening during the time this music was written. Esp Napoleon's rampage across Europe. Tells the story of Beethoven seeking shelter in his brother's basement when Vienna came under fire from Napoleon's cannon. Beethoven pressing pillows to his head in an effort to protect his sensitive ears. "If I understood as much about the art of war as I do about the art of music," he is reported to have exclaimed,"I would have defeated him!" Of that, there is no doubt. piano concerto no. 5 in e-flat major, op. 73 "emperor": I. allegro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE7RSyCfMyU Cheers |
Beethoven PIANO TRIOS VOL. 1 Ashkenazy, Perlman, Harrell EMI 1979-1984 2CD set. Notes: Standard fare. No good gossip. Synopsis of each Trio. Does point out that Haydn thought this trio, in C minor, was too 'advanced' for a Viennese public; most musicians would now consider it the finest of the set. -- Andrew Huth Well, it's not too advanced for us Aficionados!! :) Piano Trio No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 1 No. 3: I. Allegro con brio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dvBJKlA_94 Cheers |
@rvpiano RV just to let you know I have listened to the recording of Pablo Fernandez cello recording. Rachmaninov's music never sounded better than on the cello as he had a great affinity with it . Yes all in all a great recording to while away the hours , literally. You are so right about the tone Ravishing it is. |
Mozart DIVERTIMENTO IN E-FLAT (K.563) CBS Records Masterworks - 1985 *also available on conventional disc & cassette :) Notes: State this work is infrequently played and is astonishingly little known in spite of it being one of Mozart's greatest masterpieces. Perhaps the reasons have to do with it's generally dark, even severe cast...dedicated to the Mason, Michael Puchberg, who so often had helped him in his troubles, i.e. money. Allegro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buvM8PvOFrY Adagio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSaK98LZ6R0 Allegro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZuxADlAqhY Cheers |
Aaron Copland COPLAND 100 Minnesota Orchestra -- Eiji Oue Reference Recordings HDCD Recorded 2000 The Notes: "In 1942 Eugene Goossens and the Cincinnati Symphony commissioned and premiered eighteen new fanfares over the course of the symphony's 1942-43 season. "It is my idea," explained Goossens, "to make these fanfares stirring and significant contributions to the war effort." Copland's 'Fanfare for the Common Man' premiered on 12 March, 1943." "The special qualities of Copland's 'Appalachian Spring(1944), one of the composer's most popular works, owed much to choreographer Martha Graham, for whom it was written." ... "there's something prim and restrained, simple yet strong, about her which ones tends to think of as American." Fanfare for the Common Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku3kH7-sUTs Appalachian Spring https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3luGMG3PoY The music definitely has that 'American' sound to it. Optimistic, like, everything will be alright. We can do it. Cheers |
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D, OP. 35 Julia Fischer -- violin Russian National Orchestra -- Yakov Kreizberg Pentatone Classics SACD 2006 Excellent Booklet. Lots of info on Tchaikovsky, Fischer and Kreizberg. Notes: Talks about the most profound crisis in Tchaikovsky’s personal life, i.e. his marriage to Antonia Milyukova in 1877: "The marriage had only just taken place, and I had been left alone with my wife, realizing that fate had linked us inseparably, when it suddenly came upon me that I did not feel even simple friendship for her- rather, an aversion in the truest sense of the word." Maybe it’s possible to know too much about these guys. Allegro moderato https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI6MnhNJedU Finale: Allegro vivacissimo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1NyEV-7ZgA Julia Fischer, born in Munich in1983. has worked with almost every top tier conductor in the world, except Karajan. She was only 6 when he died. Started playing before age 4. Her instrument is of Italian origin made by Jean Baptiste in 1750. Cheers |
