Classical currently spinning thread

[Catostylus]

Davidsss, for Bruckner - try Bruno Walter or Jascha Horenstein. Unfortunately both are hard to find.

Could I add Jochum - available in a budget boxed set from DG.

[Keith_W]

Oops, so Elly Ameling is Dutch :eek: That's what happens when you don't read the liner notes!

For Bach I have a strong preference for modern instruments. Unfortunately this means that all my favourite recordings are from the 1960's and 1970's, before the period instrument movement took over. This means that SACD's of this type are few and far between.

However, I can recommend:

Bach Brandenburg Concertos: Karl Richter / Munich Bach Orchesra - 1-3 and 4-6.

The sound quality is very good but not up to what you can get on modern RBCD. I do not have the RBCD version of these recordings so I can not tell you if the SACD is superior. I am a fan of Karl Richter. These are very much German sounding performances - a more serious performance of the Brandenburgs than what you may expect. Clarity is a typical Richter attribute and you can always hear what the musicians are doing.

Bach Violin Sonatas: Julia Fischer

Recording is absolutely first rate. This is the finest sounding recording of a violin solo that I own. Fischer is an outstanding violinist but her reading is a little bit lightweight compared to Henryk Szeryng's. But Szeryng's sound is very 1960's. Young Fischer has a much more modern sound.

[Mr_Gimlet]

Oh - just about anything from Monteverdi to Schoenberg with a particular fondness for anything by Bach. I'd love to see any more recommendations you can make.

Hyperion recording of Monteverdi Vespers and, by the same guys, The Coronation of King George II

[Kevin]

Hyperion recording of Monteverdi Vespers and, by the same guys, The Coronation of King George II

Love musical event reconstructions. Playing today was the Coronation of the First Elizabeth a Griffin cd GCCD 4032. Also a beautiful reconstruction is A Venetian Coronation 1595 (for the Doge of Venice) Virgin Classics.

The Griffin cd is a demo quality disc with beautiful music.

Kevin

[4heckssake]

Right at the moment I am listening to:

Jacqueline du Pre A Lasting Inspiration

Tis only my second hearing of it but all seems good now. Nice recording and selection of her work.

[Keith_W]

That is a gorgeous disc, 4HS and highly recommended She is way intense and some of the tracks will make at least this grown man cry.

[4heckssake]

That is a gorgeous disc, 4HS and highly recommended She is way intense and some of the tracks will make at least this grown man cry.

Thanks Keith.

It's a double disc. Got it in my local shop for $10. Can't go wrong.

I haven't had to get the tissues out yet but I am also doing some work at the same time so not giving it my full attention (or my work for that matter).

[raptor]

Davidsss, for Bruckner - try Bruno Walter or Jascha Horenstein. Unfortunately both are hard to find.

Keith,

I see that RCA have released THE GUNTER WAND COMMEMORATIVE EDITION, VOL. 1 Symphony No. 9 This is 5 versions of Bruckner's 9th with Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra; North German Radio Symphony Orchestra; Berlin Philharmonic.

Might be a little bit of overkill but I know you're a fan

[Moondog]

Hmm I vote for some Classical Music Appreciation GTG's

[Audiobugged]

Not quite currently spinning, but I've just come back from the dress rehearsal of Jerome Robbins ballet at the Opera house. Fair performance overall, but wanted to mention that I thought the "suite of dances" was brilliant.

Extracts from Bach's cello suites played by a solo cellist with a solo dancer. Very nicely choreographed and an exceptional dance performance - For those who love the cello suites (I have 3 different versions by Isserlis, Rostropovich, and Fournier) and ballet, I highly recommend this. Also, the final (main) act "the concert" was a hugely enjoyable blast

AB

[Geoffwiggle]

Last night I put on Bernard Haitink's 1979 recording of Jeux with the Concertgebouw Orch, what a joy. Good recording too. The soft cymbals, bells and snare at the very back of the orchestra are so magical, and as for the rest of the orch, just wonderful. So good I don't want to listen to it too much in case I get used to it.

[Keith_W]

For 56oval - the disc that we were listening to today was this one - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf / Gerald Moore - Songs you love.

[ATTACH]2076[/ATTACH]

EMI 356 5262

I do love this disc because of the intimacy of the singing. When most singers hit high notes, they need to pump a lot of air through their vocal chords. Try it yourself - what happens is that the voice becomes loud and hard. That is the sign of an inadequate singer! (Opera singers are excluded, by necessity they need to pump a lot of air through their vocal chords to fill an opera hall). As a lieder singer, Schwarzkopf has a unique ability to hit very high notes with uncanny accuracy and still sound soft and tender. Not to mention her perfect diction, the expressiveness of her voice, and the intellectual reading of the poems which form the basis of the songs.

Gerald Moore plays the piano accompaniment, and plays it in a clearly old fashioned 1950's style. Still, Moore knows how to paint pictures with his piano. Witness the variation in playing style in track 9, Deutsches Volkslieder ("A German Folk Song") where a country bumpkin sings to his love on a cold wintry night. But it is no ordinary love song! She tells him to sod off because it is late at night, he pleads that it is bloody cold out here, and she laughs at him because "if your love can not tolerate a bit of cold, it is of no use to me". She then slams the window shut and leaves him out in the street. You can hear all that in Moore's playing - the crass bumpkin, the tittering daintiness of the young lady, the bitterness of the cold wind.

A very enjoyable disc. Anyone who knows about lieder will recognize all the delicious songs on offer. Unfortunately I have to give the sound quality 3/5 - acceptable but not outstanding.

[davidsss]

Bought a couple of classical records today:

Haydn: London Symphonies, London Chamber Orchestra, Tate

Buckner: Symphony No 5, Haitink, Concertgerbouw Orchestra Amsterdam.

Will listen when I get the chance.

DS

[Geoffwiggle]

Davidsss, I'm interested in your experiences with Haydn's London Symphonies. I have a lovely disc of Mozart piano concertos with Geoffrey Tate and the LCO, but I was listening to it the other night on my relatively new system, which revealed a few concerns with the recording. The orchestra just seemed a bit muddy to to me. Muddiness would be fatal to a performance of Haydn symphonies. What did you think about the recording?

[davidsss]

I'll get back to you when I've had a chance to listen to it. I buy quite a lot of records so it can take a while to listen to them all.

DS

[Mr_Gimlet]

Got a few discs on their way from Amazon, Mrs_G needed some books for her uni course so I tacked on a few CDs.

" German 17th Century Church Music", and "The Feast of the Ascension at Westminster Abbey" both new releases this week from Hyperion.

I also bought (an apparently) classic demo album "Pomp and Pipes". It's a Dr Johnson recording on Reference which are usually technically superb. Haven't heard many of the pieces, but it should keep the subwoofer warm.

Someone recommended the Griffin recording of Elizabeth's Coronation, but it's on five to seven week order times so I skipped it. Shame as I would have liked it.

[raptor]

Someone recommended the Griffin recording of Elizabeth's Coronation, but it's on five to seven week order times so I skipped it. Shame as I would have liked it.

If this is the one you are after Mr G one of the Amazon associated sellers, MovieMars has it for USD 12.84 which is USD 6.00 cheaper than Amazon.

Their delivery times are also much faster than Amazon, I order by surface mail and get cd's from them in around two weeks.

[Mr_Gimlet]

That's the one, but moviemars isn't showing (I get quite a bit from the Marketplace) - just caiman at the same price as Amazon but with marketplace postage of course

[raptor]

That's strange, I just had another look and it shows me new from Moviemars for $12.84, Caiman for $12.88 and Newbury Comics for $12.89. link is http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00004U0S8/ref=dp_olp_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1210812554&sr=1-1

I've bought quite a lot from all three sellers and I prefer Moviemars as they airfreight for the same price as the others sea freight. Also if a cd goes missing I can almost guarantee it will be from Caiman and their solid box packaging leads to cracked cases very regularly.

[Mr_Gimlet]

That's strange, I just had another look and it shows me new from Moviemars for $12.84, Caiman for $12.88 and Newbury Comics for $12.89. link is http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00004U0S8/ref=dp_olp_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1210812554&sr=1-1

I've bought quite a lot from all three sellers and I prefer Moviemars as they airfreight for the same price as the others sea freight. Also if a cd goes missing I can almost guarantee it will be from Caiman and their solid box packaging leads to cracked cases very regularly.

I've worked it out - I was after Coronation of Elizabeth I!!

[davidsss]

Davidsss, I'm interested in your experiences with Haydn's London Symphonies. I have a lovely disc of Mozart piano concertos with Geoffrey Tate and the LCO, but I was listening to it the other night on my relatively new system, which revealed a few concerns with the recording. The orchestra just seemed a bit muddy to to me. Muddiness would be fatal to a performance of Haydn symphonies. What did you think about the recording?

Well I gave the record a spin last night and it sounded fine, no muddiness and nice clear sound. Nice piece of music too. My copy is an EMI/His Masters Voice record. The record claims to be Direct Metal Mastered. It was late and I couldn't play it loud but it sounded good to me. I agree that the music does require clarity and would not sound good if it is a bit muddy.

Could be the recording you have.

DS

[Audiobugged]

Bach Violin Sonatas: Julia Fischer

Recording is absolutely first rate. This is the finest sounding recording of a violin solo that I own. Fischer is an outstanding violinist but her reading is a little bit lightweight compared to Henryk Szeryng's. But Szeryng's sound is very 1960's. Young Fischer has a much more modern sound.

Got this today based on Keith's comments above - agree with the points on performance (accomplished technically and a very credible reading), and the recording is exceptionally good, (and only via rbcd).

[Audiobugged]

Compared to the Hilary Hahn version, which I dug out to listen again, I think the Fischer version has the edge in terms of her interpretation and definitely in terms of acoustic quality. Julia doesn't look half bad either mmmmm....

AB

[davidsss]

With all the talk of Mahler I took the plunge and bought: Mahler's 6th London Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Levine. We'll see how we go with this.

The trouble with some classical, the Bruckner I bought has really brought this out, is that I need to play it in the daytime with some volume. If I listen at night with the heater going I can barely hear the quiet bits and the loud bits can be too loud. Time is often a limiting factor, I always seem to have a pile of recently bought records to listen to!

DS

[Keith_W]

davidsss welcome to the world of dynamics! :mad: The quest for clarity at low volumes with clean sounding loud passages with correct oomph and scale hopefully won't consume you the same way it's consumed many of us. Better for your wallet that way!