What Classical Music Are You Listening To?

[alankin]

Dmitri Shostakovich 
— Concerto for Piano & Trumpet No.1 in C minor Op.35, Concerto for Piano No.2 in F major Op.102
— Yefin Bronfman (piano), Thomas Stevens (trumpet) – Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra – Esa-Pekka Salonen
— Quintet for Piano and Strings in G minor Op.57
— Yefin Bronfman (piano) – Julliard String Quartet (Sony Classical)

 

Edited April 25, 2016 by alankin

[l p]

 

 

[Larry Kart]

Toscanini's live "Tristan" Prelude and Liebestod, from 1952 I think. Surprisingly decent sound and the performance belies any notion of Toscanini as someone who cared only about orchestral precision (as he saw it) and sucked the blood out of the music. Precise he is here, but the sweep of the performance is overwhelming.

BTW, spurred by an encounter with some Stokowski Wagner discs, I've been getting into "bleeding chunks" Wagner lately -- Reiner and Szell in addition to Arturo and Leopold. Very interesting journey so far. Szell, whom I would not have figured as a Wagnerian, delivered a superb "Siegfried's Funeral March," but his  Prelude and Liebestod was a musical ingrown toenail. Anything else I should try to track down in the "bleeding chunks" area? Furtwangler's Wagner I already know. Klemperer?

[Peter Friedman]

Haydn - String Quartet Op.64/2

Mozart - Symphony No.38 "Linz"

[A Lark Ascending]

Disc 2 of latter - marvellous set. Benefits from using different keyboards, varying the listening. 

[l p]

11/18/52

 

[JSngry]

6 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

Toscanini's live "Tristan" Prelude and Liebestod, from 1952 I think. Surprisingly decent sound and the performance belies any notion of Toscanini as someone who cared only about orchestral precision (as he saw it) and sucked the blood out of the music. Precise he is here, but the sweep of the performance is overwhelming.

BTW, spurred by an encounter with some Stokowski Wagner discs, I've been getting into "bleeding chunks" Wagner lately -- Reiner and Szell in addition to Arturo and Leopold. Very interesting journey so far. Szell, whom I would not have figured as a Wagnerian, delivered a superb "Siegfried's Funeral March," but his  Prelude and Liebestod was a musical ingrown toenail. Anything else I should try to track down in the "bleeding chunks" area? Furtwangler's Wagner I already know. Klemperer?

Go to Berkshire and look for pre-end-of-WWII broadcasts. There's a Gotterdammerung on Music & Arts from Beyreuth in 1942 (sic) that reeks of an entire psyche collapsing under the weight of its own decay in real time. And a Leinsdorf/Met Orchestra broadcast from Boston 1940 on Myto w/Melchior & Lotte Lehmann that is some of the most hair-curling music I've ever heard. No guilt, no worries, just full embracing before anybody (apparently) has reason for pause. That shit is intense.

There's also a German broadcast of Parsifal from 1942, but I don't recall that one being particularly noteworthy in any regard...maybe just that the band was a little sad, because, oh, where'd all the good players go, right? The Gotterdammerung, though, that one is truly creepy...twilight of the gods indeed...

Of course, that may all be projection. But how do you not project on Wagner once you get to the, as you say, "bleeding chunks" area?

[Larry Kart]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Go to Berkshire and look for pre-end-of-WWII broadcasts. There's a Gotterdammerung on Music & Arts from Beyreuth in 1942 (sic) that reeks of an entire psyche collapsing under the weight of its own decay in real time. And a Leinsdorf/Met Orchestra broadcast from Boston 1940 on Myto w/Melchior & Lotte Lehmann that is some of the most hair-curling music I've ever heard. No guilt, no worries, just full embracing before anybody (apparently) has reason for pause. That shit is intense.

There's also a German broadcast of Parsifal from 1942, but I don't recall that one being particularly noteworthy in any regard...maybe just that the band was a little sad, because, oh, where'd all the good players go, right? The Gotterdammerung, though, that one is truly creepy...twilight of the gods indeed...

Of course, that may all be projection. But how do you not project on Wagner once you get to the, as you say, "bleeding chunks" area?

Don't quite follow you here. Whose pre-end-of-WWII broadcasts do you mean? Toscanini's? He sure wasn't conducting in Bayreuth in 1942. Furtwangler's? Didn't see anything at Berkshire that fit your description.

[Chuck Nessa]

Larry, the 2 Klemperer discs are the ones I reach for most often.

[Larry Kart]

1 hour ago, Chuck Nessa said:

Larry, the 2 Klemperer discs are the ones I reach for most often.

 Do you have any thoughts about which of the several packagings and possible remasterings is best, in particular EMI 2002 or the recent Warner coupling? And I do suggest that everyone check out Stokowski's Wagner, in particular his late '50s RCA album with the "Ride of the Valkyries" (with Martina Arroyo and Shirley Verrett and others adding immensely to the impact).  His later London Phase Four Wagner album is a trip too, but I can see where many might find the Phase Four sonic spotlighting off-putting. The RCA Wagner material seems to be available only in the collection depicted below these days, but the old Wagner LP can be found in many used record stores.

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, Larry Kart said:

Don't quite follow you here. Whose pre-end-of-WWIIside Gernbroadcasts do you mean? Toscanini's? He sure wasn't conducting in Bayreuth in 1942. Furtwangler's? Didn't see anything at Berkshire that fit your description.

That one was performed during the war, conducted by Karl Elmendorff. If time/place sound kinda dark, well...yeah. It's on Music & Arts, apparently they released some "inside Germany during WWII things ...not the Furtwangler things that have been booted.

I got It at Berkshie, It might well be gone by now.

[Larry Kart]

37 minutes ago, JSngry said:

That one was performed during the war, conducted by Karl Elmendorff. If time/place sound kinda dark, well...yeah. It's on Music & Arts, apparently they released some "inside Germany during WWII things ...not the Furtwangler things that have been booted.

I got It at Berkshie, It might well be gone by now.

Thanks, I'll check.

[JSngry]

I like the broadcasts from this time because there gets to be a rolling momentum that the 78s just could not accmodate. To hear Me chi or and Lehman just...riding that wave over three acts is pretty damn overwhelming, and good luck getting anything like it today.

Look for it on the Myto label, but it's a boot, could be anywhere these days. Boston, 1940.

[Chuck Nessa]

53 minutes ago, Larry Kart said:

 Do you have any thoughts about which of the several packagings and possible remasterings is best, in particular EMI 2002 or the recent Warner coupling?

I have 2 "Klemperer Legacy" discs from 1998. Don't know anything of more recent issues.

[Larry Kart]

53 minutes ago, Larry Kart said:

Thanks, I'll check.

The Elmendorff is on its way.

[JSngry]

It ain't fun, just so you know.

[Larry Kart]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

It ain't fun, just so you know.

It ain't supposed to be.

[A Lark Ascending]

Fun music written specifically for surfing the internet. 

Not exactly hardcore 'classical' but a project based round selections from Purcell, sung by singers from across the genres - Jim Moray and Olivia Chaney are from the heart of the folk world. 'Early Music' style orchestra, no clumsy rock arrangements. What is really interesting is hearing the folkies singing in their natural voices but essentially sticking to Purcell's writing without embellishment. This music is usually sung in High Toff so it's nice to hear it more plainly (James Bowman does the High Toff bits). The orchestra (who I suspect have players well used to Scottish folk music) are great on the dance tunes. 

To my ears, a much more enjoyable 'cross-over' than L’Arpeggiata's record of a few years back (I like L’Arpeggiata but could not get on with that one).  

Edited April 26, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[Peter Friedman]

Piano Trios Hob. XV 22, 23 & 31

[A Lark Ascending]

Bit of a lightbulb moment with Dvorak 8. I love 9 but despite many plays never really connected with 8. Whilst driving to the DIY store today I heard some familiar music which I had down as either Schumann or Mendelssohn. Got home to find it was Dvorak 8 - played it and it all came to life. Marvellous.

Over the last three days. In a genre built on ludicrous plots this must be up for one of the top awards! Magnificent music, nonetheless. Despite having had this since 1989 I don't think I've ever read the notes before - fascinated to read how the Paris version (recorded here) was revised after Wagner was well into The Ring and had written Tristan. Having it pointed out you can really hear the echoes of Tristan in the Venusberg music; and the second half of Act III is reminiscent of Die Walkure. 

[king ubu]

[A Lark Ascending]

No 8. Another listen. Lots of Wagner in there. 

And then 7. 

Edited April 27, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[mikeweil]

Bob van Asperen's Froberger edition was finally completed for the 400th anniversary of his birth, eleven discs in eight volumes, excellently played, beautifully recorded on instruments from Froberger's lifetime. The label lowered prices and offers "bundels" of the CDs, too, so I can finally complete my set. Just ordered the new volume 8 and the four still missing in my collection, now listening to volume one, on which one hears harpsichord suites in perfect rhetoric diction, played on an original 1640 Ruckers harpsichord preserved in a North German castle that belongs to the same family that ordered the isntrument back then. It was only slightly altered in the 18th century ("petit ravalement"), keeping the original case and soundboard untouched. 

For anyone seriously interested in Froberger, this is the recording to get. Here's a link to the label's page of the edition, with complete contents andsound samples for each disc: https://www.aeolus-music.com/Alle-Tontraeger/Bundles/AE80004-Complete-Froberger-edition

Edited April 27, 2016 by mikeweil

[Peter Friedman]

Haydn - String Quartet Op.64/3

Mozart - Concertone for 2 Violins & Orch. K.190

[A Lark Ascending]

Disc 3 of the Luddy - 9, 10, 24, 21 (Waldstein).