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CharmNewton

I finally listened to Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum in a single go for the first time (the Geoffrey Madge recording on BIS). Interesting to me in fragments, I still don't understand the piece as a whole, and I suspect at this point I never will. Dan, it is good to see your post in CMG. It's bee...

CharmNewton

I was stunned when I first saw this post and at a loss for words. I knew that Maestro Ozawa had been ill, but he was battling. Earlier last week I had listened to his recordings of Francis Poulenc's moving Concerto for Organ, String Orchestra and Tympani and lighter French music ( Gaîté Parisienne ...

CharmNewton

Rach3 wrote: ↑
Fri Jan 19, 2024 11:18 am

Perhaps my fav LvB piano sonata, and a great performance, my first hearing of this recording, among many other virtues not rushing the last 3 minutes as so many pianists do. Thanks for the post !

You're welcome.

John

CharmNewton

Over the past three weeks I've revisited Simon Rattle's Beethoven cycle with the Vienna Philharmonic from roughly 20 years ago. While Chalkperson might come out to box my ears, I find this one of the best cycles I've ever heard. These are live performances, generally fast and often extremely fast. T...

CharmNewton

At this time, I might listen to a Beethoven sonata because it has gotten in my head (a fellow listener, writing to our local classical station KQAC, described it as an earworm) or having just been captivated by a recording would like to hear how others play the work. I've been listening to a collect...

CharmNewton

The album is also available for download at Amazon. I listened to six or seven selections. It isn't an album I'd purchase. I what I heard, to me, his playing lacks grace and the singing quality one associates with songs and the pieces sound more like etudes than songs. This isn't the complete Songs ...

CharmNewton

Here's a suggestion for you two lovers of the Baroque. It's a 2023 release, and wonderfully played and recorded! https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81zAMQUlreL._AC_UY327_FMwebp_QL65_.jpg Rousset has been a champion of Royer for many years now. I have to take a look at a few of his discs as well as...

CharmNewton

I have a recital of Gustav Leonhardt which includes three Royer pieces. He sounds a bit like a stylistic throwback to Frescobaldi or Froberger, with a bit of sassy insouciance and humor mixed in. His dates place him contemporary to J.S. Bach's older children. A reminder of how wildly varied music wa...

CharmNewton

To: CharmNewton/John John, regarding my post above about the Waldstein and Gieseking's recordings, I found the 48-CD Warner/EMI set ... it was right in front of me and I didn't see it! So I checked the two CDs that contain the pianist's Waldstein : a) Recorded August 11th, 1939 in Berlin, Germany b...

CharmNewton

Ric and Lance .. It is the 1951 recording.. Not my favorite pianist but in the case of this one, his Waldstein always was special. Gieseking also recorded both the Waldstein and the Appassionata for American Columbia in 1939. They were long available on vinyl on Columbia's Odyssey label in the U.S....

CharmNewton

Me too , missing JBuck , and also Werner Isler , with whose family I had become friends, and had long phone chats with late at night. Then there was our lawyer friend, Ralph , who loved Ditters von Dittersdorf. Agnes Selby from Australia. The list goes on and they are not forgotten and are sorely m...

CharmNewton

The Maria Grinberg collection on Scribendum is a gem! Over the years, I have acquired much of her work on Vista Vera, Classound, Melodiya, Arlecchino, Brilliant, and what appeared on RCA courtesy of Russia. Fabulous pianist. It was my pleasure to prepare Barbara Harbach 's harpsichord for performan...

CharmNewton

This took a while to get to me from Japan as it got detoured to Indiana on its way to Portland, Oregon. But arrive it finally did. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51kkYIXRoRL._SX425_.jpg Just getting started, but I already wish she had recorded more Scarlatti and Soler, especially Soler. So take...

CharmNewton

Speaking of the Rachmaninoff 2nd Symphony, here is an excellent one from an unexpected (?) source, Adrian Boult and the LPO, mine an RCA lp, 50’s ? : I agree. I have Boult's recording on an RCA Victrola LP. I find when conductors move out of their familiar territory, their readings can be refreshin...

CharmNewton

My copy arrived yesterday and listened to the Préludes and the Waltzes. My attention was drawn to the clarity of his phrasing, the warm intimate sound of his piano (a Gaveau, from the notes). Details emerge effortlessly. He has a special way with the Waltzes, most having s sunny, outgoing manner but...

CharmNewton

APR has just reissued his complete recordings. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61gu6HQlFeL._SX425_.jpg I'll be ordering these soon. Wikipedia has a brief article about him, pointing out that he suffered permanent health damage from exposure to mustard gas in WWI. I'm sure APR will provide additi...

CharmNewton

Folks, I believe in better sound,both concerti played the same evening Sept.21,2023 with the RCO in Amsterdam, Makela and Wang ( Yukela ?) : https://www.nporadio4.nl/concerten/297b9760-77b8-4ef9-a423-ac36c7efd4e0/klaus-makela-yuja-wang Thanks for posting this. My impression of the performance of th...

CharmNewton

Yes, you make a good point about not hearing the finer points of her performance. She also recorded the Ravel Concerto for Left Hand only just a few days later. Yes, I saw that, and her dress looked like the dark edition of the white dress she wore for the G major concerto. Would have been an inter...

CharmNewton

An audience member has taken this performance from recent days, with Klaus on the podium. You only see Yuja Wang and she looks wonderful in that white dress!! What do you think of her performance of the Ravel? A work very much beloved by me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO_B9Cl-yyc And what a po...

CharmNewton

I, too, was interested in this set when first announced - and got it. Love it, a nice addition to the big Ormandy mono box set. I'm still wondering, though, about the big Ormandy stereo boxed set. Have so much already with this conductor, whom I had the pleasure of meeting one day. It's nice having...

CharmNewton

John: Thanks for all that information and some interesting opinions. I asked the question because I've always enjoyed this Concerto. Why it languishes in the shade behind Op. 104 may or may not be apparent to most, but I wonder if it simply is "one of those things" which occur in music and relegate...

CharmNewton

Any thoughts on Dvořák's "other" Cello Concerto, in A Major? I had never heard the A Major Concerto, and found three recordings which also were taken from three different editions. First off, it is a beautiful work for cello regardless of the edition used. Dvořák writes beautifully in the moderatel...

CharmNewton

I also want to thank you for mentioning A Hero's Song . I hadn't heard of it before and listened to three different recordings online conducted by Andris Nelsons, Antoni Wit and Bohumil Gregor, the last named recordng very well played by the Czech Philharmonic. Over the past few months I've been mak...

CharmNewton

I don't feel that all of Op. 116 to 119 are 'successful' compositions. In some ways a couple of these pieces are naive, even clunky. Brahms tended to 'over-compensate' with a big piano sound when he hadn't yet formulated some of his musical ideas in these 'miniatures'. You can almost hear 'the work...

CharmNewton

I haven't seen anything new written about this situation. I'm curious to know what is going on with Mr. Gardiner. The article quoted Mr. Gardiner as having apologized to Mr. Thomas personally as well as to those who witnessed the incident. He also mentioned that he was going to see his doctor. It's...

CharmNewton

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91MMzR3laCL._AC_UY327_FMwebp_QL65_.jpg Good morning, John. :D I hate to nitpick, but Solti did record Mahler VIII with the Chicago symphony, and I can't imagine that happening without a live performance..... Did the orchestra travel to make that recording? Yes, i...

CharmNewton

I agree that if I really want something, I find a way to make room for it. I plan to acquire the Ormandy Legacy Box pretty soon. I've really liked what I've heard. I only had the opportunity to see Ormandy conduct once. The program included the complete Ilya Muromets of Reinhold Gliere, a thrilling ...

CharmNewton

While checking out a book at Amazon.com, I came across the announcement for this set. 88 CDs. Pre-order price $170.99. Scheduled for release on November 17th. Be sure to keep some pennies in the jar.

John

CharmNewton

Three new acquisitions via that great Polish label, Acte Préalable: I've seen a number of issues from this label at Berkshire Record Outlet and they look interesting. I plan to put an order together soon and will be sure to purchase several. The musical life in Poland looks very vibrant these days....

CharmNewton

...In fact one of the Debussy Préludes for his 1930s recording of Book I ( La Cathédrale engloutie ) was recorded by American Columbia and is excluded from this set (and leaving that Book I recording incomplete, although it was re-issued in the recent collection published by APR). John I want to co...

CharmNewton

I remember Mr. Hodges as a frequent contributor to the rec.classical.music.recordings newsgroup, and at that time he was recording for the Col Legno label, which specialized in contemporary muisc. I enjoyed his contributions and admired his commitment to new music. I hope he continues to perform for...

CharmNewton

Because of my interest in pianos, when Gieseking performed in the United States, it was the Baldwin piano he played, otherwise in Europe it was the German Steinway but I think mostly the Bechstein. I am uncertain if any recordings of Gieseking playing on Baldwin pianos were made. The Bechstein was ...

CharmNewton

John, are you sure that the Warner box is the first release on CD of Gieseking's Debussy? I own two copies of a 3CD EMI box that was issued some decades ago. I can't imagine those are not the same recordings. I'll post the catalogue number later on if you need it. I seem to recall that they were or...

CharmNewton

I t hink I've told this story before, but it bears repeating. A friend of mine as a youth heard Gieseking play a recital in Bendigo (a rural city in my state), probably about 1953. At the reception after, Gieseking stood silently at the window, then clicked his heels and shot out his arm. "Today is...

CharmNewton

John, are you sure that the Warner box is the first release on CD of Gieseking's Debussy? I own two copies of a 3CD EMI box that was issued some decades ago. I can't imagine those are not the same recordings. I'll post the catalogue number later on if you need it. I seem to recall that they were or...

CharmNewton

The link to the story posted by Danny mentioned 8 years probation and registration as a sex-offender for Mr. Daniels and his spouse. It sounds an plea agreement was reached prior to coming to trial and no jail time was probably one of the conditions.

John

CharmNewton

The Warner set includes some first releases in stereo of some of Gieseking's last recordings, and I believe there is more stereo material lost in the vaults given how much recording he did in the mid 1950s. His tone is much improved in these stereo recordings (the box lists Debussy's Suite bergamasq...

CharmNewton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43vQILq3TPA Thank you for posting this. Wonderful, lively performance. I was especially captivated by the the sound of the wind players in the orchestra. Afterwards, had a listen to the RCA Victrola LP re-issue of Nat Shilkret's recording from 1929 (I've since learne...

CharmNewton

I wanted to be sure to pass the link to Bruce Duffie's website to CMG members if you are not familiar with it. http://www.bruceduffie.com/ Mr. Duffie is a Chicago area classical radio announcer and personality, who for many years worked at station WNIB, one of Chicago's major classical music station...

CharmNewton

Would you need a holographic orchestra too? No. The equipment needed to project these high density 3-D images would probably be obtrusive in a concert setting today, but reducing the size of the form factor has been something we've done since the introduction of the computer. Cell phones today have...

CharmNewton

As an exercise of the imagination, how long before we have orchestras conducted by holographic images of conductors of the past, based on filmed images and programmed computer projections linked to a score? When I first saw a demonstration of Microsoft's HoloLens technology, I was amazed. 3-D creatu...

CharmNewton

John, thank you for your work on Pennario. I must have been half asleep when I responded to Brian's initial post. I forgot to look at my LP catalogue. Today, after re-reading your update, I discovered I have Capitol P-8190 (Piano Music of Spain), and DP-8647 (The Spanish Piano). Surprisingly, I did...

CharmNewton

Thanks for all that clarity, John. I'm disappointed that this material has never made it to CD. I can envision a CD of both original mono tapes with the Ritual Fire Dance thrown in for good measure. Perhaps the original master tapes have been either lost or deteriorated due to poor storage conditio...

CharmNewton

Brian, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Near as I know, I have everything Pennario issued on LP (including the early Capitol days), plus every CD that has been issued. Indeed, he even supplied me with some of the early Capitol LPs. At this point on CD, I have everything RCA and Sony issued...

CharmNewton

Best wishes for a Happy Birthday and many more to follow to enjoy all the wonderful recordings we see today.

John

CharmNewton

Thank you, maestrob, for posting this link. I had the opportunity to listen to the entire program last night. The Bach English Suite was delightful. The simplicity of his hand motion and fingering underlined that the music is engaging and fun to play. The Beethoven was extraordinary, and his reading...

CharmNewton

My take on the inflated pricing of box sets is a bit different. If someone is willing to purchase a set at multiples of its original retail price, it isn't any of my business. These sets are copies of master recordings that can be easily duplicated on a mass scale. And as anniversaries are always ju...

CharmNewton

Well, John, you are picking a bone most delightfully. This is not Beecham's point of course, but could you not say skeletons copulate when people do? People without skeletons probably can't copulate. But you are taking us a long way off track... :lol: To move a a bit back on topic, I listened to th...

CharmNewton

Yes, that's the line, but I never had an opportunity to appraise two skeletons in that situation. And, when you say "he's right," is that how the harpsichord sounds to you? :lol: I'm presuming it's the line, from memory, of the harpsichord sounding like two skeletons copulating on a tin roof. And h...

CharmNewton

John, what a beautifully written response on Ingrid Haebler! Thank you! Anyone reading it should be inspired to investigate this marvelous set. Mr. Serraglio's tribute was beautifully written, although I felt the inner jolt when I saw the title. But I've been enjoying to her recordings over the pas...

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