The Classical Music Guide Forums

maestrob

The article mentions two recordings I have had since they were originally issued: Mahler VII/Solti, and Shostakovich VII/Bernstein. Both are benchmarks in my library. I was fortunate enough to hear Bernstein/Shostakovich VII when he brought the Chicago Symphony to Avery Fisher Hall in June of 1988. ...

maestrob

This is all part of "Cancel Culture" that's sweeping the globe these days. If you're not pure, you should be eliminated. Never mind the sacrifices to be made. Some years ago, Texaco stopped sponsoring the MET opera radio and television broadcasts, and was happily replaced by Toll Brothers, builder o...

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/718nAkbBk4L._SX522_.jpg Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga (1806-1826) barely survived 19 years, but as a child prodigy composed his first opera at 14, and was sent to Paris to study music soon after. Only fragments of that work survive today, including the ...

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/718nAkbBk4L._SX522_.jpg Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga (1806-1826) barely survived 19 years, but as a child prodigy composed his first opera at 14, and was sent to Paris to study music soon after. Only fragments of that work survive today, including the ...

maestrob

The only Nelsons/Boston music-making I've heard so far has been a live telecast with Opalais and Kaufman during which Opalais tried to sing the Liebestod and missed the mark, although the rest of the program was fine. I've heard the Shostakovich releases on DGG, and found them to be a mixed bag, som...

maestrob

Thanks for posting that link, Joe. I have heard all my life about the Bell Labs recordings, but this is the first time I'm hearing them, believe it or not! I would love to own them in a CD collection, but have never been able to track them down.

maestrob

Where do these singers go to grow and mature? Now, they must migrate to Europe, where opera culture flourishes. Which of course a great many American singers did during the 1950s and 1960s. Leontyne Price was singing Aida (1958) and Pamina (1959) in Vienna years before her Met debut in 1961. Some n...

maestrob

Stokowski, unlike Toscanini, was fascinated by sound reproduction and the high fidelity recording process. During the 1960's and '70's, Stokey recorded some 20+ albums for Decca of standard repertoire plus even a few digital sessions for EMI, all exemplary IMHO except for a rather eccentric Rachmani...

maestrob

I'm afraid I must disappoint you, Lance. My world was opera, and Marilyn Horne's world at that time was the recital stage. Quite different and separate. Only great singers manage to cross over from opera to song recital, and I was dealing with young conservatory graduates who were pining for a more ...

maestrob

where is the audience for opera? Companies like New York City Opera, New York Grand Opera, Eve Queler's Carnegie performances, DiCapo Opera, all have ceased to exist. The MET is the last standing Of course this is true only of New York City, which we New Yorkers sometimes provincially take to be th...

maestrob

With an attractive cast, even the most hackneyed revival can fill the Met's many seats. It's the fans who need a reason to come. In 1988 Carlos Kleiber made his Met debut in "La Boheme" with Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni in the leading roles. Not only did the house sell out for all five perfo...

maestrob

Ah, well, another miscalculation by Gelb!

maestrob

Lang Lang plays LvB PC # 2 with RCO under Paavo Jarvi ,at Concertgebouw Nov.8,2019: https://www.nporadio4.nl/concerten/9326-lang-lang-speelt-beethoven Apparently still recovering (? ). For me, the highlight of the work is the slow mov. I thought LL acquitted himself well throughout. Agreed. Also en...

maestrob

Hi Len.

Apparently the Times has printed quite a lot about this topic recently. Please let us know about your impressions.

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/7194P9pF5AL._SX522_.jpg Brazilian composer Alberto Nepomuceno (1864-1920) was a prolific and passionate advocate for new music in his day, including the 12-tone system of Schoenberg, Berg, et al. Don't let that reputation put you off. The contents of...

maestrob

Quite an interesting program. This is on my listening schedule for the coming week. Thanks for posting!

maestrob

Just finished listening to Vondracek's recital in full. I must admit to being impressed with his Novacek, the Brahms I and his encores, not so much by his erratic tempo choices in the slow movement of Brahms III. He has a CD that I may acquire. Thanks for sharing this interesting artist. I note in p...

maestrob

Grieg brought his piano concerto to Liszt who proceeded to play it at sght, solo and orchestral parts, to Grieg's amazement. Did any other musician have this extraordinary ability?. Interesting question, John. Making music of what one sight-reads is a miraculous talent. Being able to read an orches...

maestrob

The music of Phillip Glass has always mesmerized me for some reason. The composer wrote a song cycle for Iris Hiskey's debut recital: she was also a friend and my wife's voice teacher at the time, and I am privileged to have a recording of that recital on reel=to-reel tape. The songs have never been...

maestrob

As usual, the article is entirely about non-classical recordings, which is where the money is. My guess would be that streaming services such as Spotify and YouTube get far more play in the classical repertoire than CDs, which in turn are likely to top LPs. Your guess may be right, but it's not tru...

maestrob

Extraordinary. He actually outdoes Rachmaninoff in the polonaise. Except for the false start in the Schubert, these don't sound like "rehearsals" but fully realized performances. On what occasion? What you said, John & Lance. Richter's greatness shines through the murk and the mis-tuned piano. Than...

maestrob

Who would have thought? Are we a retrograde society or what? :mrgreen: I agree that LPs were the ideal format for reading about the music contained therein, but I was never comfortable with Snap, Crackle and Pop as part of my musical experience. That young people are willing to compromise their list...

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61Spd85MYHL._SX522_.jpg Ivan Fischer's new Mahler VII is quite good, on a par with his IV. This problematic symphony offers many puzzles to solve, not least of which is the opening tempo, along with a problem bar in the Scherzo where the cymbal crash...

maestrob

Rach3 wrote: ↑
Mon Nov 04, 2019 9:03 am
Not my cup of tea, but assume would be for many here, Peter Mattei,baritone,Lars David Nilsson, pianist,BIS SACD ,complete cd here to listen free for awhile:

https://www.nporadio4.nl/cds/peter-matt ... interreise

Thanks Rach3 for this. It's on my playlist for this week.

maestrob

Tried these obscure pieces, but MHO is that they deserve to stay in obscurity.

maestrob

My guess is that Maestro Jordan didn't have much time to spare for rehearsal for this program. It would have been good to hear him lead a Honegger symphony, for example, but that would have taken more time to prepare.

maestrob

This is some of my favorite repertoire. Mahler knew how to write for the voice, challenging the vocalist to new heights that demand ultimate technical skills as well as an unerring ability to convey drama. Fischer-Dieskau, Janet Baker and Mildred Miller (Bruno Walter's favored mezzo during the 1960'...

maestrob

pianissimo wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 30, 2019 12:24 pm
The Surname, Futral, is pronounced like fewtral , Futral.

Accent on the first syllable. Her preference, according to a TV interview I saw.

maestrob

Good on the school. China is always pushing its weight around these days. For a while it seemed it would join the civilised group of nations. But its treatment of Tibet, of Uighurs, of Falun Gong, of Christians, its organ harvesting, its 1984-style facial recognition technology and its social credi...

maestrob

Very interesting responses here. MHO is that it's too soon to do this. Sure, Levine remade the MET orchestra & chorus from a scrappy ensemble sound to world-class: there's no denying it. Those of us "in the business" know this. But I personally feel it's too soon to praise Levine publicly, after all...

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81G4VSYJ47L._SX522_.jpg Chausson's perfect Symphonie is given a fine outing here by the Orchestre National de Lille , led by their new music director Alexandre Bloch. Bloch takes a broader approach to the symphony than is usual, reveling in the sound...

maestrob

lennygoran wrote: ↑
Sun Oct 27, 2019 7:57 pm

maestrob wrote: ↑
Sun Oct 27, 2019 11:49 am
Co you remember who was the conductor?
Brian yes-Maurizio Benini. Regards, Len

Hmmm.....never heard of him. I'll let you know what I think of him when I hear the telecast.

maestrob

in Ithaca, NY. Theater was fairly well filled. Lance interesting-our theater had pretty sparse attendance. Regards, Len That's sad about the attendance, Len. Manon is one of my favorite operas, but it's not a crowd-pleaser like Puccini and Verdi. I would have thought that with all the publicity sur...

maestrob

Thank you, Lance, as always, for keeping us informed. This is a must-buy for me!

maestrob

IMHO this is a human problem, not a political one. I find it interesting that a conservative woman is standing up for Domingo, but her politics are irrelevant to the issue. What this IS about, is the current transformation of relations between men and women, where Domingo's "old school" macho behavi...

maestrob

Indeed, a mammoth undertaking! I've been wondering about the Sunday matinees, and whether having them is improving the MET box office take.

One thing's for sure, the MET people do work hard, and they earn their money.

Thanks Len. Very informative.

maestrob

Great idea! Thanks, Len.

maestrob

Handel's Messiah is, I think, my #1 oratorio, having sung it approximately 50 times in Philharmonic/Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall with David Randolph. Randolph had a special way with the music in the 1970's when HIP was first getting started. He would double-dot the eighth notes, turning them ...

maestrob

That's an interesting cover, Brian. Not only did they not think highly enough of Leppard to name him there, or the orchestra, they did not think enough of themselves. Unusual for there to be no mention of the label! Yep, I noticed that too. It's the National Symphony, recorded by Columbia Records o...

maestrob

karlhenning wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 23, 2019 8:46 pm
Hello, all.

Hello, Karl.

Nice to have you back with us. Hope you're doing well! Your presence here is valued. You have been missed.

maestrob

Oh my, another great musician passes. Very sad indeed. Leppard seemed to fade from view during the past 15 or so years. I didn't know he was still with us. Most of what I had by him was on vinyl, but note that he was the conductor of Wynton Marsalis's debut as a classical artist, very well thought o...

maestrob

It is a grotesque inversion of the proper hierarchy between public accomplishment and private sexual behavior to sacrifice an artist of Domingo’s stature for the sake of 20 disgruntled bit players,... Hmmmm....... So, just because they are "bit players," certain women are not entitled to respect? A...

maestrob

Thanks for the alert, Lance. I have just opened the DGG box and will search out the Schubert trios. I must say, Badura-Skoda's Schubert Sonatas rival those of Kempff and Brendel:

maestrob

Am I the only one who finds Barenboim boring?....... In opera or in symphonic repertoire? MHO is that his middle period in Chicago was occasionally uneven, but within the past 10 years or so he's become more disciplined. His Bruckner with the Staatskapelle Berlin (on DVD) is outstanding, as is his ...

maestrob

Thank you Lance, that's a must-buy for me. I first heard Price in the role of Amelia led by Solti in her London/Decca recording of Verdi's Ballo in Maschera. She was also an outstanding Mozart singer, the voice centered and pure throughout all the pyrotechnics of whatever aria. Her lieder are non-pa...

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71KgTU6K4mL._SX522_.jpg This deeply fulfilling two-disc set of Handel's Italian Cantatas features electrifying conducting by Emmanuelle Haim leading Le Concert d'Astree coupled with stunning singing by Sabine Devieilhe and Lea Dasandre. Both singers ...

maestrob

Modernistfan wrote: ↑
Sun Oct 20, 2019 8:49 pm
This definitely needs to be recorded. Fortunately, the Cincinnati Symphony has its own label and does not depend on the major labels to get such new repertoire out. I shall watch for this.

Yes, indeed. Thanks, Len, for the alert.

maestrob

The BBC is running a five-part series on the radio of the early history of sounc recording. Called "His Master's Voices," it begins by playing the very first discs cut in London in 1898. Very enjoyable as well as informative. The first program is here on the BBC Radio 4 Extra web site: https://www....

maestrob

Ms. Meyer, the orchestra’s general director, said that the most frustrating part of her job can be explaining to presenters exactly what category the Camerata belongs to. Is it an orchestra? A dance group? Some kind of music-theater ensemble? The answer to all these questions may be yes. Or more li...

maestrob

Thanks for these. Delightful! Not familiar with any of the first-rate artists involved.

Search found 6486 matches