The Classical Music Guide Forums

maestrob

Britain's government has been cutting back support for the arts for quite some time, so this, while upsetting, is nothing unexpected. In America, our National Endowment for the Arts has been threatened with cancellation altogether by Republicans for decades, yet it still struggles on, providing a fe...

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41FaIv6VQ0L.jpg The above became available a few years ago, and is still available. I have only a few of her more famous recordings: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41XvGs%2BAoML.jpg https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/5...

maestrob

I believe a new release , but in any event available ,complete, for free listening here for awhile, maybe 2 -3 weeks (?): https://www.nporadio4.nl/cds/quatuor-ebene-beethoven-around-the-world This is a stunning release, full of energy, passion, and wonderfully nuanced playing. I finally finished li...

maestrob

Yesterday, I was driving to work and a recording of "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" came on the radio. I started thinking, "What a bland, blah, deadpan performance, played seemingly without any expression, as though robots were playing." I then thought, "This must be a period-instrument performance." When...

maestrob

Wonderful article, Len, thanks! Mozart's vocal writing is, IMHO, a pinnacle of Western cultural achievement. I particularly love the aria "parto, parto" from his opera Clemenza di Tito, written for mezzo with clarinet obbligato. As well, there is the concert aria, "Vorrei, spiegarvi o Dio, both avai...

maestrob

Thanks, Rach3! I have loved that piece since I acquired the CD below some 25 years ago. Will listen to your posted concert with interest.....

maestrob

Good morning Lance!

Found these two albums by Gallo on amazon. Very enjoyable! Thanks for the alert, and will now watch out for him!

maestrob

Rach3: Thanks for all that information. Yes, Friedman was and still is a unique musical personality, like many in his era, both pianists and singers. We have lost so much of that personal stamp on music with the current emphasis on getting the notes right, neglecting the emotional content of the mus...

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71i-9kFlHFL._SX522_.jpg There have been many good recordings of Paul Hindemith's Violin Concerto made since David Oistrakh's world premiere stereo reading conducted by the composer on DGG. Thankfully, this stands up to the best of them. Arabella Stei...

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https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71ghZ40c1JL._SX522_.jpg Thanks to mentions by both Lance and Rach3, I acquired this release of Ignaz Friedman's recordings from 1923-1941, recently issued by Danacord at a very reasonable price, also available on amazon for free listening for America...

maestrob

Excellent article, Len, thanks! I remember those feelings of withdrawal and emptiness when I had to give up conducting my competition after 10 years in Carnegie Hall because of my sleep disorder. It was a real low point in my life, and, yes, I withdrew from listening to opera for quite a while, pref...

maestrob

2 members of the Quartet discuss the recordings, getting together for the first time in 2 months to rehearse, Beethoven. 15 minutes, "Classical New York - In Conversation ", https://www.wqxr.org/#!/ ( scroll down a bit ). Thanks for that! :) I've been listening carefully each day to portions of thi...

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https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51H374W4VhL.jpg Manfred Honeck has, in the past several years, raised the standards of the Pittsburgh Symphony to wonderful new heights, indeed, IMHO, to international standards. He consistently brings a stupendous clear-headed energy and finesse to ...

maestrob

Thanks for that, Len! An artist's life is not an easy one, even for stars. My nephew in California, who is a highly successful freelance French horn player who plays steadily with orchestras on the West Coast, has suffered terribly with all the cancellations, and his income has plummeted. He's curre...

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Brian, you mention investment. By the time we are shuffling off this mortal coil, I think hardly anyone will be collecting CDs. Streaming will be so easy and such good quality, and takes up no space. I have friends in their 30s with no CDs, just Spotify. Mind you, they are not dedicated to music as...

maestrob

Goodness, Lance! I think you speak for all of us! Music is a treasure stored on CDs, and these wonderful mega-sets are sheer joy to all of us. I take such pride in my collection, especially given that I live in a Manhattan apartment with limited space! Unlike all you good people with houses to fill,...

maestrob

Lance, I agree with Barney. That looks like a great set, and I too have collected many of his recordings over the years. Very few duds: a live Mahler VII on BBC, and I'm not convinced by his Otello, but the Butterfly with Scotto is ravishing, and his Vaughan-Williams II and V are benchmarks for me, ...

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61X1iv6IDKL.jpg This superb disc of rarely performed British music for viola and orchestra features virtuoso Helen Callas in truly stunning performances of rarely performed works by Vaughan-Williams, Howells, Walton, and Bowen, ably supported by cond...

maestrob

I remember that 60 minutes profile very well. A remarkable project. James Conlon has made a very serious effort to perform "forbidden" music during his career. This project is vital to our understanding of the Holocaust, and of the history of music in general. So much great talent was suppressed and...

maestrob

Hello, Henry. Schubert was a wonderful master of melody, and I agree that the Octet, which I came to late in life as well, needs first-rate players to make it work. Not just the clarinet, but there are moments for horn that can be ruined by poor intonation. I didn't discover this masterpiece until m...

maestrob

As expected. The idiots in the rest of the country that are trying to re-start the economy are, IMHO, simply being too hasty and are putting lives at risk. I won't get political here, that's for the Pub, where I do not participate because I don't like shouting matches yet I do fear that we will lose...

maestrob

As to Beethoven Concertos, I must admit to a special fondness for Lewis in his recent set, along with Perahia/ Haitink and Brendel/Levine. I grew up with Van Cliburn/Reiner in IV & V: he was an American hero at the time those were issued, and Reiner brought out the best in that young pianist in the ...

maestrob

Lance, I too shied away from many of Peter Serkin's modern repertoire. That he had the chops to tackle such music, and largely made his reputation with it, didn't detract from his artistry in more mainstream repertoire, such as Mozart, Schubert and the Brahms Concerti he recorded with Robert Shaw on...

maestrob

Hi, Len. Yes, it's a tough time for everyone involved in the arts world. I do miss the regular broadcasts, hearing about new singers, discussing performances, etc. Thankfully we have our collection of recordings. I fear that the MET will not be the same for many years, as musicians need to perform o...

maestrob

Have not heard any of these videos yet, plan to do so when time permits,Boris Giltburg's complete Beethoven piano sonatas project, Naxos cd's to apparently come out later : https://beethoven32.com IMHO, Giltburg is a major artist. I'm glad he has taken his time before immersing himself in a Beethov...

maestrob

Bernstein actually recorded his Symphony II three times. The first, for Columbia, was with Lukas Foss on piano and was released briefly on a 78RPM set in 1950, later on LP, and remains available today and can be heard on amazon Prime. I grew up with a reel-to-reel tape of the 1960 stereo remake with...

maestrob

Listened to the first CD of the set this morning, and came away persuaded and highly enthusiastic about the group. Their playing is exquisite, with just the right bounce for the Op. 18, and deep feeling for the later opus. My only quibble is that I like to hear the various opus numbers all together ...

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Martin Helmchen, a pianist I now eagerly follow, after not being impressed with some his first younger efforts I was able to hear ( he’s still young ). Here an example of why I now follow.One of the better of this PC I have heard,especially first, last mov. Wonderful cadenzas (by whom ?) : Mozart P...

maestrob

But Erwartung was sensational Barney we saw this at the Met many years ago along with Bartok's Bluebeard with Ramey-not operas for us. Regards, Len :( I'm with you on Erwartung, Len, but I'm an admirer of Bluebeard and Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti. Bluebeard has some wonderful moments in the score...

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81mQd3nIH7L._SX522_.jpg Bohuslav Martinu's mid-twentieth century music has always fascinated me, ever since I discovered his Symphony IV as a teenager. Here we have three concerti in his distinct neo-classical style, played with verve and excitement ...

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https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61%2BfMLbRj3L._SX522_.jpg That Riccardo Muti's talents went beyond just Verdi and Puccini was amply demonstrated to your reviewer when he took the helm in Philadelphia and promptly began issuing searing recordings of Stravinsky, Scriabin, Prokofiev a...

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Amazon has gotten really aggressive with their pricing on certain historical CDs, even on used copies. Whenever possible, I purchase from other sources now. Amazon thinks and acts like they are some sort of monopoly, but thankfully they are not quite in that position yet. Just like our telephone com...

maestrob

The Nashville Symphony is known for a many-faceted series of recordings of contemporary music, including John Harbison's Requiem and a disc of Michael Daugherty's better works. It would be really terrible to lose them, but they've been operating on a shoestring for years. https://images-na.ssl-image...

maestrob

Found this today on amazon Prime, available for free listening to members, an excellent version of Shostakovich and Britten Cello Concertos by Johannes Moser, recorded in 2012. The Britten quite thorny and new to my ears, played with powerful interpretation, as is the Shostakovich, which was more in...

maestrob

Back to Joaquin Turina's piano trios, mine the Naxos cd with Trio Arbos, here a fine recording of the 1904 Trio in F major,Lincoln Trio,Cedille cd. Recommended music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6WC0Hl1xZQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5nMF7L_s3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un82NALAMYU ...

maestrob

As promised, I have further information regarding the Benzecry release on Naxos. The orchestra is the Lviv National Symphony (in Ukraine; the town is probably better known to Americans under its old name of Lvov when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union). The conductor is Pablo Boggiano (he i...

maestrob

Not unexpected, I guess. In spite of NYC's partial re-opening, crowds are still dangerous to our health, and will be until a vaccine is distributed and proven effective. We still wear masks in public, although I noticed yesterday that some young people are foolishly not wearing them now. It's not ov...

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Moser is a cellist I follow, but not much recently. I'm happy he's finally gotten around to the Shostakovich concerto, and will listen with interest. He recorded this excellent CD of Russian sonatas (below) in 2006, available for listening on amazon Prime: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/ima...

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/7123efuf4xL._SX522_.jpg Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) is chiefly known for his popular Schelomo, recorded by every major cellist since it was written. Here we have Bloch's two Violin Sonatas and his Suite hebraique, along with two short pieces, Abdoah, an...

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61zbwzNu30L._SX522_.jpg I expected this disc by Imogen Cooper to be better, thanks to some glowing reviews. Cooper's strengths are in Brahms, Schumann, Mozart & Schubert, and she has released some very fine, authoritative discs in that repertoire. Wh...

maestrob

Many happy returns of the day, Lance! AND, a million thanks for keeping us together as a community here at CMG.

maestrob

Thanks for the Daugherty, Mark. His work has matured, and the concerto is a fine piece. I have his Metropolis Symphony on CD. Your post motivates me to listen to more of his recordings, and maybe buy a few.

maestrob

I have just two favorite recordings by Tilson-Thomas, a Gershwin album of the original band version of Rhapsody in Blue & American in Paris, and a stunning Carmina Burana, with the chorus prepared by Robert Page, one of the greatest choral conductors of the last century (I sang Vaughan-Williams's Se...

maestrob

Wow, Lance, what a great loss! I grew up admiring her Bell Song. I notice that her Lakme seems to be still in print, available for listening on American amazon if you're a Prime member. What a great singer: I didn't know she was still with us. I didn't know about her work with modern composers, thou...

maestrob

Absolutely wonderful! Also heard this album below on amazon. Pompa-Baldi is quite the artist, with lots of recordings to prove it. I am now an admirer. Lance & Barney, you should hear this recital!

maestrob

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ux8m%2BGqvL.jpg I have the above disc from the 2001 Van Cliburn, but have not kept up with Pompa-Baldi. He's been busy, issuing lots of fine recordings. His wife is also a pianist, and they sometimes give concerts together. I look forward to hearin...

maestrob

Interesting thoughts, he is to be commended.He and you are obviously far more knowledgable than I, but on first reading does not strike me as practical, logistically or financially, given all the moving pieces especially since one misstep may/will lead to transmission. Personally, I wont go back un...

maestrob

Hi, Len. Thanks for posting this. The idea of crowds has taken on a new meaning here in NYC during the past few days. I won't say much, because this is not the place to do so, but crowds have been flowing through our neighborhood, and, while there has been some looting, they've been mostly peaceful....

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91fy37UQqqL._SX522_.jpg This latest disc from Kate Lindsey is very fine, including selections from Alessandro Scarlatti, Handel and Haydn. Lindsey owns a vitally flexible instrument, fully expressive throughout her soprano range. Hers is wonderful si...

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