The Classical Music Guide Forums

maestrob

Rach3, thanks for that. Before I listen, here's my favorite version of the Quintet, played to perfection by Peter Donohue and the Maggini Quartet.....

maestrob

Wow! That's some lineup!

I would LOVE to hear Netrebko in Adriana Lecouvreur, one of my favorite unknown operas. And Mathias Goerne is one of the finest singers in the world today, whether it's in Schubert or Wagner.

maestrob

I just listened to the Shostakovich Fifth Symphony in the recording on EMI (now Warner) conducted by Mariss Jansons, and I now am taking the view that he takes the last movement too slow. It makes me want to go back to Bernstein, who rolls through the last movement as though he were the engineer on...

maestrob

Thanks for that, JohnB! I will listen later of course, and comment. I do love the organ, but know very little about the instrument. "Just a guy," indeed! I listen through headphones, so I can appreciate the acoustics of the venue more.

maestrob

Lance, truthfully, I have not followed Fazil Say, even though he garners good reviews on amazon. So much music, so little time.......

maestrob

Just did a search on amazon, and found the set below. It would appear that Angelich has a special relationship with Brahms, and has recorded the 10CD set pictured, along with the Capucon brothers, who, IMHO, are two of the finest string players of their generations. IF you're interested in Brahms as...

maestrob

Belle:)

Thank you for the Angelich link. I'm just now listening to his Rachmaninoff III/3, and find it miraculous that he can play the opening at such a fast tempo. Astounding! The Brahms that precedes it is quite fine, as is the Brahms I concerto that follows. A great concert!

maestrob

Toscanini was the first and only conductor to re-think Brahms's First Symphony's first movement opening, leading it in 2 (or 3) instead of in 6 (or 9) which conductors with modern orchestras do. This means that the average listener hears the music at a faster tempo, which makes the music less weight...

maestrob

Of course, no one who knows me will be surprised that my favorite recording of these works is the one by Bruce Hungerford, which is now on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Sd5nzUyNw0w And, if anyone is interested, I am about to release the only video of Hungerford's playing, a DVD of the Beethoven Fourth ...

maestrob

Thanks, Belle for bringing up some of my favorite piano music. I'll have to try the Stephen Bishop, and here is my current favorite recording of the three cycles:

maestrob

Nelsons probably wouldn't appreciate his birthplace being given as Soviet Russia. He was born in Riga, Latvia, an independent nation until it was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union during World War II; after years of large demonstrations and gradual loosening of the Soviet grip, it regaine...

maestrob

IIRC Litton was trained at Juilliard by Jean Morel, which explains why I've always liked his conducting. Incidentally, Bernstein also recorded the Shostakovich Concerto II leading from the keyboard in 1959, an exceptional reading that I play often.

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71w9NwmCpAL._SX522_.jpg Conductor Andris Nelsons was born in Riga, the capital of occupied Latvia, and mentored by the Latvian conductor Maris Jansons, both experiences giving him tremendous authority in the music of Dmitri Shostakovich. He was 13 wh...

maestrob

I'll defer to the opera experts here, but for me , Holy Cow !! Not to be missed. Extraordinary all.I think Angela Mead " stole the show " with her 2 " Il Lombardi" arias, but what a programme. In my book, Angela Meade is a true star. She's in the process of being discovered by the cognoscenti, but ...

maestrob

I do have that recording but I have not heard it in some time which will cause me to dig it out in the near future and have a hearing. Céline made a number of recordings, which appeared on her label, Brana, but also on Claudio. Just why she never reached higher levels of popularity remains to be un...

maestrob

I have many of these galas on DVD from TV broadcasts on PBS, and they are uniformly excellent. I'm surprised that they're only doing a radio program this year.......

Incidentally, Armaliato is one of the finest opera conductors in circulation these days.

maestrob

Marx was the Steve Bannon of his age: he never ruled, but he inspired the political ideas behind the Russian revolution, and ruined Russia, China and Eastern Europe in the end. I'd like to see this opera!

maestrob

I am listening to a rip of the webcast of the 2018 Met performance as I type this. I'm remembering Norman Treigle writhing about the stage in the NYCO production of the 1970's. Treigle was a small man with an immense sound, and he triumphed in the role. As for Toscanini, he recorded the Prologue wi...

maestrob

John, you're a wonder! The things you find!

maestrob

Rach3 wrote: ↑
Fri Nov 09, 2018 8:38 pm
Have not heard any of these eclectic selections, several artists new to me:

https://www.wqxr.org/story/best-classic ... tober-2018

As you said, rather eclectic (Sacre du printemps in Luxembourg??).

maestrob

I've never been a great fan of Pollini though I have many of his recordings. In a word, I can only describe his playing as being somewhat "cold." I hear that word often in connection with his playing on- or off records. Insofar as his dress code is concerned, that seems irrelevant. I don't agree wi...

maestrob

Interesting, Lance. I wonder why she only made one major label recording (Luisa Miller w/Pavarotti & Caballe). Do you have it and, if so, what do you think of it?

My favorite Luisa Miller is with Moffo, of course!

maestrob

It's a general rule. I think it's because the Australian Government now requires online retailers to collect the GST (tax), and they don't want to go there. That's delving into the dim recesses of my memory. Correct, and I'm furious about the disruption to my buying of books and CDs from Amazon in ...

maestrob

Well, well. Sorry, jserraglio, but I agree with jbuck here. As many fans of LB did, I acquired the LP edition of Mass when it first came out, and have disliked it ever since. I know there are a couple of new recordings of the piece, but I will not buy them. That said, I also am also not taken by his...

maestrob

With Richter it's the later the lesser, at least for me. Agreed,although the Decca recording he did, I believe live in Italy in 1986,Richter 71,of the Brahms 1st and 2nd Piano Sonatas is a must, my reference performances of those Sonatas: https://tinyurl.com/y8zyphac Agreed. Richter's late Beethove...

maestrob

I just ordered it for $131.99 from Amazon, but they won't deliver to Australia. URRKKK! Frustrating! I wonder, does that policy apply to just the Szell set, or is it a general rule now? One might try calling customer service and complaining, while offering to pay a bit more for shipping........ :wi...

maestrob

Hi, Rach3.

The Chausson was very well done, and beautifully recorded. Thanks. I'll listen to the others as time goes by......

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/517HP3oIe5L._SS500.jpg Christian Lindberg and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra must have had fun with this recording of Bernstein's effervescent and demanding Broadway scores. The Overture to Candide appropriately opens the album, followed ...

maestrob

I absolutely am absolutely taken with Rachvelishvili's voice. It has none of the characteristics of vocalists from the Russian region that I have heard so much years ago. The good thing about the Kaufmann disc of the Italian live recital is that where she participates with him in duets, they both d...

maestrob

I don't know the violin concertos but I do know the two symphonies. From them you could guess that Weill had studied with Busoni, and that's one reason I like them. :) Like you, John, I have not heard the Violin Concerto, and will happily give it a listen. I'm familiar with the two symphonies and l...

maestrob

Pappano is one of the world's great conductors, especially of opera. He knows how to get the bestout of great singers. I have his Verdi Requiem and his recent Aida on CD, and admire them greatly. Thanks for posting this!

maestrob

As a couple members discussed in the " Tomassini" topic here music of John Adams and Philip Glass they enjoy, thought I'd mention a couple I enjoy: Adams' Violin Concerto ( perhaps my fav work of his ) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SueNunMJeI&list=PLj3aM13_pBCWugw5kLAlU9-Qhel6PBv-Z Glass' Viol...

maestrob

Lance, I'm delighted that you are finally catching up on your vocal releases. Pretty Yende has been a star in my firmament since I posted a review of her debut disc about a year ago. She's the real deal!

Glad to know you like her as well!

maestrob

Kaufmann had vocal problems? When & where? I haven't heard, and I'm sure we would all be interested in knowing........

I must say that his over-use of softer tones on his high notes sometimes worries me, as it can put a strain on his technique.

maestrob

Although Gergiev is not my favorite conductor, his take on Tchaikovsky's Second Concerto in its full version is an exceptionally good performance with Matsuyev. I first heard the concerto when Ormandy recorded it and the third with Gary Graffman, only briefly available on CD (I snapped up a copy!). ...

maestrob

Finally got to listen to the Prokofiev VII. It's not the best I've heard (that would be Richter or Sokolov) but it is very good, if not quite as inspired as his Liszt. All-in-all, this was a good recital, with the Liszt and Prokofiev showing where his heart is. Gavrylyuk needs to understand that Moz...

maestrob

That's the spirit, Lance! I'm afraid I'm not qualified to pontificate on contemporary music, as I don't get to concerts these days and must rely on recordings, but I hope Modernistfan will agree that one benefits by keeping an open mind about the music of today. As for Philip Glass, my wife studied ...

maestrob

So glad that you're home, Belle! :D As for what's next, with modern treatments, they may skip chemotherapy altogether and go directly to immunotherapy. Be guided by your doctors, but don't let them railroad you into something that doesn't feel right. Remember, YOU have the last word about your choic...

maestrob

Tommasini hits the nail on the head for me when he talks about greatness, and our obsession with it. Toscanini was a great conductor, yet he never performed Mahler's music (They were both conductors, yet Mahler died just after the turn of the last century, and Toscanini could have taken up the chall...

maestrob

The Liszt Dante Sonata was indeed well-done, and surprisingly so since I found the Mozart and Chopin a bit too restrained for my taste. The Rachmaninoff was well-done, but unexceptional. I'll listen to the Prokofiev tomorrow. Thanks, Rach3, for sharing this. It's a good recital, in spite of my nit-p...

maestrob

Good article, Len, thank-you. The loudness of classical music's big symphonies and Wagner's operas are well-known, but stress injuries of classical musicians are not so well-known and are rarely covered by the media. I'm on Goldscheider's side in this argument, no question.

maestrob

Heinz Holliger was a master musician, and I will get to this soon. Thanks for the treat!

maestrob

Alicia de Larrocha has a special place in our hearts, and this set will definitely be under our Christmas tree. I love her playing, although how she managed to wrap her small hands around the Khachaturian concerto is a mystery to me! I have most of her Mozart concerti with Colin Davis, & they are su...

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51kQDaN7dsL._SS500.jpg Vikingur Olafsson was recently brought to our attention by Rach3 (Thank-you!) through a recent recital posted here, which impressed me enough to buy his most recent Bach CD. This is Bach playing of the highest order, sensitive ...

maestrob

I hope you will share your conclusions. Barney, I'm finding that, after the first few Chopin discs, that Magaloff is certainly the equal of the more famous Rubinstein in technique and interpretation, and the restorations have a more open sound than Rubinstein (and of course Cortot). Cortot's Chopin...

maestrob

Just finished listening to Wang's Chopin Preludes on youtube, and was mightily impressed. Here she is at her best, with depth of feeling and outstanding technique combined into a truly illustrious performance. Wang has obviously become immersed in Chopin, and I would welcome more from her. Outstandi...

maestrob

How sad.

maestrob

Hopefully this will be on youtube and some good soul will post it here......

maestrob

It appears to me that a younger person without our depth of knowledge chose that list, with a few recommendations from older colleagues or a web search.

maestrob

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/511qr9DdOyL.jpg This is a thrilling disc! Martha Argerich is the obvious star here, of course, but this is a live recording of Shostakovich's C minor Piano Concerto as well as his Sixth Symphony, played to perfection with energy and verve by the Sinf...

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