The Classical Music Guide Forums

John F

Bancroft, still in his 20s, apparently hasn't much professional experience; he won the Malko competition only last year. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is not at all a prestige position even among the BBC's five radio orchestras. And I see from their web site that they have extended the contrac...

John F

He's all of 24, yet DG of all labels has recorded him in not one but all five of the concertos. Well, at lest they saved the cost of a conductor's fee.

John F

Chicago Lyric has never been a conductor's opera company. Their music/artistic director for 35 years was Bruno Bartoletti, followed by Andrew Davis who will have served for 21 years; they were competent and versatile but I don't know that anything more can be said about them. If anything, Enrique Ma...

John F

Here's another early Romantic/late Classical piece that I was startled by when I first heard it, back in college in a recording by Fernand Oubradous. It was composed in Haydn's lifetime but you'd never know it: Etienne Méhul's Symphony No. 2. LyyesKxvd9s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyyesKxvd9s T...

John F

Mezzo Dolora Zajick Announces Plans to Retire From Opera Stage Following 2020 Met Performances September 5, 2019 DOLORA ZAJICK, who over the span of a forty-year career has established herself as one of the most distinctive voices in opera and a preeminent dramatic Verdi mezzo-soprano, has announced...

John F

Speaking of early Romantic piano concertos, I've long enjoyed Weber's two concertos, especially no. 2. Weber's Konzertstück for piano and orchestra is fairly well known but the concertos are real rarities. Malcolm Frager played and recorded them in the early 1970s and played the second with the New ...

John F

Hummel's six mature piano sonatas are also well worth hearing. It's not Chopin they somewhat anticipate but early Beethoven, while recalling Hummel's teacher Mozart. He also composed three superb string quartets, one of which was recorded by the Hollywood String Quartet. Here it is: DqscCuyoVgY http...

John F

Michael Cooper wrote:he is in high demand everywhere

Not here. Currentzis talks big, but I've sampled quite a few of the many clips on YouTube and heard nothing wonderful so far.

John F

Apart from the merits of the work, this recording may be significant as the New York Philharmonic 's return to recording with a major label. Whether their contract is with the Philharmonic or Jaap van Zweden I don't know, and it's important. This is one of many new works, American and foreign, that ...

John F

And of course Schnittke, whose music ranges from the funny to the profound.

John F

Petrenko's conservative programming is more or less what was expected and presumably what the players of the Philharmonic want. Kirill Petrenko’s Unadventurous Début at the Berlin Philharmonic By Alex Ross September 9, 2019 When, back in 2002, Simon Rattle began his seventeen-year tenure as the musi...

John F

Since you mentioned Schubert impromptus and a young pianist, have you heard William Kapell's last studio recordings before his early death? Those who know him only from the Khatchaturian piano concerto might be surprised that he recorded 1½ LPs of Chopin mazurkas plus the third sonata, and a miscell...

John F

John, sorry, I will have to wait because I have a frantic week. It was a quotation from a letter, maybe to Leopold or someone else. I pasted it on to the cover of my first LP catalogue, in typewriter days 40 years ago, and no longer have it. It was along the lines that even music intended to convey...

John F

A great recording, and not just of that aria.

John F

Brendel's first Beethoven sonata cycle, recorded for the cut-price Vox Box label in the early '60s when he was in his thirties, is praised by some but not particularly by me. The playing is accurate and intelligent but has nothing like the character of Brendel's later recorded and concert cycles, as...

John F

In those days it was usual for a concert to begin with the major work in the program, and to end with lighter music. Toscanini's first symphony concerts in the 1890s all took that form, for example: Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 Mancinelli: Incidental music for Cossa's "Cleopatra" - Andante and Barcarol...

John F

I've found Chausson's description of what happens in the music. The symhonic poem comprises three episodes, which are described in a quotation that Chausson placed at the header of the score: Viviane and Merlin in the forest of Brocéliande. Love scene. Trumpet calls. Emissaries of King Arthur ride t...

John F

What, another Beethoven sonata cycle? Used to be that even the greatest pianists recorded Beethoven one sonata at a time, or at most two or three to fill a single LP. Even Rudolf Serkin recorded maybe half the sonatas in his long career, and as far as I know, never playedall 32 in public. They playe...

John F

Now that this thread has been revived again, I can mention my favorite Chausson piece and one of my favorite short orchestral works in general, the tone poem "Viviane." According to Arthurian legend, Viviane seduces the sorcerer Merlin and imprisons him in a tree; he is no longer able to help King A...

John F

Mrs. Verdi deserves credit too. Her understanding of Verdi's psychology and her tactful encouragement played a role. Boito wrote 10 opera librettos and parts of two others. Most of these are unknown today because operas like Faccio's "Amleto" and Bottesini's "Ero e Leandro" aren't performed, but "La...

John F

I particularly resonate with Luisi's dictum: "Never go beyond beautiful." That makes sense to me. 8) Mozart said the same thing. Did he? I've read many of his letters and never seen any such statement - indeed, I don't think he used the word "beautiful" ("schön") when speaking of music. Can you giv...

John F

There's a fine analysis of Brahms Symphony no. 2 in the BBC Radio series "Discovering Music," which told me things about the music that I hadn't suspected. If you're interested, it's here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p01yx0hn

John F

Sergei Babayan, pianist ( and Trifonov's mentor ),Verbier Festival Orchestra,Gabor Takacs-Nagy play Mozart’s PC # 9, K.271, “Jeunehomme” The concerto has been known by that nickname for a long time, but it's a mistake. Mozart composed it for Mlle. Victoire Jenamy, This from Wikipedia: The work has ...

John F

My friend and I had no idea how long we'd have to wait until the next scene, so we stayed in our balcony seats. People left the auditorium and returned, as they do in intermissions, but how they spent the time we didn't see. Those who did have something to drink surely wouldn't go for beer; in that ...

John F

He's still alive, age 84 - I found his Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/people/Edward- ... 2972242195

John F

Among hs other distinctions, Luisi was briefly a member of CompuServe's Music Forum. Change in tempo: Dallas Symphony Orchestra's new conductor brings subtlety and more variety By Scott Cantrell Sep 4, 2019 When an orchestra picks its next music director, it often goes for the opposite of the outgoi...

John F

The article says nothing about one of the most important elements behnd the curtain, the Opéra's stage machinery or lack of it. Changing the sets, often elaborate, used to be done entirely manually and may still be. A friend and I saw "Rigoletto" in the 1960s and after the 20-minute opening scene at...

John F

I enjoyed that, glad you found it. 1929 was the last year in which the Weimar Republic had a chance of succeeding. The market crash and Great Depression, and the catastrophic inflation that ruined the economy, were beyond the government's ability to remedy and prepared the way for the revival of the...

John F

It could be. Wikipedia says, "The work was influential and inspired later G minor symphonies by Johann Christian Bach (Op. 6, No. 6) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (No. 25)." How, exactly? At the time (1765) Haydn was composing exclusively for Prince Esterhazy and therefore none of his works could be p...

John F

his works were 'patchy' in this and other musical respects and not a consistent whole. That's part of Haydn's charm. You could say that the first movement of the 80th symphony is inconsistent - it certainly is - but I think it's cool. What was he thinking? And then there's the finale - where's the ...

John F

lennygoran wrote:It seems her only role at the Met was Charlotte in Werther-1989.

No, that was Kathleen Kuhlmann. Rosemary K. never sang at the Met.

John F

Actually, I'd say his time in Los Angeles was his best, and he has not aged well. No doubt this is influenced by his record-setting tenure with the New York Philharmonic, whose playing became the more undisciplined and coarse with the passing years. I'd agree that his performances of Bruckner were a...

John F

I have actually heard that comment about Haydn too - probably in a documentary with Robbie Landon. Off the top of my head I'm thinking it has something to do with the lack of emotion, the cool-headedness and restraint of Haydn. Think "Palindrome". Surely not. The Sturm und Drang symphonies of Haydn...

John F

Yes. My father bought the early LP with Jacques Thibaud as soloist - how did he know this was the one to have? - and I still think it's a particularly beautiful performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSf5-e6drdA

John F

Years ago, Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival had an all-day Haydn marathon with H. C. Robbins Landon as host and commentator. At one point he said Haydn was the most intellectual composer of his time, a surprising statement about Papa Haydn the musical jokester, but if anyone was qualified to ...

John F

barney wrote:To Rach3's slow movements of 21 and 27, with which I entirely concur, I would add 9 and 20

<ahem>

John F

It should be noted that titles of articles in the Post are written by the editor in order to attract eyeballs, rather than by the author of the piece. It is indeed a bland presentation, juiced up by the editor, no more. :mrgreen: Even so, the title of this article is an accurate precis of its conte...

John F

My musical taste has enlarged over the decades, but it still stops at the waterline between classical music and pretty much everything else. Ever since I began listening with my brain as well as my senses and feelings, I've kept discovering new elements and qualities in old music. So very little has...

John F

What a nothing article. She doesn't really mean that opera, however she defines it, would gain by being allowed to die, whatever that may mean. "Calling for the death of opera doesn’t mean calling for the Met to close. Nor does it mean the wholesale abandonment of composers such as Mozart and Puccin...

John F

Nothing particularly strange about Schubert's death either. He fell sick and died, possibly of syphilis, possibly not. It isn't clear what he died of, but I've read nothing to suggest that the cause of death was particularly exotic or strange.

John F

Andrew T is a hugely talented young American pianist, based in Philly. His God is Sofronitsky! A good God to have. :) I listened to some of his Chopin on YouTube and like it. But now for Sofronitsky himself. The recording that first sold me on him was of Chopin's nocturne op. 15 no. 1, a very perso...

John F

This article is endless, and the little of it that I bothered to read didn't persuade me that this is a serious issue. By "this" I mean next-day delivery. I've never paid for next day delivery from Amazon or any other company, nor has anyone I know. Even so, Amazon sometimes delivers a day or more s...

John F

I expect the pianos they're selling must be pretty beat up from all-day every day use year after year, far more than the house piano in a concert hall. How well Yamaha pianos stand up under tsuch heavy use, I've no idea, but perhaps Lance can tell us.

John F

Women virtuoso solo pianists were not uncommon in the 18th century. Mozart's sister was one, and he wrote concertos for two others, including a Mlle. Jenomé with whose misspelled name ("Jeunehomme") the 9th concerto is associated. And he didn't make it easy for himself; the 9th concerto is an undisp...

John F

Does the VPO governing group choose guest artists , as well as conductors ? Who else? Undoubtedly the conductor is consulted or may have made a request, but the VPO chooses who to hire. Emanuel Ax lives in New York and I believe hasn't played very often in Europe, so most likely it was Haitink who ...

John F

Clara Schumann died in 1896, just too early to have made any recordings. However, several of her pupils did; Fanny Davies was the most important of them, and Adeline de Lara studied with her as well as Clara Schumann. De Lara's many recordings were made late and I haven't found them very rewarding t...

John F

There was nothing strange about Mozart's death. What was strange were the rumors and fictions that followed, up to "Amadeus" and probably after. Since 18th century medicine was in a primitive state, his doctors' diagnosis of "miliary fever" is discounted; the latest posthumous diagnosis is streptoco...

John F

Back in the 1950s, the Knabe had the Metropolitan Opera concession locked up. Milton Cross missed no opportunity to plug it: "seated at the Knabe." I've no idea whether their pianos were any good, but clearly they were good enough for rehearsals, coaching, in the pit, and the broadcast intermission ...

John F

In the case of K595, the Szell and Kertesz recordings were released, because I have both. Are you saying that was done posthumously? Definitely. When the Curzon/Britten LP appeared I reviewed it in Fanfare, and at that time the other versions were unpublished and appeared likely to remain so. That'...

John F

Or "Dispassionata." I listened to the first movement only - hearing the sonata played at practice speed left me itching to get on with it. Rzewski's cadenza has some interest - it's quite traditional, unlike Rzewski's own music - but if he actually believes it's what Beethoven would have done, he's ...

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