The Classical Music Guide Forums

I love pianists, for sure, but also organists, and in many cases, harpsichordists, almost anything with a keyboard. I have a 23 EMI CD set [17175] entitled "Composers in Person," one of which features organist-composers. Widor is included in this set playing the Toccata from his Symphony No. 5 among...

Your post fascinated me in the sense that I am not familiar with the Jussen Brothers . It appears they have an interesting catalogue of works on the DGG label. Their Bach album is of great interest, and the Schubert ... well, the Russian one as well ... they all look pretty good. You are going to co...

Love that kind of humor! First time I was able to grin today!

Belle wrote: ↑
Sun Apr 07, 2024 12:46 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-5zEb1oS9A

I keep wondering what has happened to the human race. It's always been here, but not near the volume I have seen in the last few years. Did most of us really come through the "best" years? So, what's ahead? Will/can it ever get better?

Yes, well, lots of problems with composers, conductors and all kinds of artists during the horrible time of WW2. I was just a baby when all that was happening and I have seen some of the results in Europe with my own eyes, which has never left my mind. Incredible what humans do to other humans on th...

Having met you and your lovely other half, it doesn't surprise me that you would always do the right and proper thing. I just cannot imagine doing this kind of thing, eating and not paying and taking advantage of people this way. It's depressing to think about it.

Well, there may be something we can do to avoid sickness, avoid death for as long as possible, do as many of the right things we are supposed to do (abstain alcohol, fats, sugars, smoking, drugs, etc., in other words, don't eat what you want or like) - and this is: DON'T EVER GET OLD! It really ripp...

I was at a Cracker Barrel restaurant the other day with some friends for some quick food. In talking with a very friendly waitress, who was new on the team, asking if she ever ran into any non-payers. She described a whole table a couple days ago of 5 or 6 people who ordered heavily, left the restau...

One guess! Hint: It has to do with WW2.

My eyes popped when I saw this announcement about Mengelberg [indeed, a controversial conductor]. I have been one of his followers for many moons, having everything Philips issued, including the Bach St. Matthew Passion (with Karl Erb), and the Decca 18 CD set [480 7636] all-Mengelberg (based on Phi...

Lots of truth in this! Same with public schools. I can't tell you how many public schools we have in this area, all in one county or maybe two. There are "superintendents" in all of them. Seems to me the whole of it could be handled by one- or two superintendents with their appropriate assistants. I...

A seven-inch LP from the house of Qualiton! Yes, that would help. A shame it never found its way to CD. I have many Qualiton LPs acquired over the years, but I don't believe any 7-inchers. It could be an extended play 45rpm disc as well. Thanks for pointing this out, Len. She is an attractive-lookin...

I was just relistening to some of the recordings in this 15 CD set [484 2517] from DGG. Her all-Schubert recital [disc 9] with James Levine at the piano was recorded in 1987 in Austria and Norway and put together to create this recital. I did not recall when first hearing these recordings on their r...

I've had those two Reber discs on Timpani [1205 & 1239] since 2013 and 2016 respectively, but were reasonably priced per disc (less than $18/USD each), and this is just the kind of repertoire I enjoy discovering. Trio Elegiaque does an admirable job with the trios. I can make a copy of Trios 2, 4 an...

I just gave this a hearing tonight. It's a German Avi CD [8553531] . It is noted in a few places on the disc that Severin von Eckhardstein is exclusively a Deutsche Grammophon artist. So, what's he doing on Avi? This is impressive playing throughout and gives the piano quite a workout. Von Eckhardst...

Incredible, scary article. The big question seems, these days: does education pay? Probably not what it should, but we NEED to have the best possible education, or you know where we, as a country, may end up. State universities seem to be holding their own. We in Binghamton, New York, have a univers...

Of Respighi's Roman triptych, "Festivals" ranks high for me. And the Gregoriano Violin Concerto, rather rare [Takako Nishizaki made a recording on Marco Polo]. Fine composer who seems to be heard more and more. Tonight, our own orchestra is giving a concert called "Roman Holidays," and the "Pines" w...

I'm with you as being "neutral" with Bruckner. He doesn't get a lot of listening by me though I have all the symphonies and many individual ones. Nos. 5 and 7 get the most play when I am in the mood. Many great conductors have shown interest in Bruckner: Szell, Walter, Kubelik, Furtwangler, Bohm, Jo...

I don't appear to have anything of Tynes on record. Were there any? R.I.P.

Now THERE was a voice! He appears in about 110 titles on CDs in my survey of him. He played the trumpet, too, as evidenced on CD. Died far too young but left an incredible legacy of commercial and private recordings.

Well, I'm sleeping a little longer and more peacefully. I turn the landline off and now leave the cellphone on all night for any possible emergency calls. Even then, I do get a few robocalls on the cellphone. Can't win. Thanks for all the tips. On my landline, I constantly block all calls I don't re...

I know not Raykhelson's work at all - or yet, anyway. When I looked at the Toccata CD photo, I noted the name Konstantin Lifschitz as the pianist. I was quite taken with his pianistic work on the Signum Udagawa disc mentioned on another thread. As for the last paragraph of your post, I, too, have en...

The BECHSTEIN enjoyed a wonderful reputation prior to World War II and, thankfully, it is regaining its status as one of the finest pianists being built today. When Baldwin USA bought Bechstein years ago, they allowed them to -+retain their independence in manufacturing the instruments though I'm su...

Severin von Eckardstein - what a beautiful name for a pianist! Fine pianists seem to be popping up all over the place!

Oh, don't get me wrong. I didn't say I approve of the Rachmaninoff cello-to-violin transcription. There is no comparison - the cello wins hands down. My only interest was in the violinist performing the work. The cello does work for the Franck, as several great cellists have attested. The other Rach...

More of late, I've been paying attention to the recorded work of Karel Ancerl . His new Decca Eloquence 9 CD boxed set [484 3778] contains all of his Philips and DGG recordings he made. The accompanying booklet gives an in-depth biography of his life and tragedies he suffered and losing his wife and...

Well, I've had the landline phone number since I was 16 years old! It's kind of sentimental and actually isn't that costly. I have thought about dispensing with it altogether as far back as 9/11. It was near impossible to make cellphone calls at that time and I was happy to have the landline availab...

There have been a few recordings of Franck 's great Violin Sonata in A Minor performed on the cello. It works both ways, but for some reason, I always prefer the original violin version. Now comes Rachmaninoff's great Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 19 in a transcription by Mikhailovsky. It is beautif...

I've heard about that one but haven't used it yet. I sometimes go to bed very late at night (really morning). Today, 8:30am, deep sleep, a call to get some kind of health insurance. Half hour later, another - so about 5 within a couple of hours. It's been really quiet until just recently. Thank you ...

Is it ever going to stop?

The guy pronounces it like Et-hel Smeth. What goes?

This was one of the biggest fears I had when the big deal was to "get the vaccine." I've never had covid, neither has the Mrs., though both of us had two shots each, no boosters. "If you don't do it, Lance, you're crazy!" It was the rage, and even business places required that you get it (universiti...

Klaus Mäkelä has some pretty big shoes to fill from the past, especially for me, Fritz Reiner, who did much to give the CSO its famous "sound." I wish him well.

Love it! I will go with the LONG "I" for Dame Ethel Smyth. Thank you for the input.

I still say po-TAY-to, or to-MAY-to. I say EEEther, not eyether. And so it goes!

Interesting to read about this MEDEA by Reimann. I am a huge fan of MEDEA by Cherubini. I wonder how I would fare with the Reimann in comparison?

I've had a fascination for the British violinist TASMIN LITTLE . A new, interesting recital featuring women composers: CHANDOS 20030, released 2019 71:27 • Amy Beach: Violin Sonata in a, op. 34 (1896) [28:19] •Clara Schumann: Three Romances, Op 7 (1853) [8:56] •Ethel Smyth: Violin Sonata in a, Op. 7...

The English composer's name ... I've heard it both ways: SMITH (in the traditional sense) and SMEYETH. It would seem to me the proper way to say it is as SMEYETH (eye, like our eyes). Anybody know for sure?

Indeed, just getting VROON is worth the price of subscription. His editorials - really bold and interesting. But American Record Guide offers a lot in excellent reviews, more concise, we garner much in shorter reviews. How could I - but I did - forget American Record Guide . It was more concise than...

That is such a sweet statement from thee, Belle (in red below). Thank you! And, like you, I've had to get rid of all those magazines after years of gathering them, perhaps clipping out articles of artists that particularly interested me. Just the way it is. We cannot save everything! Time was, in th...

I'm kind of like you, not "cottoning" to Bartók being on my "general" listening curve. I do enjoy his Hungarian Sketches, Romanian Dances and very much favor the Allegro Barbaro for piano, Out of Doors, etc. I don't avoid him, but do not get from the composer as much as I wish. The piano concertos f...

I know not Winter Fire by Trotter but know his writing of a fine book: Priest of Music: The Life of Dimitri Mitropoulos . Do you recommend Winter Fire ? As for Sibeliuis' "8," I would be curious - probably composed very late in his life when he may have been more inebriated. My favorite Sibelius sym...

Incredible! When is all this crap going to end? Nothing seems safe any longer.

At one time, I subscribed to all the magazines. My favorite was always High-Fidelity magazine and Stereo Review . I was personal friends with one of High-Fidelity 's critic/pianists, Harris Goldsmith [now unfortunately deceased], who has been a guest in my home. I loved (and still do) Gramophone . ...

DGG Eloquence released a boxed set of Battle's recitals, which include a few of EMI's recordings (due to contractual obligations), plus a compilation of sacred material from complete works, nice to have just to hear her in those tracks. All on 15 CDs [494 2517, released July 2023]. She possessed on...

Once again, the big fat Fanfare (this time) is loaded with reviews. Among them, I found only four things of deep interest. The Gramophone - nothing, except good reviews of things I already have and good articles. Interesting to note Trifonov did not get a great review on his new Mendelssohn/Alkan CD...

Even if I was Cziffra or any of the known Bartokians who pay the piece, I don't think I'd take a chance with only a two week notice! Whew! From Slipped Disc today: "After two days of trying to find a star pianist who could play Bartok’s second concerto and get along with conductor Klaus Mäkelä, the ...

So many versions: orchestral, string quartet, piano, fortepiano, harpsichord, choral. This work has been well documented on discs. Among the ones I enjoy hearing is the "choral" one [EMI/Electrola 14275, 5 CDs, all Haydn's great choral works]. Another is Muti conducting VPO, (live 1987, Salzburg) [D...

WOW! What an extraordinary reading of Tony Abbott's comments ... thought-provoking, wake-up calls, stunning writing and communicative style. Truths therein in abundance. Thank you for that one!

Yes, I am very much aware of Weingartner the composer. I wish I had him conducting his own orchestral works or acting as a pianist in some of his lieder, alas, nothing available that way. I have some songs/lieder sung by DFD and others. I guess here, I'm just illustrating the legendary conducting ab...

Interesting to read all of this about the teaching profession. My daughter graduated from Babson College/Massachusetts and decided she wanted to be a teacher. It was off to NYU and got her masters. Accepted a job in Brooklyn, NY. I helped her get set up there, furniture placement, etc., and she was ...

Search found 20591 matches