Record Review: non-BaL discs reviewed, etc.

[Thropplenoggin]

... to my ears the Britten cadenza didn't work. The rest of the time (ie the stuff wot Mozart wrote) the pianist lives within the five octaves or so that wd have been available to a pianist of the time - then we reach the cadenza - and suddenly we're swirling away way outside the reach of everything else we've heard so far - totally out of proportion. Like a gothic cathedral with suddenly a Palladian portico glued on.

Chapeau !

That could have come straight out the mouth of Jonathan Merde. I mean, Meades. (Actually, I'm quite a fan.) Or the peculiar brand of pedant who writes into the TLS - the letters page is always my first port of call whenever a new issue lands in my boîte aux lettres.

[Nick Armstrong]

Like a gothic cathedral with suddenly a Palladian portico glued on.

O vindepays! It is a pure and an unsullied soul....

Or like a Renaissance chateau with a glass pyramid in the middle of its main courtyard...?

[Anna]

:That could have come straight out the mouth of Jonathan Merde. I mean, Meades. (Actually, I'm quite a fan.)

Sorry to interrupt the flow. Jonathan Meades, new programme this week, about Essex.
As you were.

[Thropplenoggin]

[QUOTE=Anna;254598]

Sorry to interrupt the flow. Jonathan Meades, new programme this week, about Essex.
As you were.

If you're a Meades fan, I commend this book to you: Incest & Morris Dancing: A Gastronomic Revolution

I have satirised Jonathan 'Merde' Meades several times. As a cinephile here and here he is donning his gastronomy hat to sample Ruddy Nora's greasy spoon on Wimbledon High Street.

Hopefully, hilarity ensues.

Sample quote:

In the same way that we don’t cook anymore but watch over-weening hair wax merchants make saucy ejaculations on TV, we don’t eat either. No, what we do is pontificate about eating. We recommend eateries. We opine about the politics of petits fours. We formulate theories, deconstruct standard fare, and muse over irony-enriched dinner party classics. But eat? Consume? Devour? Slather our chops in salivatory anticpation of a succulent something or other? Fat chance!

[Anna]

Reluctantly, Throppers, I admit I had a small snigger.
I trust that satisfies you

[Thropplenoggin]

Reluctantly, Throppers, I admit I had a small snigger.
I trust that satisfies you

It was the baked beans being described as "a riot of copper pixie gonads", wasn't it?

[Anna]

It was the baked beans being described as "a riot of copper pixie gonads", wasn't it?

Indeed it was, she said, lying through her teeth but anything to keep the Natives happy....

[vinteuil]

Hopefully, hilarity ensues.

... oh dear, I think we have a "humourist" among us.

[Nick Armstrong]

It was the baked beans being described as "a riot of copper pixie gonads", wasn't it?

Talking of "a riot of gonads", all this bloody Verdi is awful, I think...

Sorry Verdi fans

[Barbirollians]

I was just thinking the exact opposite - and how marvellous Verdi is ! Knocks that old German bore with his operas that last several days into a cocked hat .

[Nick Armstrong]

I was just thinking the exact opposite - and how marvellous Verdi is ! Knocks that old German bore with his operas that last several days into a cocked hat .

The world would be a dull place 'twere it otherwise, Barb!!

Anyone else getting nasty clicking during the Mendelssohn quartet currently on? (Hope so, or else my DAB radio's *******d )

EDIT 1: it seems to have stopped as of about 12.05

EDIT 2: AMcG apologised for it at the end...

[Barbirollians]

The world would be a dull place 'twere it otherwise, Barb!!

Anyone else getting nasty clicking during the Mendelssohn quartet currently on? (Hope so, or else my DAB radio's *******d )

EDIT 1: it seems to have stopped as of about 12.05

EDIT 2: AMcG apologised for it at the end...

Indeed it would !

[amateur51]

Now had a proper listen to the extract from that recording: WHAT A JOY!! Possibly my favourite Mozart PC movement, wonderfully performed... And an extra treat to hear the Britten cadenza. I have shivers of pleasure just thinking about it. Also, the woodwind parts are delectably played and brought out...

I wonder if the rest of the disc is as magical...? Only one way to find out

(btw strange that I'd never heard of Mr Hadland, despite him being a BBC Young Generation artist... usually, one's aware of the names, having heard them being namechecked regularly on R3...)

After the concert last evening, Jolly James played Hadland's recording of Mozart piano concerto no. 21 in C major, K.467, as raved about by Caliban above.

I was delighted and gobsmacked! It's marvellous Well spotted Caliban et al

Presumably it will be available for repeated listening via the iPlayer for a week.

[Nick Armstrong]

If I may kick off re: this morning's programme, Throppers:


9.05am

WEBER: Six Sonatas for Violin and Piano Op. 10; Piano Quartet in B flat major J76
Isabelle Faust (violin), Alexander Melnikov (fortepiano), Boris Faust (viola), Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt (cello)
HARMONIA MUNDI HMC902108 (CD)


Telemann - Ouvertures pittoresques
TELEMANN: Ouverture in D major TWV55:D15; Ouverture in B flat major TWV55:B5; Concerto polonois in B flat major TWV43:B3; Concerto polonois in G major TWV43:G7; Ouverture jointe d'une suite tragi-comique in D major TWV 55:D22
Arte dei Suonatori, Martin Gester (conductor)
BIS BIS1979 (Hybrid SACD)


Hoffnung des Widersehens - Telemann Arias
TELEMANN: Concerto in D major for violin, strings and bc; Vernunft Geduld und Zeit; Stirbt mein Geist durch dein Verlangen; Six cantatas from Mein Vergnugen wird sich fugen; Die Hoffnung des Wiedersehens; Concerto in E minor TWV 51:e2; Fliessen nichts als bitt're Tranen; Quillt ihr uberhauften Zahren; Weine nur gekrankte Seele; Genung genung geklaget; Three arias from Omphale; Concerto in D major for violin, strings and bc
Dorothee Mields (soprano), Martin Jopp (violin), Carin van Heeren (oboe d'amore), L'Orfeo Barockorchester, Michi Gaigg (conductor)
DEUTSCHE HARMONIA MUNDI 88697901822 (CD)

...

10.15am
Edward Seckerson joins Andrew live in the studio to discuss recent recordings of Bruckner and Shostakovich symphonies

BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (conductor)
EXTON EXCL00073 (Hybrid SACD)


BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Marek Janowski (conductor)
PENTATONE PTC5186449 (Hybrid SACD)


BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 7
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Donald Runnicles (conductor)
HYPERION CDA67916 (CD)


BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 7
Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, Franz Welser-Most (conductor)
ORFEO C868121B (CD)


SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 7 in C 'Leningrad'
Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (conductor)
MARIINSKY MAR0533 (Hybrid SACD)


SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 7 in C 'Leningrad'
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons (conductor)
ORFEO C852121A (CD)


11.15am

Vogt - Wagner
WAGNER: Fanget an; Am stillen Herd in Winterszeit (from The Mastersingers of Nuremberg); Mein lieber Schwan (from Lohengrin); Amfortas! Die Wunde; Nur eine Waffe taugt (from Parsifal); Allmacht'ger Vater blick herab (from Rienzi); O sink hernieder Nacht der Liebe (from Tristan and Isolde); Willst jenes Tag´s du nicht dich mehr entsinnen (from The Flying Dutchman); Brunnhilde heilige Braut (from Twilight of the Gods); Ein Schwert verhiess mir der Vater; Du bist der Lenz (from The Valkyrie)
Klaus Florian Vogt (tenor), Camilla Nylund (soprano), Bamberger Symphoniker – Bayerische Staatsphilharmonie, Jonathan Nott (conductor)
SONY 88765445152 (CD)


Kaufmann - Wagner
WAGNER: Ein Schwert verhiess mir der Vater (from Die Walkure); Dass der mein Vater nicht ist (from Siegfried); Allmacht'ger Vater blick herab (from Rienzi); Inbrunst im Herzen (from Tannhauser); Am stillen Herd (from Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg); In fernem Land (from Lohengrin); Wesendonck-Lieder
WAGNER orch. MOTTL: Wesendonck-Lieder
Jonas Kaufmann (tenor), Markus Brück (bass-baritone), Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Donald Runnicles (conductor)
DECCA 4785189 (CD)


The Britannic Organ Vol.5
WAGNER: Transciptions recorded on rolls replayed on the Britannic Welte Philharmonic organ
Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin; Prelude from Lohengrin; Isolde's Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde - Clarence Eddy (organ)
Traume from Wesendonck Lieder - Samuel Atkinson Baldwin (organ)
Huldigungsmarsch; Tannhauser's Pilgrimage from Tannhauser - Harry Goss-Custard (organ)
Overture from Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg; Trauermarsch from Gotterdammerung - Edwin H. Lemare (organ)
Das Liebesmahl der Apostel - Kurt Grosse (organ)
Prelude from Lohengrin - Thaddaus Hofmiller (organ)
Lohengrins Verweis an Elsa from Lohengrin - Emil Paur (organ)
Overture from Tannhauser; Entry of the Gods into Walhall from Das Rheingold; Wotan's Farewell from Die Walkure; Klingsors Zaubergarten und Blumenmadchen from Parsifal; Overture from Rienzi (handpunched rolls)
OEHMS CLASSICS OC844 (2CD)


Wagner Organ Fireworks - Overtures and Preludes (transcribed by Edwin Lemare and Erwin Horn)
WAGNER: Overture from Tannhauser; Prelude to Parsifal; Overture from Der fliegende Hollander; Prelude to Tristan und Isolde; Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nuremberg
Hansjorg Albrecht (organ)
OEHMS CLASSICS OC690 (Hybrid SACD)


11.45am Disc of the Week


SZYMANOWSKI: Concert Overture Op.12; Symphony No. 4 Op. 60 ‘Sinfonia Concertante’; Symphony No. 2 Op. 19
Louis Lortie (piano), BBC Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner (conductor)
CHANDOS CHSA5115 (Hybrid SACD)



I haven't listened to the first half-hour yet, but I found the programme from 10:15 onwards exceptionally interesting

Standouts for me were:

The Janowski Bruckner 3 (my cursor hovered over the 'add to basket' button just now, but it's very expensive). I'm going to relisten to my Jochum CD first - ES compared the new one with Jochum's approach. I'd forgotten how much I love this symphony. I completely agreed with ES's comment about the second subject in the final movement, the listing brass choral plus joyful little string melody - one of my favourite bits of Bruckner - and how the Oramo performance of that section was ludicrous. I just wish they'd played the OSR/Janowski version in that bit too, to compare.

Runnicles Bruckner 7 and Nelsons Shostakovich 7 sounded very good indeed, too. Don't feel the impulsion to invest though. Hmmmm Maybe the Shostakovich... Wonder how much it is...

The Kaufmann/Runnicles Wagner disc: ordered already!! The singing in the opera extracts was spell-binding, perfect (I don't often say that about opera!). Wasn't so sure about the Wesendoncks: on the 'Traumen' extract played, the male voice didn't sound able to deliver the nuances, and seemed out-of-proportion with the orchestra. I heard these live for the first time just before Christmas (dodgy contralto, alas) and what struck me most was how small the orchestra is. But Jay K is such a stunning singer I'll give it a try.

The Szymanowski 4th Symphony: never heard before, fascinating 'piano concerto' style, the presence of the piano seemed to provide and anchor, a structure, to my ears in comparison with his purely orchestral style which I just find too splurgy and unstructured. Enjoyed it. Not sure I'll buy it though.




PS: Incidentally, I found Edward Seckerson to be on extremely cogent and sensible form. I noticed that they'd dropped the Mahler discs billed on the website to be part of the survey. I might drop Alison a line and suggest she has a listen!

PS2: The Nelsons Shostakovich 7 increasingly tempting: adulatory review here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shostakovich...1634572&sr=8-1 Not a bad price, and all on one disc... An ORFEO recording in... Nottingham! Unusual combination...

[amateur51]

If I may kick off re: this morning's programme, Throppers:


9.05am

WEBER: Six Sonatas for Violin and Piano Op. 10; Piano Quartet in B flat major J76
Isabelle Faust (violin), Alexander Melnikov (fortepiano), Boris Faust (viola), Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt (cello)
HARMONIA MUNDI HMC902108 (CD)


Telemann - Ouvertures pittoresques
TELEMANN: Ouverture in D major TWV55:D15; Ouverture in B flat major TWV55:B5; Concerto polonois in B flat major TWV43:B3; Concerto polonois in G major TWV43:G7; Ouverture jointe d'une suite tragi-comique in D major TWV 55:D22
Arte dei Suonatori, Martin Gester (conductor)
BIS BIS1979 (Hybrid SACD)


Hoffnung des Widersehens - Telemann Arias
TELEMANN: Concerto in D major for violin, strings and bc; Vernunft Geduld und Zeit; Stirbt mein Geist durch dein Verlangen; Six cantatas from Mein Vergnugen wird sich fugen; Die Hoffnung des Wiedersehens; Concerto in E minor TWV 51:e2; Fliessen nichts als bitt're Tranen; Quillt ihr uberhauften Zahren; Weine nur gekrankte Seele; Genung genung geklaget; Three arias from Omphale; Concerto in D major for violin, strings and bc
Dorothee Mields (soprano), Martin Jopp (violin), Carin van Heeren (oboe d'amore), L'Orfeo Barockorchester, Michi Gaigg (conductor)
DEUTSCHE HARMONIA MUNDI 88697901822 (CD)

...

10.15am
Edward Seckerson joins Andrew live in the studio to discuss recent recordings of Bruckner and Shostakovich symphonies

BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Sakari Oramo (conductor)
EXTON EXCL00073 (Hybrid SACD)


BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Marek Janowski (conductor)
PENTATONE PTC5186449 (Hybrid SACD)


BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 7
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Donald Runnicles (conductor)
HYPERION CDA67916 (CD)


BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 7
Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, Franz Welser-Most (conductor)
ORFEO C868121B (CD)


SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 7 in C 'Leningrad'
Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (conductor)
MARIINSKY MAR0533 (Hybrid SACD)


SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 7 in C 'Leningrad'
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons (conductor)
ORFEO C852121A (CD)


11.15am

Vogt - Wagner
WAGNER: Fanget an; Am stillen Herd in Winterszeit (from The Mastersingers of Nuremberg); Mein lieber Schwan (from Lohengrin); Amfortas! Die Wunde; Nur eine Waffe taugt (from Parsifal); Allmacht'ger Vater blick herab (from Rienzi); O sink hernieder Nacht der Liebe (from Tristan and Isolde); Willst jenes Tag´s du nicht dich mehr entsinnen (from The Flying Dutchman); Brunnhilde heilige Braut (from Twilight of the Gods); Ein Schwert verhiess mir der Vater; Du bist der Lenz (from The Valkyrie)
Klaus Florian Vogt (tenor), Camilla Nylund (soprano), Bamberger Symphoniker – Bayerische Staatsphilharmonie, Jonathan Nott (conductor)
SONY 88765445152 (CD)


Kaufmann - Wagner
WAGNER: Ein Schwert verhiess mir der Vater (from Die Walkure); Dass der mein Vater nicht ist (from Siegfried); Allmacht'ger Vater blick herab (from Rienzi); Inbrunst im Herzen (from Tannhauser); Am stillen Herd (from Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg); In fernem Land (from Lohengrin); Wesendonck-Lieder
WAGNER orch. MOTTL: Wesendonck-Lieder
Jonas Kaufmann (tenor), Markus Brück (bass-baritone), Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Donald Runnicles (conductor)
DECCA 4785189 (CD)


The Britannic Organ Vol.5
WAGNER: Transciptions recorded on rolls replayed on the Britannic Welte Philharmonic organ
Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin; Prelude from Lohengrin; Isolde's Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde - Clarence Eddy (organ)
Traume from Wesendonck Lieder - Samuel Atkinson Baldwin (organ)
Huldigungsmarsch; Tannhauser's Pilgrimage from Tannhauser - Harry Goss-Custard (organ)
Overture from Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg; Trauermarsch from Gotterdammerung - Edwin H. Lemare (organ)
Das Liebesmahl der Apostel - Kurt Grosse (organ)
Prelude from Lohengrin - Thaddaus Hofmiller (organ)
Lohengrins Verweis an Elsa from Lohengrin - Emil Paur (organ)
Overture from Tannhauser; Entry of the Gods into Walhall from Das Rheingold; Wotan's Farewell from Die Walkure; Klingsors Zaubergarten und Blumenmadchen from Parsifal; Overture from Rienzi (handpunched rolls)
OEHMS CLASSICS OC844 (2CD)


Wagner Organ Fireworks - Overtures and Preludes (transcribed by Edwin Lemare and Erwin Horn)
WAGNER: Overture from Tannhauser; Prelude to Parsifal; Overture from Der fliegende Hollander; Prelude to Tristan und Isolde; Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nuremberg
Hansjorg Albrecht (organ)
OEHMS CLASSICS OC690 (Hybrid SACD)


11.45am Disc of the Week


SZYMANOWSKI: Concert Overture Op.12; Symphony No. 4 Op. 60 ‘Sinfonia Concertante’; Symphony No. 2 Op. 19
Louis Lortie (piano), BBC Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner (conductor)
CHANDOS CHSA5115 (Hybrid SACD)


[/COLOR]

Why's this bit a ghostly shadow, Calibs?