Essential Classics - The Continuing Debate

[Thropplenoggin]

There should be an equivalent for pseudo philosophers to that well known company motto: "Miracles we can do; the impossible takes a little longer".

"The obvious we can tell you; platitudes take a little longer to fabricate"?

[amateur51]

There should be an equivalent for pseudo philosophers to that well known company motto: "Miracles we can do; the impossible takes a little longer".

"The obvious we can tell you; platitudes take a little longer to fabricate"?

[Thropplenoggin]

I distinctly remember hearing a presenter announce yesterday ahead of JEG's performance of the Mass in B Minor that this officially marked the end of Baroque Spring. Imagine my unsurprise to see Sarah Walker breaking free of the R3 baroque mandate by choosing Telemann's Wind Concertos as her Essential CD of the Week!

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

ah but .... actually it took me back to when i sailed the oceans noggins with a little cassette player and the collected performances of a certain Frans Bruggen on cassettes ... shame that the producer did not go looking for Bruggen .... his recorder work is sometimes very patchily supplied ....

[Thropplenoggin]

ah but .... actually it took me back to when i sailed the oceans noggins with a little cassette player and the collected performances of a certain Frans Bruggen on cassettes ... shame that the producer did not go looking for Bruggen .... his recorder work is sometimes very patchily supplied ....

I like the thought of being in a berth on the high seas with Brüggen's recorder-playing as a soundtrack. (Actually, the above record made my ears twitch in a good way. )

[Nick Armstrong]

The juxtaposition this morning of

Ballet Suite from Aida
Performers: Boston Pops Orchestra, Arthur Fiedler (conductor)

with

Tannhauser: Prelude & Venusberg Music
Performers: London Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati (conductor)

brought home to me that Wagner was ten times the composer Verdi was....



Or perhaps the LSO/Dorati were ten times the performers the BPO/Fiedler were...?

Just sayin'....

[Suffolkcoastal]

I see Rob's totally unessential CD of the week is yet another excuse to bring out the same old warhorses.

[Nick Armstrong]

I see Rob's totally unessential CD of the week is yet another excuse to bring out the same old warhorses.

Il Giardino Armonico...? oh come, come! There's hardly been a glut of baroque lately...

Has there?

[french frank]

Ah, and looking through today's essential playlist, I'm fairly sure that the Grieg slipped in on Saturday Breakfast (and which I couldn't remember when I mentioned it on the Breakfast thread) was ... Solveig's Song

[Suffolkcoastal]

Sorry Cali I meant the Unessential Artist of the week, I'm sure HvK made more interesting recordings that the handful of exhausted warhorses presented this week.

[BBMmk2]

I think you could be right cali, re LSO/Dorati v Boston Pops/Fieldler!

[Richard Tarleton]

brought home to me that Wagner was ten times the composer Verdi was....

A great, great Verdi extract just now....Verdi at his best goes to the heart of the human condition

[Thropplenoggin]

Surprised no one has commented on the excellent Sir John Tusa, who has had much sense to speak all week concerning music and the arts.

Listen from the 1hr 54 mins 30s point: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rr8tm

[Nick Armstrong]

A great, great Verdi extract just now....Verdi at his best goes to the heart of the human condition

Actually I heard that too... and thought that sung like that (B Christoff Esq. ), it was pretty gripping!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Surprised no one has commented on the excellent Sir John Tusa, who has had much sense to speak all week concerning music and the arts.

- Tusa always gives good value; and I loved the way he was so pleased by Rob Cowan's choice of an aria from Dvorak's St Ludmilla - Cowan also at his best in this company and with this repertoire.

The trouble is, for every Tusa, there's week after week of guests who don't have much of interest to say about anything.

But you're absolutely right of course to give Tusa the credit he's due here.