Record Review: non-BaL discs reviewed, etc.

[Nick Armstrong]

Caught up belatedly with the Beethoven/Brahms chamber music review segment from 31.5.14 this evening. Apart from having to suppress the desire to fling the radio out of the window every time Harriet Thingummy says "kind of" or "sort of" redundantly in the middle of a sentence (and it happens often ), there were a couple of gems (and a couple of lumps of something else )

The gems were:

1) Corey Cerovsek & Paavali Jumppanen playing the Brahms violin sonatas

I realise I 'only' have the old Decca J. Suk / J. Katchen recording - a perfect classic, but room for another... and I was bowled over by the approach of these two players and the gorgeous violin sound (on Paganini's old fiddle...). Most unlike me - normally I grumble about there being too much solo violin on R3 and on CD Review in particular ... but this is something else. (I recall Cerovsek on the telly in the 80s as a 12 year old prodigy... The boy developed well!)

Download: purchased and playing at the moment (in a break from the Storgards Sibelius purchase earlier )

2) The Zimmermann-Tamestit-Poltera Trio in Beethoven's string trios - totally unknown to me. What playing !!! Spent too much this weekend so gave it a rest but am tempted....

[Barbirollians]

Perhaps it was unfair to Alisa Weilerstein that they only played the last two movements of her Dvorak Cello Concerto recording but it struck me as very underwhelming. The slow movement came across as pretty but not much more and the finale seemed to lack momentum and the swelling of the cello playing at the very end seemed really stagey to me .

[Nick Armstrong]

Perhaps it was unfair to Alisa Weilerstein that they only played the last two movements of her Dvorak Cello Concerto recording but it struck me as very underwhelming. The slow movement came across as pretty but not much more and the finale seemed to lack momentum and the swelling of the cello playing at the very end seemed really stagey to me .

Did you get to grips with the recent Isserlis performance on Hyperion, Barbs?

[Barbirollians]

Did you get to grips with the recent Isserlis performance on Hyperion, Barbs?

Not really I was very disappointed by it in the end . I am not sure I agree with PG who puts all the blame on Harding . I haven't listened to it for a while perhaps I will give it another go .

I remain utterly enchanted by the Anja Thauer/Macal recording on Hastedt Classics ( taken from DG ) .

[Sir Velo]

I know I'm in a minority of one here, but McGregor's constant sniggering in conversation with his guest is driving me up the wall. "The Inextinguisable" opined Mark Lowther; "so named not because it is the symphony which never ends but because it is the symphony about that which is inextinguishable", met with aspirated schoolboy sounds of stifled mirth from AM for reasons which completely escape me. Might not be so noticeable in the car, or on the household radio, but with the earphones in, even more rage inducing than Harriet Smith's "likes" and "yknows"!

[Nick Armstrong]

Not really I was very disappointed by it in the end . I am not sure I agree with PG who puts all the blame on Harding . I haven't listened to it for a while perhaps I will give it another go .

I remain utterly enchanted by the Anja Thauer/Macal recording on Hastedt Classics ( taken from DG ) .

I continue to like the Isserlis, I must say. That latter recording is an intriguing unknown one to me...

[Nick Armstrong]

I know I'm in a minority of one here, but McGregor's constant sniggering in conversation with his guest is driving me up the wall. "The Inextinguisable" opined Andrew Lowther; "so named not because it is the Inextinguishable symphony" but because it is the symphony about that which is inextinguishable", met with aspirated schoolboy sounds of stifled mirth from AM for reasons which completely escape me. Might not be so noticeable in the car, or on the household radio, but with the earphones in, even more rage inducing than Harriet Smith's "likes" and "yknows"!

It's kind of sort of annoying when they kind of snigger, I agree. AMcG did seem to be in particularly mirthful vein. For some reason it didn't bother me...

And I hugely enjoyed your post, Sir V, so perhaps it was all worth while?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Fischer's Bruckner 7

I thought Andrew MacG made heavy weather of the "briskness" of the Second Movement of this recording: it didn't sound at all rushed or hurried to me.

(Some fine-sounding Bruckner releases all round, too, I thought.)

[Nick Armstrong]

I thought Andrew MacG made heavy weather of the "briskness" of the Second Movement of this recording: it didn't sound at all rushed or hurried to me.

(Some fine-sounding Bruckner releases all round, too, I thought.)

Recorded for tomorrow's lie-in (with a bit of luck!)

The Abbado Bruckner 9 has to be "self-recommending" (as they used to say), doesn't it?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The Abbado Bruckner 9 has to be "self-recommending" (as they used to say), doesn't it?

Oh, gosh; yes! <emptypocketsemoticon>

[Barbirollians]

I didn't warm to that Fischer extract . The Abbado indeed was self-recommending !

Liked that 1919 viola CD I am surprised that it seems from Amazon that Lawrence Power hasn't recorded the Rebecca Clarke which is one of my favourite viola works .

Didn't like the extracts from Tamsin Waley Cohen's CD . I thought the problem with the Respighi was they played it bombastically - The Chung/Zimerman makes a great case for the work .

[aeolium]

I thought yesterday's CD Review was very enjoyable, especially the extracts from the Rameau discs as part of the Rameau 250 celebration, the interview with Krystian Bezuidenhout and the survey of Dvorak discs comparing Belohlavek and the Czech Philharmonic's new set with discs from Kubelik and the BPO. The Bezuidenhout discussion was fascinating, with KB providing interesting insights into his approach to the performance of Mozart piano sonatas and concertos - a lovely extract from the finale to K453 to conclude. Some of the Belohlavek Dvorak sounded very good, though I won't be deserting Kertesz' superb set.

I recommend anyone who missed this programme to hear it on LA, if only for the Bezuidenhout interview.*

*Ed: I think there are problems currently with i-player, so it may not be possible for a while

[HighlandDougie]

The Bezuidenhout discussion was fascinating, with KB providing interesting insights into his approach to the performance of Mozart piano sonatas and concertos - a lovely extract from the finale to K453 to conclude.

I was all set to switch off but was so taken with what KB had to say that I listened until the end. He was very engaging - and very articulate.

[Nick Armstrong]

I thought yesterday's CD Review was very enjoyable, especially the extracts from the Rameau discs as part of the Rameau 250 celebration, the interview with Krystian Bezuidenhout and the survey of Dvorak discs comparing Belohlavek and the Czech Philharmonic's new set with discs from Kubelik and the BPO. The Bezuidenhout discussion was fascinating, with KB providing interesting insights into his approach to the performance of Mozart piano sonatas and concertos - a lovely extract from the finale to K453 to conclude. Some of the Belohlavek Dvorak sounded very good, though I won't be deserting Kertesz' superb set.

Enjoying the Dvorak survey as I read that and write this; have the KB segment recorded for listening too, plus I intend to hear the Moeran segment again. Yes - a very good programme!

[Roehre]

... I intend to hear the Moeran segment again. Yes - a very good programme!

Very good it was indeed, the fragments from the symphony's 1st movement very instructive e.g.