Record Review: non-BaL discs reviewed, etc.

[Beef Oven!]

Available to stream or download from QOBUZ, though not in surround.

Hi-Res download from Qobuz 24/96 for £11.99.

I already have a couple of N&Ss, so eClassical might be better, where one can download just 'AJ' for a little over £5, also 24/96.

[jayne lee wilson]

I guess it was just about Sony/Salonen?
....they didn't mention the LAPO/Salonen Pärt 4th Symphony, on either DG Concerts or ECM?
The world premiere recording but a truly intense, sensuously compelling record which if I had to choose I would take over the cooler asceticism of the new Wrocław/Kaljuste set, very good as that is...

I haven't many Sony Salonen records, but I recall his Nielsen 3rd and those Lutosławski Symphonies fondly from encounters back-in-the-day. I better do a shelf tour....

Yes, I'll try that RSNO/Oundjan Adams/Chandos release on Qobuz later - especially as IIRC the Naive and Sentimental Music is only its 2nd ever recording, the first being.... LAPO/Salonen (on Nonesuch) of course, which I always felt lacked bit of punch or sheer drive occasionally. He did it better with the Philharmonia at last year's Proms, less opulent than the LAPO but a brilliantly dramatic performance.
I'm afraid the Guardian review yesterday (Andrew Clements) wasn't too encouraging for the Chandos newcomer, a bit 50-50, though he liked the new Josefowicz/Robertson Violin Concerto, which I'm much taken with myself.......extraordinary solo assumption by Leila J, really makes it her own after many live performances, beautifully balanced with the orchestra, not too close like the otherwise fine Waley-Cohen (c/w Roy Harris )...

[Mal]

I've bought it and am greatly enjoying it, chiefly for Roderick Williams's ravishingly beautiful voice, and Christopher Glynn is excellent. I don't know German, and am used to following the literal translations of the texts (or, in the case of the DFD-Brendel DVD, following the on-screen translation), so there seeems to me to be a clear trade-off between the beauty of the German and comprehensibility. Some of them sound a bit doggerelly, the fault I daresay of the rhymes, but I have no idea how the German words sound to a German speaker - presumably they come across as great poetry, which the English translations don't - or do they?

I bought it, for much the same reasons, and also greatly enjoyed it. I thought the translation was good and, for me, didn't interfere with appreciating the beauty of the music - and got the bleak message across very well. Did you notice that Williams didn't quite follow the printed libretto, just a word changed here or there. Is that allowed? :) Is Wilhelm Müller considered to be a great poet? He's not on Harold Bloom's list of canonical Germans. The translator, Jeremy Sams, also translated The Magic Flute (Chandos Opera in English, Mackerass, LPO,...) and did a very good job there, as well, I feel.

[Beef Oven!]

I guess it was just about Sony/Salonen?
....they didn't mention the LAPO/Salonen Pärt 4th Symphony, on either DG Concerts or ECM?
The world premiere recording but a truly intense, sensuously compelling record which if I had to choose I would take over the cooler asceticism of the new Wrocław/Kaljuste set, very good as that is...

I haven't many Sony Salonen records, but I recall his Nielsen 3rd and those Lutosławski Symphonies fondly from encounters back-in-the-day. I better do a shelf tour....

Yes, I'll try that RSNO/Oundjan Adams/Chandos release on Qobuz later - especially as IIRC the Naive and Sentimental Music is only its 2nd ever recording, the first being.... LAPO/Salonen (on Nonesuch) of course, which I always felt lacked bit of punch or sheer drive occasionally. He did it better with the Philharmonia at last year's Proms, less opulent than the LAPO but a brilliantly dramatic performance.
I'm afraid the Guardian review yesterday (Andrew Clements) wasn't too encouraging for the Chandos newcomer, a bit 50-50, though he liked the new Josefowicz/Robertson Violin Concerto, which I'm much taken with myself.......extraordinary solo assumption by Leila J, really makes it her own after many live performances, beautifully balanced with the orchestra, not too close like the otherwise fine Waley-Cohen (c/w Roy Harris )...

Just listened to Luto's Symphony 4, Esa Pekka. I don't get why some people don't like it (ahinton, RB (?), Bryn (?) apols if I've got that wrong).

I keep coming back Esa's his Sony set, even though the other releases are great, especially Jacek Kaspszyk, and also Gardner's good.
Still haven't got my headphones around Part's 4th symphony - I have Kaljuste and Salonen (having read your previous posts). EPSalonen is a lot broader, but I don't get the music yet to know what I think respectively.

P.S. The Esa set on today's record review is a Sony only 60 CD set of him as a conductor ............

[Mal]

I don't think I'll be buying Salonen's box set, but certainly rate his Nielsen/Sibelius violin concertos with Cho-Liang Lin on Sony.

[doversoul1]

‘Bye Bye Berlin’ – Music from 1920s Berlin (Weill, Eisler, Hindemith and others)
Marion Rampal (vocals)
Raphaël Imbert (saxophones)
Manfred Quartet
Harmonia Mundi HMM 902295

The 3rd item in the first slot. I thought this was lovely. It reminds me of all sorts of things that I can’t quite name.

[aeolium]

I did enjoy the Bronislaw Huberman/Szell/VPO excerpt from the Beethoven violin concerto which was included in Harriet Smith's Beethoven selection this morning. There is a Pristine Classical remastering of this recording (coupled with the Brahms VC) available:

https://www.pristineclassical.com/products/pasc421

And it's also possible to hear the entire first movement of the Beethoven, portamenti and all, on that website. Huberman I think plays a Joachim cadenza and not the usual Kreisler.

[aeolium]

I thought the slow movement of the Schubert 9, from Janssons and the Bavarian RSO, was superb on Record Review this morning, with great detail, excellent playing from all sections and tempi from Janssons that seemed just right - the best recent modern orchestra performance I have heard, and recorded from a live concert too. No doubt some will prefer period performance in this work, and my favourite here is Mackerras/OAE, but this performance from one of the great European orchestras sounded first rate to my ears.

[Nick Armstrong]

I did enjoy the Bronislaw Huberman/Szell/VPO excerpt from the Beethoven violin concerto which was included in Harriet Smith's Beethoven selection this morning.

Yes so did I. Also good to be informed of the Gilels LvB boxset with all his DG recordings (of which I'd previously acquired - and loved - only a couple).

Delighted to find both the Huberman and the Gilels on Qobuz, both now made 'favourites' and being listened to with a lot of pleasure.

[teamsaint]

Anybody know or have views on the Gramophone award winning Dusapin string quartet recording that was played in part this morning?
I had somewhat the opposite reaction to Tom McKinney, in the sense that he said that it gets under your skin eventually, whereas I was grabbed immediately, but wondered if the whole thing would hold the attention, after the “ throwing everything at it” effect had worn off a bit.
Anyway, definitely one to try in full .

[Nick Armstrong]

VERY impressed with the singing of Holger Falk in the extracts from Hanns Eisler's Hollywood Songbook (the third volume of MDG's series of Eisler songs) - and attracted by the music too, which I don't know at all.....

[BBMmk2]

I’m very impressed with the latest Finzi’s recording from Chandos. BBCSO/Sir Andrew Davis. With Louis Lortie and Paul Watkins.

[teamsaint]

Very tempted by a brief excerpt from the Hannigan / de Leeuw Vienna disc.

Available on Apple Music. Bloody awful cd art work though.

[Barbirollians]

As a fan of Trifonov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini recording I was rather underwhelmed by the opening movement of the Second Piano Concerto recording played this morning . It was perfectly fine but nowhere near as exciting as the Rhapsody recording and lacking in the wow factor of the Richter/Wislocki for example which has an opening to pin you back by the ears .

Liked the Blomstedt Mozart the reviewers seemed lukewarm on - thought the Chineke Sibelius 2 was OK but not worthy of the encomiums heaped upon it and as for the Rachmaninov 3 the pianist was indeed impressive but again it lacked excitement. Perhaps Argerich and Berman have spoiled me .

[Barbirollians]

On the other hand this Dvorak piano trios recording is spellbinding and I have ordered it !