Feb issue is a strange mix - very good to see a Michael kennedy article on Strauss and fhgl will be excited to see a tribute to Lachenmann . Still some very short reviews - for example Bryce Morrison's review of Yuja Wang and Dudamel recording is so short as to be useless .
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Yes, curious: Stephen Plaistow has had two excellent lengthy, thoughtful reviews (so balanced, therefore, on Bavouzet's Beethoven, compared with, e.g. a brisk damn-with-faint-praise from Andrew Clements in The Guardian), but there are those others that are skeletal.Originally posted by Barbirollians View Post
On the other hand, I'm not sure giving Bryce too much room pays off! A poor piece on Cortot that hardly says anything and recycles various anecdotes/opinions (mis-attributing a Rubinstein to a Schnabel, I'm pretty sure). The piece on Samson Francois is better though, and had me wanting to hear those live recordings.Comment
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The "strange mix" that is fhgl is indeed excited, Barbie - many thanks for the "nudge".Originally posted by Barbirollians View Post
It seems to be Lachenmann's year - the January edition of Tempo carried no fewer than three reviews (two very enthusiastic, one unconvinced) and now this in one of the more "popular" publications. "Resurging" rather than "resurgent", perhaps?[FONT=Comic Sans MS][I][B]Numquam Satis![/B][/I][/FONT]Comment
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Originally posted by amateur51 View Post
It does still reflect the modern trend for the disturbingly kaleidoscopic 'shotgun effect' (Windows has a lot to answer for).
I'm glad at least that they have thrown away those confusing two line review subtitles in nearly the same font as the following text, and not separated from it. They used to pull me up short every time, with a growl.
In general though, moves in the right direction.Comment
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Apparently the website's getting an overhaul now, too: http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classica...ophone-websiteOriginally posted by Don Petter View PostIt loved to happen. -- Marcus AureliusComment
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Another mixed bag this month. The CPE Bach was interesting; the piece on MacMillan an insult to the brain. We were told he was a Roman Catholic and later the writer felt obliged to shoehorn in the other use of the word 'catholic' (didn't spot that one coming) and explain what it meant for all those dummy readers:
'Those 'various musical elements' are certainly diverse, and reveal MacMillan to be a true catholic in the full sense of the word - as meaning inclusive and all-embracing.'
At this point, the magazine sprouted wings and flew across the room.
Members of the forum of a certain age (55 and up) will be pleased to know that, 'having passed the half-century mark' now excuses 'periodic splenetic outbursts': MacMillan's include fending off attacks on his native land, his RC faith, and his music in his Daily Telegraph blog.
Ah, reactionaries! Ah, humanity!It loved to happen. -- Marcus AureliusComment
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Interesting thoughts @Noggo.
Anti catholicisim..... one of the remaining acceptable prejudices.
Will try to catch sight of the mag.
But who will review the reviewers of the reviews?
(Mind the paint work/wallpaper.....).I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own.
I am not a number, I am a free man.Comment
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And, in Scotland, the Scots for the English. Which will doubtless remain whatever the outcome of the referendum. (I speak as an Anglo-Scot.)Originally posted by teamsaint View PostComment
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quite.Originally posted by amateur51 View Post
But like elephants,not that hard to spot.......and I wouldn't claim any expertise, I just observe what I observe.
(I suppose we are teetering off topic, and onto politics etc here.....)I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own.
I am not a number, I am a free man.Comment
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Just picked up a couple of issues. The availability is a spotty on this side of the pond.
One thing I don't like is the way they identify recordings as either "DDD" or "DSD" but fail to reveal if they are areviewing a CD, SACD, or download. These days
"DSD" could mean download only, or a CD that is recorded in DSD but isn't an SACD.Comment
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I read a good part of the issue today while I was in the waiting room of my Doctor's office (it is no fun being on the other side of the coin). I do think the reveiws have more subtances than when I last had subscribed, and I like the way that they pull comparison reviews of competing versions from their Archive.Originally posted by richardfinegold View PostComment
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[QUOTE=richardfinegold;400159]I read a good part of the issue today while I was in the waiting room of my Doctor's office (it is no fun being on the other side of the coin). I do think the reveiws have more subtances than when I last had subscribed, and I like the way that they pull comparison reviews of competing versions from their Archive.[/QUOTE]This sounds a good development, rfg. It was always the case in pre-Haymarket days that Gramophone reviewers would make these comparisons.Thank you Mr Cullingford
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Though interesting, what they are doing is not really the same thing. The three earlier review snippets, usually by different authors, are just given separately. What reviewers regularly used to do was discuss comparative points of earlier recordings within their own reviews.Originally posted by amateur51 View PostThis sounds a good development, rfg. It was always the case in pre-Haymarket days that Gramophone reviewers would make these comparisons.Thank you Mr Cullingford
I'm not particularly a fan of the way that the review section is now split up by the various articles, instead of being contiguous.
And I cringe at Mr Cullingford's editorial headline in the May issue: 'Why is the wider media failing classical music?'
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I find some attitudes to Gramophone here both cynical and stupid, as evinced by the use of a digital-only Karajan mag (on another thread) as a stick to beat the rest of the magazine with, even to say "that's the sort of thing that stopped me getting it"?!
Why mention this now? Because the 08/14 issue is a rich fruitcake full of interest.
Features on Fricsay, Gubaidulina, John Ogdon, Specialists Guide to music for The Tempest (who would have thought of Nordheim's Ballet as a No.1 pick?), RC on Rozh's RVW and the Kubelik Edition, JJ on the Warners HvK set... astounding number of new and unusual rep. reviews (Norgard in Vienna!)...
...the 12-page feature on Beethoven's Symphonies, with a different conductor's essay on each, is just the sort of thing I usually leaf past to Orchestral...in fact it's very interesting indeed. Ivan Fischer likes to start the 6th's finale with just the concertmaster playing, following on from the horn solo, then bringing in the other strings gradually... JEG (5), RN (1) and Chailly (9) focus on Political/Historical background AND practical performance issues (Chailly wants 4th movement attacca, but waits for the nod from his timpanist to retune...)... Schumann in his music critic guise was always critical of Mendelssohn for taking the symphonies too fast... I've only scratched the surface here, but it looks a brilliant read!
And so on. I can't begin to understand why any music lover wouldn't enjoy much of this edition, as many other editions. Do you expect a magazine to be tailored to your interests every month? Of course not. So stop looking constantly for reasons to hate the Gramophone and appreciate what it has to offer NOW. It's not as if Classical Music is culturally well appreciated is it? Pop concerts at the Proms?
Take a look at Cullingford's editorial, linking new music to new not-so-new-tech. Thats' right - Esa's iPad. A special concert of Lutoslawski, Sibelius and Salonen in - Apple's Berlin Store "
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