What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? III

[Petrushka]

Wishing you a very happy retirement Bryn ........

And from me too. Eagerly awaiting my own retirement at the end of next year.

[Petrushka]

Verdict?

Presto Classical give it the thumbs up: https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/cl...oston-symphony

[HighlandDougie]

Looks a good combo but his recodings are rather 50/50?

Not in my book, guv. As I don't tend to pay much attention to anything other than my own ears, I rather like his Bruckner with the LGO - and the Brahms cycle with the Boston SO is my standard listening these days. The assorted CBSO recordings (and what I've heard on the radio from Boston and live in the RFH etc) have convinced me that, unlike other conductors of orchestras not a million kilometres away from Leipzig, he is, as they say, the real deal.

[mahlerei]

Verdict?

Problems with the high-res Presto download, and not for the first time, either. Caveat emptor.

[HighlandDougie]

Problems with the high-res Presto download, and not for the first time, either. Caveat emptor.

As I've flagged up on the "Download" thread, the tracks were/are all in reverse order chez Qobuz. I wondered about a couple of moments in the final movement of the 4th but that may well have been stuff going on elsewhere on my MacBook interfering with the files being played back. I'll listen again tomorrow.

[jayne lee wilson]

Problems with the high-res Presto download, and not for the first time, either. Caveat emptor.

What was actually happening? Dropouts, noise, or...?

[BBMmk2]

Not in my book, guv. As I don't tend to pay much attention to anything other than my own ears, I rather like his Bruckner with the LGO - and the Brahms cycle with the Boston SO is my standard listening these days. The assorted CBSO recordings (and what I've heard on the radio from Boston and live in the RFH etc) have convinced me that, unlike other conductors of orchestras not a million kilometres away from Leipzig, he is, as they say, the real deal.

Yes, certainly trust your own ears. We should do by now . We should also know from our own ears what is good or bad.

César Franck Symphony in D minor
Stravinsky Petrouchka
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Pierre Monteux

[DublinJimbo]

Suk: A Summer's Tale op. 29

1. Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin / Kiriil Petrenko
2. SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg / Michael Gielen

I know Petrenko's Suk series on CPO got rave reviews, and he and his orchestra are certainly very good in A Summer's Tale, but I found Michael Gielen's recording more involving, and it's sonically better than the CPO. I thought the sonics were thanks to the wonderful acoustics of the Freiburg Konzerthaus (which I was lucky enough to experience at first hand back in 2012), but it's actually a studio recording from the Hans-Rosbaud-Studio in Baden-Baden.

Whatever about the merits of the two recordings, the important thing is that this is wonderful music, especially the final three movements.

[Stanfordian]

Suk: A Summer's Tale op. 29

1. Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin / Kiriil Petrenko
2. SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg / Michael Gielen

I know Petrenko's Suk series of CPO got rave reviews, and he and his orchestra are certainly very good in A Summer's Tale, but I found Michael Gielen's recording more involving, and it's sonically better than the CPO. I thought the sonics were thanks to the wonderful acoustics of the Freiburg Konzerthaus (which I was lucky enough to experience at first hand back in 2012), but it's actually a studio recording from the Hans-Rosbaud-Studio in Baden-Baden.

Whatever about the merits of the two recordings, the important thing is that this is wonderful music, especially the final three movements.

Despite claims to the contrary in my view Kirill Petrenko's series with Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin was ok but nothing special. A wonderful conductor but I never quite warmed to the performances and sound quality on the CDs. It's not the best orchestra in Berlin and I can't wait for the recorded results of Petrenko working with some of the world's finest orchestras. I've had a taste of it as in 2017 at Musikfest Berlin I attended Petrenko conducting the crack Bayerisches Staastsorchester in a stunningly performed programme of Ligeti, Bartók, Richard Strauss.

[Richard Barrett]

I thought the sonics were thanks to the wonderful acoustics of the Freiburg Konzerthaus (which I was lucky enough to experience at first hand back in 2012), but it's actually a studio recording from the Hans-Rosbaud-Studio in Baden-Baden.

That's because the Freiburg Konzerthaus was built in 1996 and that recording was made in 1993 - the Hans-Rosbaud-Studio is anyway a concert hall rather than a studio, and the two halls are about the same size IIRC.

[jayne lee wilson]

As an obsessive about Suk's Asrael and post-Asrael series, I just have to offer passionate support for Krill Petrenko's recordings, but most especially Asrael itself, one of my favourites for the work - and acoustically speaking recorded live in the KomischeOper Berlin. I would actually take these over Pesek or Belohlavek as I prefer a sharper-focussed account to their warmer, more rounded, Romantic sound.

Non-Czech recordings of Suk are quite scarce, so it's good to highlight those that get to the heart of things - K. Petrenko, Svetlanov, and Claus Peter Flor (Asrael, Malaysia PO, BIS). Not to mention that buried treasure that appeared a few months ago: SWR Baden-Baden/Ancerl, recorded in that very Hans Rosbaud Studio in 1967.

Still, all roads lead back to Talich, chosen in RW's 6/2018 G-Collection survey along with the SWR/Ancerl and Flor; with Mackerras finally given the top spot...

[Serial_Apologist]

As an obsessive about Suk's Asrael and post-Asrael series, I just have to offer passionate support for Krill Petrenko's recordings, but most especially Asrael itself, one of my favourites for the work - and acoustically speaking recorded live in the KomischeOper Berlin. I would actually take these over Pesek or Belohlavek as I prefer a sharper-focussed account to their warmer, more rounded, Romantic sound.

Non-Czech recordings of Suk are quite scarce, so it's good to highlight those that get to the heart of things - K. Petrenko, Svetlanov, and Claus Peter Flor (Asrael, Malaysia PO, BIS). Not to mention that buried treasure that appeared a few months ago: SWR Baden-Baden/Ancerl, recorded in that very Hans Rosbaud Studio in 1967.

Suk and ye shall find, as they say.

[mahlerei]

What was actually happening? Dropouts, noise, or...?

Hi Jayne

Apologies for the tardy response. Turns out there was a problem with the unzipping, and a subsequent download fixed the glitch. Oddly, Presto files don't like my default unzipper, which actually attempts to archive them, so I have to use The Unarchiver to extract them.

[Stanfordian]

Bruckner
String Quintet in F major (WAB 112)
(arranged for large orchestra by Gerd Schaller)
Overture in G minor (version 1863 WAB 98)
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra / Gerd Schaller
Recorded May 2018 Prague Radio Hall
Profil

[jayne lee wilson]

Hi Jayne

Apologies for the tardy response. Turns out there was a problem with the unzipping, and a subsequent download fixed the glitch. Oddly, Presto files don't like my default unzipper, which actually attempts to archive them, so I have to use The Unarchiver to extract them.

All I ever do with zip or tar files (which latter Qobuz use) is double-click on them. Then they open and load into the players, all present and correct. Maybe only Macs work for this, but might be worth a try...?