What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? III

[BBMmk2]

Good to see opera on these pages .

Martha Argerich The Lugano Recordings
The Legendary Live Performances
Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor, K466
(Martha Argerich, Piano, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana,
Jacek Kaspszyk)
Piano Sonata No.16 in C major, K545
(Piotr Andersewski, Piano)
Piano Concerto No.25 in C major, K503
(Martha Argerich, Piano, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana,
Jacek Kaspszyk)
Sonata for Piano, four hands, in D major, K381
Martha Argerich, Maria João Pires, Pianists)
Fantasia in F minor, K608
(Martha Argerich, Lilya Zilberstein, Pianists)
Sonata for Piano Four Hands, in F major, K497
(Martha Argerich, Christina Morton, Pianists)

Carrying on from the above:-
Beethoven Concerto for Piano, Violin & Cello,
in C major, Op.56, “Triple Concerto”
(Martha Argerich, Piano.Renaud Capuçon, Violin, Mischa Maisky, Cello, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana,
Alexandre-Rabinovitch-Barakovsky)
Cello Sonata No.2 in G minor, Op.5/2
(Mischa Maisky, Cello, Martha Argerich. Piano)
Fantasy for Piano, Horus & Orchestra
(Martha Argerich, Piano, with Laura Antonaz, Alice Rossi,
Marta Fumagali, Elisabeth Gillming, Martin Stefan, Gerhard Nennemann,
Matteo Belotto, Coro della Radiotelevisione Svizzera,
Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Diego Fasolis)

[HighlandDougie]

Mahler: Symphony No 4 in G major

Judith Raskin (Soprano)/Cleveland Orchestra/George Szell (Sony Japan SACD remastering)

The remastering wizards at Sony Japan have already done wonders with Szell's Beethoven and Brahms cycles (and at least some of his Schumann) but this Mahler 4th is a real delight. I'm not sure that the performance has ever been bettered on disc. Abbado, Adam and Ivan Fischer, Haitink, Inbal, Kletzki et al are all very fine but there is something special about Szell and his wonderful orchestra, which sounds at its very considerable best in SACD format.

[Bryn]

My very first M4. Still have the CD. Still love it. The idea of a wizard remastering of this recording is mouth-watering! But I still haven't got around to getting a SACD player.

P.S. I do slightly prefer Sinoploli Dresden and Karajan BPO.

You could probably buy a used SACD player in good condition for the price of this particular SACD, albeit that it includes Szell's 'live' Mahler 6th and a version of the first movement of the 10th.

[BBMmk2]

HD that looks exciting!

[Bryn]

It's not the money Bryn (although of course that's important), I just haven't got my act together. Also, my mode of playing is very much downloads/ripped CDs to my MacBook via off board DAC and so on. I rarely do anything more than rip a CD/SCD these days.

This, then, might be of interest to you. I do not know whether it is the same remastering, but it does seem to date from this year and is available in 96/24.

[Richard Barrett]

Now playing: Teatro alla Moda, a collection of sinfonie and violin concertos by Vivaldi, performed by the wonderful Amandine Beyer and Gli Incogniti on a Harmonia Mundi CD. Fiery and imaginative, as you'd want Vivaldi to be.

[vinteuil]

This, then, might be of interest to you. I do not know whether it is the same remastering, but it does seem to date from this year and is available in 96/24.

... that one seems to have the same cover as this CD which I think dates from 2013 (?) -

http://amzn.eu/d/izT2HVy

.

[HighlandDougie]

This, then, might be of interest to you. I do not know whether it is the same remastering, but it does seem to date from this year and is available in 96/24.

Yes, 99% certain that it's the same remastering as it's copyright 2018 (and I should have said that the DSD 24/96 version is thanks to the very talented Andreas Meyer, with the SACD being courtesy of Sony Japan). And it wasn't that expensive buying it from CD Japan (ordinary airmail from either the USA or Japan doesn't seem to excite La Poste so tax/duty conveniently ignored). I'm very tempted by the recent big Szell box, as I think that this re-mastering, along with others, may have been made for it. But, then, Bach 333 is due to arrive later this week (that's the tax rebate all gone) ...

[Bryn]

Yes, 99% certain that it's the same remastering as it's copyright 2018 (and I should have said that the DSD 24/96 version is thanks to the very talented Andreas Meyer, with the SACD being courtesy of Sony Japan). And it wasn't that expensive buying it from CD Japan (ordinary airmail from either the USA or Japan doesn't seem to excite La Poste so tax/duty conveniently ignored). I'm very tempted by the recent big Szell box, as I think that this re-mastering, along with others, may have been made for it. But, then, Bach 333 is due to arrive later this week (that's the tax rebate all gone) ...

£45 still seems a bit steep to me, though so does €16.99 for the 96/24 download of just the 4th. I will make do with what I have of the 6th, do wihout the versions of extracts from the 10th (thinking back I oresume the Purgatorio movement is also there), and go for the CD quality download of the 4th from QOBUZ. Re. Bach 333, I am awaiting the possibility of lowere prices during the month following its release. So far, Europadisc's remains the best price, I think.

[HighlandDougie]

£45 still seems a bit steep to me, though so does €16.99 for the 96/24 download of just the 4th. I will make do with what I have of the 6th, do wihout the versions of extracts from the 10th (thinking back I oresume the Purgatorio movement is also there), and go for the CD quality download of the 4th from QOBUZ. Re. Bach 333, I am awaiting the possibility of lowere prices during the month following its release. So far, Europadisc's remains the best price, I think.

Re the Bach: Amazon France a bit cheaper (although hardly cheap) than anything I could find in the UK, although its (i.e. Amazon) price has fluctuated quite a bit. It's part of my resolution to get to, err, "love" Bach, rather than simply respect/admire his music.

[Bryn]

Re the Bach: Amazon France a bit cheaper (although hardly cheap) than anything I could find in the UK, although its (i.e. Amazon) price has fluctuated quite a bit. It's part of my resolution to get to, err, "love" Bach, rather than simply respect/admire his music.

Thank you, <£368 including p&p does indeed beat the Europadisc price. I am still hoping someone like Browns Books comes up trumps, as they did with the big Karajan box last year.

Ouch! I note that amazon.de and amazon.es no longer show the set as being available to 'pre-order'.

[HighlandDougie]

Thank you, <£368 including p&p does indeed beat the Europadisc price. I am still hoping someone like Browns Books comes up trumps, as they did with the big Karajan box last year.

Ouch! I note that amazon.de and amazon.es no longer show the set as being available to 'pre-order'.

I kept looking (forlornly) this year for Browns Books to have the big DG Bernstein box at HvK-like levels of bargain-ness. I eventually bought it at rather less than what seemed to be the going rate (it came from Lithuania) but it couldn't be described as a bargain, at least in terms of forum vulture prices. Anyway, I have to think of a way to smuggle the Bach 333 box into the house - it may need the diable (as in sack trolley) to wheel it in.

[teamsaint]

I kept looking (forlornly) this year for Browns Books to have the big DG Bernstein box at HvK-like levels of bargain-ness. I eventually bought it at rather less than what seemed to be the going rate (it came from Lithuania) but it couldn't be described as a bargain, at least in terms of forum vulture prices. Anyway, I have to think of a way to smuggle the Bach 333 box into the house - it may need the diable (as in sack trolley) to wheel it in.

The Bernstein has amarket place seller at £258.
If I had to bet, I’d go for the Bernstein DG coming down in price. The sony symphony edition is now back at pretty sensible prices, so I suspect it is a slightly crowded market.

[visualnickmos]

Tchaikovsky
Symphonies 4-6
Pierre Monteux, Boston Symphony Orchestra (rec. 1959, 1958, 1955 RCA Victor 'Gold Seal')

Sheer enjoyment...

Followed by:

Shostakovich
Symphony no 6
Mstislav Rostropovich, National Symphony Orchestra (rec. 1994, Elatus)

A rather fine rendition - some gorgeous woodwind playing. Rostropovich brings out a sense of desolation... all a bit gloomy, but it's what it's 'all about'

[Petrushka]

Johann Strauss I & II, Josef Strauss:

Wiener Philharmoniker
Clemens Krauss

Recorded 1950 - 1953

Taken from this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Year-Co...clemens+krauss