What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? III

[Mario]

Zinman is truly outstanding in Symphonies 1-4 and 8 (few such cycles are without flaw), the Concertos and the Missa, merely good to very good elsewhere; I've lived with these recordings quite a few years now. But the original mainly white-fronted Arte Nova issues had audiophile, stateoftheart sound (as contemporary reviews acknowledged), which may not have been transferred undiminished to larger boxsets unless carefully (re)mastered (I speak from experience, and much sending back of reissues....)

He does include all the repeats, scherzo/trio and finale included, in the 5th, very important, not to say essential, to some of us....

Hello Jayne, nice to hear from you again!

You know, I have never understood why individuals sometimes post incredibly negative comments about this artist, or that orchestra, or this performance, or that particular work.

What is the point of someone saying they’ve never rated something or someone, for example? Is this a request for others to gently persuade them? For if it isn’t, what do they expect to gain? A conversion of millions who love this work to their way of thinking?

I confess that there are solo artists and conductors here who do absolutely nothing for me in works we all know and love. Why would I wish to post negative comments of why “they don’t do it for me”? I simply move on and let others enjoy these performances.

And so Jayne, to your posting on David Zinman. Shall I simply say that his interpretation of Beethoven’s works is at variance with my own, and simply leave it at that? I’m hardly ever going to win this argument anyway.

For me at least , since I first heard Toscanini’s performance of the Missa Solemnis for example, nothing, but nothing gets anywhere near the depth of interpretation, abundance of profundity, width of scouring deeper in the score and a universality of conception of the entire work, than does the Italian.

I’m pleased, genuinely pleased that you find much to admire in DZ & the TZO.

And no, the highest level of sound fidelity is not important to me, as my example of Toscanini’s performance of the MS in 1940 (preferable to his 1953 one) shows.

Best wishes,

Mario

[jayne lee wilson]

Adore Toscanini's 1939 NBC Beethoven Cycle (2013 Music& Arts Aaron Z Snyder remaster)....all-time great.... .... but....Emilio Romagna F1 Grand Prix now (rain-affected! Great...!), FA Cup Semi later..... back le soir...

Do you know the Amsterdam Mengelberg Beethoven (1940)? They may yield much pleasure to your individual ear....

[Cockney Sparrow]

I bought the Istituto Discografico Italiano CD of the December 1940 Toscanini Missa Solemnis. I've a long way to go on my Jussi Bjorling completist quest but with Toscanini/Missa Sol it was early on in my list. (Actually there isn't a list, its all a bit haphazard....)
Haven't really formed an opinion on Zinka Milanov, Bruna Castagne, or Alexander Kipnis. I must listen again....

[Joseph K]

Stravinsky - Firebird - Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Boulez

[bluestateprommer]

WRTI's Sunday broadcast/webcast of The Fabulous Philadelphians is a re-broadcast, or perhaps re-re-broadcast, of this program with Lili Boulanger and Louise Farrenc bookending LvB's PC # 5:

https://www.wrti.org/post/philadelphians-concert-wrti-pianist-daniil-trifonov-and-beethovens-emperor-concerto

The Boulanger is about to start.

[HighlandDougie]

Haydn: Symphony No. 92 in G major, Hoboken I/92, "Oxford"

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Hans Rosbaud

OK, we're probably in dinosaur territory here (mono, and listened to courtesy of the Heliodor LP reissue) - and rather statelier than, say, Jacobs but stylishly and beautifully played (and, for its time, well recorded). As all the HIPP (and not so HIPP) versions I physically possess are in France, the choice for this symphony here in Scoterland was between Rosbaud and Scherchen. Rosbaud is a conductor whom I much admire - his 'Turangalila', referenced in the Cockney Sparrow-supplied Michael Oliver "Interpretations on Record" - is a new 'find' and is well worth seeking out, as is his Bruckner and Mahler (and 3VS). Anyway, as an antidote to being felled by the aftermath from the administration of the second dose of the vaccine of death yesterday, it was a most enjoyable listen.

[LMcD]

Somewhat to my surprise, my 'self-curated' early morning has comprised:
Robert Saxton - The Sentinel Of the Rainbow
Arnold Schoenberg - Phantasy for Violin and Piano
Jeffrey Lewis: Piano Concerto

[Joseph K]

I've just gone and dug out my Haydn string quartet scores - which is most of them, op. 20 through to op. 77 - so I'm going to start by listening to op. 20 again...

[MickyD]

Haydn: Symphony No. 92 in G major, Hoboken I/92, "Oxford"

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Hans Rosbaud

OK, we're probably in dinosaur territory here (mono, and listened to courtesy of the Heliodor LP reissue) - and rather statelier than, say, Jacobs but stylishly and beautifully played (and, for its time, well recorded). As all the HIPP (and not so HIPP) versions I physically possess are in France, the choice for this symphony here in Scoterland was between Rosbaud and Scherchen. Rosbaud is a conductor whom I much admire - his 'Turangalila', referenced in the Cockney Sparrow-supplied Michael Oliver "Interpretations on Record" - is a new 'find' and is well worth seeking out, as is his Bruckner and Mahler (and 3VS). Anyway, as an antidote to being felled by the aftermath from the administration of the second dose of the vaccine of death yesterday, it was a most enjoyable listen.

It's amazing how versatile Rosbaud was - he recorded the very first complete recording of Rameau's 'Platée'.

[cloughie]

It's amazing how versatile Rosbaud was - he recorded the very first complete recording of Rameau's 'Platée'.

This was my first Haydn 92 on Heliodor LP from the days before HIPP was invented. As HD says - a good listen!

[Mario]

BEETHOVEN

Missa Solemnis in D Maj Op 123

NBC S O / Westminster Choir / Z Milanov / B Castagna / A Kipnis / A Björling / A Toscanini (1940)

Mario

[visualnickmos]

On YouTube:

Beethoven
Symphony no. 7
Music Arterna / Currentzis

Oh dear! What an introduction to this new boy. He has to be congratulated for making an exciting and energetic masterpiece sound - well - dull. The orchestra sounds so thin and underpowered. It put me in mind of the music being on some sort of rubber band, being stretched and pulled; to say something "new" I would imagine. Yawn, yawn. Some peculiar 'louds' and 'softs' - in the second mvt. almost disappearing completely, in places!
However, I stuck it out to the bitter end, and was left yearning for red meat instead of vegan mush.

[Bryn]

On YouTube:

Beethoven
Symphony no. 7
Music Arterna / Currentzis

Oh dear! What an introduction to this new boy. He has to be congratulated for making an exciting and energetic masterpiece sound - well - dull. The orchestra sounds so thin and underpowered. It put me in mind of the music being on some sort of rubber band, being stretched and pulled; to say something "new" I would imagine. Yawn, yawn. Some peculiar 'louds' and 'softs' - in the second mvt. almost disappearing completely, in places!
However, I stuck it out to the bitter end, and was left yearning for red meat instead of vegan mush.

With such contrasting views on this performance be expressed on this forum, I just had to listen. I also read Peter Quantrill's notes on the symphony in the CD's booklet. Notes which quote Currentzis a fair few times. Apparently, Currentzis regards this as the most perfect of symphonies. I found no lack of excitement in the performance, though I did wonder, regarding the sudden dynamic changes, whether Currentzis had been immersing himself in the symphonic music of Giya Kancheli of late. I listened not via teh highly digitally compressed option on Youtube but streamed in 96/24 from QOBUZ. I'll not be throwing this one out of the pram. It will stay imported and listened to for a while yet.

[PHS]

John Cage.

Ryoanji. (1984). Double Bass, soprano and percussion.

One of my favourite 20th Century works. Quite hypnotic. I was lucky enough to hear it live in New York about 6 years ago.

[visualnickmos]

With such contrasting views on this performance be expressed on this forum, I just had to listen. I also read Peter Quantrill's notes on the symphony in the CD's booklet. Notes which quote Currentzis a fair few times. Apparently, Currentzis regards this as the most perfect of symphonies. I found no lack of excitement in the performance, though I did wonder, regarding the sudden dynamic changes, whether Currentzis had been immersing himself in the symphonic music of Giya Kancheli of late. I listened not via teh highly digitally compressed option on Youtube but streamed in 96/24 from QOBUZ. I'll not be throwing this one out of the pram. It will stay imported and listened to for a while yet.

It's purely because there'd been quite a bit of 'talk' about him on here, that I had to hear for myself. The notion of 'the most perfect' of anything is a rather spurious concept, but that's not really the point. I'm sure, like any artist, he has his fans as well as his detractors, which is exactly as it should be. You say you found "no lack of excitement in the performance" but did you like what you heard? You sounded not exactly brimming with praise!