WAYLTL - February 2013

[Oscar]

— Górecki: Beatus Vir, psalm for solo baritone, choir, and great
orchestra, Op. 38 (1979)* • Salve, sidus Polonorum, Op. 72 - Adam
Kruszewski (B)*; Polish Radio Choir, Kraków (chorus director:
Włodzimierz Siedlik*, Marek Kluza), Kraków Philharmonic Choir (chorus
director: Teresa Majka-Pacanek), National Polish Radio Symphony
Orchestra, Katowice / Henryk Górecki [Polskie Nagrania PRCD 063 ℗ ©
2004 Polskie Radio SA. Recorded in Grzegorz Fitelberg Concert Hall,
Katowice, November 20* & 21, 2003. Recording producer: Beata Jankowska-
Burzyńska. Mastering: Julita Emanuiłow, Ewa Guziołek-Tubelewicz —
an intense and moving Beatus Vir, saturated in Górecki's unique
primeval fullness of sound, original harmony, and searching quality,
the work is a journey from dramatic pain to quiet contemplation,
Kruszewski sings his role perfectly, the composer conducts these
forces authoritatively (the same ensembles who premiered the work in
1979) — commissioned in 1978 by then-Cardinal Karol Wojtyła (later
Pope John Paul II) to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the
martyrdom of St. Stanisław — one of my favorite Górecki compositions,
infused with Polish spirit, I am a fan, pity he died before completing
his Symphony No. 4, which was due to be premiered in LA by Esa-Pekka
Salonen in 2011]

— Schumann: Piano Trio No. 2 in F major, Op. 90 • Kinderszenen, Op.
15 • Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47* - The Benvenue Fortepiano
Trio, on period instruments, w/ Adam LaMotte (vla)* [Avie AV2272 ℗ ©
2012, Recorded July 25-29, 2011 at Old St. Hilary's, Tiburon, Calif.,
Produced, engineered, and edited by David v.R. Bowles for Swineshead
Productions, LLC, Pitch: a' = 430 Hz, Keyboard technician and tuner:
Thomas Winter — veteran baroque violinist Monica Huggett's group's
third release, following 2010's first Schumann Trios collection and a
disc Mendelssohn Trios — exceptionally refined and well-conceived
chamber music, if you're in the market for a modern set of Schumann
Trios, look no further, and the recording matches the artistic
quality]

• Eric Zivian, fortepiano (Franz Rausch, Vienna, 1841)
• Monica Huggett, violin (Dutch [Cuypers School], circa 1770)
• Tanya Tompkins, cello (Joseph Panormo, London, 1811)

[Dufus]

Szymanowski piano music, Vol. 4 , Naxos, Martin Roscoe, piano, a
wonderful sampling, great music, great pianism :

http://tinyurl.com/cfe7zub

[Dirge]

On Feb 2, 8:41 pm, Oscar <***@gmail.com> asks
WAYLTL?:

JOSQUIN des Prez: «Inviolata, integra et casta» (à 12)
Testolin/De labyrintho [Stradivarius]
This is not the famous five-voice motet but the dubious twelve-voice
motet, which is a whole nother animal altogether; indeed, not only
does it sound unlike the five-voice motet, it sounds unlike Josquin,
being uncharacteristically bright and exuberant and (relatively)
unconvoluted. It sort of, kind of, reminds me of the first half of
Heinrich Isaac’s «Angeli, Archangeli», but only because that’s also
uncommonly bright and cheerful. In any event, it’s an easy work to
like, proceeding and building in more or less one fell swoop that
sweeps you along right from the git-go, hitting you with a Renaissance
wall of sound when all twelve voices finally kick in -- who knew that
Josquin was the Phil Spector of his time? or vice versa? At less than
3½ minutes, the work also has the gift to be brief.

De labyrintho transcend their usual conservative and plainspoken
selves and give the motet a hell of a go, with unflagging focus and
energy and enthusiasm throughout. The overall balance tends to favor
the higher voices (women, not counter-tenors), but it’s not too
troubling. The venerable old Munrow/Early Music Group of London
recording [EMI/Virgin] features characterful voices but is rather
under-energized/-motivated by comparison.

JOSQUIN des Prez: «Inviolata, integra et casta» (à 5)
Orlando Consort (plus bass Robert Macdonald) [Archiv]
This is the famous five-voice motet, given a typically excellent
Orlando Consort performance that is typically marred by the slightly
too prominent counter-tenor. There’s a good description of the work
itself at AllMusic.com:
http://www.allmusic.com/composition/inviolata-integra-et-casta-es-motet-for-5-parts-mc0002386757

Claude DEBUSSY: «Images» for orchestra
Monteux/LSO [Philips]
I was listening to the new Denève/RSNO [Chandos] recording but felt
the need to stop in the middle of Ibéria and switch to this venerable
old recording. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the Denève/RSNO
account, as it’s well played and detailed and nicely balanced and
whatnot; it just doesn’t have a particularly distinctive stamp of
personality -- or it has a distinctively neutral/generic personality.
Monteux brings a surer sense of purpose and overarching grip to the
proceedings, with details always serving the whole rather than the
other way around. The ’63 LSO, too, sound like a more commanding and
authoritative band than the otherwise admirable RSNO.

Béla BARTÓK: 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs
A. Fischer [BBC Legends, live ’61]
This is the earnest, big-boned playing of an earthy but noble peasant
that makes other pianists sound a bit prissy and/or affectedly folky
by comparison. I’m not always an Annie Fischer fan, but this and the
coupled account of the Brahms Op. 5 Sonata (both from the 1961
Edinburgh Festival) are great recordings to my ear -- along with a
magical account of the Bartók Third Piano Concerto with Markevitch and
the LSO on EMI.

Gustav HOLST: «St. Paul’s Suite»
Imogen Holst/ECO [Lyrita]
This is a fine production all the way around, with lithe, well-toned,
beautifully characterized playing from the ECO in its heyday and fine
recorded sound from Lyrita in its heyday. Tempos are noticeably slower
than usual, however, with the dedicated conductor trading urgency and
excitement for extra time to tend to detail and characterization and
atmosphere; while the result is by far the most lovingly crafted and
characterized performance of the Suite I’ve heard, I find myself
occasionally missing the urgency and excitement that the conductor
traded away. Still, I haven’t heard a performance that I like better
on the whole.

Béla BARTÓK: String Quartet No. 3
Sequoia String Quartet [Delos]
Like the Ozawa-led performance below, this one is too polite and
suavely negotiated for my taste. The silky smooth and sinewy playing
is disarming at first, but the lack of bite and grit gets old quickly.
In this work, I favor the nimble and responsive Tokyo String Quartet
[DG] and the intensely earnest and gritty Juilliard String Quartet
[Columbia/Sony France ’49].

Béla BARTÓK: Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta
Ozawa/Saito Kinen Orchestra [Philips, live]
This fluid, nicely paced, beautifully refined performance is too
polite and suavely negotiated for my taste, with gentle, rounded-off
attacks throughout and a rather underwhelming climax in the first
movement; the Adagio comes off best, with reasonably well-sustained
tension and a nice nocturnal atmosphere. Otherwise, the performance is
treated to the one of the most natural recordings I’ve heard: as
airily atmospheric and transparent and naturally detailed and finely
nuanced as one could want; balances are well judged and the
instruments have good “presence” and impact even though they’re not
too closely miked -- it’s as if you’re sitting tenth row, center, in a
nearly ideal concert hall. I continue to favor Mravinsky/LPO [Praga,
live ’67] and Kubelik/BRSO [Orfeo, live ’81], with Reiner/CSO [RCA] as
an occasional change of pace.

Michael TIPPETT: «Fantasia concertante on a theme of Corelli»
Sillito/ASMF [Collins]
This nicely conceived and played (and recorded) performance is faster
and less ardently Romantic than previous ASMF accounts under Marriner,
which some might argue is a good thing, but the concertino (two
violins & cello) doesn’t match up to the great team of Loveday, Caine
& Heath on the classic early ’70s Argo recording, sounding a bit
tentative and weakly characterized by comparison -- though I would say
the same of every other concertino to have recorded the work … Loveday
and partners are that good.

[HvT]

Post by Dirge
Béla BARTÓK: 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs
A. Fischer [BBC Legends, live ’61]
This is the earnest, big-boned playing of an earthy but noble peasant
that makes other pianists sound a bit prissy and/or affectedly folky
by comparison. I’m not always an Annie Fischer fan, but this and the
coupled account of the Brahms Op. 5 Sonata (both from the 1961
Edinburgh Festival) are great recordings to my ear -- along with a
magical account of the Bartók Third Piano Concerto with Markevitch and
the LSO on EMI.

Agreed! I still have to hear a more 'credible' performance of these songs.

Henk

[h***@btinternet.com]

Mozart K421, Ebène Quartet.

I got the record when it first came out over a year ago now. I listened to it once, registered that something distinctive and not easy to grasp was going on, and promptly forgot about it. It's only now that I'm returning to explore it in greater depth.

I think this is the most interesting Mozart quartet recording since the Petersens last produced one. This ensemble, the Ebène, are turning into a major force which just can't be ignored. Colourful, ful of feeling, each line molded so as to higlight dissonance, minimise surface beauty,they make this music sound important and challenging.

Frescobaldi Missa de la madonna, from the Fiori Musicali.

I'm listening to Alessandrini's performance mostly and I really love it. It's so dramatic, with a wonderful rapt climax at the Elevation. And the organ and singers really sound as though they're responding to each other in the versets.

I'm going to hear Grigori Sokolov play in Lyon on Friday. Can't wait.

[laraine]

Perahia and Lupu playing Mozart -
Concertos for Two and Three Pianos
English Chamber Orchestra

- I was blown away by this one. They
blended together just perfectly, even
at top speeds. Lupu is apparently on
Perahia's recordings of Mozart's complete
concertos, so this CD might contain
those same recordings. Some of these
concertos not so well known; I thought
they all sounded very fine.
-------------

Schubert D959, D784, and D157
Radu Lupu Decca Recorded in the 70's

Very fine technique, smoothly timed,
and excellent interpretations. Yet I
can't help getting the impression that
Lupu, at least here, is a little bit more
Classical than Romantic, and I think later
Schubert to sound at its best requires
more of the Romantic.

The D157 was the most successful, I
thought, perhaps for the above reason.

C.

[Oscar]

— Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 - Lazar Berman (pf);
Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Erich Leinsdorf [CBS Masterworks MK 35850
℗ © 1981, Recorded at the Medinah Temple, Chicago, Produced by Steven
Epstein, Control engineer: Bud Graham, Editing engineer: Kenichi
Handa, Digitally recorded and edited using the Sony System, Mastered
from the Original Studio Digital Recording at the CBS Recording
Studios, New York, on the CBS DisComputer™ System]

[Ray Hall]

— Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 - Lazar Berman (pf);
Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Erich Leinsdorf [CBS Masterworks MK 35850
℗ © 1981, Recorded at the Medinah Temple, Chicago, Produced by Steven
Epstein, Control engineer: Bud Graham, Editing engineer: Kenichi
Handa, Digitally recorded and edited using the Sony System, Mastered
from the Original Studio Digital Recording at the CBS Recording
Studios, New York, on the CBS DisComputer™ System]

Juana Zayas in the Chopin Etudes. A twofer as it includes a later set of
the Etudes she recorded, basically a tad slower and a tad more inhibited
than the first recorded effort.

I am not a Chopin junkie by any means, but these pieces need chops and
she has got them.

Ray Hall, Taree

[Oscar]

In Memoriam

— Van Cliburn - Recital [Testament SBT2 1445 2CD ℗ © 2009, Recorded
live at Royal Festival Hall, London, June 7, 1959 —the one and only
Cliburn recital in London — Tapes transferred by Jon Samuels, Digital
remastering by Paul Baily at Re:Sound, Issued under license from BMG
Music, liner notes by Bryce Morrison — 'For a brief period of his
career Cliburn was like no other and could well be considered the most
naturally gifted pianist of his generation', although I must say the
lead-off Mozart K. 330 is totally devoid of wit and joie de vivre
— Andante cantabile as Marche funèbre? — the second half of the
program is better]

-God Save the Queen
-Mozart: Piano Sonata in C major, K. 330
-Chopin: Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39
-Chopin: Ballade No. 3 in A-flat major, Op. 47
-Chopin: Fantasie in F minor, Op. 49
-Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata'
-Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 82
-Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12 in C-sharp minor

[Steve Emerson]

Post by HvT

Post by Dirge
Béla BARTÓK: 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs
A. Fischer [BBC Legends, live ’61]
This is the earnest, big-boned playing of an earthy but noble peasant
that makes other pianists sound a bit prissy and/or affectedly folky
by comparison. I’m not always an Annie Fischer fan, but this and the
coupled account of the Brahms Op. 5 Sonata (both from the 1961
Edinburgh Festival) are great recordings to my ear -- along with a
magical account of the Bartók Third Piano Concerto with Markevitch and
the LSO on EMI.

Agreed! I still have to hear a more 'credible' performance of these songs.

Thirded. I found her Peasant Songs downright enlightening. And although
I guess I'm more frequently taken with AF than JR is (I love her
Schumann and her Beethoven sonatas on Hungaroton), I don't think I'm an
indiscriminate fan.

SE.

[Oscar]

— Wagner: Götterdämmerung - Chor der Deutschen Oper, Berlin &
Kammerchor der Salzburger Festspiele, Berliner Philharmoniker /
Herbert von Karajan [Hunt Productions, 12 CDKAR 223 ℗ 1990, part of
12CD box of Karajan/BPO staged live performances (1967-1970) of the
Ring at Salzburg, 'New digital remastering', discs manufactured by
PhonoComp SpA, Italy, Recorded in stereo on March 21, 1970 at Salzburg
Easter Festival — analog sound is fine, good balances, higher level of
hiss than usual but nothing annoying, pretty great performance]

Brünnhilde :: Helga Dernesch
Siegfried :: Helge Brilioth
Hagen :: Karl Ridderbusch
Alberich :: Zoltán Kelemen
Gunther :: Thomas Stewart
Gutrune :: Gundula Janowitz
Waltraute :: Christa Ludwig
Woglinde :: Liselotte Rebmann
Wellgunde :: Edda Moser
Floßhilde :: Anna Reynolds
First Norn :: Lili Chookasian
Second Norn :: Christa Ludwig
Third Norn :: Catarina Ligendza

[Oscar]

More opera, or in this case 'stage work with music':

— Krenek: Karl V - ORF-Chor Wien, Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien / Gerd
Albrecht [Orfeo C 527 002 1 2CD ℗ © 2000, Recorded live at the
Felsenreitschule by ORF on August 14, 1980, Artistic supervision:
Gottfried Kraus, Producer: Gottfried Kraus, Sound engineer: Alfred
Zawrel, Digital remastering: Othmar Eichinger, Gottfriend Kraus
— premiered in Prague in 1938 but not staged in Germany till 1958 in
Düsseldorf, this was the first performance of Karl V in Salzburg,
which was followed finally by its debut at Vienna State Opera in 1984
(Clemens Krauss was the one who commissioned the work for said company
in the early 1930's) — a very fine work, albeit abridged]

Charles V :: Theo Adam (B)
Joanna of Castile, his mother :: Hanna Schwarz (S)
Eleanor, his sister :: Sena Jurinac (Mezzo-S)
Francis I of France :: Peter Schreier (T)
Martin Luther :: Siegfried Vogel (B)
follower of Luther :: Thomas Moser (T)
et al.

From liner notes by Gottfried Krauss:

<< Apparently simple, tonally comprehensible passages are juxtaposed
with others of harmonic intricacy without the listener becoming aware
of the compositional differences — especially since both parts are
musically constructed to follow a constantly rising line of tension
leading to their respective climaxes...Karl V is comparable with both
Arnold Schoenberg's Moses und Aron and Alban Berg's Wozzeck, as well
as with the series of great historical operas like Pfitzner's
Palestrina and Hindemith's Mathis der Maler. >>

[Dana John Hill]

Today:

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5; Fantasia on a Theme by Tallis; Serenade to
Music. Spano/ASO. Telarc.
Walton: The Quest; The Wise Virgins. Thomson/LPO. Chandos.
Martin Jones plays "Virtuoso Piano Showpieces". Nimbus.

Dana John Hill
Gainesville, Florida

[Dana John Hill]

Post by Dana John Hill
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5; Fantasia on a Theme by Tallis; Serenade
to Music. Spano/ASO. Telarc.
Walton: The Quest; The Wise Virgins. Thomson/LPO. Chandos.
Martin Jones plays "Virtuoso Piano Showpieces". Nimbus.

Today:

Brahms: Symphony No. 3; Tragic Overture. Dohnányi/Cleveland. Teldec
Bach: Cello Suites Nos. 1, 3, 5. Bailey. Telarc
Suk: A Summer Tale. Pesek/Czech Philharmonic. Supraphon

[Gerard]

Post by Dana John Hill

Post by Dana John Hill
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5; Fantasia on a Theme by Tallis;
Serenade to Music. Spano/ASO. Telarc.
Walton: The Quest; The Wise Virgins. Thomson/LPO. Chandos.
Martin Jones plays "Virtuoso Piano Showpieces". Nimbus.

Brahms: Symphony No. 3; Tragic Overture. Dohnányi/Cleveland. Teldec
Bach: Cello Suites Nos. 1, 3, 5. Bailey. Telarc
Suk: A Summer Tale. Pesek/Czech Philharmonic. Supraphon

Today: Arlesienne suites by Bizet, on CD (never seen before), recorded by
Cluytens - exactly how I remembered these (on a LP from the 60s).

[Oscar]

Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Sz. 112 BB 117 • Viola
Concerto, Sz. 120 BB 128* - Pinchas Zukerman (vln, vla); Saint Louis
Symphony Orchestra / Leonard Slatkin [RCA Red Seal 60749-2-RC ℗ ©
1991, Recorded at Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis, November 20*, 24 &
25, 1990, Produced by Elizabeth Ostrow, Joanna Nickrenz*, Engineer:
William Hoekstra — extra track at end of program with alternative
ending of Violin Concerto]

[Gerard]

Post by Gerard
Today: Arlesienne suites by Bizet, on CD (never seen before),
recorded by Cluytens - exactly how I remembered these (on a LP from
the 60s).

And another old friend, also recorded in 1964, also never seen on CD before:
Rachmaninov pianoconcerto 3 with Mogilevsky and Kondrashin, on a Russian
Melodiya disc (coupled with Prokofiev's Sonata 8).

[Sol L. Siegel]

Post by Gerard
And another old friend, also recorded in 1964, also never seen on CD
before: Rachmaninov pianoconcerto 3 with Mogilevsky and Kondrashin, on
a Russian Melodiya disc (coupled with Prokofiev's Sonata 8).

One of the better Rach3s, to be certain. Haven't played my copy
(purchased from Simon Roberts's old store, which should give you an
idea how long ago) in a long time, though.

- Sol L. Siegel, Philadelphia, PA USA

[Dirge]

Zoltán KODÁLY: Seven Pieces for Piano
Frankl [ASV]

This fine set of piano pieces sounds like something Debussy might have
composed had he accompanied Kodály and Bartók on their folksong-
collecting expeditions through Hungary and Transylvania; the
centerpiece, “Épitaphe,” always makes me think of “La cathédrale
engloutie.” Frankl plays up the Debussyan quality of the music, so I
tend to favor his recording, but the more crystalline and angular folk-
biased approach of Andor Földes [Hungaroton] seems no less valid.

* * *

Benjamin BRITTEN: «Lachrymae» “Reflections on a song of Dowland” Op.
48a
Power, Volkov/BBC Scottish SO [Hyperion]

This seamless set of variations & theme lurks in the nether
frequencies and dynamics, with the soloist (viola) deviously making
his way through the orchestral shadows like a runaway leper trying to
avoid the sun while eluding the CDC. The atmosphere is one of strange
harmonies in a ghostly orchestral cloak until the music intensifies
and builds to a climax near work’s end; as the climax fades out and
the music dissolves, the harmonies insidiously organize and coalesce
into a sort of harmonic normalcy and the beautiful Dowland theme (“If
my complaints could passions move”) magically emerges in its original
form for the first time, the viola and strings sounding together
rather like a viol consort -- one of the most goosebump-inducing,
“Ahhh…”-inspiring moments in all of Britten. Theme & variations in
reverse, then. The work was originally written for viola & piano in
1950; the piano part was arranged for small string orchestra (minus
first-violin parts) in 1976. I’ve always much preferred this later
arrangement to the original.

I’ve heard a few other recordings of this dark and elusive work over
the years, but I don’t recall liking the work as much as I do via this
performance, what with its beautifully sustained tension and
atmosphere throughout -- and the recorded sound is excellent to boot.
This is a great performance that takes a work that I already really
liked and elevates to one that I really really like.

JR

[Dirge]

A little light music for a wintry evening …

Johannes OCKEGHEM: Missa prolationum
Kandel/Ensemble Musica Nova [agOgique]

Ensemble Musica Nova comprises nine singers: two sopranos, two altos
(male), two tenors & three basses. I generally prefer countertenors in
the top line, but the sopranos here very nicely match and blend in
with their male counterparts -- about as well as I’ve heard in this
kind of music. The singing is clean and fairly suave without being
smoothed over (though it’s not as finely inflected as that of, say,
the Hilliard Ensemble), and the voices are evenly and naturally
blended with little blurring of line. The only sonic downside is that
the overall balance is tilted slightly upward in favor of the high
voices, with the basses not always having ideal presence and impact.

This conspicuously beautiful performance is often conspicuously slow,
but the group sings with enough energy and Renaissance brio to pull it
off much of the time: when it works, the music glows; when it doesn’t,
you don’t really notice because you have become comfortably numb. The
similarly comprised Wickham/The Clerkes’ Group [ASV] takes the work at
a much faster pace (too fast in places), but that group often strikes
me as too earthy and matter of fact even though it sings well and with
plenty of energy. The big and fuzzy Holten/Musica Ficta [Naxos] makes
canon stew out of Ockeghem’s ingredients. The intensely earnest
Hilliard Ensemble [EMI/Virgin] gives a well-paced performance of much
quiet/hushed intensity when appropriate, having eight voices in total
but sounding more pared down, and I favor its account to all others
(though some listeners may balk at the occasional hoot or two coming
from the vicinity of the counter-tenors). The Hilliard Ensemble,
however, sounds rather dour and dutiful alongside Ensemble Musica
Nova, who actually sound happy to be singing this grueling and
mercilessly difficult work. I have a strong bias toward intensely
earnest and away from conspicuously beautiful, and an even stronger
bias toward dour and dutiful and away from happy, so I continue to
favor the Hilliards, but otherwise biased listeners may favor Ensemble
Musica Nova.

* * *

Roger SESSIONS: Violin Concerto (1935)
Böhn, Bolle/Monadnock Festival Orchestra [Albany]

Sessions’ sinewy and almost continuous violin line suavely negotiates
and wends its way through and about the orchestra without ever getting
bogged down and losing its sense of flow -- it may slow down to smell
the roses, but it never quite stops. Violin and orchestra don’t have a
traditional “Romantic” concerto relationship; it’s more of a cool and
aloof neo-Baroque relationship wherein musical rapport is relatively
abstract and sometimes seemingly/deceptively detached. The orchestra
also does without violins (à la Stravinsky’s «Symphony of Psalms»),
leaving the soloist (and the woodwinds and brass) a revealingly clean
and open soundstage, what with no “white noise” from the violins to
becloud details/foibles. Although the work is as inventive and well
crafted as you’d expect from Sessions, the composer is not in academic
mode here, and the work is not too far removed in spirit from the
Berg, Stravinsky, and Prokofiev concertos of the same period, but the
themes and phrases tend to be slightly Hindemithian (more attractive
in theory than in practice): the lyricism is neither as profoundly/
intensely grave as Berg’s nor as conventionally beautiful as
Prokofiev’s, and the more playful/rhythmic music isn’t as crystalline
and jaunty as Stravinsky’s or as charming and folk-y as Prokofiev’s.
That said, the themes are attractive in their slightly “off” way, with
the slow lyrical ones being quite Romantic. Tonality-wise, the work
varies from tenuously tonal (I read somewhere that it’s sort of in B
minor) to quite chromatic, though it never sounds academic or
chromatic for chromaticism’s sake.

Fleeting thoughts of Shostakovich pop up every now and again in the
faster music, most rudely at the start of the Scherzo, which sounds
for a brief moment as if it’s going to break into the Polka from «The
Age of Gold» (of which there’s an excellent old recording by André
Kostelanetz and His Orchestra on CBS/Sony); the music soon morphs into
something Stravinsky-like and then bridges (via a little violin solo)
into an ultra-Bergian lyrical trio of sorts before finally returning
to its quirky beginnings. The 10½-minute almost-perpetual-motion final
movement will test the mettle of any soloist and the patience of many
listeners, as it begins to outstay its welcome halfway through (though
I’m sure this feeling is exacerbated by the slow pace and cautiousness
of the performance -- where’s Ivry Gitlis when you need him?). The
slow and lyrical first and third movements have a more subtle and
sensuous appeal, with some excellent brass episodes in the first, and
they will likely resonate with listeners who like the Berg Concerto.

All in all, I like the slow/slowish lyrical music: the first movement,
the trio of the Scherzo, and the short, directly appealing Romanza
third movement. The outer sections of the Scherzo are curious affairs,
but they sound a bit tawdry and out of place amongst the slow music.
The final movement doesn’t gel for me, but I suspect that a faster,
more swashbuckling performance would help pull it together. The
transitions between contrasting sections/movements are very craftily
and interestingly accomplished throughout.

The performance is very clean and smooth, but tempos seem a degree too
slow in general and several degrees too slow in the final movement
(which is sort of understandable given how brutal it must be to play).
Böhn is a suave and assured soloist with a passionate lyrical bent,
but I could have gone for more Louis Krasner edginess in his playing
of the slow music and more Ivry Gitlis swashbuckling-ness in his
playing of the fast. The orchestra plays very cleanly and alertly and
very well in general, but it sounds smaller and less robust than ideal
for this work.

JR

[Alan Cooper]

Post by Dirge
Roger SESSIONS: Violin Concerto (1935)
Böhn, Bolle/Monadnock Festival Orchestra [Albany]
Sessions’ sinewy and almost continuous violin line suavely negotiates
and wends its way through and about the orchestra without ever getting
bogged down and losing its sense of flow -- it may slow down to smell
the roses, but it never quite stops. Violin and orchestra don’t have a
traditional “Romantic” concerto relationship; it’s more of a cool and
aloof neo-Baroque relationship wherein musical rapport is relatively
abstract and sometimes seemingly/deceptively detached. The orchestra
also does without violins (à la Stravinsky’s «Symphony of Psalms»),
leaving the soloist (and the woodwinds and brass) a revealingly clean
and open soundstage, what with no “white noise” from the violins to
becloud details/foibles. Although the work is as inventive and well
crafted as you’d expect from Sessions, the composer is not in academic
mode here, and the work is not too far removed in spirit from the
Berg, Stravinsky, and Prokofiev concertos of the same period, but the
themes and phrases tend to be slightly Hindemithian (more attractive
in theory than in practice): the lyricism is neither as profoundly/
intensely grave as Berg’s nor as conventionally beautiful as
Prokofiev’s, and the more playful/rhythmic music isn’t as crystalline
and jaunty as Stravinsky’s or as charming and folk-y as Prokofiev’s.
That said, the themes are attractive in their slightly “off” way, with
the slow lyrical ones being quite Romantic. Tonality-wise, the work
varies from tenuously tonal (I read somewhere that it’s sort of in B
minor) to quite chromatic, though it never sounds academic or
chromatic for chromaticism’s sake.

It's a beautiful piece (esp. the first and third movements, as you say)
that could stand some judicious pruning, esp. in the last movement.
Doesn't sound like the later Sessions at all, although I enjoy much of
that as well. The work merits more frequent performance, like Larsson's
VC, Piston's VC #1, and many others. The performance on Albany does not
do justice to the work; you want to hear Zukofsky:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000005TWR

AC

[Dirge]

Post by Alan Cooper

Post by Dirge
Roger SESSIONS: Violin Concerto (1935)
B hn, Bolle/Monadnock Festival Orchestra [Albany]

It's a beautiful piece (esp. the first and third movements, as you say)
that could stand some judicious pruning, esp. in the last movement.
Doesn't sound like the later Sessions at all, although I enjoy much of
that as well.  The work merits more frequent performance, like Larsson's
VC, Piston's VC #1, and many others.  The performance on Albany does not
do justice to the work; you want to hear Zukofsky:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000005TWR
AC

I gave the Zukofsky a listen on Spotify ... not terribly refined but
way more spirited and engaging the Albany release. I've never been
fond of Zukofsky's phrasing, however, and still say that Ivry Gitlis
(sans Yoko Ono) is the man for this work.

JR

[Dana John Hill]

Today:

Gergiev Festival Live. Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2; Stravinsky: Les
Noces - Gergiev/Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Taneyev: Symphony No. 4 in
C Minor, Op. 12 - Gergiev/Mariinsky Orchestra. Radio Netherlands.

Villa Lobos: The Little Train of the Caipira; Antill: Corroboree; Ginastera:
Estancia, Panambi. Goosens/LSO. Everest.

Dana John Hill
Gainesville, Florida

[Dufus]

Young Collard's early 70's lp recordings for Pathe Marconi / EMI of
the Faure Nocturnes. Among the finest examples of piano playing.
This cd may be those : http://tinyurl.com/b97gk3p

[Alan Cooper]

Post by Dufus
Young Collard's early 70's lp recordings for Pathe Marconi / EMI of
the Faure Nocturnes. Among the finest examples of piano playing.
This cd may be those : http://tinyurl.com/b97gk3p

Yup, that's his only recording of them, and the way to obtain them is here:
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Brilliant%2BClassics/94035. What a
bargain! (I've enjoyed the young Collard's Faure recordings since
acquiring them back in the day when they were issued on Conoisseur Society
LP. His solo Rachmaninoff too.)

AC

[Christopher Webber]

Post by Alan Cooper
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Brilliant%2BClassics/94035. What a
bargain!

It certainly is. Since I got hold of this set, it has been amongst my
most played favourites. Faure's piano music, especially the Nocturnes
and Barcarolles, has that rare quality of inexhaustibility. There's
always something new to be found in Collard's performances.

[g***@gmail.com]

Post by Christopher Webber

Post by Alan Cooper
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Brilliant%2BClassics/94035. What a
bargain!

It certainly is. Since I got hold of this set, it has been amongst my
most played favourites. Faure's piano music, especially the Nocturnes
and Barcarolles, has that rare quality of inexhaustibility. There's
always something new to be found in Collard's performances.

Last month, someone loaded E. Crochet's NOCTURNES and BARCAROLLES on Youtube.

[Steven Bornfeld]

Post by Alan Cooper

Post by Dufus
Young Collard's early 70's lp recordings for Pathe Marconi / EMI of
the Faure Nocturnes. Among the finest examples of piano playing.
This cd may be those : http://tinyurl.com/b97gk3p

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Brilliant%2BClassics/94035. What a
bargain! (I've enjoyed the young Collard's Faure recordings since
acquiring them back in the day when they were issued on Conoisseur Society
LP. His solo Rachmaninoff too.)
AC

Thanks for the heads-up!

Steve

[Matthew B. Tepper]

Dufus <***@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following letters to
be typed in news:199f0269-8550-48a6-8795-c87d80a29f98

Post by Dufus
Young Collard's early 70's lp recordings for Pathe Marconi / EMI of
the Faure Nocturnes. Among the finest examples of piano playing.
This cd may be those : http://tinyurl.com/b97gk3p

I have that set, and the recording dates I have in my database for the
Nocturnes are 1-14 June 1973. I agree with your assessment.

[Steve Emerson]

In article

Post by Dufus
Young Collard's early 70's lp recordings for Pathe Marconi / EMI of
the Faure Nocturnes. Among the finest examples of piano playing.
This cd may be those : http://tinyurl.com/b97gk3p

I'm not sure whose post that is, but I'd just like to say that I
disagree fairly violently.

SE.

[John Wiser]

Post by Steve Emerson
In article

Post by Dufus
Young Collard's early 70's lp recordings for Pathe Marconi / EMI of
the Faure Nocturnes. Among the finest examples of piano playing.
This cd may be those : http://tinyurl.com/b97gk3p

I'm not sure whose post that is, but I'd just like to say that I
disagree fairly violently.

Ahem! Before the knives come out
how about some "authenticating detail"?

[Alan Cooper]

Post by John Wiser

Post by Steve Emerson
In article

Post by Dufus
Young Collard's early 70's lp recordings for Pathe Marconi / EMI of
the Faure Nocturnes. Among the finest examples of piano playing.
This cd may be those : http://tinyurl.com/b97gk3p

I'm not sure whose post that is, but I'd just like to say that I
disagree fairly violently.

Ahem! Before the knives come out
how about some "authenticating detail"?

I think Dufus started it all. Nothing actually violent in the offing,
actually--just SE restating his well-known (around here) view of
Collard's Faure. One of the few topics on which he and I disagree,
errrr, violently :-)

AC

[Bob Lombard]

Post by Alan Cooper

Post by John Wiser

Post by Steve Emerson
In article

Post by Dufus
Young Collard's early 70's lp recordings for Pathe Marconi / EMI of
the Faure Nocturnes. Among the finest examples of piano playing.
This cd may be those : http://tinyurl.com/b97gk3p

I'm not sure whose post that is, but I'd just like to say that I
disagree fairly violently.

Ahem! Before the knives come out
how about some "authenticating detail"?

I think Dufus started it all. Nothing actually violent in the offing,
actually--just SE restating his well-known (around here) view of
Collard's Faure. One of the few topics on which he and I disagree,
errrr, violently :-)
AC

It seems unlikely that Collard is playing a Baldwin...

[Steve Emerson]

Post by Bob Lombard

Post by Alan Cooper

Post by John Wiser

Post by Steve Emerson
In article

Post by Dufus
Young Collard's early 70's lp recordings for Pathe Marconi / EMI of
the Faure Nocturnes. Among the finest examples of piano playing.
This cd may be those : http://tinyurl.com/b97gk3p

I'm not sure whose post that is, but I'd just like to say that I
disagree fairly violently.

Ahem! Before the knives come out
how about some "authenticating detail"?

I think Dufus started it all. Nothing actually violent in the offing,
actually--just SE restating his well-known (around here) view of
Collard's Faure. One of the few topics on which he and I disagree,
errrr, violently :-)
AC

It seems unlikely that Collard is playing a Baldwin...

(laugh) Now now, that was never a requirement. I do envy Dufus, or
whoever it is, having the LPs, those early French EMI transfers being
what they are. It might make a difference, probably not enough;). I have
a partial LP set of the Collard/Dumay et al Faure chamber recordings,
and they sound good.

Just in case: I do like some of Collard's Faure, just not the Nocturnes.

SE.

[Ray Hall]

Post by Alan Cooper

Post by John Wiser

Post by Steve Emerson
In article

Post by Dufus
Young Collard's early 70's lp recordings for Pathe Marconi / EMI of
the Faure Nocturnes. Among the finest examples of piano playing.
This cd may be those : http://tinyurl.com/b97gk3p

I'm not sure whose post that is, but I'd just like to say that I
disagree fairly violently.

Ahem! Before the knives come out
how about some "authenticating detail"?

I think Dufus started it all. Nothing actually violent in the offing,
actually--just SE restating his well-known (around here) view of
Collard's Faure. One of the few topics on which he and I disagree,
errrr, violently :-)
AC

Do you like Collard or do you not? I scurried about some boxes in the
spare room and unearthed the Collard box (Brilliant Classics) owing to
the raves here. For some reason I had decided I didn't like Collard's
Faure. Probably because many many moons ago I remember Ferber.

Ray Hall, Taree

[Oscar]

— Gatti, Luigi (1740-1817): Quartet in C major, for oboe, violin,
viola, and cello • Sextet in E-flat major, for cor anglais, bassoon,
violin, viola, cello, and double bass • Septet concertante in F major,
for oboe, 2 horns, violin, viola, cello & double bass - Zefiro (on
period instruments) [Ambroisie AMB 9934 ℗ 2002 © 2003 Ambroisie. Disc
made in France by MPO. Pitch = 430 Hz. Recorded at la Paroisse
Sacchetta of Sustinente in Mantua, Italy, September 10 & 12, 2002.
Sound engineers: Aline Blomdiau and Nicolas de Backo (Music Numeris).
Artistic direction and pre-mastering: Aline Blondiau. Editing:
Marianne Populer and Aline Blondiau Executive producer for Ambroisie:
Nicolas Bartholomée — delightful Italian chamber music from the
Classical Era, classically-played]

[r***@gmail.com]

Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra
Constantin Silvestri
Rec. 1961 at the Salle Wagram
Disk 10 in the Silvestri ICON set. New to CD
Audio quality decent. Nice sound stage, instruments and sections easily discernable. Would prefer a little less reverb/distance/echoiness.
Silvestri seems to be having a lot of fun, like a painter with total freedom.
Worthwhile listen, but not a Fantastique for the charts.

[Oscar]

Post by r***@gmail.com
Disk 10 in the Silvestri ICON set. New to CD
Silvestri seems to be having a lot of fun, like a painter with total freedom.

I haven't gotten past Disc 1 yet. Some mean stuff there, if a little
blustery and unkempt in spots. Spirit. Thirty bucks well spent.
Thanks, Bill K. for the tip.

'The destiny of man is not measured by material computation. When
great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we are spirits
— not animals.' — Winston Churchill

My computation of valuable EMI Icon boxes is too great to count at
this point but...I am not an animal! http://tiny.cc/gvbhsw

[Oscar]

Now playing http://tiny.cc/gvbhsw

— Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major, WAB 104 - Philharmonia
Orchestra / Christoph von Dohnányi [Signum Classics SIGCD256 CD © 2012
Signum Records ℗ 2012 Philharmonia Orchestra, Recorded live at
Southbank Center's Royal Festival Hall, London, October 30, 2008.
Producer: Misha Donat. Engineer: Jonathan Stokes, Classic Sound Ltd.
Liner notes by M Ross. Textual version used here is same as that which
Dohnanyi used for his conceptually similar 1989 recording for Decca.
Dependable, intelligent, a performance that eschews inflated gestures
and let's the music do the talking. And, in the intervening 23 years
recorded sound has made great strides. This one sounds natural,
dymanic, full-bodied, realistic. Not on SACD but a showcase for best
of what redbook can provide..

'Dohnanyi has a convincing take on the way the Fourth's arching
phrases function in relation to its rhythmic aspect, so that while the
string lines soar, the brass and timpani help focus the score's
structural foundations' - Gramophone, October 2012

Comparison: London Classics 430 099-2. Producer: Paul Myers. Engineer:
Colin Moorfoot. Recorded at Masonic Auditorium, Cleveland, October 8 &
10, 1989.

[Steve Emerson]

Post by Ray Hall

Post by Alan Cooper

Post by John Wiser

Post by Steve Emerson

Post by Dufus
Young Collard's early 70's lp recordings for Pathe Marconi / EMI of
the Faure Nocturnes. Among the finest examples of piano playing.
This cd may be those : http://tinyurl.com/b97gk3p

I'm not sure whose post that is, but I'd just like to say that I
disagree fairly violently.

Ahem! Before the knives come out
how about some "authenticating detail"?

I think Dufus started it all. Nothing actually violent in the offing,
actually--just SE restating his well-known (around here) view of
Collard's Faure. One of the few topics on which he and I disagree,
errrr, violently :-)
AC

Do you like Collard or do you not? I scurried about some boxes in the
spare room and unearthed the Collard box (Brilliant Classics) owing to
the raves here. For some reason I had decided I didn't like Collard's
Faure. Probably because many many moons ago I remember Ferber.

That would do it.

SE.

[Oscar]

— Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72a • Strauss (R): Till
Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, symphonic poem, Op. 28 • Saint-Saëns:
Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61 (with Michel Schwalbé,
soloist) • Stravinsky: Petrushka (original 1911 version) - Berlin
Philharmonic / Pierre Monteux [Testament SBT2 1476 2CD, Digital
remastering ℗ © 2012 Testament, Original mono recordings made by
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg at Hochschule für Musik, Berlin, October 6
& 7, 1960, Digital remastering by Paul Baily at Re:Sound, Liner notes
written in 2012 by Dr. Helge Grünewald, who for 16 years served as
head of the Press and Public Relations of the Berlin Philharmonic
— these concerts mark the second and last time Pierre Monteux would
lead the BPO (aged 85), the first time was 27 years prior on April 5,
1933 — sound is excellent: full-bodied and dynamic with plenty of
clarity and impact, and judicious use of noise reduction
— performances are fine, especially enjoyed the Till of R. Strauss,
which exerts bountiful wit and elastic presence, athletic as it is
irreverent]

[Sol L. Siegel]

The Sveshnikov Rach Vespers on Melodiya - a new Melodiya CD in
good sound from MDT, $11.59 US plus shipping (app. $13.50 total),
received 11 days after I ordered it. As great a recording as
ever. One of those cardboard folders with a cheap plastic
spindle, and the English-Russian booklet doesn't include the
texts, but I'm not complaining. It's certainly better than
the overloaded MP3 version on Amazon.

Note: MDT has Melodiya on sale through April 25.

- Sol L. Siegel, Philadelphia, PA USA

[Ed Presson]

Post by Sol L. Siegel
The Sveshnikov Rach Vespers on Melodiya

A great recording, I'm glad to hear that it is still available.

Ed Presson

[Oscar]

Now playing a wonderful disc of piano music:

— The Ogiński Dynasty - Iwo Załuski (pf) [Olympia OCD 345 ℗ © 1996,
Recorded at Radio Merkury Studio, Poznań, May 13 & October 24, 1995,
Recording engineer: Piotr Kubacki, Remastered by Peter Nicholls — now
a very scarce CD)]

Program:
• Michał Kleofas Ogiński (1765-1833): 18 Polonaises, including his
most famous in A minor called, Pożegnanie Ojczyzny [Farewell to the
Fatherland].
• Karol Bernard Załuski (1834-1919), one of Ogiński's grandsons, also
a composer and international ambassador, plays a couple nocturnes and
some mazurkas.

The artist is the great-great-great-grandson of Michał Kleofas
Ogiński, so he is keeping the tradition alive. Chopin is written all
over this music, inspiration overt http://tiny.cc/fbpssw

[Lawrence Chalmers]

On ICA Mahler 5th with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Koln conducted by Hans
Rosbaud rec. 22 October
1951. A gripping performance in surprisingly
good sound. "First CD Release." Has anyone heard this and was it ever
issued in another format?

[wade]

Biddulph reissue of Mengelberg French orchestral music.
the Faune recording winds at 3 to 4 minutes in sound like a French street accordion!! and the following solo violin portamento just doesnt seem to fit the character of the music (at least my impression of the sound world of the piece.) Interesting listening.

[wade]

Post by wade
Biddulph reissue of Mengelberg French orchestral music.
the Faune recording winds at 3 to 4 minutes in sound like a French street accordion!! and the following solo violin portamento just doesnt seem to fit the character of the music (at least my impression of the sound world of the piece.) Interesting listening.

The Franck Psyche et Eros and D minor Symphony though sound right on. Yes there is a bunch of tempo taffy-pulling, but still it works for me.