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Classical ♫ Music only | Some you listen now or recently, some you love...

Kal Rubinson

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Even though I have so many recordings of Vitali's Chaconne, after all I always return to this Jacques Thibaud's;

Jacques Thibaud plays Vitali Chaconne (arr.Charlier), 1936​

Perhaps it is a bit over the top but this one always blows me away.
Heifetz Vitalli.jpg
 

dualazmak

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Perhaps it is a bit over the top but this one always blows me away.
View attachment 208209

Thank you for your follow-up.
I could find it on YouTube;

Vitali: Chaconne in G minor, Heifetz & Ellsasser (1950)​


I love this also;

Vitali: Chaconne in G minor, Tomoko Kawada & Maki Tanaka, Charity Live for the victims of the Tsunami March 11, 2011 in North-East Japan

 
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Pretorious

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5081236-origpic-9ea157.jpg


I'm continuing the new survey of Beethoven's string quartets by the Chiaroscuro Quartet. This is promising to be an extraordinary series, and I cannot wait for them to tackle the middle period quartets.

I've been writing about LvB's quartets and have recently posted my thoughts on the 5th after listening to the above. For those interested the article can be found here:

Beethoven's String Quartet in A major, Op. 18 No. 5
 

REK2575

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5081236-origpic-9ea157.jpg


I'm continuing the new survey of Beethoven's string quartets by the Chiaroscuro Quartet. This is promising to be an extraordinary series, and I cannot wait for them to tackle the middle period quartets.

I've been writing about LvB's quartets and have recently posted my thoughts on the 5th after listening to the above. For those interested the article can be found here:

Beethoven's String Quartet in A major, Op. 18 No. 5

Thank you for posting this - I was unaware of this new cycle in progress. I've listened to some of the Chiaroscuro's Haydn quartets recordings and have been very impressed. BIS is such a wonderful label.

I will be sure to listen to the Chiaroscuro's take on the Beethoven quartets. I've been making my way through the Quatuor Ebene's Beethoven cycle on Erato (released under the somewhat silly moniker, "Beethoven Around the World"). These are striking performances -- very modern interpretations that are bound to alienate some listeners as being maybe too analytical and uncompromising. I recently listened to the Grosse Fuge recording and it is hair-raising (...as it should be, at least the main exposition of the movement before it calms down a bit).
 

Kal Rubinson

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Giacinto Scelsi - Uaxuctum (1969)

Yes!!! My favorite recording is in multichannel! On Mode Records with the Vienna RSO conducted by Peter Rundel. Unfortunately, ASR will not accept picture links from any of the useful sites including the manufacturer. :mad:
 

AlephAlpha001

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Thank you for posting this - I was unaware of this new cycle in progress. I've listened to some of the Chiaroscuro's Haydn quartets recordings and have been very impressed. BIS is such a wonderful label.
My thanks to the OP too! Listened to this album last night. Turned off all my air conditioners, dehumidifiers, extractor fans and got things as quiet as I possibly could and listened in the dark on some good open back headphones. What a joy those gut strings are.

Now if I could just learn to love the Fortepiano...
 

Pretorious

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You both are most welcome! They can’t get to the Razumovsky’s soon enough.

I have actually skipped the Ebene’s interpretation because I figured that was a marketing name designed to put a veneer on mundane performances. Plus I had so much other music to listen to in my backlog. I’ll be sure to check them out though, now.
 

REK2575

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You both are most welcome! They can’t get to the Razumovsky’s soon enough.

I have actually skipped the Ebene’s interpretation because I figured that was a marketing name designed to put a veneer on mundane performances. Plus I had so much other music to listen to in my backlog. I’ll be sure to check them out though, now.

The Ebene Beethoven cycle is very much worth looking into. I agree that the marketing is idiotic, but don't let it deter you. These are anything but mundane performances! Again, not to everyone's taste, but they are always carefully considered and calibrated interpretations. I don't agree with all of their choices, but I find myself more than willing to be carried along for the ride.

Am listening now to the Chiaroscuro's performance of Op.18 No.1 if F. Marvelous! The Adagio is noble and restrained and serious, without a hint of the histrioncs that sometimes get the better of other ensembles. First rate!
 

REK2575

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Now if I could just learn to love the Fortepiano...
:D
I sympathize! There are some wonderful fortepiano performances of the Mozart concertos on record -- Levin, Bezuidenhout. Nevertheless, it's not an instrument I'll ever love. Give me Perahia or Uchida or Serkin on a modern instrument playing Mozart any day.

(The harpsichord on the other hand... I can tolerate the fortepiano, but not this.)
 

Hugo9000

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I didn't care much for the fortepiano until I bought the Ronald Brautigam complete Beethoven piano sonata cycle from BIS. Then I got his Mendelssohn Lieder ohne Worte, and now I love the fortepiano, when played and recorded well, and with the right music haha!





Trevor Pinnock won me over to the harpsichord a few decades ago (I had first encountered him as the conductor of my favorite recording of Handel's Messiah).



More recently, there is the remarkable harpsichordist, Jean Rondeau:






If none of these are appealing, you may be immune to these instruments' allure haha!
 

REK2575

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Brautigam's Appassionata is very interesting. There is something in the sound of the fortepiano's lower bass that you can't capture on a modern instrument -- you hear it pretty clearly in that isolated left-hand 'da-da-da-dah' motif in the introduction. I'll check out his other Beethoven sonata recordings.

@Hugo9000 congratulations on posting harpsichord recordings that I did not immediately turn off! These do sound like special recordings from a special artist. I am curious enough to want to check out Rondeau's Goldberg Variations...
 

AlephAlpha001

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Brautigam's Appassionata is very interesting. There is something in the sound of the fortepiano's lower bass that you can't capture on a modern instrument -- you hear it pretty clearly in that isolated left-hand 'da-da-da-dah' motif in the introduction. I'll check out his other Beethoven sonata recordings.

You make a good point. Just gave it a spin. I found myself paying more attention to the music rather than getting lost in the flow -- the FP's upper register tinkliness (which I often find irritating, but not so much here) does help one to pay more attention to the left hand.
 

REK2575

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You both are most welcome! They can’t get to the Razumovsky’s soon enough.

Having now gotten through the Chiaroscuro's Disc 1, I can say that these are, without question, the best performances of the Beethoven quartets on period instruments I've ever heard. I really am blown away - simply stunning. BIS's sound engineering is always superb, but they've really done an extraordinary job here.

Suffice it to say that I am definitely 'favorite'-ing these recordings in my Qobuz / Spotify libraries!
 

Pretorious

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Having now gotten through the Chiaroscuro's Disc 1, I can say that these are, without question, the best performances of the Beethoven quartets on period instruments I've ever heard. I really am blown away - simply stunning. BIS's sound engineering is always superb, but they've really done an extraordinary job here.

Suffice it to say that I am definitely 'favorite'-ing these recordings in my Qobuz / Spotify libraries!
Indeed these are much more energetic performances than the Mosaiques interpretations. For as much as I love the latter, the Chiaroscuro’s will give them a run for their money.

Once I heard Brautigam’s cycle of the sonatas I couldn’t even fathom anything else. The gusto with which he plays is extraordinary. The Appasionata is such a great example of the differences between a period and modern piano. The modern instrument is often unclear and muddy unless played at a significantly slower tempo. Brautigam and his instrument, on the other hand, can play at a wonderfully quick pace while maintaining all the power and clarity in the bass strings. Love it!
 

Pretorious

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The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment YouTube channel put out a video a few days ago about Beethoven’s fortepiano that should be very interesting to those of you in the recent conversation from this thread. Thought I would drop the link here for convenience. Enjoy!

 

JanesJr1

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Thanks for sharing this! I really like this selection, and have started sampling other Preisner recordings because of this introduction.
 

Sokel

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Thanks for sharing this! I really like this selection, and have started sampling other Preisner recordings because of this introduction.
You're most welcome,I'm really glad for it.
 

xaviescacs

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Bartók, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz. 106.

I'm sure many will recognize one of Alien's themes, it's unmistakable. (from 20:40 on this one, for the impatient ones)


My favorite is as always Boulez, but it's not on youtube apparently.

Edit: Alien part


ups.....
 
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