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

[LeShog]

Listening to this right now.. The violin is just perfect, spot on! A guilty pleasure, thanks also to ASR that helped me with my gear. It’s exactly like a live performance (two days ago I was at the theatre and the resemblance with live music striked me), great recording and great performance. She is perfect.

 

[Robin L]

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Listening to this right now.. The violin is just perfect, spot on! A guilty pleasure, thanks also to ASR that helped me with my gear. It’s exactly like a live performance (two days ago I was at the theatre and the resemblance with live music striked me), great recording and great performance. She is perfect.

I managed to get two different recordings of the Sibelius Violin Concerto within the last few months.

Ginette Neveu's recording with Walter Susskind leading the Philharmonia Orchestra is a historic recording from 1945, still the 78 era. The coupling is the Brahms Violin Concerto. Both are intense performances and even though the sound is old it is still beautiful. My copy was transferred to CD in 2005:

My other recording features violinist Hilary Hahn with the Swedish Symphony Orchestra led by Esa-Pekka Salonen on DGG, recorded in 2007. It's a bit early to express any opinion - haven't heard it enough. The coupling is Schoenberg's Violin Concerto. While this disc gave me my first exposure to the work, I'll admit I was impressed. Predictably good sound:

 

[LeShog]

I managed to get two different recordings of the Sibelius Violin Concerto within the last few months.

Ginette Neveu's recording with Walter Susskind leading the Philharmonia Orchestra is a historic recording from 1945, still the 78 era. The coupling is the Brahms Violin Concerto. Both are intense performances and even though the sound is old it is still beautiful. My copy was transferred to CD in 2005:

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My other recording features violinist Hilary Hahn with the Swedish Symphony Orchestra led by Esa-Pekka Salonen on DGG, recorded in 2007. It's a bit early to express any opinion - haven't heard it enough. The coupling is Schoenberg's Violin Concerto. While this disc gave me my first exposure to the work, I'll admit I was impressed. Predictably good sound:

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I love esa pekka salonen and Hilary Hahn is a monster.. She’s not human, she’s something else. One of these days I am going to listen to this, I’ve got high expectations, thanks for the tip!

 

[Robin L]

I love esa pekka salonen and Hilary Hahn is a monster.. She’s not human, she’s something else. One of these days I am going to listen to this, I’ve got high expectations, thanks for the tip!

Be sure to hear Ginette Neveu's as well, she's a monster of a different kind.

 

[Daverz]

I love esa pekka salonen and Hilary Hahn is a monster.. She’s not human, she’s something else. One of these days I am going to listen to this, I’ve got high expectations, thanks for the tip!

The Schoenberg truly holds no terrors for her. There have been respectable recordings of it before, but this is on an entirely different level of virtuosity, understanding, and musical communication. Quoting from a review that quotes her booklet notes:

On first impression, the Schoenberg Concerto seemed to her “to be fairly accessible, to show limitless interpretive potential, and to be far from impossible to play” (as she had been told). She spent two years learning to play it “comfortably up to Schoenberg’s tempi—to the oft-ignored tempi printed in the score, that is.” Her Schoenberg turned out to be a hit: “Orchestras and conductors brought the music to life; audiences jumped to their feet. . . . Schoenberg’s grace, wit, lyricism, romanticism and drama came through.”

 

[Robin L]

This arrived in the mail today:

I've owned Artur Schnabel's Schubert recordings on various LP configurations in the past, have the excellent Arabesque CD featuring the Sonata in B flat and shorter works, all duplicated in this 5 CD box from Warner Classics. The 2018 transfer work is a tad (only a tad) better than Keith Hardwick's excellent work from 1987. It's nice to have Schnabel's recordings of the Impromptus again, in sound about as good as it's ever going to get - these CDs are remastered from the original 30 ips tapes from 1950, Schnabel's last recordings. Heard the Sonata in A major, D. 959, for the first time in many years again. An excellent performance of one of Schubert's little-known masterpieces. Will no doubt listen to the remaining three CDs tomorrow.

 

[Rednaxela]

 

[Andolink]

Thoroughly enjoying this newly acquired release from 2018. It’s 115 minutes of delightful Galante chamber music which I got as a flac download from Qobuz for under $11 - -

 

[Andolink]

 

[Robin L]

Cleaning up my "early music" shelf of CDs today. Haven't listened to most of them for a long time and forgot what was on that shelf. Have had an infatuation for the music of John Dowland for a long time, going back to about 50 years ago with Julian Bream's LP of his works for RCA. Am now playing a two-fer pair of CDs Virgin Veritas issued in 1999, music of Dowland and Byrd as performed by Fretwork and friends. Managed to record that group back in the 1990s when I was recording engineer for the San Francisco Early Music Society. I suspect this very low-key music might not be for everyone, but for me it is beautiful music, with excellent engineering.

 

[theREALdotnet]

The Guilini/Philhamonia 1961 is one of the most highly acclaimed recordings of Don Giovanni.

I’m very impressed with sound quality of this 2016 remaster (on Qobuz). The soundstage is very deep and convincing, you think you can walk around among the characters. The digital booklet (147 pages) is something to behold, too. Well done.

 

[Jim Taylor]

Cleaning up my "early music" shelf of CDs today. Haven't listened to most of them for a long time and forgot what was on that shelf. Have had an infatuation for the music of John Dowland for a long time, going back to about 50 years ago with Julian Bream's LP of his works for RCA. Am now playing a two-fer pair of CDs Virgin Veritas issued in 1999, music of Dowland and Byrd as performed by Fretwork and friends. Managed to record that group back in the 1990s when I was recording engineer for the San Francisco Early Music Society. I suspect this very low-key music might not be for everyone, but for me it is beautiful music, with excellent engineering.


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I had no exposure to Dowland, so I did a YT search. I found this video. Interesting ... and amusing.

 

[MarnixM]

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Turangalila Symphony by Olivier Messiaen Ondine Finnish Radio & Symphony Orchestra

At first this music strikes you as something odd, peculiar. It seems a little wonky, but still it goes on; then you understand it: listening to this music is like listening at two people talking in a foreign language you never heard before. It doesn’t follow tonal rules so you feel lost, it goes strange places to return after a bit like it was nothing, you feel disoriented, you don’t understand, but at the same time everything makes so much sense and in a way or another you return at your starting point, even if you felt lost in the transition at the end you find yourself home. And, like learning a new language, it’s so stimulating!

My favourite still is the Turangalila of Wit.... more involvement and passion.

Messiaen : Turangalîla-Symphonie / L'Ascension, Thomas Bloch - Qobuz

Listen to unlimited or download Messiaen : Turangalîla-Symphonie / L'Ascension by Thomas Bloch in Hi-Res quality on Qobuz. Subscription from 13,50€/month.

www.qobuz.com

 

[Robin L]

I had no exposure to Dowland, so I did a YT search. I found this video. Interesting ... and amusing.

I don't think that Sting does Dowland any favors. Philips K. Dick thought Linda Ronstadt would have been a great interpreter of Dowland and I think he has a point.

Meanwhile:

 

[olieb]

Am now playing a two-fer pair of CDs Virgin Veritas issued in 1999, music of Dowland and Byrd as performed by Fretwork and friends.

Thanks for that. Made me dig up an old CD from Fretwork with the Cries of London (Orlando Gibbons). Very nice, but even to me as a non native it is obvious that those market people are somehow from the "colonies".

 

[jmtocali]

My favourite still is the Turangalila of Wit.... more involvement and passion.

Messiaen : Turangalîla-Symphonie / L'Ascension, Thomas Bloch - Qobuz

Listen to unlimited or download Messiaen : Turangalîla-Symphonie / L'Ascension by Thomas Bloch in Hi-Res quality on Qobuz. Subscription from 13,50€/month.

www.qobuz.com

Wit is an underrated conductor. His series of polish composers, the Mahler's 8th or the Eine Alpensinfonie are extraordinary recordings.

 

[Liya]

I don't think that Sting does Dowland any favors. Philips K. Dick thought Linda Ronstadt would have been a great interpreter of Dowland and I think he has a point.

Meanwhile:

Is it available to stream or buy?

 

[Robin L]

Is it available to stream or buy?

Voices of Music is an online project that has its recordings available via YouTube. David Tayler, playing theorbo in the video, is one of the founders of Voices of Music. I've recorded him a number of times, including my first CD, which happened to be music of John Dowland.

 

[dualazmak]

Mikhail GLINKA: Complete Piano Music by Victor RYABCHIKOV;

 

[dualazmak]

You would please be careful not to be seriously wine alcoholic...

John FIELD: Complete Nocturnes by Ewa POBLOCKA;