What is the last piece of classical music you listened to?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,527]

On 22/03/2024 at 1:59 PM, bollemanneke said:

Sibelius 6. How is this piece in D minor? It's clearly in C. And the ending sucks.

 

Have you tried to contact Sibelius, by WhatsApp?

[Tom Guernsey 2,284]

In amongst the endless Andre Rieu concerts (sorry if you're a fan...), Sky Arts has a proper classical music documentary; a four part series focussing on the London Philharmonic Orchestra rehearsing and performing Mahler's 2nd Symphony, conducted by Edward "Ed" Gardner. Obviously, some of the information is pretty basic if you're a musician (which I am) or have a good knowledge of classical music (ditto), but the balance between that and decent insight into the music is well judged. Just seeing the orchestra rehearsing and how the conductor shapes both the small and large moments is fascinating.

 

There's no annoying narrator or celebrity presenter to make it relevant, just the conductor and a few of the musicians talking about the music, their instruments, their role in the orchestra, as well as how they prepare for the performance etc.

 

One bit of insight you get is that you can't help but notice that, while the musicians appear to live in smart, if modest, flats, Edward Gardner appears to live in a gorgeous house, all exposed brick, huge windows and a kitchen that has given me serious stove top envy. The life of being a conductor...

 

https://www.sky.com/watch/title/series/9a8b80aa-47d8-3c4d-80e0-7b20e3788e62/backstage-with-the-london-philharmonic-orchestra-9a8b80aa-47d8-3c4d-80e0-7b20e3788e62/episodes/season-1/episode-1

[bollemanneke 3,348]

Mozart's Paris symphony. Even Adam Fischer only makes this one sound mildly interesting.

[bollemanneke 3,348]

Strauss waltzes, Karajan and Berlin, on Warner. The playing is just incredible. Easily surpasses the DG recordings as far as I recall, and yes, the VPO too.

[Chen G. 3,949]

You know its got to be that on this day:

 

 

Quote

But see, it is not so.

They are but the tears of the repentant!

That today, as holy dew,

besprinkle then both flower and sward;

That is why they thrive so!

For all creation now rejoices,

in its redeemer's beauteous trace,

and prays unto Him!

 

Himself upon the cross, they can see no longer!

They look instead to the image of man redeemed,

who thus feels freed from the burden of sin and terror;

Man who is made clean and whole

through God's loving sacrifice.

Today the grasses and clovers of the meadow mark it well,

That now man's foot shan't tread them down;

but that, as God in His divine grace pitied and suffered for the world,

so man today shall spare them with a soft tread!

 

And all of creation gives its thanks:

All that now lives and soon shall wilt;

Now nature, absolved from sin,

Lives its day of innocence!

 

[bollemanneke 3,348]

All the Mozart symphonies by Adam Fischer. I bow down to him and the wallet will be opened very shortly.

[bollemanneke 3,348]

Handel, Fireworks, Marriner's first recording, on vinyl. Ah... music.

[Jurassic Shark 12,075]

Ah, the Decca recording.

[bollemanneke 3,348]

Which one is that at this point? I have one from 1994 on Hänssler?

[Jurassic Shark 12,075]

The Decca is from 1972 and the Philips is in-between that and the Hänssler.

[bollemanneke 3,348]

Bach, English suite 4, Schiff. We have now reached the inevitable point where it all becomes unmusical showing-off on a keyboard.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,527]

  Vaughan Williams SYMPHONY #2, FANTASIA ON A THEME BY THOMAS TALLIS, and SERENADE TO MUSIC.

Roger Norrington/LPO.

This is music!

[Tom Guernsey 2,284]

One of those British composers nobody seems to have heard of but who I’d say is more interesting than a lot of his more famous contemporaries… this is probably the best place to start if you want to sample his output. Really thrilling stuff.

 

 

[karelm 2,913]

19 hours ago, Tom Guernsey said:

One of those British composers nobody seems to have heard of but who I’d say is more interesting than a lot of his more famous contemporaries… this is probably the best place to start if you want to sample his output. Really thrilling stuff.

 

 

I love this very fine album.  

[Tom Guernsey 2,284]

On 15/4/2024 at 2:23 PM, karelm said:

I love this very fine album.  

As is this one…

[bollemanneke 3,348]

Pulcinella suite, Marriner. Wow. Stravinsky can write... music?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,527]

51 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

Pulcinella suite, Marriner. Wow. Stravinsky can write... music?

 

Given the opportunity, he writes very nice music.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,527]

I got up early, this morning (as you do) and I turned on BBC Radio 3 (as you do), and I heard something called O MAGNUM MYSTERIUM, by someone called Morten Lauridsen.

It reminded me of music by Gavin Bryars - JESUS' BLOOD NEVER FAILED ME YET; THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC - which I love, by the way.

Has anyone else heard of this composer?

[A24 4,333]

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

5 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

I got up early, this morning (as you do) and I turned on BBC Radio 3 (as you do), and I heard something called O MAGNUM MYSTERIUM, by someone called Morten Lauridsen.

It reminded me of music by Gavin Bryars - JESUS' BLOOD NEVER FAILED ME YET; THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC - which I love, by the way.

Has anyone else heard of this composer?

 

We sang that years ago in our very first concert with our current choir director:

 

Some spots in it remind me of Morricone, actually. I've never heard anything else by Lauridsen though.

[bollemanneke 3,348]

Tchaikovsky 5, Karajan, EMI. Yet another wholly unnecessay recording. Brass flubs abound, sonics are awful. Worse than his previous DG recording, so why on earth bother?

[Jurassic Shark 12,075]

With the Wieners?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,527]

On 25/03/2024 at 2:31 PM, bollemanneke said:

Mozart's Paris symphony. Even Adam Fischer only makes this one sound mildly interesting.

 

1 hour ago, bollemanneke said:

Tchaikovsky 5, Karajan, EMI. Yet another wholly unnecessay recording. Brass flubs abound, sonics are awful. Worse than his previous DG recording, so why on earth bother?

 

On 07/04/2024 at 2:33 PM, bollemanneke said:

Bach, English suite 4, Schiff. We have now reached the inevitable point where it all becomes unmusical showing-off on a keyboard.

 

Why do you do it to yourself? 

[bollemanneke 3,348]

37 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

With the Wieners?

No, Berlin. Vienna is later. I don't understand why he needed to re-record everything 8 times.

[Jurassic Shark 12,075]

Because he could and was a perfectionist/obsessive, I guess.

[bollemanneke 3,348]

Why could he, though? I never understood why labels kept forking out money for stuff they already had. Plus, this one in particular just sounds bad.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

22 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

No, Berlin. Vienna is later. I don't understand why he needed to re-record everything 8 times.

 

Changes in interpretation (which I maybe don't always agree with, but clearly Karajan's views changed), advances in technology (though the problem with Karajan always being on the bleeding edge of technology is that fresh remasters of his analogue recordings sound better than his later digital ones, even if they may have been better at the time). Sometimes different orchestras (his 80s digital Berliner Planets are better performed than his 60s Wiener version, although that has the distinction of being one of the first mainland Europe recordings of the work, as far as I know).

 

In the end though, why complain? If you prefer earlier recordings, stick to those.

Just now, bollemanneke said:

Why could he, though? I never understood why labels kept forking out money for stuff they already had. Plus, this one in particular just sounds bad.

 

Technology. During the 80s, there must have been a massive rush among labels to be the first to offer digital recordings of any given work (I was too young to be aware of it, but that's what I take from reading contemporary reviews… pretty much like the 60s and 70s were a battle field of who could manage the first complete recordings of Wagner's Ring).

[bollemanneke 3,348]

I'm not really complaining, I'm just astonished that, going through these conductor boxes, so many people seemed to insist on recording the same stuff over and over again. And even more astonished that the financial powers that be let them do it. Like, why did no one say: Listen, your 60s recording is good enough, you're not doing this anymore. Do something else. Can you imagine LLL allowing a re-print of Hook while the first version was still available just because they managed to make a violin line a bit more audible?

[Jurassic Shark 12,075]

11 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

Why could he, though? I never understood why labels kept forking out money for stuff they already had.

 

Because his recordings sold well.

[Thor 7,504]

8 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

I got up early, this morning (as you do) and I turned on BBC Radio 3 (as you do), and I heard something called O MAGNUM MYSTERIUM, by someone called Morten Lauridsen.

It reminded me of music by Gavin Bryars - JESUS' BLOOD NEVER FAILED ME YET; THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC - which I love, by the way.

Has anyone else heard of this composer?

 

Not familiar with him, but I've heard the name. I think he's either Danish or of Danish origins (and I'm too lazy to google).