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

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

3 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Btw, it could be that part of your issue lies with Karajan's performances.

 

Probably not. Compared to e.g. Wand, Karajan's balance emphasises the strings and woods more than the brass.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,524]

 the MONTEVERDI VESPERS. John Eliot Gardiner, and the Monteverdi choir.

Four words: Mag. Ni. Fi. Cent.

[Jurassic Shark 12,072]

Anybody else got an album of old, Swedish organs?

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Not an especially old organ but I really like this recording of Saint-Saëns' Fantasy in E-flat, one of my favorite organ pieces, on a Swedish organ

 

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

3 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Anybody else got an album of old, Swedish organs?

 

You might have more luck in Iceland:

The Icelandic Phallological Museum

[Jurassic Shark 12,072]

Do they have fannies?

[Disco Stu 15,495]

On 13/05/2022 at 1:13 PM, Jurassic Shark said:

I wonder if the new critical edition does any progress documenting those musicals that have been incompletely preserved. 

 

From what I own, I count 9 Gershwin musicals that have been recorded in complete form and in at least an attempt to reconstruct the original orchestrations and performance styles (i.e., not arranged/adapted/mutated for contemporary theater tastes).  If I'm missing any, I'd love to know (so I can buy them).

 

Lady, Be Good (1924)

https://www.discogs.com/master/1627753-George-Gershwin-Ira-Gershwin-Lady-Be-Good-1992-Studio-Cast

 

Tell Me More (1925)

Tip-Toes (1925)

https://www.discogs.com/release/6324684-George-And-Ira-Gershwin-Tip-Toes-Tell-Me-More

 

Oh, Kay! (1926)

https://www.discogs.com/master/1722410-Gershwin-Dawn-Upshaw-Kurt-Ollmann-St-Lukes-Chamber-Ensemble-Eric-Stern-Oh-Kay

 

Strike Up the Band (1927; rev. 1930)

https://www.discogs.com/master/1552511-George-Ira-Gershwin-Strike-Up-The-Band

 

Girl Crazy (1930)

https://www.discogs.com/master/950356-George-Gershwin-Ira-Gershwin-Girl-Crazy

 

Of Thee I Sing (1931)

Let 'Em Eat Cake (1933)

https://www.discogs.com/master/814737-George-Ira-Gershwin-Maureen-McGovern-Larry-Kert-Jack-Gilford-Michael-Tilson-Thomas-Of-Thee-I-Sing-Le

 

Pardon My English (1933)

https://www.discogs.com/master/1262601-George-Ira-Gershwin-Pardon-My-English

 

Of all of these, my personal favorite is Strike Up the Band.

 

There are many shows left unrecorded in this fashion, but most of them are the revues and collaborations with other composers and lyricists that aren't Ira.  It seems to me the three most important shows lefts un-recorded/reconstructed are:

 

Funny Face (1927)

Treasure Girl (1928)

Show Girl (1929)

 

Of the collaborations, I'd be most interested to hear:

 

Song of the Flame (operetta co-composed with Herbert Stothart) [1925]

Rosalie (co-composed with Sigmund Romberg) [1928]

 

I discovered I'm a fan of Romberg's operettas with this wonderful recording of The New Moon:

https://www.discogs.com/release/13910323-City-Centre-Encores-The-New-Moon-Original-Cast-Recording

[Jurassic Shark 12,072]

19 hours ago, Stu said:

 

From what I own, I count 9 Gershwin musicals that have been recorded in complete form and in at least an attempt to reconstruct the original orchestrations and performance styles (i.e., not arranged/adapted/mutated for contemporary theater tastes).  If I'm missing any, I'd love to know (so I can buy them).

 

Lady, Be Good (1924)

https://www.discogs.com/master/1627753-George-Gershwin-Ira-Gershwin-Lady-Be-Good-1992-Studio-Cast

 

Tell Me More (1925)

Tip-Toes (1925)

https://www.discogs.com/release/6324684-George-And-Ira-Gershwin-Tip-Toes-Tell-Me-More

 

Oh, Kay! (1926)

https://www.discogs.com/master/1722410-Gershwin-Dawn-Upshaw-Kurt-Ollmann-St-Lukes-Chamber-Ensemble-Eric-Stern-Oh-Kay

 

Strike Up the Band (1927; rev. 1930)

https://www.discogs.com/master/1552511-George-Ira-Gershwin-Strike-Up-The-Band

 

Girl Crazy (1930)

https://www.discogs.com/master/950356-George-Gershwin-Ira-Gershwin-Girl-Crazy

 

Of Thee I Sing (1931)

Let 'Em Eat Cake (1933)

https://www.discogs.com/master/814737-George-Ira-Gershwin-Maureen-McGovern-Larry-Kert-Jack-Gilford-Michael-Tilson-Thomas-Of-Thee-I-Sing-Le

 

Pardon My English (1933)

https://www.discogs.com/master/1262601-George-Ira-Gershwin-Pardon-My-English

 

Of all of these, my personal favorite is Strike Up the Band.

 

There are many shows left unrecorded in this fashion, but most of them are the revues and collaborations with other composers and lyricists that aren't Ira.  It seems to me the three most important shows lefts un-recorded/reconstructed are:

 

Funny Face (1927)

Treasure Girl (1928)

Show Girl (1929)

 

Of the collaborations, I'd be most interested to hear:

 

Song of the Flame (operetta co-composed with Herbert Stothart) [1925]

Rosalie (co-composed with Sigmund Romberg) [1928]

 

I discovered I'm a fan of Romberg's operettas with this wonderful recording of The New Moon:

https://www.discogs.com/release/13910323-City-Centre-Encores-The-New-Moon-Original-Cast-Recording

 

Those nine are the ones I'm aware of as well. 

 

When I was talking about incomplete, I was thinking about missing or incomplete pieces (beyond orchestration). For example the long, fantastic Fascinating Rhythm version on the Elektra recording of Lady, which, if I understood correctly, is more of a conjecture when it comes to the form of the piece.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Daugherty's American Gothic is really hittin' the spot this morning.  Wonderful music.

 

 

5 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Those nine are the ones I'm aware of as well. 

 

When I was talking about incomplete, I was thinking about missing or incomplete pieces (beyond orchestration). For example the long, fantastic Fascinating Rhythm version on the Elektra recording of Lady, which, if I understood correctly, is more of a conjecture when it comes to the form of the piece.

 

Just don't listen to the Encores! cast recording of Lady Be Good from 7 or 8 years ago.  Pretty bad.

[Jurassic Shark 12,072]

23 minutes ago, Stu said:

Just don't listen to the Encores! cast recording of Lady Be Good from 7 or 8 years ago.  Pretty bad.

 

Yeah, I don't particularly like it. And it's got a shorter Fascinating Rhythm.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

The advantage of the Elektra/Nonesuch albums of the 90s is that they're not recordings of actual staged productions and therefore are not beholden to pleasing a modern live audience.  Plus if you look at the musicians list it's all mainstays of the LA studio musician scene, including several Williams-DeCrescent orchestra players.  They're frankly just better than the pretty drab sounding NYC Broadway orchestra.

[Jurassic Shark 12,072]

Didn't John Mauceri re-record Strike up the Band for another label some time after the Elektra recording?

[Glóin the Dark 1,220]

 

[bollemanneke 3,346]

Mahler 9. A lot of noise so far.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Mahler is someone I recognize was a genius, but his music means nothing to me.  Believe me I tried and tried, mostly because Copland was such an admirer.

[Jurassic Shark 12,072]

Try no. 6 with Szell. Highly immersive.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

One day.... one day.

 

Apropos of nothing, this video (and the others in this series) of the Marine Band doing a detailed analysis of what goes into making pieces "come off" is so cool.  Federal defense budget dollars spent right!

 

 

[bollemanneke 3,346]

Oh my God! I just started Parsifal and had no idea that the vorspiel was the piece used in the very final scene of Inspector Morse! Always thought it was original music! I need to find out what recording they use now.

[Jurassic Shark 12,072]

 

[Chen G. 3,949]

On 19/05/2022 at 3:31 PM, bollemanneke said:

I just started Parsifal and had no idea that the vorspiel was the piece used in the very final scene of Inspector Morse!

 

It was also used in some old Flash Gordon serials. Weird.

 

A great piece, of course. Not as great as Tristan or Die Walkure, but great nonetheless. One needs to be in a Parsifal mood: its very slow and pensive.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,524]

On 19/05/2022 at 1:31 PM, bollemanneke said:

Oh my God! I just started Parsifal and had no idea that the vorspiel was the piece used in the very final scene of Inspector Morse! Always thought it was original music! I need to find out what recording they use now.

PARSIFAL is among my favourite operas. It's also used in EXCALIBUR, when (not surprisingly) Percival finds the lost grail.

[Chen G. 3,949]

Boorman claims he went to the Centenary Ring just before Excalibur, which is where he got the idea of using all that music.

 

I never knew what to make of this claim: how the hell could he have gotten tickets in time?

[bollemanneke 3,346]

12 hours ago, Chen G. said:

 

It was also used in some old Flash Gordon serials. Weird.

 

A great piece, of course. Not as great as Tristan or Die Walkure, but great nonetheless. One needs to be in a Parsifal mood: its very slow and pensive.

I'm finding Parsifal much more engaging musically than that whole ring thing.

[Chen G. 3,949]

Many people feel that the Ring is not as great a work as some of Wagner's other works: sometimes people will cite Parsifal, but Tristan is the usual suspect. Debussi, for instance, had a dislike for the Ring, but admired Tristan and Parsifal.

 

I think Tristan is indeed the highest artistic achievement, but more and more I find myself drawn to the humanity of Die Walküre. The love of Tristan and Isolde is beyond us in its cosmic eroticism, whereas the love of Siegmund and Sieglinde is not: its glorious in its prosaicness. I don't think that in any of the music-dramas do audiences get as involved as they do with Siegmund and Sieglinde. This means that, on a good evening, when Sieglinde has her nightmare or when Siegmund falls, its utterly shattering.

[karelm 2,913]

I think this is gorgeous.

 

[bollemanneke 3,346]

Magic flute, act 1, Karajan. Very lovely, but I'm listening to a HIP performance after this to hear what that sounds like. It's official, I like this much more than Wagner.

[Bespin 8,480]

Ah... The Magic Flute... I think you want to hear Gardiner's 1996 recording too.

[bollemanneke 3,346]

That's the plan. And Marriner! I'm loving this.

[Jurassic Shark 12,072]

Unsurprisingly, Marriner's is ace.

[bollemanneke 3,346]

Mozart, violin concertos, Hogwood. Really liking this take!

[bollemanneke 3,346]

Dragging myself through Haydn's Paris symphonies, digital Karajan. Sound is obviously bad, have no idea why he thought digital was superior back then. And the music itself is a bore too. I'm amazed that after 81 symphonies he didn't cover more exciting ground. The father of the symphony maybe, but I'll take late Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky any time.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

They're certainly not all great, but I have a lot of love for a number of Haydn's symphonies.  I'll take the Oxford symphony over any of Mozart's, especially the Marriner recording.

[Jurassic Shark 12,072]

3 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

Dragging myself through Haydn's Paris symphonies, digital Karajan. Sound is obviously bad, have no idea why he thought digital was superior back then. And the music itself is a bore too. I'm amazed that after 81 symphonies he didn't cover more exciting ground. The father of the symphony maybe, but I'll take late Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky any time.

 

The Paris symphonies are great. Try The Bear with Marriner or Roy Goodman.

[bollemanneke 3,346]

Ooh, Goodman? I will!

[Jurassic Shark 12,072]

And Bruno Weil's great as well!

[bollemanneke 3,346]

Let's take this slowly. I have Gardiner's Figaro queued up too.

[Jurassic Shark 12,072]

1 minute ago, bollemanneke said:

Gardiner's Figaro

 

Shouldn't take much time.

[bollemanneke 3,346]

Mozart, Figaro, act 1, Gardiner. Ah, life is beautiful.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,524]

Copy that, @bollemanneke. Gardiner interprets Mozart like no-one else. For me, he beats-out Marriner.

[bollemanneke 3,346]

Amen. And Beethoven! Uh, hang on a sec, though, did he make multiple recordings of this one too...? I'm listening to a live recording with applause (love that!), but I'm seeing 1994 and 2005 info on Presto and Discogs... Urgh.

[Jurassic Shark 12,072]

His 90s Beethoven recordings now sound dated, in a bad way (like most 90s period performance recordings of B's symphonies).

 

His later live remakes are better, IMO.

[bollemanneke 3,346]

I actually disagree. I love his Beethoven 90s tempos, he's the only one to correctly interpret the 9's metronome marks. I listened to his live recordings and did not like them at all. For some reason the violin melody in 7-4 is drowned by that incessant E played by the rest of the orchestra, which is obviously supposed to accompany the violins.

[Jurassic Shark 12,072]

25 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

I actually disagree. I love his Beethoven 90s tempos, he's the only one to correctly interpret the 9's metronome marks.

 

Nah, there's Paavo Järvi's outstanding cycle, among others.

[bollemanneke 3,346]

Bruckner 3. Okay, that one wasn't bad at all. First movement is very interesting, but too long and clearly a failed attempt at re-creating Beethoven 9-1, which nobody can, so stop trying. Second movement is entirely forgettable. 3 is fun. 4 is too noisy but has good ideas.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

You probably listened to the revised version. To me, the original is superior. It's also longer. The first movement is a clear precursor to the minimalism of the 4th. Anyone who calls Bruckner's adagios "entirely forgettable" hasn't yet grasped his music - but it took me years to fully start appreciating them myself. Somewhere in there (in the 4th movement, I think) is a bit that always reminds me of Kamen's TriStar fanfare.

[Brónach 1,302]

moar Bruckner

[bollemanneke 3,346]

Figaro, act 2. Buying this set, no doubt about it, once I figure out what the packaging is like. These operas, along with Tchaikovsky's symphonies, are the best discoveries I've made this year.

[Omen II 1,235]

I listened to John Ireland’s Epic March, partly to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee weekend but mostly because it’s - how you say in English? - an epic march.

 

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

59 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

Figaro, act 2. Buying this set, no doubt about it, once I figure out what the packaging is like. These operas, along with Tchaikovsky's symphonies, are the best discoveries I've made this year.

 

I don't have too many comparisons (I've heard Figaro live numerous times, but few recordings), but for me, René Jacobs's version from 2013 is hard to beat:

 

[bollemanneke 3,346]

Might check it out later, but as I've discovered Gardiner, I'm not really interested in another HIP take.