Forums - Classical Music Thread

CAJames Seasoned Member "I've run every red light on memory lane." Posts: 2100	Re: Classical Music Thread Reply #650 - 10/15/24 at 15:09:35 More Ancerl. One of my favorite recordings of one of my desert island pieces: DSD rip from Tower Japan SACD. Listening to this Mahler 9 is a staggering experience, both from the virtuosity of the playing and the emotional range of the interpretation.
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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #651 - 10/15/24 at 15:22:00

New page, next Beethoven Symphony, No. 2

On CD from the Ozawa/German Masters Box

I feel like the 2nd is greatly underappreciated, and I like it better than the much more famous symphony that follows. I can't say I have a single favorite performance, but Seiji Ozawa and the Saito Kinen Orchestra are certainly one of my favs. They do a great job balancing the dance and drama aspects of the piece, esp. in the quicksilver opening movement.

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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #652 - 10/16/24 at 20:28:02

I think today will be a 20th Century day. I started with one of Bartok's lesser known works, the ballet The Wooden Prince.

16/44 FLAC download.

This is a fairly early work by Bartok and is neither dissonant nor especially beautiful, in the conventional sense of memorable melodies. I would call it abstract, and, like a lot of Bartok, it requires active listening and rewards the active listener with some excellent and very interesting music.

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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #653 - 10/17/24 at 01:48:31

Stravinsky's Opera/Oratorio Oedipus Rex was one of the first pieces he wrote in his "neo-classical" phase. I feel like neo-classical was a return to the order and elegance of the 18th century after the somewhat unruly way music evolved at the beginning of the 20th. Of course Stravinsky himself was a big part of that unruliness.

On CD.

I feel like Karel Ancerl, along with Leonard Bernstein, were the greatest Stravinsky conductors who ever lived in spite (or perhaps because) of recording a limited repertoire. Certainly Ancerl's Oedipus runs up the score on Stravinsky's own recordings.

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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #654 - 10/17/24 at 19:34:12

TIL about Anne Queffelec. She is a French pianist with a fabulous technique and a very French sound: quick, transparent and light on the keys. I heard her Scarlatti then learned her complete recordings are available on Erato, so I bought them. She does a great job with a wide variety of music, from Scarlatti to Liszt to Erik Satie. Highly recommended.

16/44 FLAC download

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Dominick Seasoned Member Still like that old time Rock and Roll!! Posts: 1316	Re: Classical Music Thread Reply #655 - 10/17/24 at 21:55:58 Listening to this one at work from Arthur Rubenstein on my new iPhone 16 Pro Max that I picked up last night. I forgot my camera adapter at home….so I couldn’t use my Dragonfly. The speakers on the new phone are definitely better than my old one from 7 years ago.
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CAJames Seasoned Member "I've run every red light on memory lane." Posts: 2100	Re: Classical Music Thread Reply #656 - 10/18/24 at 03:42:50 One more Stravinsky, Firebird with my hometown team the LA Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel (recently bailed for NY). 16/44 FLAC download Very nice performance and spectacular sound.
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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #657 - 10/18/24 at 21:46:59

Quote:

Posted by: Dominick Posted on: Yesterday at 13:55:58

Listening to this one at work from Arthur Rubenstein...

Interesting. I'm a big fan of Brahms but never really warmed up to his concertos. Of all of them (2 piano, violin and double) I like the violin concerto the best. Everyone has recorded them (like everyone records the piano concertos) and you can make the case you should choose your recording by the orchestra part, not so much the soloist.

On CD.

But I like Arthur Grumiaux and orchestra, lead by Sir Coloin Davis is perfectly fine.

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Dominick Seasoned Member Still like that old time Rock and Roll!! Posts: 1316	Re: Classical Music Thread Reply #658 - 10/19/24 at 01:27:20 Agreed….I am a big fan of Brahms as well. I didn’t the love the piano concerto on this album as much as the violin by comparison. I figured I would give it a try, but it was a bit underwhelming.
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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #659 - 10/19/24 at 03:20:14

Brahms that I really like: Songs Without Words aka lieder arranged for cello and piano played by Mischa Maisky.

On CD for the DG/Maisky box.

How good is your midrange? Listen to this disc and if you aren't swept away by the abject beauty of the music you either A) don't like the cello B) need to take a hard look at your system or C) should consider consulting an endocrinologist. JMO/YMMV.

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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #660 - 10/19/24 at 19:12:51

After listening to the Reiner/Chicago Rossini disc a few days ago I decided to spin up a few more of my favs. Starting with Marche Slave and Ruslan and Ludmila from the Pictures at an Exhibition disc.

Marche Slave is a high school band staple, and a bit nostalgic for yours truly while Ruslan is one of the great virtuoso show pieces and you can almost smell the rosin burning on the bows as the strings dig into the demi-semiquavers.

And then there is the Polka and Fugue from Schwanda the Bigpiper.

This might be more of a guilty pleasure because many of my "serious musician" friends roll their eyes when I mention it, but I love it. Esp. the great fugal finale where the legendary Chicago brass blow the roof off the joint.

Both DSD rips from the Living Stereo SACDs

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CAJames Seasoned Member "I've run every red light on memory lane." Posts: 2100	Re: Classical Music Thread Reply #661 - Yesterday at 16:41:36 Carlo Maria Giulini's La Mer from the Warner Complete Debussy. 16/44 FLAC download The "box" (virtual or physical) is a great way to up your Debussy game with both the greatest hits and a lot of B-sides that should be better known.
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