Otto's Classical Musick

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Ormandy, Philadelphia Orch - Mahler Symphony No 1, Strauss Rosenkavalier Suite

Ormandy, Philadelphia Orch -
Mahler Symphony No 1, Strauss Rosenkavalier Suite
Symphonic | APE, no cue | no log, cover | 1 CD, 324 MB
RapidShare

CD Content
Mahler Symphony No 1 with the long lost original second movement
Strauss Richard "Der Rosenkavalier" Suite

Klemperer - Great Conductors of the 20th Century

Drawing from the archives of all the major classical labels (EMI, Sony, BMG, DG, Decca, Philips, Supraphon, etc.), EMI and IMG Artists have assembled a wonderful series of affordable two-disc sets by the leading conductors of the last century. And unlike its counterpart, "The Great Pianists of the 20th Century," which are basically compilations of material already available on other CDs, the "Great Conductors" features rare and, for the most part, previously unreleased performances!

This particular CD, Volume 19, features the great Otto Klemperer. Unlike many of the conductors featured in this series, the majority of Klemperer's great stereo performances for EMI have been reissued on CD, along with, more recently, some of his classic mono recordings and even rare broadcasts. As a result, you would think there wouldn't be any worthwhile unreleased material left. Well, guess again. With the exception of a 1931 historical recording of excerpts from Weill's "Three Penny Opera," these two discs feature four broadcast recordings and two live recordings. The broadcast recordings are Mozart's 25th and 38th Symphonies with the RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, while Strauss' "Till Eulenspiegel" and a breathtaking Janacek "Sinfonietta" are with the WDR Sinfonie Orchester Koln. The live recordings are Stravinsky's "Pulcinella Suite" with the Bavarian RSO, and Beethoven's 2nd Symphony with RSO Berlin. All of these performances are from the 1950s and are in mono.

Whether you are a serious collector of classical music or a beginner, the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" has something for everyone. If the prized, rare performances previously unreleased on CD (or ever!) doesn't excite you, then use this as an opportunity to check out one of the greatest conductors ever recorded. Chances are, since stores are offering increasingly homogenized classical music sections, this conductor isn't even in your collection. And that would truly be a shame.--Amazon

CD Content

# Symphony No. 38 in D major ("Prague"), K. 504
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Berlin RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester

# Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche (Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks), tone poem for orchestra, Op. 28 (TrV 171)
Composed by Richard Strauss
Performed by Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester

# Pulcinella, suite for orchestra
Composed by Igor Stravinsky
Performed by Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
with Willi Buchner, Oskar Riedl, Rudolf Kockert, Josef Merz, Franz Hoger

# Kleine Dreigroschenmusik, suite for wind orchestra (based on "Die Dreigroschenoper") Die Moritat von Mackie Messer
Composed by Kurt Weill
Performed by Berlin State Opera Orchestra

# Kleine Dreigroschenmusik, suite for wind orchestra (based on "Die Dreigroschenoper") Die Ballade vom angenehmen Leben
Composed by Kurt Weill
Performed by Berlin State Opera Orchestra

# Kleine Dreigroschenmusik, suite for wind orchestra (based on "Die Dreigroschenoper") Tango-Ballade
Composed by Kurt Weill
Performed by Berlin State Opera Orchestra

# Kleine Dreigroschenmusik, suite for wind orchestra (based on "Die Dreigroschenoper") Kanonen-Song
Composed by Kurt Weill
Performed by Berlin State Opera Orchestra

# Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183 (K. 173dB)
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Berlin RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester

# Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra

# Sinfonietta for orchestra ("Military," "Sokol Festival"), JW 6/18
Composed by Leos Janacek
Performed by Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Gershwin - Porgy & Bess - Rattle, London Philharmonic

Gershwin caught the essence of the American Experience in his music. Here he goes beyond color and cultural experience to the fundamentally human experience of living in "The Land of the Free". This music is now woven into the very fabric of America. There is no greater testament to the quality of this music and the value of the music of Gershwin. This recording is the benchmark by which all others are measured.

This recording of Gershwin's masterpiece has been the recording of choice since its release in 1989, and it remains so. The cast is close to ideal: Willard White, an old hand as Porgy, is at his best, sympathetic, high-spirited, manly, sensitive; Gregg Baker's Crown leaps out of the speakers; Cynthia Haymon, who avoids the hard edge that has befallen many Besses, sounds as if she means every word; Harolyn Blackwell never has sounded fuller or better than she does here as Clara; Damon Evans' Sportin' Life is almost visible; and the rest of the cast is vividly theatrical. If there is a criticism to be made, it is about Simon Rattle's leadership: he leads this not-very-subtle score with even less subtlety. He underscores passages, emphasizes every other musical phrase, and in general drives the music in a manner that is helpful in the more startling, melodramatic moments, but doesn't allow for much fun or tenderness. Still, don't let this dissuade you; this recording is worth its grand reputation.--Robert Levine

CD Content

Porgy and Bess, opera
Composed by George Gershwin

Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra
with Anne Fridal, Harolyn Blackwell, Willard White, Maureen Braithwaite, Autris Paige, Curtis Watson, Colenton Freeman, Camellia Johnson, Linda Thompson, Paula Ingram, Ron Travis, Michael Forest, Hyacinth Nicholls, William Johnson, Ted Maynard, Mervin Wallace, Marietta Simpson, Ritchie Pitts, Blair Wilson, Damon Evans, Cynthia Clarey, Raemond Martin, Wayne Marshall, Gregg Baker, Bruce Hubbard, Alan Tilvern, Billy J. Mitchell, Jim Malary, Johnny Worthy, Cynthia Haymon, Barrington Coleman

Conducted by Simon Rattle

Friday, January 29, 2010

Great Conductors of The 20th Century Vol 22- Charles Munch

Great Conductors of The 20th Century Vol 22- Charles Munch
Orchestral | Eac, flac, cue | log, scans | 2 CD, 825 MB

February 11, 2003 | EMI | RapidShare

Charles Munch is remembered by American collectors for the records that he made with the Boston Symphony Orchestra between approximately 1951 and 1962. His Bostonian Berlioz, Debussy, and Ravel still maintain their hold on many allegiances. (For example, in my opinion, no one has surpassed his Berlioz Roman Carnival Overture.) The present collection reminds listeners that he made many fine records in Europe both before and after his years in Boston, right up until his death in 1968.

Munch is commonly referred to as a quintessential French conductor, but he was born a German citizen in Strasbourg in 1891. (At that time, the Alsace-Lorraine region still was under German control.) He spent much of his early career studying violin in Paris. However, he also served as concertmaster in Leipzig under both Bruno Walter and Wilhelm Furtwängler. A late bloomer on the podium, he was already in his 40s when he made his conducting debut in Paris. His interpretations are often exciting and spontaneous – Munch was seldom the same twice - yet not lacking in discipline and attention to detail.

This collection of studio recordings contains much to enjoy. His "Choral" Symphony from 1958 is wonderfully masculine and propulsive, and were the singing in the finale a little better, it would be a first choice. The Saint-Saëns overture is an appealing rarity, recorded at one of Munch's first sessions in Boston. The Martinů reminds us that Munch was a quiet advocate for modern music; this underrepresented work was commissioned for the Boston Symphony Orchestra's 75th anniversary, and Munch's recording – difficult to find until now – remains the best. The Bizet, recorded as late as 1966, is brilliant yet warm. The Prokofieff excerpts are less successful, and the Mendelssohn, though brilliantly played, doesn't really work when it is played by a full orchestra.--Raymond Tuttle

CD Content

# La princesse jaune, opera (opéra-comique) in 1 act, Op. 30 Overture
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Charles Munch

# Symphony No. 9 in D minor ("Choral"), Op. 125
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra
with Giorgio Tozzi, David Poleri, Maureen Forrester, Leontyne Price
Conducted by Charles Munch

# Le Corsaire, overture for orchestra, H. 101 (Op. 21)
Composed by Hector Berlioz
Performed by Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire
Conducted by Charles Munch

# Octet for strings in E flat major, Op. 20 3. Scherzo. Allegro leggierissimo
Composed by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Charles Munch

# Symphony in C major
Composed by Georges Bizet
Performed by L'Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise
Conducted by Charles Munch

# Symphony No. 6 ("Fantaisies symphoniques"), H. 343
Composed by Bohuslav Martinu
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Charles Munch

# Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 1 for orchestra, Op. 64 bis No. 8. Death of Tybalt
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Charles Munch

# Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 2 for orchestra, Op. 64 ter No. 1. The Montagues and Capulets
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Charles Munch

# Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 2 for orchestra, Op. 64 ter No. 4. Dance
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Charles Munch

# Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 2 for orchestra, Op. 64 ter No. 5. Romeo and Juliet before parting
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Charles Munch

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Poulenc - The Complete music for Solo Piano - Paul Crossley

In brief, this is subtle and musicianly playing as one would expect from Crossley. It offers a somewhat unusual interpretation of Poulenc, the wistful element in his music deepened into a slightly self-conscious 'poetic' lyricism. The recorded piano tone is excellent. L.S.

CD Content

Les soirees de Nazelles.
Trois pieces.
Trois mouvements perpêtuels.
Melancolie.
Napoli.
Feuillets d'album.
Pastourelle.
Bourree au pavilion d'Auvergne.
Valse in C major.
Piece breve sur le nom d'Albert Roussel.
15 Improvisations.
Theme vane.
Trois intermezzi.
Six impromptus-Nos. 1-5.
Presto in B flat major.
Badinage.
Humoresque.
Valse-improvisation sur le nom de Bach.
Huit nocturnes.
Suite francaise.
Trois novelettes.
Suite in C major.
Villageoises.
Francaise.
Promenades.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra - Piano Concerto Yellow River

In a 1971 letter to President Richard Nixon, Eugene Ormandy suggested a Philadelphia Orchestra tour to China. Two years of negotiations led by Henry Kissinger finally produced an invitation from the Chinese government, and in September 1973 the Philadelphia Orchestra became the first United States Orchestra to visit the People's Republic of China. This State-Department-arranged tour took the musicians to Peking and Shanghai.

The carefully-chosen repertory for the tour included several works by American composers as well as the Yellow River Concerto, with Chinese pianist Yin Cheng-Chung as soloist. Originally created as a cantata by the Chinese composer Hsien Hsing-hai in the 1940s, the work was later rewritten as a piano concerto by a committee of composers from the Central Philharmonic Society of the People's Republic of China. The concerto had received its Western Hemisphere premiere the previous month at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the Philadelphia Orchestra's summer home.

CD Content
The Yellow River" Concerto
San Pei (Chinese Workers's And Peasant's Match)
The Stars And Stripes Forever
Respighi - Pines Of Rome

Xinghai - Ode to the Yellow River - Shanghai Philharmonic, Peng

Xinghai Xian
Born: 13 June 1905 — Macao — China
Died: 30 October 1945 — Moscow — USSR

Educated in music schools and conservatories in Canton (1918), Beijing (1926) and Shanghai (1928), Xinghai Xian travelled to France in 1930 to study composition with d’Indy and Dukas and take violin lessons. After a period at the Paris Conservatoire he returned to Shanghai in 1935; he subsequently worked for the Pathé (Baidai) Record Company, headed the music section of the left-wing New China (Xinhua) Film Company, and composed many songs for use in anti-Japanese popular movements. With the outbreak of war with Japan in 1937, Xian moved to Wuhan then to the Communist headquarters at Yan’an, where he became head of music at Lu Xun College of the Arts (1938), composed several significant nationalistic compositions, such as the cantata Huanghe (1939), and encouraged the study of folk music so that it could be better adapted by reformist composers. In 1940 he moved to Moscow for further study, and remained in various parts of the Soviet Union and Mongolia until his death. As with his contemporary Nie Er, Xian’s image was held up after his death by the Communist Party as that of a model revolutionary musician: his present reputation in Chinese musical circles stems more from politically motivated discussions of his life and personality than from the impact of specific compositions.

CD Content

Ode to the Yellow River
Go to the Rear Area of the Enemy
Song at Midnight
February
Lamentation to the Yellow River
Song of Working Women's Day
Thorns of Wild Jujube Tree

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Rachmaninov - Symphony # 1-3 - Vocalise - Philadelphia Orch. - Ormandy

The main reason for recommending these performances is that Ormandy has the rich, expressive sound of the Philadelphia Orchestra, particularly in the lush strings, that is perfect for Rachmaninov and, further, he was a masterful interpreter of this music.

Ormandy elicits a powerful performance from his Philadelphia Orchestra. In these recordings one will hear the most riveting heights of the string section of the Philadelphia Orchestra. The sheer power of the strings is most evident in the riveting finale of the 2nd Symphony, its conclusion has no equal in any other recordings I have heard. You will listen to evocative surges of power and all the contemplative mystery that one would expect to hear from this orchestra.

What else could be expected from the orchestra and conductor that pioneered Rachmaninov's work for so many years? A great first choice for these works.

CD Content

# Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27
# Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13 (lost; reconstructed from piano duets and orch. fragments)
# Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44
# Vocalise, transcription for orchestra, Op. 34/14

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Wagner - Der Fliegende Holländer - Hotter, Krauss, Bayerische Staatsoper

The stellar quality of this recording is well known.

Practically every male in this production is outstanding, Maestro Krauss included. Yet, the name Viorica Ursuleac (pronounced in Romanian [UR soo lyak]) is strong enough to persuade some buyers to choose another production altogether. I did not know until recently how misunderstood this artist of historical importance is.

Ursuleac's voice is large, rich, full, dark and quite powerful from top to bottom. It is trained to maintain a high tessitura. The vowels are based on the sound [oo] as the word "spooky". For those who want a reference, Ursuleac seems to be a fine mixture of Zinka Milanov and Antonietta Stella. In fact, Milanov's later style seems based on Ursuleac's example, they are that similar. Yet, Ursuleac is less slavic and more open toned, and in the top and bottom ranges she is more powerful than Milanov. She does not match Milanov's middle voice but her piano tones are on a par.

There is much to be studied about Ursuleac since she was the original R. Strauss soprano. Ranczak and Grob-Prandl among many others have spoken of her big and easy top register, which persuades me that Schwarzkopf, TeKanawa, and Fleming may be the modern version of the Strauss soprano; lighter voices. It seems that Ursuleac was able to sing ALL of the Strauss operas. It seems now that there are two types of Strauss sopranos: the dramatics and the lyrics.

My own opinion is that I am fond of her voice, if not the way she sings. I don't like that her High C in "In questa reggia" sounds as if it came from another throat or that her tone sags at times. Yet, I love the sound, the heaviness, that molasses like heaviness; sweet, thick, and rich.

Bravo Ursuleac!!!! It's about time!--Amazon

CD Content

Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), opera, WWV 63
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Bavarian State Opera Orchestra
with Karl Ostertag, Franz Klarwein, Georg Hann, Hans Hotter, Viorica Ursuleac, Luise Willer
Conducted by Clemens Krauss

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Albert Coates - Great Conductors of the 20th Century

If you are not already familiar with the amazing conducting art of the Russian-born Albert Coates (1882-1953), then you should not pass up this two-CD set devoted to him in the "Great Conductors of the Twentieth Century" series.

All of the recordings are from 1926-1930 period and are of a stunning quality not just sonically but artistically as well. I liked what I heard all the way through the largely Russian fare that made up the first disc, but the final track was a Ravel "La Valse" that really set me off. This is a piece whose opening is often almost inaudible or else done so softly on more contemporary recordings, but with Coates leading the London Symphony Orchestra in this take from 1926 it opens with growling pulsations that set the stage for a performance that is as sensitive as it is electrical. This is music-making done with as little manneristic effect as possible, and the result is like hearing the work again for the first time.

The second disc is a generous helping of Wagner done with the brisk tempi that Coates seemed to prefer and which he was able to employ to such powerful effect. This is Wagner deliberately done but not at all lacking in depth or feeling: the reading of the "Tannhauser Overture" reminds you once more why this really is such magnificent music; the "Entry of the Gods into Valhalla" benefits here too from an unusual arrangement that may puzzle some purists but which allows the conductor and orchestra to explore the excerpt musically; the "Magic Fire Music" is a stunning combination of real pathos and even more real majesty; and the "Rhine Journey" is a finely nuanced performance which made me think that even Toscanini could have learned a thing or two from it about how to approach this score. The "Tristan und Isolde" Act 2 Love Duet with Lauritz Melchior and Frida Leider speaks for itself. In Coates these two giants have a real collaborator, a man who makes the orchestra (the Berlin Staatsoper band) an integral part of the ecstasy unfolding before you. I was amazed at how 'connected' the two vocalists seemed to be with the orchestral sound around them, a level of connection not always apparent or even present in the recordings done since the 1960s.

The final selection is a 1928 "Tod und Verklarung" that is all painful simplicity: it is the most organic unravelling of this work that I have ever heard on CD (the others, for the sake of comparison, being Mengelberg, Furtwangler, Rodzinski, Horenstein, Kempe, and Karajan): it is an awesome example of emotion and control holding each other in check.--Amazon

CD Content

# Oberon, overture to the opera
Composed by Carl Maria von Weber

# Mephisto Waltz, for orchestra No. 1 (Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke; Episoden No. 2), S. 110/2 (LW G16/2)
Composed by Franz Liszt

# Symphony No.2 in B minor
Composed by Alexander Borodin

# Mlada, suite for orchestra Procession of the Nobles
Composed by Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov

# Francesca da Rimini, symphonic fantasy for orchestra in E minor, Op. 32
Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky

# Gopak (Hopak), for orchestra, transcribed by Liadov from the opera Sorochintsï Fair
Composed by Modest Mussorgsky

# La valse, poème choréographique for orchestra
Composed by Maurice Ravel

# Tannhäuser, opera, WWV 70 Overture
Composed by Richard Wagner

# Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold), opera, WWV 86a Einzug der Götter
Composed by Richard Wagner

# Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), opera, WWV 86b Feuerzauber
Composed by Richard Wagner

# Die Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods), opera, WWV 86d Siegfrieds Rheinfahrt
Composed by Richard Wagner

# Tristan und Isolde, opera, WWV 90 Act 2. Love Duet. Isolde! Geliebte! - Tristan! Geliebter! / O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebe
Composed by Richard Wagner
Performed by Berlin State Opera Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra
with Frida Leider, Lauritz Melchior
Conducted by Albert Coates

# Hänsel und Gretel, opera Prelude
Composed by Engelbert Humperdinck

# Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration), tone poem for orchestra, Op. 24 (TrV 158)
Composed by Richard Strauss

Friday, January 22, 2010

Shostakovich - Suites-Jazz-Ballet-Film Music - NSO Ukraine,Kuchar

Shostakovich wrote a lot of light music but not necessarily a lot of great light music. The Jazz Suite No. 2 (compiled by others) is a case in point. Conductor Theodore Kuchar deserves credit for making the suite consistently entertaining. Though most of it is simple dance music, Kuchar at least provides the proper idiom--the particular lilt--of each type of dance. So the listener at least gets to hear these chips from the master's workbench in friendly performances.

Kuchar also does as much as he can for the Overture on Russian and Kirghiz Themes, an empty-hearted dues-paying job alleging friendship between the USSR's dominant nationality and one of the dominated ones. Kuchar does not try to minimize the looseness of the work's structure; he just makes sure the high points are there. The piece falls into place as well as any I have heard, short of Neeme Järvi's less jolly performance on Deutsche Grammophon.

Jazz Suite No. 1 is the most imaginative work on the disc. While the Jazz Suite No. 2 has nearly nothing to do with jazz, No. 1 comes from the 1920s Euro-jazz milieu of Kurt Weill or Erwin Schulhoff and still manages to sound like real Shostakovich. Kuchar's performance is appropriately low and gutsy, and he adds a rhythmic underpinning that makes it my preferred performance. The Festive Overture is a piece that seems to laugh at its own trashiness. It suffers when played either too grandly or with its satire too obvious. Kuchar makes the right choice: it peeks over the top without going there. The remaining peppercorn, the tiny but big-hearted Novorossisk Chimes, adds a welcome dose of sincerity.

The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine achieves an authentic sound--lithe rather than lush--for this music and plays with excellent ensemble. There are numerous solo turns for principal players, all taken with appropriate character. Brilliant Classics' SACD surround-sound is very good. Recorded in a lively ambience (making the surround channels a bit more noticeable than on many orchestral SACDs), the disc's only sonic flaw of note is its "splashy" quality at brassier tutti moments.----Joseph Stevenson

CD Content

Cd1
Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2
Overture on Russian and Khirghiz Folksongs, for orchestra, Op. 115
Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 1
Novorossisk Chimes (The Fire of Eternal Glory), for orchestra
Festive Overture, for orchestra in A major, Op. 96

Cd2
The Bolt, suite from the ballet, Op. 27a
The Limpid Stream, suite from the ballet, Op. 39a
The Age of Gold, suite from the ballet, Op. 22a

Cd3
Hamlet, suite from the film score, Op.116a
The Gadfly, suite from the film score, Op. 97a

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Christa Ludwig - Great Recordings of the Century - Klemperer

This compilation of recordings from the early 1960's celebrates the collaboration of two of the most widely honoured artists of the 20th century. Otto Klemperer (1885-1973) was an almost legendary name when in the post-war years he was brought before a largely new & eager public to conduct the Philharmonia, the orchestra created by the record producer & impressario Walter Legge to be the very instrument for a conductor of Klemperer's experience & insight. Christa Ludwig, born in Berlin in 1924, was a mezzo-soprano with most of her career still ahead of her but one who had already made a strong impression on an international public & (importantly for her prospects as a recording artist) on Legge himself, a man with a fine ear for singers but not the easiest person to please. Legge brought these two artists together initially for one of these recordings in this programme, Brahms' 'Alto Rhapsody'. Since that time, the pairing of Klemperer & Ludwig created some of the most wonderful recordings of orchestral songs & opera.--Amazon

CD Content

Wesendonk Lieder (orch. Mottl): Der Engel
Wesendonk Lieder (orch. Mottl): Stehe still
Wesendonk Lieder (orch. Mottl): Im Treibhaus
Wesendonk Lieder (orch. Mottl): Schmerzen
Wesendonk Lieder: Träume
Tristan Und Isolde, Act 3, Scene 3: Mild und leise wie er lächelt (Isoldes Liebestod: Isolde)
Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53
Fidelio Op. 72: Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin?...Komm, Hoffnung
Lieder aus "Des Knaben Wunderhorn": Das Irdische Leben
Lieder aus "Des Knaben Wunderhorn": Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen
Fünf Rückert-Lieder: Ich atmet' einem linden Duft
Fünf Rückert-Lieder: Um Mitternacht
Fünf Rückert-Lieder: Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Handel - Messiah - Klemperer, Schwarzkopf,Hoffman,Gedda,Hines,PO

If you like your Messiah to be big and huge, then this one is it my friends! Unfortunately the executives at EMI have discontinued it.

The opening and closing moments are something to marvel at, and the stereo sound is great. With every aria or recitative in Klemperer's Messiah, he has you listening with great attention (at least for me anyway). The cast is so good, and you can tell that they really wanted to make this a great recording. The Philharmonia chorus is directed by Wilhelm Pitz (from the Bayreuth Festival). They sing with the power and thunder of a volcano, and the sweet hush of a spring breeze. Mind you, with full, clean and clear articulation. The overall interpretation is so arch-like that it is similar to the way Klemperer does Bach's Mass in B. It's really rare how well he understands the score compared to the millions of cheap Messiah's recordings out there!

This Klemperer character never ceases to amaze me, and this Messiah I will now place at the top of my Messiah's list.

This Messiah is only for those who like their Messiah's grand and noble, and played with great stength. Not at all for the period performance lover with period style practice. This is for Klemperer lovers who want to love him even more!

If you ever find it, I highly recommend getting it! --Amazon

CD Content
Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56
Composed by George Frideric Handel
Performed by Philharmonia Chorus, London Philharmonia Orchestra
with Jerome Hines, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Grace Hoffmann, Nicolai Gedda
Conducted by Otto Klemperer

Monday, January 18, 2010

Bach JS - Mass in B Bwv 232, Missa Brevis Bwv 233 - Jochum

There are three Eugene Jochum recordings of the Mass in B minor floating around out there: this is the first.

Jochum's reading is generally even-paced and flows easily. He avoids the stateliness of Klemperer's reading but does not fly by the listener in a mad rush as do Pearlman and Gardiner--overall, this is, in a word, a very solid and respectable performance. Jochum's choral forces are large (HUGE if you're used to the "one voice per part" approach) and at their fullest (such as the opening "Kyrie") the choirs and orchestra combined can generate a respectably powerful sound.

The soloists are all uniformly good. There is only a slight balance issue during the "Domine Deus" duet between soprano and tenor soloists.

Overall, Jochum's first recording is absolutely solid. For listeners approaching this masterwork for the first time, this is a great place to start.

CD Content
# Mass for 3 voices, chorus, orchestra & continuo in F major, BWV 233 (BC E6)
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Munich Pro Arte Orchestra
with Gisela Litz, Leonard Hokanson, Eduard Melkus, Hermann Prey, Manfred Clement, Agnes Giebel
Conducted by Kurt Redel

# Mass in B minor, for 5 voices, 6-part chorus, violin, orchestra & continuo, BWV 232 (BC E1)
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
with Kurt Richter, Wilhelm Carl Grimm, Hans Braun, Kim Borg, Hertha Topper, Kurt Kalmus, Karl Benzinger, Anton Nowakowski, Margarethe Scharitzer, Lois Marshall, Peter Pears, Josef Merz, Franz Hoger, Karl Bobzien, Rudolf Joachim Koeckert
Conducted by Eugen Jochum