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Classical Court From Perotin to Prokofiev (and beyond), performed by Caruso to Khatia, it's all here. |
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Classical Court From Perotin to Prokofiev (and beyond), performed by Caruso to Khatia, it's all here. |
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Still catching up with my BRO order from a couple of weeks ago. Here are some more "shoot from the hip" reactions (all MCh SACD's except for the MCh 24/96 download of the Mahler/Vanska recording).
Ms. CfL refused to listen to this recording because the music means too much to her and she can't take the emotion of it unless she's prepared. Too bad, because I would like to have had her reaction to it. My own reaction is that the orchestral and choral contributions to the performance are excellent, with the caveat that Orozco-Estrada can't resist trimming the amount of string vibrato (in line with officially sanctioned obeisances to our HIP academicians these days). The sound quality is also excellent, and the soloists are generally good, although I feel that Nicole Heaston's soprano is not quite agile enough for the style of the music, and she has a tone which is less focused than I'd ideally like. Unfortunately, I don't know of any MCh versions of this work which I like better, although, just considering performances only, I do prefer the regular stereo versions of Karajan, Solti and Fruhbeck de Burgos.
Here's another Houston SO recording where I feel that the orchestral playing is outstanding - but I'm so out of sympathy with Orozco-Estrada's interpretation, which is very rapid, with the music pressed forward at every opportunity. Orozco-Estrada evidently feels some sort of special affinity for the Dvorak symphonies, because he's also recorded symphonies 7, 8 and 9 in Houston over the last few years. I may be in the minority here, but Neumann's early digital recording with the CzPO just sounds to me so unforced and naturally lyrical compared to practically any other recording of this work (including this Pentatone recording), and to me, it's Neumann who captures the pure spirit of the music. Once again, Pentatone's MCh sound quality here is excellent, but nothing's going to tear me away from that Neumann recording.
Now we're getting somewhere! This is some repertoire which obviously engages both conductor and orchestra, and their considerable talents are really put to good use in these brilliant and exciting performances. I used to listen to the Salonen/LAPO recording of the Revueltas Snesemaya quite a lot, but this newer recording, in its dryer but clearer acoustic perhaps packs even more punch. And the ubiquitous Bernstein West Side Story Symphonic Dances are just terrific in their smart panache. You'll get a surprise in the Gershwin American in Paris right near the beginning as the taxi horns are right in tune with the various harmonies in the rest of the orchestra - I've never encountered this on other recordings before, although I remember reading some scholarly debate about the subject (i.e., what should the taxi horns' pitch(es) be?). Anyway, lots of enthusiasm and command in these performances!
Yes - another great recording of this work. But I just don't know what to say - this is the third very recent recording of this work I've acquired (the others being Jansons/Concertgebouw and Fischer/BFO), and all three of them sound outstanding to me. Vanska's performance is a bit more "pushy" than the other two, although in this case, I accept it (and the resulting brilliance) more than I can the similar approach on Orozco-Estrada's Dvorak Sixth. As with the other recent BIS recordings in Minnesota, the sound quality is super. I've said before that there is always room for thrilling new recordings of standard works, no matter how many other outstanding recordings of the same work already exist. I guess all that remains to be said is that we've got an embarrassment of riches with these recent recordings of Mahler's Seventh (and that observation doesn't even include yet another outstanding performance - the Chailly/LGO recording on blu-ray video!).
Edits: 07/02/20
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Topic - More Pentatones (Houston SO), plus Vanska's Mahler 7 - Chris from Lafayette 21:58:41 07/01/20 (2)
- "Taxi!" - pbarach 06:59:12 07/02/20 (1)
- I was not aware of that Langree/Cincinnati recording - Thanks! [nt] - Chris from Lafayette 10:00:44 07/02/20 (0)
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