Classical Court

From Perotin to Prokofiev (and beyond), performed by Caruso to Khatia, it's all here.

Return to Classical Court

Message Sort: Post Order or Asylum Reverse Threaded

Yeay! - I knew I could wait 'em out

77.111.245.11
Posted on January 9, 2021 at 02:37:52
Chris from Lafayette
Bored Member

Posts: 19142
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012
 I mentioned that I got only a single download of Chandos' 2020 releases last year - I guess I just don't like having to pay £20 for their MCh incarnations. But their latest sale, which extends to almost the end of the month, now allows for 30% off Chandos label downloads (i.e., £14 or less for MCh downloads).

Of course, I got my downloads of a lot of the MCh Chandos albums in previous years, but there are still plenty I don't have which seem like they could be interesting!

I've got my eye on the John Wilson Respighi album and Copland Volume IV album (with the Third Symphony), as well as Wilson's "Fanfares" album, the Delibes Ballet Suites album with Jarvi, Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle with Gardner, a couple of the Karabits albums of music by composers from the old Soviet "ethnic" republics (Avet Rubeni Terterian et al.), Gretchaninov's Passion Week (although I'm undecided about that one, because that may be one of the few Chandos MCh releases which has a DSD master - so SACD might actually be the better option with this title). . . much more. I plan to dribble them, one or two at a time per day.

 

Hide full thread outline!
    ...
OK to 'dribble' them..., posted on January 9, 2021 at 05:26:59
Ivan303
Audiophile

Posts: 41699
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
Joined: February 26, 2001
 Just don't 'dribble' ON them. :-)



 

Sorry if I've missed this before... but how many hard copies, i.e., posted on January 9, 2021 at 07:23:38
tinear
Audiophile

Posts: 60439
Location: Willamette Valley OR
Joined: April 9, 2006
Contributor
  Since: April 8, 2006
 CD, SACD, vinyl, of classical music do you own?

 

RE: Sorry if I've missed this before... but how many hard copies, i.e., posted on January 9, 2021 at 12:40:42
Chris from Lafayette
Bored Member

Posts: 19142
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012
 I've been trying to gain back shelf space over the last decade or so, and I have gotten rid of a lot of discs - but OTOH, there are some bargains on disc which I can't resist, so the shelves have filled right back up! (Well, almost!) When I last counted, many years ago, I had between 3,000 - 4,000 discs, including CD, SACD, DVD-Audio, blu-ray audio, even laser discs! - also a number of dvd videos of classical concerts/ballets/operas and blu-ray videos of the same. I do have a handful (less than 5) LP's which I haven't played since the '80's - I've kept these mainly because of personal inscriptions on them. The number of my downloads of various types is easily over 1,000 - perhaps nearer to 2,000. (The Mac operating system says the number is over 5,000, but it's probably counting tracks, rather than albums or "disc equivalents" in a lot of cases.)

These days, I almost feel as if I'm on a treadmill - with so much new stuff coming in so often, it's sometimes difficult to savor (by repeat listening) what I already have. As Rosanne Rosannadanna used to say, "It's always somethin'!"

 

I'll try to be careful [nt] ;-), posted on January 9, 2021 at 16:49:15
Chris from Lafayette
Bored Member

Posts: 19142
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012

 

I'm just getting the "X" as well, darnit, but it's a very artistic "X." Re: Wilson Respighi..., posted on January 9, 2021 at 17:16:23
jdaniel@jps.net
Audiophile

Posts: 21817
Location: No. California
Joined: December 16, 2003
 I only kept the Fountains, the climax of which finally overwhelms as it should. Just...wow.

Otherwise, there are a lot of accelerandi leading up to climaxes that does rob the music of grandeur and spectacle, IMHO.

 

But if you click on the "X", you'll get several screens of Chandos recordings [nt], posted on January 9, 2021 at 21:57:53
Chris from Lafayette
Bored Member

Posts: 19142
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012

 

(Actually, when I click on the link, I don't get the "X" - I get the Chandos recordings screens), posted on January 9, 2021 at 21:59:39
Chris from Lafayette
Bored Member

Posts: 19142
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012

 

It's very generous but I'm going to wait for Presto 50% sale, the shockingly best of all. Nt, posted on January 10, 2021 at 17:34:11
jdaniel@jps.net
Audiophile

Posts: 21817
Location: No. California
Joined: December 16, 2003
 .

 

? Tell me more! [nt] ;-), posted on January 11, 2021 at 01:12:05
Chris from Lafayette
Bored Member

Posts: 19142
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012
 Of course, Presto does not offer MCh downloads.

You've heard of "the poor pay more"? Well, in audio, the MCh fans pay more! ;-)

 

BTW, I downloaded Wilson's Respighi album earlier tonight, posted on January 11, 2021 at 01:35:44
Chris from Lafayette
Bored Member

Posts: 19142
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012
 Or, rather, I should say that I downloaded the first five tracks of it. (There was a glitch on track 6 which stopped the rest of the download dead in its tracks.)

So what I've heard so far is all of Feste Romane, and the first Fountain. And I'm in agreement with everyone else that, yes, the tempos sure are fast (as they were on the couple of Wilson's Copland albums I have). My initial impression is that the tempos actually work better than I would have expected (really brilliant playing from the orchestra!), given what you and Dave (over at Classics Today) had to say about them. I kept thinking that Wilson was going to lose his clarity and articulation - but he never does, at least in what I've heard so far. But that's just my preliminary impression at this point.

 

Thanks for the heads up! I went a little crazy, posted on January 11, 2021 at 10:04:45
srl1
Audiophile

Posts: 1184
Location: Florida Panhandle
Joined: September 2, 2003
 with my purchases. I bought the Bavouzet Beethoven piano sonatas set and the Storgards Nielsen symphony set as well as several "film music" albums I've always wanted and a few others that were hires that I had on CD. Got some real good listening ahead of me.

 

Bavouzet/Beethoven, posted on January 11, 2021 at 12:17:52
Chris from Lafayette
Bored Member

Posts: 19142
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012
 I downloaded volume 1 of his complete Beethoven Sonatas a couple of months ago (I think it's the equivalent of three CD's), and both Ms. CfL and I enjoyed his generally headlong plunge into these works! Also: Bavouzet includes some real rarities, such as a movement which Beethoven decided to leave out of Op. 10 No. 1, as well as an alternative finale of the same work. Not to second-guess Beethoven, but I really like that movement which he eventually decided to leave out, and I'd like to hear more performances which place it back into its original position in the larger work!

 

Jarvi's Prokofiev and Bartok...., posted on January 14, 2021 at 17:29:45
jdaniel@jps.net
Audiophile

Posts: 21817
Location: No. California
Joined: December 16, 2003
 Jarvi's Philharmonia Wooden Prince has never been bettered, IMHO. It's part of a collection (USD $9) including the Concerto for Orchestra, but I can't find many reviews at all. Any opinions?

I also used to own the Prokofiev Piano Concertos with Gutierrez and Berman and enjoyed that cycle as well.

 

Prokofiev Concertos, posted on January 16, 2021 at 01:10:52
Chris from Lafayette
Bored Member

Posts: 19142
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012
 I like the newer Chandos recordings of these works with Bavouzet and Noseda a bit better than the older ones with Gutierrez and Berman (maybe because I heard Bavouzet play the Third live with Jurowski and the LPO on tour). MCh does not enter into the equation for me in this case. ;-)

 

the best Prokofiev Piano Concerto 2..., posted on January 16, 2021 at 05:43:29
pbarach
Audiophile

Posts: 2472
Location: Ohio
Joined: June 22, 2008
 ...IMO it was the recording by Frager, Leibowitz, and the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra. It's never been reissued on CD or to my knowledge in any other format.

 

Agreed! And what a recording. So odd no one's remastered it. nt, posted on January 16, 2021 at 07:03:57
jdaniel@jps.net
Audiophile

Posts: 21817
Location: No. California
Joined: December 16, 2003
 ..

 

RE: the best Prokofiev Piano Concerto 2..., posted on January 16, 2021 at 07:05:43
Kal Rubinson
Reviewer

Posts: 11803
Location: New York
Joined: June 5, 2002
 Yes and my alternative was the Beroff/Mazur/Gewandhaus on EMI.

Of the recent ones, I like Gerstein/Gaffigan/DSO on Myrios.

Just relistened. Beroff is still A-OK but Gerstein's a bit laggy, especially in the cadenza.

 

Re: Bav Bartok, something about the (2chan) sound bugged me, my fav Bartok 2nd is Kocsis/Fisher on Philips, , posted on January 16, 2021 at 07:08:17
jdaniel@jps.net
Audiophile

Posts: 21817
Location: No. California
Joined: December 16, 2003
 crackling energy in 3rd mov't (interaction between bass drum and piano really fun, Bav is just a touch stiff here and BBC bass drum stuffy) and piano/orchestra seems more realistically spread out on the Philips recording.

 

I've been living with Rana's on Warner. I'd put it in the "very good" category. Not a bad recording either. , posted on January 16, 2021 at 07:10:08
jdaniel@jps.net
Audiophile

Posts: 21817
Location: No. California
Joined: December 16, 2003
 nt

 

RE: the best Prokofiev Piano Concerto 2..., posted on January 16, 2021 at 07:50:39
pbarach
Audiophile

Posts: 2472
Location: Ohio
Joined: June 22, 2008
 Hearing Frager perform that concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra (Louis Lane conducting) was my intro to that piece. I had no idea what was coming, and that cadenza knocked me back in my seat.

 

Yeah, the cadenza tells the story for me. (NT), posted on January 16, 2021 at 07:59:09
Kal Rubinson
Reviewer

Posts: 11803
Location: New York
Joined: June 5, 2002

 

Yes - I like the Kocsis/Fisher Bartok set too, although. . . , posted on January 17, 2021 at 00:49:31
Chris from Lafayette
Bored Member

Posts: 19142
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: February 17, 2004
Contributor
  Since: February 6, 2012
 . . . I didn't find the Philips recording as realistic as you did. Of course, in the Prokofiev Second Concerto, I don't want to forget one of my other faves either. . .

10 ratings, 100% 5 stars on Amazon. But, alas, Amazon is selling it now for $902.81 new. That darned Jeff Sleazos!

 

RE: Yes - I like the Kocsis/Fisher Bartok set too, although. . . , posted on January 17, 2021 at 07:24:14
jdaniel@jps.net
Audiophile

Posts: 21817
Location: No. California
Joined: December 16, 2003
 If the recording is pro-bass drum.... : )

Actually, not Sleazos' fault, the price was set by one of the agrarian folk who sell privately.

 

Good God! That's rather amazing. 3,000 cds (for argument's sake) X, posted on January 19, 2021 at 10:05:25
tinear
Audiophile

Posts: 60439
Location: Willamette Valley OR
Joined: April 9, 2006
Contributor
  Since: April 8, 2006
 45 min/each+. It would take you, then, approxiately 94 days of 24hr/day listening to hear 'em all.

Ready, steady, GO! (lay in a lot of coffee beans 'fore you do)

 

Page processed in 0.031 seconds.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2021, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]