Western Classical Music

[manek]

Found two gems today. Two concerto’s for harp and orchestra.

1) Gliere - concerto for harp and orchestra - Osian Ellis. There is only one world for this piece of music “Beautiful”.

2) Concerto de Aranjuez (transcribed for harp) - Marisa Robles + Anneleen Lenaerts
Both harpists are superb. They give a new dimension to this piece.

 

[manek]

Have just been introduced to this lady and she is good….and different(alag hai).
Ivan Fischer and his festival orchestra are in fine nick as well.

Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupSarasate: Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 · Akiko Suwanai · Budapest Festival Orchestra · Iván FischerDvorák: Violin Conce...

m.youtube.com

 

[pindranil]

Found two gems today. Two concerto’s for harp and orchestra.

1) Gliere - concerto for harp and orchestra - Osian Ellis. There is only one world for this piece of music “Beautiful”.

2) Concerto de Aranjuez (transcribed for harp) - Marisa Robles + Anneleen Lenaerts
Both harpists are superb. They give a new dimension to this piece.

The Gliere is superb…in fact he is a fascinating composer. If you have the appetite for large works, try his symphony No 3 Ilya Murometz if you have not already. Usually played in truncated editions, it is glorious in the extended complete version. The Aranjuez transcribed for Harp sounds delectable …will seek it out. Lenaerts has a new album on DG…is it part of that album?

 

[pindranil]

Have just been introduced to this lady and she is good….and different(alag hai).
Ivan Fischer and his festival orchestra are in fine nick as well.

Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupSarasate: Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 · Akiko Suwanai · Budapest Festival Orchestra · Iván FischerDvorák: Violin Conce...

m.youtube.com

I don’t always enjoy Sarasate but a great Virtuoso piece. Akiko Suwanai is very photogenic but her playing does not seem to have left any mark on me. Maybe a cue for me to listen again. Thanks…

 

[manek]

I don’t always enjoy Sarasate but a great Virtuoso piece. Akiko Suwanai is very photogenic but her playing does not seem to have left any mark on me. Maybe a cue for me to listen again. Thanks…

Bruch and Carmen Fantasy for starters.

 

[manek]

The Gliere is superb…in fact he is a fascinating composer. If you have the appetite for large works, try his symphony No 3 Ilya Murometz if you have not already. Usually played in truncated editions, it is glorious in the extended complete version. The Aranjuez transcribed for Harp sounds delectable …will seek it out. Lenaerts has a new album on DG…is it part of that album?

Here you go.

 

[manek]

I don’t always enjoy Sarasate but a great Virtuoso piece. Akiko Suwanai is very photogenic but her playing does not seem to have left any mark on me. Maybe a cue for me to listen again. Thanks…

 

[jls001]

I don’t always enjoy Sarasate but a great Virtuoso piece. Akiko Suwanai is very photogenic but her playing does not seem to have left any mark on me. Maybe a cue for me to listen again. Thanks…

Check out her Sibelius violin concerto. Very good, IMO.

 

[manek]

Check out her Sibelius violin concerto. Very good, IMO.

I heard a few mins of each movement to check it out yday. Will listen to it in detail the coming week.

 

[pindranil]

Bruch and Carmen Fantasy for starters

Check out her Sibelius violin concerto. Very good, IMO.

Will do…although to be honest I am not into violinists as much as pianists given that most soloists have a certain standard. I mean in the standard violin repertoire unless there is something you don’t like about the approach (the take no prisoners of a Jascha Heifetz) or the lean sound (Gidon Kremer) or the over the top virtuosity (like a Vengerov) or the technical fallibility of late Menuhin (as distinct from early Menuhin) or the coolness of Anne Sophie Mutter (very approximate labels all just to exaggerate my point), there is very little recall. For example, for an old warhorse like the Tchaikovsky violin concerto, I have sentimental attachment to my Perlman in Russia Live CD. But objectively well…I am sure the best of today (Hilary Hahn for eg) can approach the same standard easily.

I think the simple fact is that there are so many recordings available of mainstream repertoire it is easy to find excellence but difficult to find individuality.

 

[pindranil]

Here you go.

Thanks will explore…

 

[manek]

I think the simple fact is that there are so many recordings available of mainstream repertoire it is easy to find excellence but difficult to find individuality.

True.

 

[manek]

Check out her Sibelius violin concerto. Very good, IMO.

I heard it and I heard the Tchaikovsky as well. The latter was preferred by me by a long shot.

I guess I have been spoilt by Cho Liang Lin on the Sibelius concerto and Sarah Chang after him. I have heard dozens of artists play Sibelius violin concerto(nearly all albums on apple music) but I dont think I have heard anyone play it as passionately as Mr Cho and Ms Sarah. The wailing tone of their violins in the first movement just moves me to no end and bring tears to my eyes every time.

 

[manek]

I think the simple fact is that there are so many recordings available of mainstream repertoire it is easy to find excellence but difficult to find individuality.

Right now listening to Jinjoo Cho and saint seans violin concerto 3. Really Love it ! Younger gen violinist.

On second thoughts do you or anyone here think the skills of lead artists(soloists) of today playing any instrument is of a generally higher calibre than say in the 50’s-70’s ? I sometimes think so. Most have atleast the technical chops to match the oldies or better. And the women are leading the charge on many fronts. Valentina Lisitsa, Yuja Wang, Alice Sara Ott, Julia Fischer, Hilary Hahn and so many many others dominating the concert halls. And thats a great thing. Even the various annual competitions where the newly graduated soloists are taking part. They are comparatively so mature in their playing at that age.

This whole phenomenon also has led to the instrument makers making really good instruments on the whole. Gone are the days when a Strad or a Guarneri was a must at the higher levels. Julia Fischer goes a tours with her violin made in recent times. Great Alternatives at that level seem to be available. She had said so in one of her tv interviews. I’m sure others do too.

All told, I seem to like where the classical music performing arts industry is headed. There is hope for survival. The recorded music industry on the hand is quite a different story.

 

[pindranil]

Right now listening to Jinjoo Cho and saint seans violin concerto 3. Really Love it ! Younger gen violinist.

On second thoughts do you or anyone here think the skills of lead artists(soloists) of today playing any instrument is of a generally higher calibre than say in the 50’s-70’s ? I sometimes think so. Most have atleast the technical chops to match the oldies or better. And the women are leading the charge on many fronts. Valentina Lisitsa, Yuja Wang, Alice Sara Ott, Julia Fischer, Hilary Hahn and so many many others dominating the concert halls. And thats a great thing. Even the various annual competitions where the newly graduated soloists are taking part. They are comparatively so mature in their playing at that age.

This whole phenomenon also has led to the instrument makers making really good instruments on the whole. Gone are the days when a Strad or a Guarneri was a must at the higher levels. Julia Fischer goes a tours with her violin made in recent times. Great Alternatives at that level seem to be available. She had said so in one of her tv interviews. I’m sure others do too.

All told, I seem to like where the classical music performing arts industry is headed. There is hope for survival. The recorded music industry on the hand is quite a different story.

Hi…you raise a very interesting point. IMHO the level of excellence of soloists is much much higher. If you think about the last 30 plus years there has been little or no political barrier to travel. The Tchaikovsky piano competition is now broadcast live (or it was till last year) with an orchestra that sounds much better than in Soviet days. You must hear Alexander Kantorow in the rarely heard Tchaikovsky 2nd piano concerto op44. A rare amalgam of musicality and virtuosity.
Returning to the discussion, I think the primary challenge in mainstream repertoire is that so much has been played before and documented in recordings, that artists do not have the motivation to “settle” down in any piece. It is a performance based world. And that is why artist driven albums mirroring other genres dominate new releases. Only the smaller labels are doing repertoire based albums. So while circumstances are more enabling, instrument quality is much higher and widely available, it all somehow seems to contribute to a more narcissistic view of how to tackle classical repertoire. I remember this story from the biography of Otto Klemperer…this was sometime in the early 1930s when Klemperer decided to take a year long sabbatical from conducting retiring into solitude with a copy of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte…after nearly a year he returned to active conducting and was heard telling a critic, “I KNOW Cosi.” A remarkable exercise for a conductor in his prime showing his devotion to the composer. This alas is hard to find. This is what troubled me about the recent Sibelius cycle by the young Klaus Makela who has recently been handed the keys to the Concertgebouw…the cycle had some decent recordings but was neither a force of nature by a young lion (for reference I go back to the magnificent Sibelius cycle with the Vienna Philharmonic with a young Lorin Maazel - transforming the sound of the VPO to lay bare the soul of the howling forests of the North) nor of course depth of exp living with the work (prime example being Herbert Blomstedt).
There is hope I think in the high threshold of excellence of musicians around the globe. I wish they give us wonderful interpretations that not only win us over but also seem interesting when you take them from the shelf years later.

 

[manek]

Hi…you raise a very interesting point. IMHO the level of excellence of soloists is much much higher. If you think about the last 30 plus years there has been little or no political barrier to travel. The Tchaikovsky piano competition is now broadcast live (or it was till last year) with an orchestra that sounds much better than in Soviet days. You must hear Alexander Kantorow in the rarely heard Tchaikovsky 2nd piano concerto op44. A rare amalgam of musicality and virtuosity.
Returning to the discussion, I think the primary challenge in mainstream repertoire is that so much has been played before and documented in recordings, that artists do not have the motivation to “settle” down in any piece. It is a performance based world. And that is why artist driven albums mirroring other genres dominate new releases. Only the smaller labels are doing repertoire based albums. So while circumstances are more enabling, instrument quality is much higher and widely available, it all somehow seems to contribute to a more narcissistic view of how to tackle classical repertoire. I remember this story from the biography of Otto Klemperer…this was sometime in the early 1930s when Klemperer decided to take a year long sabbatical from conducting retiring into solitude with a copy of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte…after nearly a year he returned to active conducting and was heard telling a critic, “I KNOW Cosi.” A remarkable exercise for a conductor in his prime showing his devotion to the composer. This alas is hard to find. This is what troubled me about the recent Sibelius cycle by the young Klaus Makela who has recently been handed the keys to the Concertgebouw…the cycle had some decent recordings but was neither a force of nature by a young lion (for reference I go back to the magnificent Sibelius cycle with the Vienna Philharmonic with a young Lorin Maazel - transforming the sound of the VPO to lay bare the soul of the howling forests of the North) nor of course depth of exp living with the work (prime example being Herbert Blomstedt).
There is hope I think in the high threshold of excellence of musicians around the globe. I wish they give us wonderful interpretations that not only win us over but also seem interesting when you take them from the shelf years later.

Tchaikovsky piano concerto no 2, I love it.
Seldom played. As a kid my intro to both the concerti were with Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra and for the life of me I cant remember the pianist. It was sort of a cycle with two concerti and rococo variations(cant remember the cellist). Splendid.

You do make a point that the younger conductors of today many a times dont do the fine orchestra’s of today justice where each player of the orchestra is quite the “cat” himself/herself. One example would be mahler 5th and 2nd by Omso Vanska and Minnesota orchestra on BIS. Great recording quality, orchestra in fine nick, but I felt something missing in the interpretation. It was almost like he hadnt had enough rehearsal time. It was a chance to make this a great Mahler recording and it turned out to be just another decent one but recorded well. It may soon become the darling of the audiophile community and demo rooms but thats about it and thats my personal opinion only.

Concertgebouw I have a soft corner for. I wish it the very best. Its an orchestra that has thrived with the best and the not so hot conductors so my baby will be ok. Just like Berlin, Vienna, Chicago, Boston, etc those orchestra’s today are bigger than the conductors leading them and will dominate or atleast be equal partners in the relationship. E.g Berlin Philharmonic without Karajan I think has finally “found” its true voice through the various guest conductors they work with who btw do a fantastic job. The above mentioned orchestras struggle with their permanent music directors. So now I mostly look for recordings of big orchestra’s with guest conductors and find it very rewarding.

Yes, I have heard the Sibelius/Maazel cycle.
Its special.

 

[manek]

Here are a few gems I found on apple music.

1) Sibelius sym no 2 by Monsieur Pierre Monteux and LSO.

2) Sibelius sym no 2 by George Szell and Royal Concertgebouw(live)

3) and very crisp but wonderful version by Detroit symphony with Paul Paray.

I know there will be a suggestion on lorin Maazel and vienna philharmonic, but listen to the above if u can.

 

[pindranil]

Here are a few gems I found on apple music.

1) Sibelius sym no 2 by Monsieur Pierre Monteux and LSO.

2) Sibelius sym no 2 by George Szell and Royal Concertgebouw(live)

3) and very crisp but wonderful version by Detroit symphony with Paul Paray.

I know there will be a suggestion on lorin Maazel and vienna philharmonic, but listen to the above if u can.

Hi all the above are classics…although I am not a Szell fan, his work in Europe was much warmer than his usual Cleveland recordings. Monteux I am a blind fan of pretty much every thing he did. Paray too although I am not very fond of his Sibelius 2…not enough atmosphere…having said that, it is a valid view. I have got all of Paray’s work on Mercury Living Presence and they are vivid, vivacious accounts of pretty much everything he touched. As for my favourite Sibelius 2, I would vote for Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia (just the right amount of Tchaikovsky in early Sibelius with slow tempi). I remember having fond memories of the Sixten Ehrling cycle (my first online purchase from Russia) but I need to listen to it again… Colin Davis (Boston not the LSO) and Berglund (Helsinki and Bournemouth) are both superb. There Is a version by Danish maestro, Thomas Jensen which is also special. Speaking of Jensen, have you explored the symphonies of Carl Nielsen? Really an unique sound world. Herbert Blomstedt is a sound guide in Nielsen, especially his second Decca cycle. Also amazing is Ole Schmidt…a more raw sound but really powerful.

 

[manek]

Hi all the above are classics…although I am not a Szell fan, his work in Europe was much warmer than his usual Cleveland recordings. Monteux I am a blind fan of pretty much every thing he did. Paray too although I am not very fond of his Sibelius 2…not enough atmosphere…having said that, it is a valid view. I have got all of Paray’s work on Mercury Living Presence and they are vivid, vivacious accounts of pretty much everything he touched. As for my favourite Sibelius 2, I would vote for Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia (just the right amount of Tchaikovsky in early Sibelius with slow tempi). I remember having fond memories of the Sixten Ehrling cycle (my first online purchase from Russia) but I need to listen to it again… Colin Davis (Boston not the LSO) and Berglund (Helsinki and Bournemouth) are both superb. There Is a version by Danish maestro, Thomas Jensen which is also special. Speaking of Jensen, have you explored the symphonies of Carl Nielsen? Really an unique sound world. Herbert Blomstedt is a sound guide in Nielsen, especially his second Decca cycle. Also amazing is Ole Schmidt…a more raw sound but really powerful.

Ha ha you said it, Monteux just about turned everything into gold…the alchemist ! My introduction to him was with Daphnis et Chloe and Rite of Spring. It was the first time I could sit through the rite of spring at one go . He made it so palatable and almost enjoyable. But I was totally charmed by the D et C recording. And then ofcourse his tchaikovsky and everything else.

Yes I have Paray on discs too on living presense and their other Dorati catalog too. Thats a family heirloom only to be willed to certain people who treasure the same.

Yea Nielsen I have heard 3 and 4 only by Salonen and our dude Dudamel. I have heard of Blomstedt’s expertise of scandinavian compsers. Will hear it for sure.

Ashkenazy is the dark horse that wins many a times nowadays. I somehow get the feeling Lang Lang will follow in his footsteps soon and try his hand at conducting as well. He now seems to view music differently, not like a musician/soloist but holistically. It is so evident in the way he conducts his master classes compared to other great pianists. I think he is nearly done with his fancy chops on the piano. Have a dekho on you tube. And yes see the one where Lang Lang is the student and Barenboim is the Masterclass in charge. The old man has so many but subtle tricks up his sleeve to give the young and vigorous Lang Lang.

 

[ajuvignesh]

Came across this video. Not sure if it has been shared here before.