What are you listening to?

[Seán]

Fergus, are you familiar with Berwald's Symphonies? If not, the symphony cycle on Brilliant Classics is well worth having.

Not at all Seán. I really like the music on that disc and if the symphonies are up to that standard then they certainly would be worth following up!

They are terrific, well worth having.

[Seán]

Camille Saint-Saëns
Symphony No. 3
Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Charles DuToit conducting

DuToit elicits a simply gorgeous sound from these Canadians.

[Seán]

Symphony No.9

Is that as good as their Haydn London Symphonies, I wonder?

[DaveF]

Symphony No.9

Is that as good as their Haydn London Symphonies, I wonder?

I reckon so Seán and I have that Haydn set too. The set above won the Gramophone Orchestral Award for 1989 if that really means anything. You're already somewhat familiar with the Abbado/COE combination so I'd be surprised if you didnt like it.
Note that the cover above is not the same as the one I have. I couldnt find a big enough image for it.

[DaveF]

some Anna to finish off the evening with. :-)

[fergus]

JSB – The Brandenburg Concertos [Richter]....





The orchestral and solo instrumental playing is very fine and the sound quality is also really very good. The speeds are also on the quick side which is to my taste. I do not know what size the orchestra was but they achieve a good full sound. The performances were not in any way heavy or laborious or texturally dense.
Yet, given all of the above, I did not fully engage with these performances. Why....because I felt that they lacked soul; the music does not dance or sing out for joy! They are not bad performances. Everything seems right individually but the overall result does nor sparkle. Notwithstanding my lack of engagement I certainly got what I sought in this set i.e. an alternative approach to these works. These comments are written after my initial listen to the set and are therefore my first impressions. It will be interesting to see if that position changes over time.
Very interestingly I thought that the other two works in the set i.e. Concerto for oboe d’amore, strings and continuo BWV1055 and Concerto for violin, oboe, strings and continuo BWV1060 were really most enjoyable!

[DaveF]

JSB – The Brandenburg Concertos [Richter]....
The orchestral and solo instrumental playing is very fine and the sound quality is also really very good. The speeds are also on the quick side which is to my taste. I do not know what size the orchestra was but they achieve a good full sound. The performances were not in any way heavy or laborious or texturally dense.
Yet, given all of the above, I did not fully engage with these performances. Why....because I felt that they lacked soul; the music does not dance or sing out for joy! They are not bad performances. Everything seems right individually but the overall result does nor sparkle. Notwithstanding my lack of engagement I certainly got what I sought in this set i.e. an alternative approach to these works. These comments are written after my initial listen to the set and are therefore my first impressions. It will be interesting to see if that position changes over time.
Very interestingly I thought that the other two works in the set i.e. Concerto for oboe d’amore, strings and continuo BWV1055 and Concerto for violin, oboe, strings and continuo BWV1060 were really most enjoyable!

Interesting thoughts Fergus. I find more and more lately that I have little tolerance of this type of music if it's "heavy or laborious or texturally dense" as you put it. Not that that was the case above. You might find it more engaging after a few more listens.

[fergus]

Interesting thoughts Fergus. I find more and more lately that I have little tolerance of this type of music if it's "heavy or laborious or texturally dense" as you put it. Not that that was the case above. You might find it more engaging after a few more listens.

Funnily I was not actually disappointed with it Dave....I was just a bit surprised with the lack of engagement I had with it. As you say, perhaps with a few more listens the "sound" will become more acceptable to my ear. Either way I am glad that I have it though.

[Seán]

JSB – The Brandenburg Concertos [Richter]....
The orchestral and solo instrumental playing is very fine and the sound quality is also really very good. The speeds are also on the quick side which is to my taste. I do not know what size the orchestra was but they achieve a good full sound. The performances were not in any way heavy or laborious or texturally dense.
Yet, given all of the above, I did not fully engage with these performances. Why....because I felt that they lacked soul; the music does not dance or sing out for joy! They are not bad performances. Everything seems right individually but the overall result does nor sparkle. Notwithstanding my lack of engagement I certainly got what I sought in this set i.e. an alternative approach to these works. These comments are written after my initial listen to the set and are therefore my first impressions. It will be interesting to see if that position changes over time.
Very interestingly I thought that the other two works in the set i.e. Concerto for oboe d’amore, strings and continuo BWV1055 and Concerto for violin, oboe, strings and continuo BWV1060 were really most enjoyable!

A lovely succinct piece of writing Fergus, well done!

[Seán]

Richard Wagner
Die Walküre: Ride of the Valkyries
Das Rheingold: Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla
Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire Music (from Die Walküre)
Siegfried: Forest Murmurs
Siegfried's Funeral March from Götterdämmerung
Götterdämmerung: finale
Wiener Philharmoniker
Georg Solti conducting

I bought this set from Arkiv. I didn't know what to expect and as the orchestras were conducted by Georg Solti I know that I would not be disappointed. Well nothing prepared me for the musical onslaught that greeted me when I played the second disc. I am not familiar with Wagner's music and this recording is an absolute revelation to me. The Decca recordings engineers did a wonderful job so that the sound of the Wiener in all of its glory is clear and distinctive. Solti and the VPO are a class apart on this recording. This music is of another world.....it's fabulous............................WOW!