Don, have you tried this set?DonKC wrote:Mendelssohn Symphony # 5 in D "Reformation"
Dmitri Mitropoulos "The Philharmonic Symphony of New York"
CD copy of a Philips LP recorded 1953. Coupled with the Symphony # 3 "Scottish"
Brisk and energetic, pretty good sound for the era.
I am not a big Mendelssohn fan, or of the mid 19th century Germans in general (exception is Schubert). But for some reason I kind of like the "Reformation".
I love Abbado's work, he is the greatest conductor alive today.Jose Echenique wrote:<It is splendid!>
It certainly is, Abbado is one of the few who has the magic Mendelssohn touch.
Ah sorry Pepe, I was in work and responded in indecent haste. when I read your comment I thought you meant "period instruments", silly of me. I love the sound of the old Dresden Staatskapelle, they really were special, Blomstedt's Beethoven cycle with the Dresden orchestra is a case in point.And by the way dear Seán, when I described the Dresden Staatskapelle in the Euryanthe as "vintage" I really meant it, in the grim days of the Deutsche Demokratische Republik the playing of both the Dresden Staatskapelle and the Gewandhaus Orchester was very special, maybe because at the time they used only local musicians, the Dresdners stayed in Dresden and the Leipzigers in Leipzig, they procured a highly individual sound and at the same time very polished and accomplished, probably because of the fierce competition with the West and especially with their cousins of the Berlin Philharmonic.
The Gewandhaus visited Mexico under Masur in 1978. I asked a violinist what was the main difference between them and the Berlin Philharmonic and he said: they play on old violins and drive new cars...we drive old cars and play on new violins :-)
No matter how grim, they didn´t lose their sense of humor.
Yes, I do not own it, I have little Mendelsshon really, but have heard the 4th and 5th from this set. I can not get through the bloated, boring Lobegesang at all and have not heard Abbado's 1st. Like the Mitropoulos recording, Abbado is not fussy and prissy like some performances and gets at the romantic heart of the music.Seán wrote:Don, have you tried this set?DonKC wrote:Mendelssohn Symphony # 5 in D "Reformation"
Dmitri Mitropoulos "The Philharmonic Symphony of New York"
CD copy of a Philips LP recorded 1953. Coupled with the Symphony # 3 "Scottish"
Brisk and energetic, pretty good sound for the era.
I am not a big Mendelssohn fan, or of the mid 19th century Germans in general (exception is Schubert). But for some reason I kind of like the "Reformation".
It is splendid!
Good for you Don.DonKC wrote:Listening to 4 and 5 from above set on Spotify as I do some paperwork.
Interesting observation, Fergus.fergus wrote:The Beethoven Violin Concerto does not come up here very often?!?!
