What are you listening to?

[DaveF]

[Seán]

That is a MARVELLOUS performance, highly recommended.

[Peter]

Welcome aboard Peter; it is very good to have you here and I hope that you enjoy your time here and that you post often and inspire us all!

Thanks Fergus! I feel the same as I browse through previous posts. Some very enticing pieces and information about music here!!!

P

[Peter]

That is a MARVELLOUS performance, highly recommended.

I get the sense that many people are quite fond of Abbado as "the conductor" of the present (that is living master conductor) and his interpretations of the canon. I presume that some of you have explored the relatively recent Abbado box. Any further impressions of that collection? On a side note: how many times have Abbado recorded Mahler cycles (twice?)?

P

[Peter]

I have been revisiting a lot of my old Naxos collection lately and this Vivaldi CD is a lovely disc with some wonderful music that is well played on a variety of instruments....

Looks interesting although I have not heard it yet. I was quite impressed with Wallfisch recording Vivaldi's cello concertos with Naxos, so I suspect that this one is well worth exploring! :)

[Peter]

Verdi: Arias, Callas/Rescigno/Philharmonia O [EMI]

I am getting a bit addicted to Callas's voice lately......



I am continuing a journey through Baroque Europe with the help of EMI's excellent compilations. Some quite interesting pieces on these two recordings which are part of a 10 cd set from EMI. It was issued on vinyl in the 60s, went OOP and is now reissued on cd. The approach was to compile composers from a geographical perspective (i.e. one gets to listen to "local" music from the time). It is a blend of wellknown and unusual pieces of music. I really enjoy them.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Musik-St%C3%A4d ... residenzen

[Seán]

That is a MARVELLOUS performance, highly recommended.

I get the sense that many people are quite fond of Abbado as "the conductor" of the present (that is living master conductor) and his interpretations of the canon. I presume that some of you have explored the relatively recent Abbado box. Any further impressions of that collection? On a side note: how many times have Abbado recorded Mahler cycles (twice?)?

P

Yes, twice but it's still work in progress.

I have several complete sets by Abbado: his 2nd Beethoven cycle, the Mendelssohn, Schubert and Tchaikovsky box sets. I have the Rossini and Verdi sets, performances of Mahler, Mozart and Stravinsky, etc; with the exception of some of the Tchaikovsky performances I find that Abbado never disappoints. There are a couple of us here who are very fond of Maestro Abbado.

[fergus]

Speaking of Maestro Abbado I listened earlier to his version of Rossini's Il Viaggio a Reims (on vinyl)....

[fergus]

Finishing up with a 2 CD set that I have been listening to again over the past couple of days; Schubert's last four string quartets played by Quartetto Italiano....

[Seán]

Speaking of Maestro Abbado I listened earlier to his version of Rossini's Il Viaggio a Reims (on vinyl)....

Do you like it Fergus? I have not listened to it yet as I am still engrossed in the first two operas in Maestro Abbado's four opera set: