What are you listening two?

[Seán]

Ludwig van Beethoven
Violin Sonata Op. 12 No. 1
Violin Sonata Op. 12 No. 2
Violin Sonata Op. 12 No. 3
Violin Sonata Op. 23
Arthur Grumiaux - violin
Clara Haskil - piano

Those are wonderful. I am a bit biased towards Haskil's recordings though. You make me want to go and dig up the sonatas. For some reason I tend to listen to LvB's cello sonatas much more often than the violin sonatas....

Ms Haskil is one of my favourite pianists, she is up there with Perahia, Kempff and Schiff in my affections, I just love her recordings, incidentally her Mozart is sublime.

[fergus]

Verdi: Rigoletto Callas/Gobbi/Stefano/Orchestra e coro del Teatro della Scala/Serafin [EMI]
Listened to this twice tonight. Ahh such amazing voices. I so much enjoy Verdi and feel like it there are so many treasures to discover. Are there other Rigolettos that you all enjoy and can recommend?

That is the only one that I have Peter - I never felt the need for another one.

[fergus]

Wonderful performances! Bruch's Kol Nidrei sounds sublime here!

[Peter]

Verdi: Rigoletto Callas/Gobbi/Stefano/Orchestra e coro del Teatro della Scala/Serafin [EMI]
Listened to this twice tonight. Ahh such amazing voices. I so much enjoy Verdi and feel like it there are so many treasures to discover. Are there other Rigolettos that you all enjoy and can recommend?

That is the only one that I have Peter - I never felt the need for another one.

Ha ha! That is a good response Fergus, but I think I can see why. This happens to be my first Rigoletto so I have not had time to compare. I recall that Jose recommended Kubelik's version with Scotto on a different forum so I think I will try that one out. However, Callas, Gobbi and Stefano have a wonderful spectrum of voices. I suspect that this will be one of my favorite Rigoletto recordings.

[Seán]

Verdi: Rigoletto Callas/Gobbi/Stefano/Orchestra e coro del Teatro della Scala/Serafin [EMI]
Listened to this twice tonight. Ahh such amazing voices. I so much enjoy Verdi and feel like it there are so many treasures to discover. Are there other Rigolettos that you all enjoy and can recommend?

That is the only one that I have Peter - I never felt the need for another one.

Ha ha! That is a good response Fergus, but I think I can see why. This happens to be my first Rigoletto so I have not had time to compare. I recall that Jose recommended Kubelik's version with Scotto on a different forum so I think I will try that one out. However, Callas, Gobbi and Stefano have a wonderful spectrum of voices. I suspect that this will be one of my favorite Rigoletto recordings.

the most beautiful I have ever heard.

[Jose Echenique]

The EMI Rigoletto is obviously one of the greatest recordings ever made. Tito Gobbi in the title role gives a Lawrence Olivier-like performance, he even disfigures his voice to "sound like a hunchback", the only singer in recorded history to do that [to get an idea of what an incomparable singing actor he was, you have to hear his Figaro in the Barber of Seville and this Rigoletto, 2 completely different voices to suit 2 completrely different characters, you can hardly believe it´s the same guy!!!!]. Maria Callas is at her best in the Gilda/Rigoletto duets, and Giuseppe di Stefano was born to sing the Duke of Mantua, so it´s a great pity that his cabaletta was not recorded as was the custom in the 50´s. The Kubelik Rigoletto also has prodigious singers that demand to be heard. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was the first non-italian baritone to sing Rigoletto at La Scala, and his interpretation, completely different from Gobbi´s has all the care and attention to detail that you would expect from a great Lieder singer. Renata Scotto if anything, was an even more ideal Gilda than Callas, and the great Carlo Bergonzi as ever, the master Verdi tenor.
We are lucky to have both recordings, and I wouldn´t do without either...and then some others ha, ha.

[Peter]

The EMI Rigoletto is obviously one of the greatest recordings ever made. Tito Gobbi in the title role gives a Lawrence Olivier-like performance, he even disfigures his voice to "sound like a hunchback", the only singer in recorded history to do that [to get an idea of what an incomparable singing actor he was, you have to hear his Figaro in the Barber of Seville and this Rigoletto, 2 completely different voices to suit 2 completrely different characters, you can hardly believe it´s the same guy!!!!]. Maria Callas is at her best in the Gilda/Rigoletto duets, and Giuseppe di Stefano was born to sing the Duke of Mantua, so it´s a great pity that his cabaletta was not recorded as was the custom in the 50´s. The Kubelik Rigoletto also has prodigious singers that demand to be heard. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was the first non-italian baritone to sing Rigoletto at La Scala, and his interpretation, completely different from Gobbi´s has all the care and attention to detail that you would expect from a great Lieder singer. Renata Scotto if anything, was an even more ideal Gilda than Callas, and the great Carlo Bergonzi as ever, the master Verdi tenor.
We are lucky to have both recordings, and I wouldn´t do without either...and then some others ha, ha.

Very interesting Jose. I think I stumbled on it partially by luck as I have become very fond of Callas. I think I have listened to it three times over the last few days and this morning I woke up hearing Callas's voice in the duets and the Verdi sonics resonating in my mind. I am starting to understand how one can become passionate about different casts (as well as good and bad days) of different performances of the same opera. It seems as the cast matters more then the conductor/ensemble or am I simply being ignorant. Regardless, I must agree with you in terms of the golden voices in this very recording of Rigoletto - it is simply beautiful to listen to. It is hard to move on to another version when one "falls" for one performance.

[Peter]

the most beautiful I have ever heard.

I can see why..... (or rather hear why).....

[Jose Echenique]

Giuseppe di Stefano: La Voce d´Oro.

[Seán]

A sample of today's listening fare follows:

After this morning's very informative and hugely enjoyable BAL on BBC Radio 3 I just couldn't resist listening to this performance of Grieg's Piano Concerto:

Edvard Grieg
Piano Concerto in A minor
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Noriko Ogawa - piano
Ole Kristian Ruud - conducting.

I was inspired by Peter to once again listen to Roussel:

Albert Roussel
Piano Trio in E flat major, Op. 2
Divertissement for piano & wind quintet, Op. 6


Albert Roussel
Symphony No. 3
Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire
André Cluytens - conducting.
This is a great starter set to get a flavour for Roussel's orchestral music and the performance of the Third is simply sublime.



Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 3
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Women of the chicago symphony Chorus
Glen Elyn Children's Chorus
Marilyn Horne (mezzo soprano)
Adolph Helseth - post horn solo
James Levine - conducting.
This is simply wonderful music-making, it is impossible to describe just how good this performance really is.