What are you listening to?

[fergus]

This is a good place to start I think Fergus ;-)

Thank you for that Darren....and very appropriate as I have just asked Diapason [Simon] for an appropriate recommendation on the Recent Purchases thread!!

[Seán]

Solti's M1....

That one is probably my favorite 'Titan'.

I really will have to get the rest of the Solti/CSO Mahler recordings that are currently missing from my collection. Solti is underrated, undervalued and magnificent in Mahler ( and a lot more besides ) in my "humble" opinion.

[mcq]

Tonight I've been watching Carlos Kleiber's glorious 1994 version of Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier with Felicity Lott, Anne Sophie von Otter and Barbara Bonney in what are simply career-defining performances (available on a DG DVD). So much of human life is in this grandest of masterpieces - the ecstasies of love, the transitory nature of life's pleasures, the world-weariness of women viewing the inconstancies of men, the arrogance and shallowness of inherited wealth, the humorous farce that lies at the heart of much in life, and, finally, a great gesture of unimaginable self-sacrifice. Wonderful performances from all concerned. Lott is regality incarnate with the requisite sense of world-weariness that is essential to the role of the Marschallin. Von Otter is all playful boyishness as Octavian (her scenes with the Baron in the final Act are quite simply hilarious) but she is also a formidable actress - look how she responds to Bonney at the beginning of Act Two when she hands her the Silver Rose and - heartbreakingly - at the end of Act Three when it finally dawns on her that the Marschellin has given her what she desires most of all). And Bonney communicates perfectly the emotional rollercoaster journey of a fourteen-year old girl that is taken straight from a convent to marry the obnoxious, overbearing Baron Ochs whilst simultaneously confronting the seventeen-year old Octavian who just might be the man of her dreams. And Kleiber's musical interpretation has undergone a remarkably refined evolution from his classic 1979 reading of Der Rosenkavalier. More nuanced, more controlled than the 1979 reading - this just might be the finest reading I've heard of the music score. Ultimately however, I do prefer the 1979 version for the singing. There is just that bit more of an emotional involvement with Gwynneth Jones, Brigitte Fassbaender and Lucia Popp - really, we're talking about two performances of the very highest rank with some of the greatest singers of the Seventies and the Nineties, so I might just be splitting hairs. And what a testament to Carlos Kleiber - his innate understanding of this masterwork was unrivalled in modern times.

And earlier today I've been indulging in two favourite performances of two more grand masterpieces - Monteverdi's Vespro Della Beata Vergine (conducted by Philippe Herreweghe) and Bach's Christmas Oratorio (conducted by Rene Jacobs) - both of which are available on Harmonia Mundi. What these two performances have in common is a sense of theatrical drama which eschews the liturgical solemnity of many readings and - crucially - a tenderness and joyfulness which, personally speaking, I find quite overwhelming and life-affirming.

[mcq]

Beethoven - Piano Concerto No.5 'Emperor' (Mitsuko Uchida/Kurt Sanderling, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Philips) below

Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No.2 (Horacio Gutierrez/Neeme Jarvi, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Chandos)

Ravel - Piano Concerto in G major (Anne Queffelec/Alain Lombard, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Warner Apex)

Quite a collection of Piano Concertos there Darren!!
I have not heard anything of Uchida's playing....how do you rate her Darren; one reads mixed opinions on her performances?

I rate her very highly in Mozart and Schubert. I find her more effective when playing solo pieces; that said the Beethoven PC set is well worth listening to

I agree - her performances of Schubert are outstanding, considering the innate difficulty of these musical wonders. And I've always loved her performances of the Mozart piano concertos with Jeffrey Tate, which are second only to Murray Perahia on a modern piano in my opinion. And then there are her beautiful readings of Mozart's underrated piano sonatas which might just be the finest available. Perhaps her greatest achievement is her performance of Debussy's Etudes which I consider to be one of the finest recordings of these exceedingly difficult pieces (Pollini and Gieseking are her only competition in this reportoire.), and a simply astounding disc comprising Berg's Piano Sonata, Schoenberg's Piano Concerto and Webern's Variations (only Pollini is her equal in this rarefied reportoire).

[mcq]

This is a good place to start I think Fergus ;-)

As much as I like Uchida, I think her - admittedly very fine - Schumann performances have been bettered. Radu Lupu's and Martha Argerich's readings of Kriesleriana and Gyorgy Cziffra's version of Carnaval are my favourite recordings of these elusive masterpieces.

[fergus]

JSB – Cantata BWV136 for the Eight Sunday after Trinity....

[fergus]

Tonight I've been watching Carlos Kleiber's glorious 1994 version of Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier with Felicity Lott, Anne Sophie von Otter and Barbara Bonney in what are simply career-defining performances (available on a DG DVD). So much of human life is in this grandest of masterpieces - the ecstasies of love, the transitory nature of life's pleasures, the world-weariness of women viewing the inconstancies of men, the arrogance and shallowness of inherited wealth, the humorous farce that lies at the heart of much in life, and, finally, a great gesture of unimaginable self-sacrifice. Wonderful performances from all concerned....

What a wonderful review. When I eventually get around to plucking up the courage to watch and listen to (modern) opera I have clipped that one for special attention....how could one not after such a review!!!

[Seán]

Mauro Giuliani
Primo Concerto op.30 per chitarra e orchestra
Terzo Concerto op.70 per chitarra terzina e orchestra
Ensemble L'Ottocento (on period instruments)
Andrea Rognoni conducting
Claudio Maccari (Guitar) on Primo Concerto
Paolo Pugliese (Guitar) on Terzo Concerto

I love it.

[fergus]

I love it.

I also have that one Seán and I agree that it is very fine indeed!

[fergus]