Tonight I listened to the BBC R3 broadcast from the RAH.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, 'Choral'
Minnesota Orchestra
Helena Juntunen soprano
Charlotte Hellekant mezzo-soprano
Eric Cutler tenor
Neal Davies bass
BBC Symphony Chorus
Osmo Vänskä - conducting
What are you listening to?
Re: What are you listening to?
"To appreciate the greatness of the Masters is to keep faith in the greatness of humanity." - Wilhelm Furtwängler
Re: What are you listening to?
Disc 1 last Sunday followed by Disc 2 this morning.
"I may skip. I may even warp a little.... But I will never, ever crash. I am your friend for life. " -Vinyl.
Michell Gyrodec SE, Hana ML cart, Parasound JC3 Jr, Stax LR-700, Stax SRM-006ts Energiser, Quad Artera Play+ CDP
Michell Gyrodec SE, Hana ML cart, Parasound JC3 Jr, Stax LR-700, Stax SRM-006ts Energiser, Quad Artera Play+ CDP
Re: What are you listening to?
DaveF wrote:
How do you find the Herreweghe performance Dave?
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: What are you listening to?
JSB – Cantata BWV164 for the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity....
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: What are you listening to?
This is the only version I have of this work Fergus. I bought it purely on the basis of the excellent online reviews and it certainly lived up to expectations. It's beautifully recorded, the singing is clear and full of emotion. The singer doing the narration is particularly good. I tried to follow the vocals but my German is very very rusty at this stage. I still have another disc to get through. I'm sure I'll pick up on many more things over a few more listens. I have several recordings now by Herreweghe and they all really deliver.fergus wrote:How do you find the Herreweghe performance Dave?
"I may skip. I may even warp a little.... But I will never, ever crash. I am your friend for life. " -Vinyl.
Michell Gyrodec SE, Hana ML cart, Parasound JC3 Jr, Stax LR-700, Stax SRM-006ts Energiser, Quad Artera Play+ CDP
Michell Gyrodec SE, Hana ML cart, Parasound JC3 Jr, Stax LR-700, Stax SRM-006ts Energiser, Quad Artera Play+ CDP
Re: What are you listening to?
I agree Dave; I have a few of his recordings also and I find them all good, and not just the Bach ones.DaveF wrote:This is the only version I have of this work Fergus. I bought it purely on the basis of the excellent online reviews and it certainly lived up to expectations. It's beautifully recorded, the singing is clear and full of emotion. The singer doing the narration is particularly good. I tried to follow the vocals but my German is very very rusty at this stage. I still have another disc to get through. I'm sure I'll pick up on many more things over a few more listens. I have several recordings now by Herreweghe and they all really deliver.fergus wrote:How do you find the Herreweghe performance Dave?
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: What are you listening to?
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Re: What are you listening to?
"I may skip. I may even warp a little.... But I will never, ever crash. I am your friend for life. " -Vinyl.
Michell Gyrodec SE, Hana ML cart, Parasound JC3 Jr, Stax LR-700, Stax SRM-006ts Energiser, Quad Artera Play+ CDP
Michell Gyrodec SE, Hana ML cart, Parasound JC3 Jr, Stax LR-700, Stax SRM-006ts Energiser, Quad Artera Play+ CDP
Re: What are you listening to?
"I may skip. I may even warp a little.... But I will never, ever crash. I am your friend for life. " -Vinyl.
Michell Gyrodec SE, Hana ML cart, Parasound JC3 Jr, Stax LR-700, Stax SRM-006ts Energiser, Quad Artera Play+ CDP
Michell Gyrodec SE, Hana ML cart, Parasound JC3 Jr, Stax LR-700, Stax SRM-006ts Energiser, Quad Artera Play+ CDP
Re: What are you listening to?
Over the past week, I've been listening to some of my recent purchases.
Firstly, the Emerson String Quartet's recordings of Dvorak's middle- and late-period work for string quartet as well as his third string quintet. I often feel that the Emersons are underrated in Europe. Personally, I find all of their recordings which I own - Beethoven's and Schubert's late quartets and, especially, their outstanding series of Shostakovich's string quartets - extremely satisfying. This new 3-CD set is an excellent addition to their discography and comes warmly recommended to any admirers of Dvorak.
Secondly, more of Dvorak's excellent chamber music in the form of his undervalued piano trios as recorded by the Guarneri Trio Prague and released on Praga Digitals. Dvorak's love of his native Czech folk music comes to the fore in these ebullient and warm-hearted performances.
Finally, Mendelssohn's wonderful piano trios as performed by the Florestan Trio and released on Hyperion. Personally, I feel that the popularity of Mendelssohn's symphonic and concertante work has unfairly overshadowed the singular beauty of his solo piano compostions, the dramatic fervour of his oratorios, his deeply personal sacred music and the rich variety of his chamber music, of which the piano trios are excellent examples, especially in performances as lyrical and unaffected as these by the Florestans.
And, this weekend, I've been completely absorbed by two other recent purchases. Claus Guth's controversial productions of Mozart's Don Giovanni and Cosi fan Tutte which were released last week on DVD on the Euroarts label. I'm a big fan of Guth's radical production of Le nozze di Figaro which was released a few years back on DG. Wonderful conducting of the VPO by Harnoncourt and career-defining performances by Bo Skovhus, Dorothea Roschmann, Anna Netrebko, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo and, especially, Christine Schafer's heart-rending portrayal of Cherubino. Over the last few years, I've been reading reports of Claus Guth's stagings of the Da Ponte operas at the Salzberg Festival and eagerly awaiting their DVD release. In a nutshell, my patience has been richly rewarded. These productions are intelligent, deeply-considered and highly thought-provoking in their sometimes startling deconstruction of Da Ponte's librettos which eschew literal readings in favour of a series of jaw-dropping coups de theatre which really do take one's breath away especially when they are as finely executed as they are here and allied to such winning musical performances.
First up is Don Giovanni. In this version, Don Giovanni is mortally wounded in his confrontation with Il Commandatore and the next few hours represent the final moments of his life. This is a more sympathetic and compassionate portrayal of the rogue than you normally see and there is far less malice in his relationship with Leporello than in many productions. And such is his fatal charm that the avowed vengeance of Donna Anna, Donna Elvira and Zerlina very often disintegrates at the mere thought of the man. There is also a sense of complicity in that these ladies seem to (subconsciously) contribute to their own downfall. In this version, Giovanni does not seek them out but they are drawn to him. Christopher Maltman is a wonderfully disaffected Giovanni who sees the worries of the world around him as not his own (which perhaps has much to do with his sense of his impending doom). Annette Dasch's Donna Anna is a particularly discomforting characterisation which sees this lady as a chain-smoking, jittery neurotic whose sense of guilt over her father's death is ever-present. And the latent tensions with her fiance Don Ottavio come to the fore when she seems to attempt to assuage her guilt by charging Ottavio with the responsibility of murdering Giovanni. And Dorothea Roschmann's Donna Elvira is heart-breakingly tragic as an aristocrat brought low by her infatuation with Giovanni. You really get a sense that she has lost everything - her friends, her possessions and her place in society - and in Guth's compassionate portrayal, she appears forlorn and isolated (as opposed to vindictive) in her desperation as she clings to her dream of a life with Giovanni.
And then we have Cosi fan Tutte. The key character here is Don Alfonso whose characterisation in Guth's version is similar to Mephistoheles in Faust - an outwardly charming yet a dangerous manipulator who coerces all around him to do his bidding. Time and again, the camera will return to Alfonso after a particularly affecting aria from Dorabella or Fiordiligi and we see him smirking, barely able to contain his mirth at what is unfolding around him. There is also a real sense of Alfonso orchestrating the onscreen action. Taken literally, the Cosi libretto has its share of contrived moments, but these contrivances make more sense when they are seen to form part of Alfonso's plans. Bo Skovhus is a wonderfully dark, scheming Alfonso. In some productions, the duality between Alfonso and Despina is emphasised, but here Alfonso is the one in charge. The fabulous Patricia Pettibon portrays a freewheeling, zany Despina and Guth gives her free rein to go all the way over the top. There are some real moments of inspired lunacy. The real emotional core of Cosi, however, is represented by Fiordiligi and Miah Persson's performance is exceptional. The collective singing of the ensemble is of a very high standard but Persson is just on another level entirely. There is a sense of richness to her singing that is just overwhelmingly beautiful, yet it remains perfectly controlled at all times. She is a very human performer (as opposed to technician) who is particularly adept at conveying the most fragile of emotions. I really can't wait to see her at the NCH next March in Mahler's 4th symphony.
Firstly, the Emerson String Quartet's recordings of Dvorak's middle- and late-period work for string quartet as well as his third string quintet. I often feel that the Emersons are underrated in Europe. Personally, I find all of their recordings which I own - Beethoven's and Schubert's late quartets and, especially, their outstanding series of Shostakovich's string quartets - extremely satisfying. This new 3-CD set is an excellent addition to their discography and comes warmly recommended to any admirers of Dvorak.
Secondly, more of Dvorak's excellent chamber music in the form of his undervalued piano trios as recorded by the Guarneri Trio Prague and released on Praga Digitals. Dvorak's love of his native Czech folk music comes to the fore in these ebullient and warm-hearted performances.
Finally, Mendelssohn's wonderful piano trios as performed by the Florestan Trio and released on Hyperion. Personally, I feel that the popularity of Mendelssohn's symphonic and concertante work has unfairly overshadowed the singular beauty of his solo piano compostions, the dramatic fervour of his oratorios, his deeply personal sacred music and the rich variety of his chamber music, of which the piano trios are excellent examples, especially in performances as lyrical and unaffected as these by the Florestans.
And, this weekend, I've been completely absorbed by two other recent purchases. Claus Guth's controversial productions of Mozart's Don Giovanni and Cosi fan Tutte which were released last week on DVD on the Euroarts label. I'm a big fan of Guth's radical production of Le nozze di Figaro which was released a few years back on DG. Wonderful conducting of the VPO by Harnoncourt and career-defining performances by Bo Skovhus, Dorothea Roschmann, Anna Netrebko, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo and, especially, Christine Schafer's heart-rending portrayal of Cherubino. Over the last few years, I've been reading reports of Claus Guth's stagings of the Da Ponte operas at the Salzberg Festival and eagerly awaiting their DVD release. In a nutshell, my patience has been richly rewarded. These productions are intelligent, deeply-considered and highly thought-provoking in their sometimes startling deconstruction of Da Ponte's librettos which eschew literal readings in favour of a series of jaw-dropping coups de theatre which really do take one's breath away especially when they are as finely executed as they are here and allied to such winning musical performances.
First up is Don Giovanni. In this version, Don Giovanni is mortally wounded in his confrontation with Il Commandatore and the next few hours represent the final moments of his life. This is a more sympathetic and compassionate portrayal of the rogue than you normally see and there is far less malice in his relationship with Leporello than in many productions. And such is his fatal charm that the avowed vengeance of Donna Anna, Donna Elvira and Zerlina very often disintegrates at the mere thought of the man. There is also a sense of complicity in that these ladies seem to (subconsciously) contribute to their own downfall. In this version, Giovanni does not seek them out but they are drawn to him. Christopher Maltman is a wonderfully disaffected Giovanni who sees the worries of the world around him as not his own (which perhaps has much to do with his sense of his impending doom). Annette Dasch's Donna Anna is a particularly discomforting characterisation which sees this lady as a chain-smoking, jittery neurotic whose sense of guilt over her father's death is ever-present. And the latent tensions with her fiance Don Ottavio come to the fore when she seems to attempt to assuage her guilt by charging Ottavio with the responsibility of murdering Giovanni. And Dorothea Roschmann's Donna Elvira is heart-breakingly tragic as an aristocrat brought low by her infatuation with Giovanni. You really get a sense that she has lost everything - her friends, her possessions and her place in society - and in Guth's compassionate portrayal, she appears forlorn and isolated (as opposed to vindictive) in her desperation as she clings to her dream of a life with Giovanni.
And then we have Cosi fan Tutte. The key character here is Don Alfonso whose characterisation in Guth's version is similar to Mephistoheles in Faust - an outwardly charming yet a dangerous manipulator who coerces all around him to do his bidding. Time and again, the camera will return to Alfonso after a particularly affecting aria from Dorabella or Fiordiligi and we see him smirking, barely able to contain his mirth at what is unfolding around him. There is also a real sense of Alfonso orchestrating the onscreen action. Taken literally, the Cosi libretto has its share of contrived moments, but these contrivances make more sense when they are seen to form part of Alfonso's plans. Bo Skovhus is a wonderfully dark, scheming Alfonso. In some productions, the duality between Alfonso and Despina is emphasised, but here Alfonso is the one in charge. The fabulous Patricia Pettibon portrays a freewheeling, zany Despina and Guth gives her free rein to go all the way over the top. There are some real moments of inspired lunacy. The real emotional core of Cosi, however, is represented by Fiordiligi and Miah Persson's performance is exceptional. The collective singing of the ensemble is of a very high standard but Persson is just on another level entirely. There is a sense of richness to her singing that is just overwhelmingly beautiful, yet it remains perfectly controlled at all times. She is a very human performer (as opposed to technician) who is particularly adept at conveying the most fragile of emotions. I really can't wait to see her at the NCH next March in Mahler's 4th symphony.
Gryphon Diablo 300, dCS Rossini (with matching clock), Kharma Exquisite Mini, Ansuz C2, Finite Elemente Master Reference.