What are you listening two?

[fergus]

So happy to see you enjoying this astonishng work, Fergus.  Karajan's version is a fine place to start.  The orchestral tonal colours are sumptuously realised and the very demanding vocal parts are very well taken (there was perhaps no greater Golaud than José van Dam). It has been criticised for its sheer opulence but the greater the work , the more it benefits from reassessment through varying degrees of interpretation.  You should also, in time, listen to Abbado and Haitink in this work, both of whom are will broaden your understanding of this difficult masterpiece. Of course, there are some who criticise this version because of Karajan and that is foolish.  Overrated and over-recorded in his time, Karajan is now continually underestimated.  Whilst I find it difficult to enjoy his Baroque and much of his Classical recordings (however I do enjoy his Haydn), he was very good in 19th and early 20th century repertoire and his Pelléas is a treasure.

I agree 100% with everything that you have said about von Karajan.

Thank you for the further recommendations on Pelleas et Melisande.

[fergus]

Schumann: Symphonies 1 & 4....

[fergus]

Olivier Messiaen's Harawi....





....which I found to be challenging, interesting but challenging.

[mcq]

A wonderful piece, Fergus.  Try and find the version with Rachel Yakar and Yvonne Loriod on Erato.  Loriod was one of the very greatest of Messiaen's interpreters of his music for solo piano (challenged only in recent years by Roger Muraro and Pierre-Laurent Aimard) and her presence on any recording of the man's music is self-recommending.  Her version of Harawi with Yakar may only be currently available on the 18-CD Messiaen Edition on Warner Classics (which is perhaps the best single introduction to this 20th century master's music) but is well worth searching out.

[fergus]

Other than the one above, the only other work that I own by Messiaen is his Quatuor Pour la Fin du Temps. That box set might make a nice little project for me for sometime in 2015 to explore this composer's works. Thank you for that.

[fergus]

Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Suites played by the New Philharmonia Orchestra/Dorati....





Tchaikovsky was such a good orchestrator and his music is full of tonal colour and both of these aspects come through in these works. Dorati has a good feel for this music which, as is often the case with Tchaikovsky, can be charged with emotion. Everything is of course very well played. There is a warm acoustic on the Decca recording which really enhances the performances.

[fergus]

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 under Levine....

[Seán]

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 under Levine....

That really is a marvellous recording Fergus, I hope you enjoyed it.

[fergus]

That really is a marvellous recording Fergus, I hope you enjoyed it.

That was a first listen for me Seán. I was certainly not disappointed but not overwhelmed either to be honest. Perhaps with more listening I will appreciate it more.

[fergus]

Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony played by the Russian National Orchestra/ Pletnev....





First listen: very enjoyable. Good strong, assertive performance where required and lush strings produce a wonderful Tchaikovsky sound.