What are you listening to?

[fergus]

Kovacevich's cycle with Colin Davis was the first I ever bought and it's still one of my favourites. He has a brilliant way with Beethoven - his cycle of the piano sonatas is one of the best of the modern era.

Have you heard any of the later, more recent versions?

Interesting about the sonatas as I would not have thought of Kovacevich there!

[fergus]

I started off my musical day with the beautiful, joyous and celebratory strains of Cantata BWV63 for Christmas Day....

[fergus]

Pretty soon I will start preparing for lunch and later, dinner, and I will do so to the strains of Part 1 of the JSB Christmas Oratorio with JE Gardiner....



JEG and the gang are all very welcome to join me if they are free and in the area!!!

[fergus]

Two Cantatas, BWV40 & BWV121 for the Second Day of Christmas....

[fergus]

Christmas Oratorio Part 2....

[fergus]

Today also being the Sunday after Christmas it is an occasion that also has some specific Cantatas written for it. I have chosen BWV28 to listen to....

[Seán]

Fergus, I see that you're "holding the fort", good man.

Time for some Mahler.


Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 2
Sinfonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Heather Harper soprano
Janet Baker mezzo-soprano
Otto Klemperer - conducting

On the TT:

Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 2
Emilia Cundrai soprano
Maureen Forrester mezzo-soprano
New York Philharmonic Orchestra
Bruno Walter - conducting.

Today, I listened to two different and really powerful interpretations of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony. I first listened to Klemperer's recording from January 1965, this is a lovely performance and is perhaps even preferable to his earlier recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra. The second one is Walter's 1957/58 recording from Carnegie Hall. Both are tremendous and it is lovely to compare and contrast the totally different approaches by these two Mahlerian giants.

In 1907 Mahler gave Otto Klemperer a reference of recommendation and Klemperer carried it with him to the day he died, as well he might, Mahler wrote:

"Gustav Mahler recommends Herr Klemperer as an outstanding musician, who despite his youth is already very experienced and is predestined for a conductor's career. He vouches for the successful outcome of any probationary appointment and will provide further information personally"
Klemperer later recalled, 'It opened every door to me', he said, 'Mahler was, in effect, my "Creator Spiritus".'

[Seán]

Christmas Oratorio Part 2....

Fergus, what do you make of that recording? I listened to Part 1 and Part 2 last night. I liked it but it's very difficult to judge the quality of a recording when one is listening to it over the net.

[mcq]

Kovacevich's cycle with Colin Davis was the first I ever bought and it's still one of my favourites. He has a brilliant way with Beethoven - his cycle of the piano sonatas is one of the best of the modern era.

Have you heard any of the later, more recent versions?

Interesting about the sonatas as I would not have thought of Kovacevich there!

Nope, I just have the cycle with Colin Davis. The sonata cycle he recorded for EMI is a modern classic in my opinion, Fergus. One of his biggest influences was the great Wilhelm Backhaus (whose cycle on Decca remains my all-time favourite) and, like Backhaus, he favours a physical, direct approach to the music. Some people find his playing aggressive, but I think it's simply an emotional approach to the music. I have to single out his performance of the Hammerklavier in particular. It's one of the very finest I've ever heard, and second only to Backhaus's masterly recording. It is interesting to note that, in Kovacevich's opinion, Backhaus was the only pianist who ever really understood the Hammerklavier.

[fergus]

Christmas Oratorio Part 2....

Fergus, what do you make of that recording? I listened to Part 1 and Part 2 last night. I liked it but it's very difficult to judge the quality of a recording when one is listening to it over the net.

It was one of my very early purchases Seán and from a time when I did not know of the Period Instrument approach to this type of music. It is a recording of its time. It is very different in its approach to any of the cycles in your collection. It, as ever, comes down to taste and how you like these things done. I find it "old school" in the sense that it is a "big band" approach to Bach. Now some like this very much but I prefer the (somewhat) leaner approach so that I can hear absolutely everything that is going on there because, as you are finding out yourself, there can be so much happening in Bach's music. It certainly is a good performance and it is interesting from a comparison point of view which is why I have kept it for all of these years. Good but different!!