Tír Na HiFi

fergus wrote:

mcq wrote: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!!!

Many thanks, Fergus. I really feel so strongly that Der Rosenkavalier is one of the great works of art. So full of wisdom and so life-affirming. Musically speaking, it is more traditional in feel than some of Richard Strauss's other operas (such as Salome and Elektra), harking back musically not only to Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus but also to Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde (the spirit of Wagner haunts a lot of Richard Strauss's work as it does Mahler and Bruckner as well). Perhaps my favourite recording is Karajan's (on EMI, with an incomparable Schwartzkopf), but other classic versions include Erich Kleiber (Sena Jurinac is one of the great Octavians) and Georg Solti (with the magnificent Regine Crespin), both of which are available on Decca. And, aside from Carlos Kleiber, the best modern interpretation is by Bernard Haitink on EMI (with Te Kanawa's sublime Marschallin and von Otter, who really had no equal as a modern Octavian).

mcq wrote:Many thanks, Fergus. I really feel so strongly that Der Rosenkavalier is one of the great works of art. So full of wisdom and so life-affirming. Musically speaking, it is more traditional in feel than some of Richard Strauss's other operas (such as Salome and Elektra), harking back musically not only to Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus but also to Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde (the spirit of Wagner haunts a lot of Richard Strauss's work as it does Mahler and Bruckner as well). Perhaps my favourite recording is Karajan's (on EMI, with an incomparable Schwartzkopf), but other classic versions include Erich Kleiber (Sena Jurinac is one of the great Octavians) and Georg Solti (with the magnificent Regine Crespin), both of which are available on Decca. And, aside from Carlos Kleiber, the best modern interpretation is by Bernard Haitink on EMI (with Te Kanawa's sublime Marschallin and von Otter, who really had no equal as a modern Octavian).

Now that combination has really caught my eye!!!

Bach – Magnificat....




Recorded in 1959 and very far removed from modern period performance practice this is a wonderful performance. The choral singing can be a bit chaotic but we also experience some absolutely beautiful singing from the soprano Agnes Giebel. The other soloists are also very fine but she is outstanding! The orchestra also provide excellent and sensitive accompaniment.

fergus wrote:Bach – Magnificat....




Recorded in 1959 and very far removed from modern period performance practice this is a wonderful performance. The choral singing can be a bit chaotic but we also experience some absolutely beautiful singing from the soprano Agnes Giebel. The other soloists are also very fine but she is outstanding! The orchestra also provide excellent and sensitive accompaniment.

Giebel also appears on Fritz Werner's excellent series of Bach cantatas (recorded between the late 1950s and the early 1970s for Erato). These are probably my favourite recordings on modern instruments and - to my mind - surpass Richter's cantatas recordings. Warner reissued them a few years back as two 10-CD boxes and are well worth investigating.

mcq wrote:Giebel also appears on Fritz Werner's excellent series of Bach cantatas (recorded between the late 1950s and the early 1970s for Erato). These are probably my favourite recordings on modern instruments and - to my mind - surpass Richter's cantatas recordings. Warner reissued them a few years back as two 10-CD boxes and are well worth investigating.

Thanks for that....she really has the most marvellous voice!

Disc 4 contains the Toccata and Fugues which, once again, were a very enjoyable listen. The Toccata elements were wonderful but one has to confess to be struggling a bit with the detail in the Fugue elements (the untrained ear, you know) but the overall listening experience is wonderful!
The Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major BWV564 and the Toccata and Fugue in E major BWV566 were both particular successes....I loved them!

Did you get to the Dorian, BWV538? That's one of my particular favourites.

I spent yesteday afternoon with Ciaran listening to classical music and one of the pieces that we selected was the Adagio from Mahler's Ninth. So this evening I just had to listen to the entire symphony again and tonight I choose:



Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 9
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Otto Klemperer conducting.

Diapason wrote:Did you get to the Dorian, BWV538? That's one of my particular favourites.

Yes I did. I have now listened to 7 of the 10 discs in this set Simon and I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every single note of this music!!

There is some wonderful music here and not a stringed instrument in sight.