What are you listening two?

[fergus]

Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande – Berlin Philharmoniker/von Karajan & von Stade, Stilwell, Denize, van Dam & Raimondi....





This is my first time to hear this work. It is beautiful. Debussy, being cast from a different mould, created a work that is different in style or form to most other works by nineteenth century opera composers. This “discursive “ style (my term; pardon my ignorance of operatic critique) is reminiscent, to me, of the style of Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier. I will certainly revisit Pelleas et Melisande.

[Seán]

The Jansons/OPO Tchaikovsky symphony cycle is on my wish list, it has been for some time, but I have yet to do anything about it.

Santa!?!?

Not sure yet Fergus as I have my eye on:
Bruggen's Haydn Sturm und Drang and London Symphonies, etc;
Fischer's Mozart cycle with the Danish Chamber Orchestra and many, many more besides....it could be a busy 2015, we'll see.

[fergus]

Not sure yet Fergus as I have my eye on:
Bruggen's Haydn Sturm und Drang and London Symphonies, etc;
Fischer's Mozart cycle with the Danish Chamber Orchestra and many, many more besides....it could be a busy 2015, we'll see.

I also have been contemplating that one for 2015.

[fergus]

Back in the halcyon days of the monthly Listening Projects [remember them!] when we did Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition I bought the following version on CD....





Buried right at the end of the playlist is a very short piece [three minutes long] composed by the conductor Leopols Stokowski entitled Traditional Slavic Christmas Music. It is very simple but very beautiful....

[Seán]

Not sure yet Fergus as I have my eye on:
Bruggen's Haydn Sturm und Drang and London Symphonies, etc;
Fischer's Mozart cycle with the Danish Chamber Orchestra and many, many more besides....it could be a busy 2015, we'll see.

I also have been contemplating that one for 2015.

jpc have it on special offer: https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail ... um/6110381 don't forget the €6.99 post and packaging. I might get it as a Xmas present to myself. I have the two cd set of Haydn's Paris Symphonies and they are terrific.

[fergus]

Not sure yet Fergus as I have my eye on:
Bruggen's Haydn Sturm und Drang and London Symphonies, etc;
Fischer's Mozart cycle with the Danish Chamber Orchestra and many, many more besides....it could be a busy 2015, we'll see.

I also have been contemplating that one for 2015.

jpc have it on special offer: https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail ... um/6110381 don't forget the €6.99 post and packaging. I might get it as a Xmas present to myself. I have the two cd set of Haydn's Paris Symphonies and they are terrific.

I also have that set Seán and I have always fancied Bruggen’s version of the Sturm & Drang symphonies.

[fergus]

I finished up tonight with the same music that I started off with this morning, Poulenc’s Quatre Motets pour le temps de Noel, this time with a different choir/director....





Kühn’s mixed choir sound very good but they are just not quite in the same league as The Sixteen.

[Jose Echenique]

The opening movement was very expansive and one really got a sense of wide open spaces. The Largo was beautifully played with much tenderness and not a little pathos. The scherzo was an energetic affair and the final movement steadily builds to a strong climax. A most enjoyable listen.[/quote]
Interesting comments Fergus, you obviously enjoyed listening to Dvorak's gorgeous 'New World Symphony'. Do you have a favourite recording?[/quote]

I can name my favourite New World: Ferenc Fricsay with the Belin Philharmonic in DG.[/quote]
Good man Pepe, thank you, and mine is Kubelik leading the BPO.[/quote]


The Kubelik is formidable too dear Seán, and from the early 60´s one should never forget the Karel Ancerl with the Czech Philharmonic. But Fricsay´s recorded shortly before his untimely death is special, a VERY moving and special performance.
Among digital versions the Harnoncourt, Giulini and Abbado are all marvelous.

[Jose Echenique]

Gluck: Orfeo e Euridice under the direction of Rene Jacobs....






Two adjectives that immediately spring to mind after a first listen are gorgeous and sumptuous!

I have that recording I must listen to it later today.

That Orfeo was meant for Andreas Scholl, who just before the sessions signed with DECCA and left HM without even saying thank you. Fortunately HM had an ideal mezzo for Orfeo. It was Scholl´s loss, DECCA never recorded him in this opera.

[mcq]

Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande – Berlin Philharmoniker/von Karajan & von Stade, Stilwell, Denize, van Dam & Raimondi....





This is my first time to hear this work. It is beautiful. Debussy, being cast from a different mould, created a work that is different in style or form to most other works by nineteenth century opera composers. This “discursive “ style (my term; pardon my ignorance of operatic critique) is reminiscent, to me, of the style of Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier. I will certainly revisit Pelleas et Melisande.

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.