Tír Na HiFi

Seán wrote:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 29
Prague Chamber Orchestra
Sir Charles Mackerras conducting.

I know that I have posted about Mozart's 29th before and I know that I need make no apologies for doing so again. Suffice it to say that I think that it is a beautiful performance of a superb work by Mozart, it is divine.

That is indeed a great set Seán!

Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time....





A very powerful performance indeed!

Brahms: Symphonies 2 & 4 / Mengelberg....

fergus wrote:Brahms: Symphonies 2 & 4 / Mengelberg....

Very characterful and powerful performances. Of the 4th I prefer Victor de Sabata´s with the Berlin Philharmonic, also a wartime recording of almost hypnotical power, but Mengelberg´s is also of undeniable historical importance.

fergus wrote:Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time....





A very powerful performance indeed!

Heard Tashi do this live many, many years ago. No one can approach it in my opinion.

And thanks to Fergus listening to some Dussek Piano Concerti this evening. Not listened to Dussek in a long time, great music.

Jose Echenique wrote:

fergus wrote:

Very characterful and powerful performances. Of the 4th I prefer Victor de Sabata´s with the Berlin Philharmonic, also a wartime recording of almost hypnotical power, but Mengelberg´s is also of undeniable historical importance.

"Characterful" is certainly a very good description of the performances under Mengelberg that I have heard so far Pepe - in a good, thought provoking way.

DonKC wrote:

fergus wrote:

Heard Tashi do this live many, many years ago. No one can approach it in my opinion.

That must have been a wonderful experience Don!

And thanks to Fergus listening to some Dussek Piano Concerti this evening. Not listened to Dussek in a long time, great music.

He is only a recent discovery for me Don but agreed, wonderful music!

Monteverdi....

Mahler 7 / Solti....





....a powerful performance from Solti!

Antonio Salieri composed Les Danaïdes under the tutelage of his teacher Gluck. The libreto was written for Gluck, but he was already tired and disenchanted with the Paris Opera, so he let his pupil compose it.
The funny thing is that Gluck presented the opera as his own to prevent booing for Salieri just because he was Italian. The opera was a success and after the sixth performance Gluck revealed the truth. By then it was too late for the antipiccinnists to sabotage it [Piccinni was a contemporary of Gluck who was also active in the 1780´s in Paris, the French who love a good match soon took sides between Gluck and Piccinni, though the composers who respected each other couldn´t care less].
So, Les Danaïdes composed in late Gluck style was admired and performed for several decades in Paris, as late as 1828 it was still being performed and even the obnoxious Hector Berlioz liked it.
Surprisingly this is the fourth recording of Les Danaïdes, in the late 80´s Giangluigi Gelmetti made the first recording on modern instruments for EMI, then a few years ago Michael Hofstetter made a very good recording in the Ludwigsburg Festival for the OEHMS label, and Dynamic recently released yet another one once more with Gelmetti conducting and a much past her prime Montserrat Caballé as the heroine.

That Rousset´s was going to be the best of all was an easy guess. Les Talens Lyriques play superbly, the singers are all excellent, and the audio quality state of the art.
Next to the Catone in Utica this is already one of the best opera recordings of the year.