Tír Na HiFi

ravel30 wrote: I have been listening and talking about this box set for a while. Now I am ready to beg you to get that set before it is too late. This box set is making me fall in love with Sibelius' music all over again. Now I must listen to his Vienna Symphony Orchestra/ Decca recording.

I have Maazel's VPO set and I really like it, Matt, do you prefer the Pittsburgh cycle?

fergus wrote:

Jose Echenique wrote:

I do not have any versions at all of that work Pepe.

You should investigate it Fergus, it´s a masterpiece. And the King is the version to have since an earlier one by Gardiner in ERATO is incomplete and no longer competitive.

bombasticDarren wrote:R. Strauss - Metamorphosen (Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra, EMI)

What did you think of the performance Darren?
Do you like the work itself?

Jose Echenique wrote:

fergus wrote:

Jose Echenique wrote:

I do not have any versions at all of that work Pepe.

You should investigate it Fergus, it´s a masterpiece. And the King is the version to have since an earlier one by Gardiner in ERATO is incomplete and no longer competitive.

Thank you Pepe....another one for the List so!!!

fergus wrote:

bombasticDarren wrote:R. Strauss - Metamorphosen (Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra, EMI)

What did you think of the performance Darren?
Do you like the work itself?

Well, it's a great Mahler 9, I just don't get Metamorphosen though, I must revisit it again soon as I haven't listened to it for a few years now.

I just heard this Polish baritone last november singing Don Giovanni at the MET and he was awesome. Now HM brings his first recital and it´s a success. He makes an ideal Eugene Onegin, his high, lyric baritone falls just perfect into this role. Since I don´t speak Russian nor Czech, I can´t say how good his pronunciation is in those languages, but I bet his Polish is very good.
In spite of the meagre 55´duration, this is a most enjoyable recital, and it´s going to be an excellent introduction card for this young singer.

fergus wrote:

bombasticDarren wrote:R. Strauss - Metamorphosen (Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia Orchestra, EMI)

What did you think of the performance Darren?
Do you like the work itself?

I think, like Sean indicated, it can be a tough piece to love but this recording does it full justice for me. I found it to be quite hypnotic and increasingly appealing the further it went along. A wonderful performance. I think this is a piece that needs a dazzling performance in order for it's greatness to be evident (I think along these lines when I consider recordings of Brahms 3

Prokofiev - Scythian Suite (Walter Weller, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Decca)

Saint-Saens - Cello Concerto No.1 (Maria Kliegel/Jean-Francois Monnard, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Naxos)