Tír Na HiFi

Found a nice compilation of Harmonia Mundi recordings this week. [this set: http://www.amazon.com/Harmonia-Mundi-An ... a+mundi+30]

They are delightful!
Purcell - Welcome to All Pleasures - Deller Consort/Deller
Handel - Water Music - Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra/McGegan
Moulinie - Cantique de Moyse - Les Arts Florissants/ Christie

In particular, I very much enjoyed the Moulinie recording by William Christie and Les Arts Florissants

Peter wrote:

Jose Echenique wrote:

Harnoncourt recorded in the mid 80´s both, the Posthorn Serenade and the Haffner Symphony, the first with the Dresden Staatskapelle and the second with the Concertgebouw, but this is his first recording of both works with his Concentus Musicus. It is obviously a joyous occasion for the great old man, both performances have their idiosyncrasies and insights, it wouldn´t be a Harnoncourt performance without either, but both works are superbly played and his love for Mozart is palpable.

Is Harnoncourt one of your preferred conductors when it comes to Mozart? I am very fond of his Bach cantatas, but his Mozart is definitely an unknown realm for me. It seems like people's opinions of Harnoncourt are quite varied. Personally I like the rough and timbre sound he brings forward in his recordings.

Not necessarily Peter, he can be rough sometimes. I think Brüggen is the most natural Mozartian, and Christie and Gardiner can be more exquisite, but Harnoncourt always has something to say, and his fanatical dedication to Mozart is never in question.

Peter wrote:

Jose Echenique wrote: Oh dear, I do not know that music at all.

Not many do Seán, Schoonderwoerd looks for the rarest pianoforte concerti of the late XVIII and early XIX centuries.

I admit my ignorance here as well. It is interesting to explore the shadowy corners of the repertoire. One can always wonder why some pieces persist while other enter the shadow zone and ultimately enters a hibernating state. It is the same as with literature - some books get reprinted while others dissipate and start to fall apart event though they may have been extremely popular at the time they were created/read/performed.

Sometimes digging into obscure repertoire can bring immense rewards. Just take all the glorious Neapolitan repertoire that fell into oblivion in the XIX Century and that la Cappella de´Turchini has been discovering for us in the past 2 decades. Quite simply priceless. Also the rediscovery of hugely important composers like Hasse and Jommelli has been most rewarding. Of course not every obscure composer is worth reviving, but there are some that should be there with the greats [Zelenka for sure]. Remember that Vivaldi has only been in the limelight since the 1950´s. If you had asked about him early in the 20th century, probably very few would have known his name.

Peter wrote:

Jose Echenique wrote:

Harnoncourt recorded in the mid 80´s both, the Posthorn Serenade and the Haffner Symphony, the first with the Dresden Staatskapelle and the second with the Concertgebouw, but this is his first recording of both works with his Concentus Musicus. It is obviously a joyous occasion for the great old man, both performances have their idiosyncrasies and insights, it wouldn´t be a Harnoncourt performance without either, but both works are superbly played and his love for Mozart is palpable.

Is Harnoncourt one of your preferred conductors when it comes to Mozart? I am very fond of his Bach cantatas, but his Mozart is definitely an unknown realm for me. It seems like people's opinions of Harnoncourt are quite varied. Personally I like the rough and timbre sound he brings forward in his recordings.

I have to confess that I do like Harnoncourt, particularly in Haydn with the Concentus Musicus Wien, his work is always interesting and sometimes it is superb.

The Mozart cycle by the Prague Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Charles Mackerras is worth getting:



as is this lovely cheap set from Sony:

Seán wrote: The Mozart cycle by the Prague Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Charles Mackerras is worth getting:



as is this lovely cheap set from Sony:

The Mackerras set is a very good one Seán.
Two cycles of Mozart's symphonies that I enjoy are by Karl Bohm....





....which is somewhat "old school" but very good nonetheless and another is by Jeffrey Tate....





....and this has been reissued as a budget set recently.



My go to for Mozart symphonies is still the Hogwood/Schroder set however....





....for me, still magic!

Peter wrote:Found a nice compilation of Harmonia Mundi recordings this week. [this set: http://www.amazon.com/Harmonia-Mundi-An ... a+mundi+30]

They are delightful!
Purcell - Welcome to All Pleasures - Deller Consort/Deller
Handel - Water Music - Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra/McGegan
Moulinie - Cantique de Moyse - Les Arts Florissants/ Christie

In particular, I very much enjoyed the Moulinie recording by William Christie and Les Arts Florissants

One can never go wrong with a William Christie presentation irrespective of the composer. His attention to detail and his lavish presentation are always rewarding; I cannot remember ever hearing a poor production from him.

Earlier....

And talking about the great Johann Adolf Hasse, here is the first opera arias recital totally dedicated to him. Countertenor Max Emanuel Cencic is one of the most exciting and gifted singers in his fach, and the recital is a total success. By the way, it also includes his charming mandolin concerto recorded often in modern instruments but this is a first in period instruments.
And what do you think of the cover? It looks very 50´s doesn´t it? But it should be 1750´s, not 1950´s.

Cheers

Aleg

Romanian soprano Elena Mosuc has been singing for well over a decade. She is particularly famous in Vienna and Central Europe, but her recording career has been very limited. This is her first recital, and one can hear that the microphone is not too kind to her, a very light beat is noticeable, not necessarily a vocal problem since Slavic voices tend to have that...but it´s there. She has made Bel Canto her specialty, and Mozart´s Queen of the Night. In this mostly all Donizetti recital she does deliver the fireworks in Lucia and Anna Bolena, but for Lucrezia Borgia, and most alarmingly Bellini´s Norma a different voice is needed.