Tír Na HiFi

On the turntable this evening...

This morning's listening fare included a "Haydnesque" selection:



Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 1
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Serge Koussevitzky - conducting.
[Recorded in 1947]

Koussevitzky really drives the orchestra at a frenetic pace, they take less than eleven and a half minutes to complete the piece, I love the sound of the woodwinds, this is gorgeous music-making.

Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 1
London Symphony Orchestra
André Previn - conducting.

The Previn/LSO recording is my favourite rendition.


Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 1
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
Theodore Kuchar - conducting.

Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 60
Concentus musicus Wien
Nikolaus Harnoncourt - conducting.

Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe Suite No.2 (Christoph von Dohnanyi, Cleveland Orchestra & Chorus, Teldec)

markof wrote:

I am going to take another opportunity to declare how lovely the sacred music of Vivaldi can be and that this is a lovely disc.

This is a very beautiful work; wonderful music and music making.

fergus wrote:


This is a very beautiful work; wonderful music and music making.

I´m very happy you got it Fergus, it´s a truly magnificent recording. Caldara´s genius and musical sophistication are in evidence in every note. And what a treat it is to have Andreas Scholl, Bernarda Fink and María Cristina Kiehr, all in glorious voice. This recording won the Gramophone Award for best baroque vocal recording.

This duets disc recorded in 1972 has just been released on cd for the first time.
It´s like a nostalgic snapshot from a long gone era. The lovely Katia Ricciarelli was in her prime, the voice was pure, strong and very lovely, quite a different thing from the late Ricciarelli that ended her career in the 90´s with countless vocal problems.
Plácido Domingo is still active of course and now alternates singing tenor and baritone. His is one of the most spectacular operatic careers the World has known, and in spite of singing the most demanding roles, he never developed any vocal problems. But time is merciless, and remembering how gorgeously he sang 40 years ago is a sad reminder that many years have indeed passed.