Tír Na HiFi

On vinyl....





....beautiful music beautifully played.

Anne Sofie von Otter is no stranger to the XVII Century Italian repertoire. She has recorded Ottavia for Gardiner and a recital not unlike this one, but with Musica Antiqua Köln for Archiv.
Although this is only her fourth or fifth recording for Naïve, the French label is already celebrating her with a big, opulent libretto and has invited Sandrine Piau, the other label´s major singer to join her in a couple of Monteverdi duets.
Von Otter is amazing, even though she is getting dangerously close to her 60th birthday, she still sounds as fresh and vibrant as when she made her recording debut some 30 years ago. She and Piau give a meltingly beautiful rendition of the Poppea closing duet, and what an exquisite Penelope she makes in that character´s long scene from Il Ritorno d´Ulisse. But the most interesting item by far, is a curious and alarmingly funny rendition of Francesco Provenzale´s parody of Luigi Rossi´s very serious Lamento de la Regina di Suezia. Von Otter tells us that the Swedish conductor Arnold Östman gave her a copy many decades ago and she didn´t know what to make of it, well, now with the experience of la Cappella de´Turchini and a far better knowledge of the Neapolitan Baroque, she has the understanding to tackle it with success. The Cappella Mediterranea and their Argentinian conductor support her well.
Another success for the eternal von Otter.

Jose Echenique wrote:
Another success for the eternal von Otter.

I just adore her voice: tone, range and emotional expression, she is wonderful to my ear.

fergus wrote:On vinyl....





....beautiful music beautifully played.

The Aeolian Quartet recorded all of the Haydn String Quartets and I was tempted to get the box set but I choose the Angeles cycle instead, hmmm.

Seán wrote:

fergus wrote:On vinyl....





....beautiful music beautifully played.

The Aeolian Quartet recorded all of the Haydn String Quartets and I was tempted to get the box set but I choose the Angeles cycle instead, hmmm.

I will play some of it for you if you wish when you come over Seán.

Jose Echenique wrote:

Anne Sofie von Otter is no stranger to the XVII Century Italian repertoire. She has recorded Ottavia for Gardiner and a recital not unlike this one, but with Musica Antiqua Köln for Archiv.
Although this is only her fourth or fifth recording for Naïve, the French label is already celebrating her with a big, opulent libretto and has invited Sandrine Piau, the other label´s major singer to join her in a couple of Monteverdi duets.
Von Otter is amazing, even though she is getting dangerously close to her 60th birthday, she still sounds as fresh and vibrant as when she made her recording debut some 30 years ago. She and Piau give a meltingly beautiful rendition of the Poppea closing duet, and what an exquisite Penelope she makes in that character´s long scene from Il Ritorno d´Ulisse. But the most interesting item by far, is a curious and alarmingly funny rendition of Francesco Provenzale´s parody of Luigi Rossi´s very serious Lamento de la Regina di Suezia. Von Otter tells us that the Swedish conductor Arnold Östman gave her a copy many decades ago and she didn´t know what to make of it, well, now with the experience of la Cappella de´Turchini and a far better knowledge of the Neapolitan Baroque, she has the understanding to tackle it with success. The Cappella Mediterranea and their Argentinian conductor support her well.
Another success for the eternal von Otter.

As usual you make a very compelling case for that CD Pepe. Von Otter and Piau make for a very formidable line up I would think!

Major Brownie points for me on the domestic front this evening....I cooked my elderly mother in law a nice, simple dinner and played her the following vinyl as background music....








....Gigli was a huge favourite of her mother way back!!!

fergus wrote:Major Brownie points for me on the domestic front this evening....I cooked my elderly mother in law a nice, simple dinner and played her the following vinyl as background music....

Good on you, Fergus, that's lovely to hear! Actually, there was as intyeresting article in last month's BBC Music Mag, looking at Kathleen's influence and legacy, as it commemorated the 60th Anniversary of her tragic death.

Jared wrote:

fergus wrote:Major Brownie points for me on the domestic front this evening....I cooked my elderly mother in law a nice, simple dinner and played her the following vinyl as background music....

Good on you, Fergus, that's lovely to hear! ....

Cheers Jared....one needs all of the Brownie points one can get LOL!!!

Glazunov - Violin Concerto

Khachaturian - Violin Concerto

Prokofiev - Violin Concerto No.1 (Julia Fischer/Yakov Kreizberg, Russian National Orchestra, Pentatone)