Tír Na HiFi

fergus wrote:On vinyl....

What a coincidence dear Fergus, today I´ve been listening to Cherubini´s Medée, an opera once unanimously considered a masterpiece and now seldom performed. The difficulty of finding a soprano for the title role maybe explains why.

Jose Echenique wrote:

fergus wrote:On vinyl....

What a coincidence dear Fergus, today I´ve been listening to Cherubini´s Medée, an opera once unanimously considered a masterpiece and now seldom performed. The difficulty of finding a soprano for the title role maybe explains why.

It is charming music and I trust that you enjoyed it Pepe?

fergus wrote:

Jose Echenique wrote:

fergus wrote:On vinyl....

What a coincidence dear Fergus, today I´ve been listening to Cherubini´s Medée, an opera once unanimously considered a masterpiece and now seldom performed. The difficulty of finding a soprano for the title role maybe explains why.

It is charming music and I trust that you enjoyed it Pepe?

The music is magnificent, the problem is that we are still waiting for a great recording of Medée.
There are several recordings in Italian, including one with Maria Callas, unfortunately it´s not very stylish. Cherubini stands between the Viennese Classicism of Gluck and Mozart and the early Romanticism of Beethoven, and yet he belongs to neither. The most successful recording so far is a late 70´s Hungaroton production with soprano Sylvia Sass and Lamberto Gardelli conducting. The recording I was listening to is a period performance with the Brewer Chamber Orchestra, unfortunately neither the singers nor the orchestra are first class.
What we need is a young Régine Crespin with Gardiner and his orchestra, that would be the dream Medée.

This is the Italian trio Voces Intimae, like the Sibelius Quartet, and they play in period instruments.
I couldn´t find a picture of the cd I´m listening, but it´s in the Symphonia label, and it has opera transcriptions made by the likes of Vincenzo De Maglio, Ferdinando Carulli and Charles Auguste de Bériot.
As you know, before the appearance of recorded music it was popular to play at home favourite transcriptions of the most popular operas. De Maglio´s transcriptions of Norma, I Puritani and La Sonnambula are too demanding and concert-like to have been meant for amateurs or home use. They are very well made too, and Voces Intimae play them in virtuoso fashion, the period instruments only adding charm and grace to the performances. Delicious!

On vinyl, for our good friend in Mexico City who particularly likes this work....

fergus wrote:On vinyl, for our good friend in Mexico City who particularly likes this work....

You have some interesting LP´s Fergus. I didn´t even know that performance existed! Alfred Wallenstein is best remembered as the conductor of the Jascha Heifetz and Gregor Piatigorsky Brahms Double Concerto, but I didn´t know that Rachmaninov Second even existed.
If I had to vote for my favourite version it would have to be a London Symphony Orchestra/Gennadi Roshdetzvensky in the IMP label. But the Russian National Orchestra/Mikhail Pletnev in DG is also excellent and even better recorded.
Let´s hope DECCA records that memorable performance with the Gewandhausorchester and Riccardo Chailly before long.

Jose Echenique wrote:

fergus wrote:

You have some interesting LP´s Fergus. I didn´t even know that performance existed!

You are more than welcome to drop around any time to have a listen Pepe, if you happen to be passing by!!!

More vinyl....

Vinyl....