Tír Na HiFi

Stravinsky - Le Sacre du printemps (Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Decca)

Jared wrote:Laudibus: Christmas choral music
Robert Isaacs

A selection of 17 carols and choral music from throughout the ages, is the subject of this month's free BBC Music Mag disk. This highly eclectic collection (Silent Night sits next to Victoria's O magnum mysterium) contains several re-arrangements by John Rutter and David Willcocks and others. If nothing else, it starts to get me in the festive mood!

Rutter just rubs me up the wrong way... he actually makes me angry, something about aged white men writing in carribbean patois...

give Adam lay y bounden any day

For the late, chilly evening some Sibelius with the much admired Paavo Berglund who left us this year.
These recordings date from 2003 and 2007 and needless to say they are marvelously conducted and superbly played. Paavo Berglund visited us frequently, I must have heard a dozen or so concerts with him, but I especially treasure a quite unforgettable Sibelius Fifth with our University Symphony. I have never heard the orchestra play better with any other conductor, including my brother (LOL).

another wonderful outing for Manze, this time accompanied by one of my favourite hi violinists, Rachel Podger....

a version of these works I've not listened too in a long while, the recording itself is quite different... it appears to have been miked quite distantly but at a point where the first reflections of reverb in what appears to be a large hall occur....

jaybee wrote:

Jared wrote:Laudibus: Christmas choral music
Robert Isaacs

A selection of 17 carols and choral music from throughout the ages, is the subject of this month's free BBC Music Mag disk. This highly eclectic collection (Silent Night sits next to Victoria's O magnum mysterium) contains several re-arrangements by John Rutter and David Willcocks and others. If nothing else, it starts to get me in the festive mood!

Rutter just rubs me up the wrong way... he actually makes me angry, something about aged white men writing in carribbean patois...

give Adam lay y bounden any day

well actually, Adam lay ybounden is actually the first track on that disk!

I do know what you mean about Rutter, although he doesn't make me angry... never really been able to key into much of his music.

now, we're on the BBC Music disk from Xmas 2010...

Rodolfus Choir/ Ralph Kirkwood

.... no Rutter (or indeed Willcocks for that matter) in sight...

19 religious works from the mainly early 20th century, beautifully performed.

Morten Lauridsen's 'O magnum mysterium' is very pleasant..

jaybee wrote:

another wonderful outing for Manze, this time accompanied by one of my favourite hi violinists, Rachel Podger....

it's a really well executed album, but the tempi seem to be so quick and the strings so effervescent, that it feels like Bach on helium!

jaybee wrote:

a version of these works I've not listened too in a long while, the recording itself is quite different... it appears to have been miked quite distantly but at a point where the first reflections of reverb in what appears to be a large hall occur....

I've heard this one is critically highly regarded, but only have the Grumiaux set at present... maybe in the future?

Victoria: Ave Maria...

gosh, you can always tell a bit of Victoria when it comes on... in terms of the harmonic textures, it just seems to stand above everything else on the disk..... I'm sorry, but Victoria was an absolute genius...

jaybee wrote:Rutter just rubs me up the wrong way... he actually makes me angry, something about aged white men writing in carribbean patois...

just reached for the back of the CD thinking 'My God, this is terribly cheesy stuff'

and guess what? It was John Rutter.... lol