Tír Na HiFi

Jared wrote:

An excellent set that!

Jared wrote:

fergus wrote:

you do have some delightfully obscure music in the collection of yours Fergus... heard the name but not the music, sadly..

A number of years ago Jared I want on a buying binge of 18th century symphonists via the excellent Naxos label and Vanhal rose to the top very quickly in my estimation.
If you are not familiar with Vanhal then a quick read of his life will be rewarding; he was an interesting guy and you will find his music equally intriguing. There are strong echoes of the music of Haydn and Mozart and I think that Vanhal’s symphonies stand up to most of those written by those two symphonic giants. A bold claim I know but a quick listen reveals thoroughly delightful, charming and very interesting and entertaining music and he has a musical voice very much of his own.

Next up....

^^ thanks for that Fergus... I may look him up, when I'm next in town!



I have to say, this is a set I'd recommend to all... a comprehensive 3CD survey of Pergolesi's Sacred Choral Works, ideal for those wishing to expand their Baroque collection, who have a predisposition toward all things Abbado.. (are you listening, Sean?)

Salve Regina in A minor/ Dixit Dominus etc...

Jared wrote:^^ thanks for that Fergus... I may look him up, when I'm next in town!



I have to say, this is a set I'd recommend to all... a comprehensive 3CD survey of Pergolesi's Sacred Choral Works, ideal for those wishing to expand their Baroque collection, who have a predisposition toward all things Abbado.. (are you listening, Sean?)

Salve Regina in A minor/ Dixit Dominus etc...

Yes, I am Jared, thank you. Allow me to consider that:
(Music that is entirely new to me + comes with a strong recommendation from someone I trust + forces conducted by Maestro Abbado) = It's a BUY, on the top of the pile it goes.

Seán wrote:

Jared wrote:

It's a BUY, on the top of the pile it goes.

I will be interested to know how you get on with Pergolesi's music Seán.

Apart from his sacred music there is an opera of his in my collection which you may also be interested in....





It has, unfortunately one of those nonsense plots of the time but the music and performances on that particular version are really very good. I am sure that there are equally good versions out there (Pepe?). Just a thought.

Some lovely, gentle wind music for a dreary Saturday morning....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_ ... i%20abbado

Sean, you may be termpted to go for the 3 separate disks which are now quite inexpensive, but the 3CD (5 Window) set comes with a magnificent 106 colour page, hardback bound booklet/ casing which gives a tremendous amount of detail about the music and Abbado's recordings... it's well worth the outlay. Remember, the composer died tragically early at 26, so he is always looked on as 'what could have been' but as it is, his music is very beautiful.

We talk a lot, naturally, about the music that we like and would recommend but he is some recent listening that did or said nothing for or to me (certainly on first listen)....





As he does not come up here very often does anyone else have a similar or different experience with the music of Charles Ives?

^^I'm not sure whether it's quite unique to this recording, but it's certainly unusual...

... Purcell hadn't completed 'The Indian Queen' before his untimely death, so the Act V Masque (12 mins) was written by his younger brother Daniel, to enable it to be staged.. it's quite lively and upbeat and finishes off this production well enough, although the liner notes suggest that it's difficult to know whether this is what Purcell intended for the piece. I don't know whether I would have picked up that this isn't Henry's work without prompting, and I'm not sure how talented Daniel was a composer, otherwise... maybe that's a question for Simon?

fergus wrote:As he does not come up here very often does anyone else have a similar or different experience with the music of Charles Ives?

I know what you mean Fergus... I personally don't like to denigrate any composer, partly because I'm not qualified enough to do so and partly because you will inevitably upset an enthusiast of that composer' music on the site. I think members are by now fully aware of where my enthusiasms lie and where they don't... but I will just say that I own only one CD with music by Ives (Central Park in the Dark) which wasn't really to my taste either...