Forums - Classical Music Thread

CAJames Seasoned Member "I've run every red light on memory lane." Posts: 2767	Re: Classical Music Thread Reply #1050 - 09/06/25 at 19:54:06 Re-listening to a disc from a couple of weeks ago. And yes, after swapping more tubes my system is officially "sounding better than ever." On CD
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CAJames Seasoned Member "I've run every red light on memory lane." Posts: 2767	Re: Classical Music Thread Reply #1051 - 09/06/25 at 23:52:08 Even Japanese Sony's remastering can't make Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra's Brahms 4th sound great. But it is a great performance, and sounds good enough. On CD
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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #1052 - 09/07/25 at 19:06:36

Back around to Beethoven's 1st Symphony. I don't normally have much good to say about so called "historically informed performance" but there are exceptions that prove every rule. Like John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. Their lively, transparent and nuanced Beethoven wouldn't be my first, or even second choice, but it is certainly well worth hearing.

On CD.

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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #1053 - 09/08/25 at 15:12:27

Baroque cello sonatas, typically with a harpsichord, were very popular. But as the piano evolved into the modern concert grand they became, shall we say, technically difficult because the piano tended to overwhelm the cello. Also, because Beethoven wrote 5 of them and I would rank them up there with his masterpieces of chamber music so they were a tough act to follow. Record companies like to pair up their "famous" cellist with an equally "famous" pianist they have under contract to record them, and many are outstanding.

On CD.

Gulda and Fournier's recording from the late 50s is one my favorites.

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Lon Seasoned Member "Love without guts is worthless!" Philip K. Dick Posts: 26622	Re: Classical Music Thread Reply #1054 - 09/08/25 at 15:56:07 I have that 2 cd set as well, a favorite of these duet interpretations. My Dad loved to listen to it as well.
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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #1055 - 09/09/25 at 04:08:30

Quote:

Posted by: Lon Posted on: Today at 07:56:07

...a favorite of these duet interpretations...

They are of course duets, but before Beethoven most of these sonatas were clearly meant for one solo instrument and one playing the accompaniment. Beethoven was one of the first that made them truly a duet, a conversation between (more or less) equals.

Moving on to the Dvorak Slavonic Dances. For many years, and maybe up to the present day George Szell's mid-60s recording with the Cleveland Orchestra was considered the reference. But I prefer another Hungarian, Christoph von Dohnányi leading the same orchestra.

16/44 FLAC download

Both versions are outstanding, but I prefer Dohnányi's more relaxed and lyrical approach. And the London Digital recording is light-years ahead of the Columbia/CBS/Sony sound on the Szell album.

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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #1056 - 09/09/25 at 22:56:42

This is quite simply one of the greatest records ever made. YMMV. The brass sections from the Philadelphia, Cleveland and Chicago Symphonies, i.e. a bunch of the very best brass players on the planet, got together to jam on the antiphonal music of Gabrieli. As a bonus the sound, unlike most Columbia/CBS/Sony recordings from the 60s, is as spectacular as the music and the playing.

On CD.

I pretty much wore out my LP of this album, and if it is possible to wear out a CD, I'll wear this out too.

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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #1057 - 09/12/25 at 21:36:47

I haven't listened to Janacek lately, which is a major oversite. So I spun up his fascinating string quartets.

16/44 FLAC download

These are modern, but not dissonant, and you can still hear the Czech lyricism through the modern harmony. And speaking of Czech, it seems a little provincial to say no one play Janacek like the Czechs, but it is pretty true. Esp. the Panocha Quartet, who are pretty great at everything they do.

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Dominick Seasoned Member Still like that old time Rock and Roll!! Posts: 1466	Re: Classical Music Thread Reply #1058 - 09/13/25 at 00:36:03 It’s been a while since I’ve posted in the classical music thread. For some reason I tend to go in spurts lately. Tonight’s a vinyl night…and as I was flipping through my collection…its impossible to pass over John Williams without playing him.
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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #1059 - 09/13/25 at 02:57:58

Yeah. Long time, no see Dom

I do not have John Williams conducting the Saito Kenan Orchestra, but I do have his buddy, Seiji Ozawa, conducting it in his box of "German Masterworks." I was listening to Bach's b minor mass, which, like everything in the box, is majestically played and beautifully recorded.

On CD

I was going to say this box would be a great way to get a good chuck of the German Classics^tm in great recordings at a great price. But I just checked Amazon and it is now over 300 bucks...so there's that.

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Doug

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #1060 - 09/13/25 at 20:50:36

Having been down with a health issue for several days, and being deprived of quality sound from the big rig, strength was gathered this morning, and the system was fired up for the first time in more than a week. Walter Klien has now played all of Mozart's piano sonatas for me today. I very much enjoy the way Klien played Mozart's plain and simple feel-good sonatas.

The recordings are two VoxBox 2-CD sets. Recordings are from the late fifties and early sixties, but you'd never know it listening from the family room, one flight of stairs up from the listening room--huge, full, detailed concert grand piano sound. There is audible tape hiss in the listening room, but not one floor up! Highly recommended recordings, and I'm certain, good for one's health too!

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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #1061 - Yesterday at 01:11:02

Glad you're feeling better Doug, and I'm sure Mozart's "feel good" sonatas aren't hurting.

I call the sonatas "approachable" and they have been a bit of a puzzle for me. Mozart's instrument as the piano, and his piano concertos are some of the most sublime music he (or anyone) has ever written. But for me, in spite of a memorable cameo in Spinal Tap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H818NWsBIj0

I find the sonatas are lovely, but nothing more. So when I want lovely, I listen to Klára Würtz.

16/44 FLAC download

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Doug Seasoned Member Posts: 323	Re: Classical Music Thread Reply #1062 - Yesterday at 17:39:56 CA, what recordings of the concertos do you like? I'll give Klara a listen today on the sonatas. I like the idea of lovely.
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CAJames

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Re: Classical Music Thread
Reply #1063 - Yesterday at 19:33:09

Hey Doug,

I'd say, for complete cycles my favorites are Uchida and Perahia. On a slightly low step of the podium I'd put Geza Anda, who I find is always interesting but not always convincing. I started with Brendel, and I hate to say I've outgrown him, but I feel like the others have more to say. And I've never been a big fan of Sir Neville.

For incomplete sets I really like the Szell/Casadesus late concertos and the Peter Serkin middle ones.

But my absolutely, positively most favorite are the recordings by Ivan Moravec.

On CD

Which isn't surprising because pretty much everything Moravec records is my favorite recording.

Of course that is very much JMO/YMMV and all that. I find the Mozart concertos a never ending source of joy and wonder, curious who you like?

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