Nothing surpasses Bach. But there are many other things I love very much. The madrigals of Carlo Gesualdo, for example.
Or the harmonically surprisingly modern music of Barbara Strozzi:
Nothing surpasses Bach. But there are many other things I love very much. The madrigals of Carlo Gesualdo, for example.
Or the harmonically surprisingly modern music of Barbara Strozzi:
Of modern composers I especially like Mauricio Kagel, Luciano Berio, Hans-Werner Henze and Luigi Nono.
I also like York Höller's opera "Der Meister und Margarita" ("The Master and Margarita"), based on the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov. Jean
and I attended a rendition of it in Cologne a few years ago and were quite surprised when at one point Pontius Pilate appeared right behind our seats and started to sing.
Last edited by BaldFriede; 01-12-2017 at 05:18 PM.
I have four Kagel CDs, but my favorite piece is Orchestrion-Straat, which is on the Darmstadt Aural Documents box set on the NEOS label. I need to revisit my Berio Sequenzas set. I have all of Henze's symphonies, and violin concertos. It would be cool if Wergo would re-release his string quartets, or another quartet would record them.Originally Posted by BaldFriede
Just received this cd a day ago and it's a winner.Mari Kimura-Voyage Appollonian,for solo violin and electronics/computer.This track, Frevo, is composed by Egberto Gismonti and arranged and played by Kimura on violin and computer.Some amazing and beautiful work on this album.A keeper.
"please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide
I heard and listened to this quartet today, Apollo Chamber Players.
Some great, interesting stuff guys - cheers.
Starting my morning off with Boulez' first recording of Ma mere l'oye - the 2012 Sony Classical Box remastered in 24-bit. GREAT fucking recording. Up there with this DG Berliner. The ending of this piece is beyond any description in its beauty. Kills me every time.
Here is my deal with Bach - I absolutely agree and consider him (most likely) the greatest genius the classical world has even known. I've played, taught, and own a lot of his music. However, he doesn't make my personal top 10 in terms of what I actually enjoy listening to on a regular basis. When I do play his music, I always am in awe, especially The Passions, The Mass in B Minor, various Cantatas, and I also LOVE the Goldberg Variations. But just to name a few composers I enjoy more on a regular basis: Sibelius, Ravel, Mahler, Ives, Igor, Ligeti, Shostakovich, RVW....I think all of these cats are forever indebted to Bach.
Last edited by chalkpie; 01-15-2017 at 12:47 PM.
Something sweet and limpid for my Sunday morning.Lute music by the 16th century composer Melchior Neusidler,played by the always superb lutenist Paul O'Dette.
"please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide
I'm doing some opera. Gotta go with it when the urge hits. I've got so many recordings lying around. I just got done with Wagner's Parsifal conducted by Herbert Kegel. A great live recording from 1975 with very little distracting noise. The music is beautiful! Also Kegel's Wozzeck. Both on Brilliant Classics. And listening to Debussy's Pelleas Et Melisande this morning. The Abbado recording on DG.
Frank, thanks to your enthusiasm I finally fell in love with Mahler. But it took a few years of false starts. I now own two cycles. Bernstein/NYPO, and Tennstedt. And I recently bought the Barshai Shostakovich set, which I really enjoyed on the first go round.=chalkpie;659727But just to name a few composers I enjoy more on a regular basis: Sibelius, Ravel, Mahler, Ives, Ligeti, Shostakovich, RVW....I think all of these cats are forever indebted to Bach.
I indentify with your comments on Bach, and baroque in general. I don't care much for the orchestral stuff, but I like baroque choral, and keyboard music. I just got a Glenn Gould Bach set of inventions and Toccatas. And I like Scarlatti sonatas too.
This is great Walt - cheers. Never heard Neusidler before, but I am fairly huge fan of O'Dette and own a lot of recordings by him. One of my most treasured recordings is the 5-disc Complete Lute Works of John Dowland on Harmonia Mundi.
How did this piece treat you Reidster? As big of a Debussy fan as I am, this is largely uncharted territory for me. I am just starting to absorb Le Martyre de Saint Sebastian, which Michael Tilson Thomas proclaimed has one of his favorite pieces of music EVER. That's mighty substantial praise coming from a man of his musical stature.
Glad to hear it man. Took me years as well - I'm sure I've mentioned that before. So glad I was persistent and followed the "hype" surrounding Ole man Gustav
Sounds like you need some modern recordings of Mahler now - actually Boulez and Tilson Thomas will treat you well, albeit both different of course. The Decca Chailly is also great, and I am also a fan of Bertini and Gielen. Lenny's DG set is a must-have also. You can't wrong with any of those and any true Mahler nut needs all of them
I'm with you on baroque music. I listen to a lot more renaissance and medieval music actually.
Allow me to plug The Broadside Band - check them out. Phenomenal recordings - I recently bought a bunch of their discs used on Amazon for very cheap - plus 3.99 for shipping each though.
Last edited by chalkpie; 01-15-2017 at 07:47 PM.
The music is beautiful. Maybe not enough action for some? There's just two vocalists, but I enjoyed it more this time around. Thanks for the tip on the MTT recording! I'm listening on YouTube now. It sounds beautiful. I'm a big Sylvia McNair fan!
My library has most of the MTT Mahler recordings. I've listened to several. Some great recordings. I've only listened to no. 9 by Boulez. 9 is not my favorite, but I like the finale. I have the Mahler lieder disc by Boulez w/ Anne Sofie Von Otter, which I think is fantastic! And I have No. 2 by Gielen. I like it! And it comes with some Kurtag and Schoenberg as a bonus.Glad to hear it man. Took, me years as well - I'm sure I've mentioned that before. So glad I was persistent and followed the "hype" surrounding Ole man Gustav
Sounds like you need some modern recordings of Mahler now - actually Boulez and Tilson Thomas will treat you well, albeit both different of course. The Decca Chailly is also great, and I am also a fan of Bertini and Gielen. Lenny's DG set is a must-have also. You can't wrong with any of those and any true Mahler nut needs all of them
I love baroque brass, including Bach's Orchestral Suites 3 & 4. I find it very majestic. Most other baroque however....Meh!
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
Glad you're digging that, brother. This YT video is how I found out that MTT was so fond of Le Martyre - I was really amazed that he said that. The guy has conducted (and knows) a universe-shitload of music, so I knew it must be ultra special.
Curious as to why M9 doesn't blow your mind? Do me a favor sir - when you fancy the mood to dust it off again, try listening to one movement one at a time. If you like the finale, then you should concentrate on the other three movements. Its not to say that your opinion is invalid - because it certainly is and you have amazing taste in music - its just that its one of my favorite Mahler symphonies, so I'm really passionate about it. It might be the case of trying another recording as well. Both the MTT/San Fran and Chailly/Concertgebouw recordings boast INSANELY good sonics/engineering and the playing/conducting is as passionate as you're gonna get. Believe it or not, Von Karajon's DG recording is pretty exquisite as well.
Back in 2009, I tried to write a review of the Chailly disc on Amazon. Here it is, warts 'n all, but I think at least it tries to convey how I feel about M9, especially the Chailly Decca recording.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Profound
By Frank C. on June 21, 2009
Format: Audio CD
Profound is the best description of this reading of the great Mahler 9th. This is the first recording of a Mahler symphony that has inspired me to get off my can and actually write a review, so take that for what it's worth!
I will not do a step-by-step description of each movement (others have done it, and better at that), but I will start by saying that each moment of this reading has captured my emotions, senses, and imagination on the highest exultant level imaginable. The playing is simply gorgeous, and simultaneously grotesque, when called for. This piece of music calls for it all, and the RCO/Chailly delivers in spades.
Forget those reviewers that waste their time on insisting that this movemment is x minutes and it's too fast, or this movement is x minutes and it's way too slow. Know this - Chailly takes this symphony on the long(ish) side, and there is not one single moment that I wish I had given back to me. Case-in-point: The adagio. If you think that the adagio is one second too long, please feel free to add a comment and give me the exact time(s) with which you refer. This recording has me breathless until the very last note. Every single up and down bow played by the strings in the closing pages are like trips around the universe - they have such a profound effect on this listener. The immensity of the closing bars of this recording is on par with Bernstein's Resurrection (on DG), albeit the opposite end of the spectrum. If you've heard that recording, then you know the power to which I refer.
Chailly seems to be the perfect balance between the modern approach (a la Boulez, Gielen) and the emotional (Karajan, Bernstein). There are details that I have only noticed with Boulez, yet the playing never seems academic.
Sonically, I don't think you can do much better for standard redbook CD. The engineering is gorgeous; each frequency range is effortless and there is a rich and weighty presentation (lower strings, brass, percussion) that also fragile and delicate at times (winds, strings, glock, etc).
This reading is now my top recommendation, and I cannot find fault here whatsoever. In my opinion, this is the greatest recording in Chailly's fine cycle and one of the overall best classical recordings in my library.
Thank you Riccardo Chailly for your insight into this tremendous masterpiece.
Last edited by chalkpie; 01-15-2017 at 07:31 PM.
Frankie, thanks for your generous post! Don't take my comments on M9 to heart, because my opinions are like the wind when it comes to these massive works. I re-listened to the 1st movt (Bernstein) with my morning coffee, and it's filled with much beautiful music. I'm going to listen over again before I proceed to the 2nd movt.
And I know what you're saying about different readings and a stronger emphasis on details or the emmotional aspect. I've reserved a couple other versions (Boulez, Andrew Litton) from my library, and will give them a few listens. They don't have the Chailly. And thanks for the MTT video.
When I mentioned I only liked the finale, it was after listening to Tennstedt's 9th. Funny thing is, I just found a review of it in an old beat up classical guide I have, and the reviewer said that Tennstedt's finale was the only great part of the performance. The middle movements were described as ponderous, which echoes the reaction I had. Anyway, I like Bernstein's all the way through, even if his 60s NYP version isn't considered his best. I was high on Tennstedt until I got to No.4, but it didn't have the charm of Bernstein's NYP performance. I got the Tennstedt set for just over a dollar a CD, so it's worth it for the performances I end up savoring.
Have you heard Kagel's famous 'Ludwig Van'? Worth having. I think there must be a DG CD.
I was pretty active on a Mahler forum some years back, and it seemed like most of the Mahler nerds had the Tennstedt cycle but it was never anybody's favorite. I can't remember which symphonies were considered the stronger of the bunch. The Lenny NYP Sony set has some high marks and some even prefer it to his second later cycle on DG. I personally dig the DG set more, mostly due to the sonics, and the performances were a bit stronger (less "Human" moments; better intonation, etc). The NYP cycle had a younger, more fiery and energetic Lenny so the tempi were brisker, and he brings the goods to the party. At some point you should definitely hear the DG cycle, I mean they are all great. The DG finale to M2 is SOOOOOO drawn out and emotional - its almost too much to bear. I've teared up many times spinning that finale, I shit you not. His M5 with Vienna (DG) was my entry point into the Mahler universe on that summer night with headphones. It was the one that changed everything, and I still love and cherish that recording so much.
PS - It took me a while to fully realize how great the Rondo Burleske is, but man, once that hit me over the head I was hooked in a major way. There is some SICK ASS counterpoint happening in that piece. Really complex - a lot of musical lines weaving in and out leaving the listener hanging on by a thread at times just to grasp what's happening.
For Mahler I prefer Solti with CSO.
I tried watching some of his wacky film by the same name. Haven't heard a CD of the music.
I started a "favorite" Mahler 9 thread at TC forum, and nobody mentioned Tennstedt, lol! I did really enjoy his No.1
Maybe I'll get it next year? I've got too much other shit to listen to this year.At some point you should definitely hear the DG cycle, I mean they are all great. The DG finale to M2 is SOOOOOO drawn out and emotional - its almost too much to bear. I've teared up many times spinning that finale, I shit you not. His M5 with Vienna (DG) was my entry point into the Mahler universe on that summer night with headphones. It was the one that changed everything, and I still love and cherish that recording so much.
I'm constantly amazed by Mahler's inventiveness, and his wealth of ideas. How anyone can keep it flowing like that for 80-90 minutes is remarkable. I never get bored, which happens when I try to listen to Bruckner.PS - It took me a while to fully realize how great the Rondo Burleske is, but man, once that hit me over the head I was hooked in a major way. There is some SICK ASS counterpoint happening in that piece. Really complex - a lot of musical lines weaving in and out leaving the listener hanging on by a thread at times just to grasp what's happening.
One of my favorites
https://www.youtube.com/c/WimMertensOfficial
http://www.wimmertens.be/
To bad he never plays in The Netherlands.
Nobody is more full of Weltschmerz than Mahler (except perhaps for Gesualdo). I especially love Mahler's 9th symphony conducted by Bernstein.
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