He's an acquired taste for sure - a real interesting character. I used to date a flautist in college that was obsessed with him, especially his Beethoven and Brahms recordings. There was a fascinating documentary on him at the Berliner Phil website. He loved his Porsches! His Mahler 9 is a really great recording, and like I said his Wagner preludes/Overtures are well worth hearing at least once. I dig his and Solti's - both klassiks.Originally Posted by StarThrower
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
I ended up buying that CD. An ebay vendor had the Karajan disc plus a Levine Met disc of Ring stuff for a low price.
Got the CD of Ludolf Nielsen's Lackshmi ballet a few weeks back. Have it playing now. Cool stuff.
Sweet...Do you mean The Compact Ring?
Good? Never heard (of) it.
Yeah. I like it. Seems like folks who like other ballet and non-symphony orchestral stuff from the early 20th century, like the Stravinsky and Ravel stuff, would dig it. Good somewhat "modern" late Romantic kinda stuff.
Yeah! I read that the overall cycle wasn't that successful but this CD captures some of the better parts.
Enjoyed this one last night.
Original version conducted by Richard Hickox.
The height of Herbie's career coincided with movie/TV cameras becoming small and inexpensive enough to focus close on the conductor, and orchestra members. Much video footage exists of the camera trained on Herbie for long intervals of time. It was one of those cases of, "We have this new technology, and by God, we're going to milk it for all it's worth!"
It's also an early example the "sex" in sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. It was written for actress Harriet Smithson, whom he married as a direct result of her presence at the premier.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
I listen to all instrumental works as pure music. I don't care about the associations. Berlioz was a non-conformist and a musical rule breaker. But Bernstein is very entertaining and I love to hear him talk and expound on musical subjects.
Great symphony. His 7th Sinfonia Antarctica is good for a snowy day like we’ve had in the Philadelphia area.
I listened to it today. The Adrian Boult recording from the EMI box. I need to listen to the other symphonies because I always go for the London, and Antartica.
If most people knew Beethoven's Eroica Symphony was originally dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte, they would be immediately turned off. That work happens to be the singular catalyst for the Romantic style.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
People believe Appalachian Spring is inspired by the American landscapes but Copland said that he wasn't thinking about any of that when he composed the piece.
This CD is really what got me into the Ring. Track 5 ("Magic Fire Music") which is essentially the final 15 minutes of Die Walkure is still my favorite version that I have ever heard, and I have searched out a shit ton of Act III of Walkure. Levine takes the instrumental section when Wotan is lighting the fires around Brünnhilde at a slower pace than most - and it is absolutely perfect! The Met playing is also just incredible. James Morris also sounds wonderful to my ears, although Hans Hotter still fuckin rules as Wotan. The Götterdämmerung Immolation is also just breathtaking.
If you spin this CD enough times, you may get obsessed with The Ring (raises hand) and this overall Levine Ring is still one of my favs. Solti always gets the nod, and vocally it's better of course, but there are many, many moments where I think Levine excels, especially in the instrumental sections. I have recently been getting into Haitink's Ring with The Bavarian Radio Symphony too - some crazy good moments. This opera is a like a drug and can be very addictive. Seeing Walkure live at the Met was beyond amazing. I am there again when things get back to normal and they do another run. Keep us posted when you spin this shit.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
I've got the Solti Ring but I've been curious to hear some other conductors. Hopefully I'll enjoy these excerpts from Levine.
They really are all great. I love 3 and 5, very English sounding, both. Great set.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that these excerpts are going to be a revelation for you compared to the Solti versions, especially in the instrumental passages. Having said that, I have been hitting my Solti LPs over this past week, and aside from constantly flipping the records every 17 minutes, it's an amazing recording. Some folks claim that the Solti is the single greatest recording EVER in the history of music, which of course is bullshit, but goes to show just how fanatical some folks feel about that recording.
Speaking of The Ring, here is a very cool 30-minute podcast on BBC Radio 3, plus a shit ton of other composers (a Ravel podcast is the one right after the Ring one). The chap's name is Tom Service, and the show is called The Listening Service. I'm gonna listen to a few more of these this weekend.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000jp9j
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
Ha - here's one he did on prog!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009504
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
I'll take a look, Frank. Thanks!
DSCH 15 (symphony).....Barshai
Killer. Got that set before Christmas. Then, as a Christmas gift, I got a CD of Ormandy/Philadelphia doing Shostakovich 15 coupled with Bartok Four Pieces for Orchestra. Killer.
I listened to the Wagner podcast. That was interesting and entertaining. I got the Compact Ring CD which sounds really good. Probably the best sounding and recorded orchestra playing Wagner's music.
Listening to the symphonies of William Alwyn at the moment. The recordings on the Lyrita label. I got both CDs from Ken Golden through Discogs.
I need to listen to DSCH 15 more than I do...it's so unique within his symphonies. The Barshai was the first complete DSCH set I bought on disc, then I got the Haitink 2nd.
Glad you dig those. The Levine Ring really is one of the best sounding Ring cycles, especially in the orchestra. Vocalists are a bit 'underappreciated' in the Wagnery snobbery corner imo too. Gun to me head - I would probably take the Levine over the Solti, but that's me. You can watch this era on video - available on DVD/BluRay/Met On-Demand Site. There is another Ring cycle by Levine/Met on video from 2012 (Lepage Production) also available on the same shit. Levine has been a bad boy in recent years and I think he is out permanently from The Met.
If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.
"And it's only the giving
That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson
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