I Love The 80's [1880s that is]
Wed, May 12 2010 03:05
Naxos is offering the MP3 collection 'I Love The 80s' free at Amazon.com. These are full recordings of seven symphonies, conducted by Marin Alsop. The works included are:
Symphony no. 3 in F Major: Johannes Brahms
Symphony no. 1 in D Major (Titan): Gustav Mahler
Symphony no. 5 in e minor, op 64: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony no. 6 in D Major op. 60: Antonin Dvorak
Symphony no. 3 in a minor (unfinished): Alexander Porfir'yevich Borodin
Symphony no. 3 in c minor "Organ": Camille Saint-Saens
Symphony no. 9 in d minor WAB 109: Anton Bruckner
And the cost: FREE, so go get it!
Symphony no. 3 in F Major: Johannes Brahms
Symphony no. 1 in D Major (Titan): Gustav Mahler
Symphony no. 5 in e minor, op 64: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony no. 6 in D Major op. 60: Antonin Dvorak
Symphony no. 3 in a minor (unfinished): Alexander Porfir'yevich Borodin
Symphony no. 3 in c minor "Organ": Camille Saint-Saens
Symphony no. 9 in d minor WAB 109: Anton Bruckner
And the cost: FREE, so go get it!
Comments
Wind Trios
Sun, May 9 2010 01:58
A great MP3 album bargain, 72 tracks of wind trios by the Saarland Radio Wind Trio. No, I haven't heard of them either, but the playing is good and the recording pleasant. The works are from Mozart and several other lesser-known composers. And at the price of $7 for over 3 hours of music you just cannot go wrong with this one.
Dmitri Shostakovich Recommended Works
Sun, May 2 2010 06:06
| Shostakovich
Shostakovich has 15 symphonies, so where do you start? By many accounts, the 5th is the best place, and there are several excellent recordings available. Ormandy on RCA recorded the 5th with the Philadelphia Orchestra in the 1970's, and this is an overall favorite of mine. It was reissued on CD in Japan a few years ago [I even paid to have it shipped from Japan to replace my vinyl copy], but fortunately ArchivMusic has released it domestically. It comes with 'Prometheus' by Scriabin and is a warm and effective recording.
Ormandy Edition Vol 14 - Shostakovich: Symphony No 5; Scriabin
Bernstein famously recorded the 5th Symphony in 1959 in the presence of the composer, and is known for the exceptionally fast last movement that will make you stand up and take notice. It is coupled with the 9th Symphony as part of the Bernstein Century line and is also an MP3 Album. Bernstein also recorded the 5th in 1979 in Tokyo live, and while the movements are taken at a slightly slower pace, the recording is better than the 1959 version, but overall is a secondary recommendation to the 1959 version.
For the same 5th and 9th coupling, Haitink on Decca has a great recording of these works and is a good alternate to the Ormandy and Bernstein performances. Also on MP3 Album.
If you are adventurous and are looking for a complete set of all the Shostakovich Symphonies, there are sets by Kondrashin and Haitink. I tend to favor the Kondrashin set, although the sound quality is about what you would expect from Soviet-Era recordings, not great but serviceable. Haitink's Set is culled from recordings in the 1970's and 1980's and is a good overall choice too, and also available on MP3 Album. If you want to explore some other Shosh symphonies without the whole set, the individual recordings from the above sets are also on spearate CDs, and Gergiev with the Kirov has some great recordings too of Symphonies 4-9.
GO TO SHOSTAKOVICH'S PAGE
Ormandy Edition Vol 14 - Shostakovich: Symphony No 5; Scriabin
Bernstein famously recorded the 5th Symphony in 1959 in the presence of the composer, and is known for the exceptionally fast last movement that will make you stand up and take notice. It is coupled with the 9th Symphony as part of the Bernstein Century line and is also an MP3 Album. Bernstein also recorded the 5th in 1979 in Tokyo live, and while the movements are taken at a slightly slower pace, the recording is better than the 1959 version, but overall is a secondary recommendation to the 1959 version.
For the same 5th and 9th coupling, Haitink on Decca has a great recording of these works and is a good alternate to the Ormandy and Bernstein performances. Also on MP3 Album.
If you are adventurous and are looking for a complete set of all the Shostakovich Symphonies, there are sets by Kondrashin and Haitink. I tend to favor the Kondrashin set, although the sound quality is about what you would expect from Soviet-Era recordings, not great but serviceable. Haitink's Set is culled from recordings in the 1970's and 1980's and is a good overall choice too, and also available on MP3 Album. If you want to explore some other Shosh symphonies without the whole set, the individual recordings from the above sets are also on spearate CDs, and Gergiev with the Kirov has some great recordings too of Symphonies 4-9.
GO TO SHOSTAKOVICH'S PAGE
Gustav Holst Recommended Works
Fri, Apr 30 2010 06:23
| Holst
Richard Hickox and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales recently released a CD of Orchestral Works by Gustav Holst on Chandos Records. Included are The Perfect Fool, The Golden Goose, The Lure and The Morning of the Year. These works are ballet suites and music recorded by Hickox before he past away late last year. Those of you familiar with The Planets will find a lot to like here yet will hear a different side of Holst. These works are not recorded too often, and only recently has the recordings of some of these works from the 1970's been re-released on Lyrita. The performances are stellar, the sound quality is excellent, and these recordings beat any of the currently available versions. An MP3 version is also at Amazon's aStore.
The Planets is a suite in seven parts, each named for a planet in our solar system. Earth is not named, and Pluto had not been discovered at the time Planets was composed. This recording by Karajan and the Berliner Philharmonic is a great performance and has demonstration-class sound. MP3 Version also available.
Naxos has a nicely performed CD of various other Holst works such as Beni Mora and Somerset Rhapsody. Some good British music with nice playing and sound. MP3 Version also available.
GO TO HOLST'S PAGE
The Planets is a suite in seven parts, each named for a planet in our solar system. Earth is not named, and Pluto had not been discovered at the time Planets was composed. This recording by Karajan and the Berliner Philharmonic is a great performance and has demonstration-class sound. MP3 Version also available.
Naxos has a nicely performed CD of various other Holst works such as Beni Mora and Somerset Rhapsody. Some good British music with nice playing and sound. MP3 Version also available.
GO TO HOLST'S PAGE
Bela Bartok Recommended Works
Thu, Apr 29 2010 06:17
| Bartok
Bartok's best works are the Concerto For Orchestra, Music for Strings Percussion and Celesta, and The Miraculous Mandarin Suite. His works reflect a modern style of composition, but are filled with a wonderful tapestry of sounds and melodies.
Reiner and the Chicago Symphony have the most basic of performances from which others are judged, and the remastering of these old recordings is just great. The Concerto, Music for Strings, and Hungarian Sketches make up this Living Stereo release, and is the perfect place to start your Bartok collection. Also available as an MP3 Album.
Boulez with the Chicago Symphony features newer digital recordings of all of Bartok's major works. The Miraculous Mandarin and Music for Strings is an excellent CD, and even with the duplication of a Reiner performance, Boulez has something different to say about Celesta, so still a nice recording to have in your collection. Also on MP3 Album. Boulez also recorded other Bartok works such as Divertimento and Dance Suite in another DG set that combines these works in a well-performed package. MP3 Album version
Anda, Fricsay and the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin may not be household names, but they give a searing account of Bartok's Three Piano Concertos on DG. Released on DG 'The Originals' this is another basic performance that others are compared. The sound is decent and the playing gets right down to the essence of these very powerful concertos. Also on MP3 Album.
GO TO BARTOK'S PAGE
Reiner and the Chicago Symphony have the most basic of performances from which others are judged, and the remastering of these old recordings is just great. The Concerto, Music for Strings, and Hungarian Sketches make up this Living Stereo release, and is the perfect place to start your Bartok collection. Also available as an MP3 Album.
Boulez with the Chicago Symphony features newer digital recordings of all of Bartok's major works. The Miraculous Mandarin and Music for Strings is an excellent CD, and even with the duplication of a Reiner performance, Boulez has something different to say about Celesta, so still a nice recording to have in your collection. Also on MP3 Album. Boulez also recorded other Bartok works such as Divertimento and Dance Suite in another DG set that combines these works in a well-performed package. MP3 Album version
Anda, Fricsay and the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin may not be household names, but they give a searing account of Bartok's Three Piano Concertos on DG. Released on DG 'The Originals' this is another basic performance that others are compared. The sound is decent and the playing gets right down to the essence of these very powerful concertos. Also on MP3 Album.
GO TO BARTOK'S PAGE