Classical Recommendations/Reviews

[Fred K]

Most of the Debussy I own has already been mentioned. I have the Haitink 2-CD set of orchestral works, the Gieseking Preludes, the Uchida Etudes, and a single CD piano compilation from Pascal Roge'. I have 2 versions of the string quartet (maybe more?) by the Italian Qt. and the Julliard Qt.

I've heard some of the orchestral works conducted by Jean Martinon and have liked what I've heard. The Cantelli/Testament recordings also interest me.

For the vocal music, I really like the "Forgotten Songs (Ariettes oubliees)" recital from Dawn Upshaw (w/James Levine) and "La Demoiselle élue," a piece for soprano, mezzo-soprano, female chorus and orchestra. I have a recording a this piece on a Bidú Sayão compilation.



I have 2 versions of Pelléas & Mélisande, the famous one from Roger Desormière from the '40s and one from Serge Baudo that I don't think is still available. The Desormière can usually be found cheaply and I highly recommend it.

[Fred K]

I'm going to hear a concert of George Crumb's work tonight at the Library of Congress. I will let you know how it goes.

[walto]

I'm a bit of an oddball here among the classical posters. I collected the music fanatically during the late 70's and through the 80's, and then basically stopped (although I never stopped listening).

That's similar to what my own profile was for decades. I had pretty much all the "basic repertoire" I wanted and only bought recordings of new pieces.

Unfortunately, a substantial portion of my collection was on reels, and as they deteriorated I've had to buy replacements. With all but big faves, I've generally just gone cheap though. Some of the stuff is irreplaceable, other parts, I'm just too lazy/cheap/indifferent to buy again.

[AntManBee]

My recommendations may have a somewhat dusty patina.

I don't have anything against old recordings, so I don't consider "the dusty patina" a great problem. I sometimes think that older recordings have a special kind of ambience, atmosphere, that many more recent recordings can't necessarily rival. For example, a lot of the old Deccas I've heard are real thrills to my ears. But then again, I started discovering classical music through LP's too, so maybe I'm just biased towards the past. I don't mean to say that old recordings are always better than new ones; for one thing, I'm really interested hearing that Aimard guy that you too hold in high regard.

[Jon Abbey]

following on from a discussion he and I had the other day, today Keith Rowe recommended I pick up Ysaÿe's Sonatas for Solo Violin, op. 27, performed by Thomas Zehetmair on violin (ECM). I bought it tonight, haven't heard it yet (Tower Records' prices are obscene, by the way, how the hell are they still in business?), but I was very impressed to see a handful of mentions of Zehetmair's earlier work by Steve S. in the archives. have you heard this one, Steve?

[walto]

Rowe's recommending Ysaye?! What a strange world we live in.

[Brian Olewnick]

I think we may have discussed this before here, but Rowe listens to virtually nothing but classical music at home, from French Baroque motets to Brahms to Victorian lute pieces. A couple of years ago, he was raving about Ives' "The Unanswered Question" with which I was unfamiliar and which is now one of my very favorite pieces of music in any genre. I've always enjoyed the Ysaye I've heard on the radio and have been meaning to check him out more deeply for many years--this will likely give me that final push...

[walto]

Today Ysaye, tomorrow Paganini and Liszt! Maybe the Devil's Trill too. Ego rulz, baby!!!

BTW, I'm glad you discovered Ives and Shostakovich, (and Villepin!) and they are now among your very very favorites. I only hope that Rowe gets around to Boulez and Carter some day so you can discover them too.

[Fred K]

This disc of Ysaÿe solo sonatas came out earlier this year on Naxos for a third of the price of the ECM set. I like what I've heard from Thomas Zehetmair, but I can't imagine his set would be any better than this Ilya Kaler redording.

[gnhrtg]

Yes, so I was going to say - I have Kaler's version as well as four, I think, of the sonatas as performed by Vengerov in a recital disc that came out last year. If it matters at all, Gramophone and BBC Music too have given top marks to Kaler. I've been meaning to do an A-B for some time. So here we go, Orientations baby! (by the way Walto, thanks for the disc)

[Brian Olewnick]

Today Ysaye, tomorrow Paganini and Liszt! Maybe the Devil's Trill too. Ego rulz, baby!!!

BTW, I'm glad you discovered Ives and Shostakovich, (and Villepin!) and they are now among your very very favorites. I only hope that Rowe gets around to Boulez and Carter some day so you can discover them too.

*cough* As you know, I went and got "Pli Selon Pli" on your rec and pretty much enjoyed it. And I had a Carter thing--er...can't remember which--on a shared disc with...someone...earlier this year or last that was...ai-ight.

Inch by inch, baby.

[Jon Abbey]

This disc of Ysaÿe solo sonatas came out earlier this year on Naxos for a third of the price of the ECM set. I like what I've heard from Thomas Zehetmair, but I can't imagine his set would be any better than this Ilya Kaler redording.

like I said, Keith's recommendation followed from a discussion we were having about a record we're working on (the Four Gentlemen of the Guitar, Rowe/Ambarchi/Fennesz/Nakamura), and I have a feeling it was Zehetmair's approach more than the material itself that he's pointing me toward, but I won't know until the next time I talk to him.

Walt, I'm glad you discovered Legende d'Eer and Automatic Writing. any thoughts on those?

[gnhrtg]

land I have a feeling it was Zehetmair's approach more than the material itself that he's pointing me toward, but I won't know until the next time I talk to him.

Jon - if you have the time; what do you mean by this? I'd guess you'd have to be pretty familiar with the work in question, which you might very well be, if you are to make out Zehetmair's approach.

While I'm here however, any opinions on Hamelin's disc, on Hyperion, of Reger's variations on themes J.S. Bach and Telemann?

[Jon Abbey]

I never heard of Ysaye or Zehetmair until yesterday, but since I'm producing this Four Gentlemen record and we have quite a bit of material to choose from, I asked Keith about the classical underpinnings for the project to better understand his mindset about it, since it was initially his project and he thinks of it to some extent as a string quartet (simply because all four musicians began as guitarists, even though they don't all use them in this project). anyway, we talked a bit about it, then yesterday he sent me this note about the ECM recording:

"I would love for you to hear this recording, I don't have it myself
but have listened just once and imagined it as an improvisation, I
imagine going to a concert and this violin player stands up and plays
what is on this recording, and I think to myself yes this is how it
should be!"

so now I'm listening to it, which I'll do once or twice before I talk to him again, then I'll ask him further what he means. I must say I'm not especially enjoying it so far, although it's ok. but I don't especially care about Ysaye or Zehetmair, I care about trying to put together the best possible Four Gentlemen record that I can.

[walto]

like I said, Keith's recommendation followed from a discussion we were having about a record we're working on (the Four Gentlemen of the Guitar, Rowe/Ambarchi/Fennesz/Nakamura), and I have a feeling it was Zehetmair's approach more than the material itself that he's pointing me toward, but I won't know until the next time I talk to him.

Walt, I'm glad you discovered Legende d'Eer and Automatic Writing. any thoughts on those?

I'd heard "Automatic Writing" years ago, though I'd never owned it. It's pretty cool, but it's probably not the sort of thing anybody wants to hear too much. Sort of upsetting (in a not specifically musical way).

I'd never heard that Xenakis piece before. I think it's really good and appreciate the rec.

[Brian Olewnick]

Anyone like to make some Tobias Picker recommendations? I'm listening to his "Old and Lost Rivers" as performed by Ursula Oppens and liking it a bunch.

[gnhrtg]

but I don't especially care about Ysaye or Zehetmair, I care about trying to put together the best possible Four Gentlemen record that I can.

And that, fwiw, I really appreciate and wish more people (involved in production, labels) would do.

No takers on my Reger question?

[walto]

Gokhan, I enjoy Reger generally, but I don't know the recording you're asking about.

Brian, I loved Picker's opera "Emmeline."

[Other Steve]

Anyone like to make some Tobias Picker recommendations? I'm listening to his "Old and Lost Rivers" as performed by Ursula Oppens and liking it a bunch.

Yes. Knowing what I know of your tastes, I recommend you go no further.

In all seriousness, Picker's a fine composer of music that to my ears often sounds incredibly redolent of other composers: Keys to the City (once recorded for CRI with the composer at the keyboard and Lukas Foss conducted the Brooklyn Philharmonic) is an entertaining, effective gloss on Rhapsody in Blue, the operas perch between ersatz Berg and ersatz Menotti, and so on. That's not to say it's unenjoyable -- in fact, it is, as Walto has attested. But the bulk of Picker's music I've heard (which is a reasonable amount, since he was in residence with the Houston Symphony) leads me to suggest that Old and Lost Rivers might just be the only piece of his you'll like.

If you do want to go further, there's a single disc on Virgin with much of Picker's most effective music: Old and Lost Rivers in both its solo piano and orchestral guises, a narrated tone poem called The Encantadas (based on Melville, and wonderfully intoned by Sir John Gielgud) and a shorter work, the name of which I don't recall offhand, which is an orchestration of three pieces for oboe and piano by Schumann with newly composed interludes. (Romances and Interludes might be the title; the oboist would be the orchestra's excellent principal, Robert Atherholt.) The record is quite enjoyable and shows the Houston Symphony to good effect under Christoph Eschenbach.

Whatever you do, stay far away from the Nonesuch/Meet the Composer recording of his Symphony No. 2, a lugubrious piece bogged down further still by a lackluster recorded performance (Sergiu Commissiona was notorious at the time for recording his Houston Symphony performances pretty much one bar at a time, rather than going for sustained spans.) I remember this disc came out the same day the Houston Symphony's first Virgin recording (Dvorak Symphony No. 9/Tchaikovsky Francesca da Rimini) was announced. At the press conference, they basically tried to avoid any mention of the Nonesuch release's existence.

Gokhan, I haven't heard Hamelin's Reger, but I've flipped over his new (second) recording of the Ives "Concord" Sonata. As I said this past weekend on the public radio program to which I contribute occasional reviews, many people play the "Concord" like it's something to be admired; Hamelin plays it as if it's something you should love. Many people have captured this work's fiesty, mongrel spirit, but no one has ever so thoroughly underscored its elegance (not so far removed from late Liszt or Debussy) before. The pairing is an equally authoriatative version of Barber's Sonata.

[walto]

Just wanted to take a second to say how great it is having Steve Smith frequent these pages!

[Brian Olewnick]

Thanks, Steve. 60 or so minutes of unnecessary boredom averted!

[Other Steve]

Just wanted to take a second to say how great it is having Steve Smith frequent these pages!

(blush)

[shrugs]

great thing about Haitink is all those cheap Netherlands Phillips lp's......

GREAT bang for less than a buck......

[gnhrtg]

Gokhan, I haven't heard Hamelin's Reger, but I've flipped over his new (second) recording of the Ives "Concord" Sonata. As I said this past weekend on the public radio program to which I contribute occasional reviews, many people play the "Concord" like it's something to be admired; Hamelin plays it as if it's something you should love. Many people have captured this work's fiesty, mongrel spirit, but no one has ever so thoroughly underscored its elegance (not so far removed from late Liszt or Debussy) before. The pairing is an equally authoriatative version of Barber's Sonata.

Thank you Steve (was away with not much net access for a while). I'll probably get this along with the Reger as a new year gift to myself, then. I do not know if it's his choice of repertoire, but it seems, as far as critical reception is concerned, that Hamelin can't do any wrong.

[sonic1]

Anyone here collect Nonesuch records?

Some years ago I was at a garage sale and purchased a bunch of classical records, many which were nonesuch. They were in perfect condition, looked like nobody played them at all. When I gave a listen I knew why, they were all very modern and judging from the records at the sale sale, the former owner was not into the more modern stuff, at least in general.

Anyway since then whenever I see those type-covered albums with the "N" and the nice little window of artwork I will get it even if I don't know the composer. That label's 70's period (I think late 60s too) has yet to let me down.

What is even better is that most nonesuch records go for really cheap-the average at my local vinyl dealer is about 4 bucks ea.

I just got a bunch of George Crumb today-I knew him from his black angels quartet piece (easily one of the most frightening compositions for quartet I know). His makrokosmos albums are for amplified piano, very cool. I am currently looking for vol. 2, if anyone see it let me know. Vol. 1 and 3 are incredible.

[walto]

I don't collect them, but I have quite a few, since, like Supraphone, Vox, Turnabout, etc. they were cheap and I was poor. My favorite of the new music ones are probably those involving Carter or Reynolds.

[shrugs]

Anyone here collect Nonesuch records?

Some years ago I was at a garage sale and purchased a bunch of classical records, many which were nonesuch. They were in perfect condition, looked like nobody played them at all. When I gave a listen I knew why, they were all very modern and judging from the records at the sale sale, the former owner was not into the more modern stuff, at least in general.

Anyway since then whenever I see those type-covered albums with the "N" and the nice little window of artwork I will get it even if I don't know the composer. That label's 70's period (I think late 60s too) has yet to let me down.

What is even better is that most nonesuch records go for really cheap-the average at my local vinyl dealer is about 4 bucks ea.

I just got a bunch of George Crumb today-I knew him from his black angels quartet piece (easily one of the most frightening compositions for quartet I know). His makrokosmos albums are for amplified piano, very cool. I am currently looking for vol. 2, if anyone see it let me know. Vol. 1 and 3 are incredible.

Many used classical lp's are in great shape. It seems people bought a lot and never got around to listening or transferred to cassette.

If you are paying, $4 for Nonesuch, you gotta look some more. CHeck the thrifts. Usually $1.

[sonic1]

Oh I do better than that even. Just a week or so ago I got a buncha records for 50 cents ea. But in Tucson there are a lot of vinyl collectors, so that gets picked over pretty quick. There is another bookstore that has records for about 2 dollars, but they are usually in poor shape, and there is not much classical, mostly rock, and believe it or not jazz (al beit 70s 80s jazz records, which can be good or not). There is a place called PDQ records here which has a huge selection and they range 4 ea, in perfect shape, etc.

I guess if I lived in a more established city there would be more to choose from but Tucson is young, and small really.

J.

[Other Steve]

This list will appear in the December 30–January 5 issue of Time Out New York. Surprisingly, this was a painfully hard year in which to select only ten records

1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro (Harmonia Mundi).
Conductor Renée Jacobs and a stellar cast render Mozart’s comedy fresh and new.

2. John Adams On the Transmigration of Souls (Nonesuch).
Responding to the unthinkable, Adams provides an absorbing, deeply humane work.

3. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Handel Arias (Avie).
As on her cherished 2003 Bach disc, Lieberson transcends mere notes to illuminate the music’s spirit.

4. Phil Kline Zippo Songs (Cantaloupe).
Kline spins tough, sad lyricism from the verse of Vietnam War GIs and the dissembling of Donald Rumsfeld.

5. Rolando Villazón Italian Opera Arias (Virgin).
In a year with no shortage of fine recital discs, Villazón’s debut provides the most enduring thrills.

6 and 7. Charles Ives “Concord” Sonata (Warner Classics; Hyperion).
Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Marc-André Hamelin offer commanding views of Ives’s tough nut; Aimard complements it with Ives songs performed with Susan Graham, while Hamelin contrasts it with Barber’s steely sonata.

8. Bernard Rands Canti Trilogy (Arsis).
Gil Rose and his Boston Modern Orchestra Project do full justice to a towering triptych.

9. Antonio Vivaldi and others Andromeda liberata (Archiv).
Andrea Marcon’s Venice Baroque Orchestra and a cast of compelling soloists provide the year’s most ravishing lyrical outpouring.

10. SlowSix Private Times in Public Places (IfThenElse).
Chris Tignor’s gently evocative postminimalist reveries prove one of the year’s most pleasant surprises.

=====

The Rands was the biggest surprise of all, both because I didn't expect to be so moved by something from a composer to whom I'd paid little attention, and also because I compiled this list last Wednesday and the disc only arrived on Tuesday. Here's a review, to be published in the same issue:


(click me for more information)

Bernard Rands
Canti Trilogy
Gil Rose conducting the Boston Modern Orchestra Project
(Arsis)

Freely dissonant and structurally formidable, the music of British-born modernist Bernard Rands doesn’t make for quick, easy consumption. A radical experimentalist in his early career, Rands has admitted a burnished lyricism into his work since relocating to America in 1975. That impulse, combined with his mastery of orchestration, has yielded ravishing results, such as his Canti Trilogy, composed between 1980 and 1992. This massive triptych unites three song cycles on themes of the sun, moon and eclipse, employing texts by Rimbaud, Joyce, Lawrence, Garcia Lorca and others.

Insinuating itself with the stealth of a sunrise, Canti del Sole showcases Douglas Ahlstedt’s bel canto tenor in poems of warmth and illumination. Soprano Lucy Shelton hisses, titters and wails (sounding eerily like a theremin) in the dreamlike Canti Lunatici—a reminder that luna, Latin for moon, is also the root of lunatic. The latter cycle opens with the Salvatore Quasimodo verse that closes the former: “In no time it’s evening.” That line also appears at the center of Canti dell’Eclisse, denoting an eclipse’s nightfall at midday; in a declamatory mode, bass Thomas Paul traces a darkening progression from faith to doubt and resignation.

In all three works, Rands combines words and music in an involved web of interrelations, which reveals more meaning on each hearing. Conductor Rose and his 11-piece ensemble expertly render Rands’s constantly shifting colors and textures. Vividly recorded, lucidly notated and elegantly packaged, this exemplary release does full justice to composer and music alike.—Steve Smith

=====

I can think of many records that could easily have found their way onto this list, but I was strictly limited to 10. Would love to hear what some other classical aficionados appreciated most this year.

[walto]

Nice list, Steve. I'd be interested in seeing some the also-rans too!

I don't buy many new classical releases for some reason, so my favorite classical purchases for the year are more likely to be older things.

As I mentioned on another thread, I've very much enjoyed discovering the organ music of Charles Tournemire.

I really like the Xenakis "Legende d'Eer."

Early in the year I picked up a bunch of Rautavaara. ("Myth of Sampo" is one of the cool ones, as I remember)

The Scelsi quartets are great, as is the Carter Piano Quintet.

The "Ed. RZ" release of old Feldman recordings is also very good. The OgreOgress release of the piece for Violin and String Quartet is too.

And, of course, those two Tippett collections and the wonderful Henze you nabbed for me!