LP Art: Plymouth P-12-18
Schubert: Symphony 4
LP Art: Brailowsky – Chopin 24 Preludes
Chopin: 24 Preludes – Brailowsky
LP Art: Hardy’s Handel Water and Fireworks
Handel: Water Music and Royal Fireworks Suites [arranged by Harty]
LP Art: Nonesuch H-71013
Handel: Four Concertos with Oboe and String Orchestra
LP Art: Plymouth P-12-14
Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 ‘New World’
LP Art: Plymouth P-12-2
Tchaikovsky Symphony 5
Tomita Planets
Isao Tomita’s ‘Planets’ from 1976 takes Holst’s symphonic work and puts it into the electronic realm. Most of Tomita’s albums have been pretty much out of print for years, except a few on RCA released in the 1990’s that have stayed around. Fortunately ‘The Tomita Planets’ is still available, and also re-released and remade too! There are several releases of the Planets, and all are different in format or actual performance. Took a while, but figured out the versions…
Schumann Sonatas for Violin and Piano
I have been exploring some interesting works lately, among them some excellent violin sonatas. Surprisingly, there are a few works that I never had a chance to listen to and was surprised by them. Schumann’s Sonatas for Violin and Piano are sublime works, and a great recording is by Jennifer Koh [violin] and Reiko Uchida [piano] on Cedille Records. Schumann has a way with melody and the interplay with between the two instruments definitely makes this more than a violin…
Haydn and Szell
Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra recorded a selection of Haydn’s later symphonies, and Sony has compiled them into another budget box set. Symphonies 93-98 have been released in various incarnations, but some of the other recordings are new to CD. Art is from one of the earlier LP releases. Haydn Symphonies at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1lOTece
Happy 66th Anniversary
The modern vinyl LP turns 66 soon. Revealed in June 1948, Columbia Records showed off the new 33 1/3 LP format for the first time. While this was not the first attempt at a long playing record, it was the first to overcome many technical hurdles, such as wear and background noise. Columbia released about 100 LPs at first launch, many 12 inch, but quite a few in the less familiar 10 inch format [that size did not survive, instead…
Sibelius Symphony 4
Sibelius recordings on the whole have been good to excellent. Over the years many conductors have traversed the Symphonies and Tone Poems with much success. A few performances stand out for me, and Ashkenazy with the Philharmonia Orchestra’s recording of Symphony 4 is a favorite. One of the early London digital recordings from 1981, I still play the LP. It has since been incorporated into several collections and the latest is of all 7 symphonies plus other works at a…
Bach: French Suites
Bach’s ‘French Suites’ comprise 6 sets of suites for piano. The name ‘French’ was added on later, either to describe the style or to possibly differentiate them from the ‘English’ Suites. The do not really reflect a French style as such, but regardless this is a must-listen for lovers of piano music. There are numerous performances available, and most are more than acceptable. I have a preference for Andras Schiff and Glenn Gould. Schiff has a more set…
Bargain Box: Levine’s Mahler
James Levine had a good run of Mahler recordings in the late 1970’s to the early 1980’s, and even won a Grammy for the recording of the 7th. I also had the 5th, 9th and 4th for years, and have enjoyed these interpretations with the Chicago, London and Philadelphia Symphonies. Sony has issued a barebones box set of all of Levine’s Mahler recordings for RCA. Levine did not record the 2nd or 8th at the time for RCA, and since they…
Saint-Saens Concertos
Some of Saint-Saens most familiar concertos on one album: Cello Concerto No. 1, Piano Concerto No. 2 and Violin Concerto No. 3. This is a compilation from the 1980’s on the CBS Masterworks label, not recompiled by Sony, but still available. The artwork leaves something to be desired, but the performances are first-rate. Yo-Yo Ma and Maazel on the Cello Concerto, Licad and Previn on Piano Concerto 2, and Cho-Liang Lin with Tilson Thomas on Violin Concerto 3. More than a…
Saint-Saens Organ Symphony
Saint-Saen composed 5 symphonies, but 2 were published posthumously, so the Symphony No. 3 is actually the last symphony he composed. Known as the ‘Organ’ symphony, it is the only one of the 5 symphonies that is really in the basic repertoire. However, there is quite a bit to like about the other 4, and worth a listen. The best classic performance is by Charles Munch and the Boston SO on an RCA Living Stereo issue, with a wonderful performance…