New daily deal at eclassical!

[Musicophile]

4 hours ago, Snowmonkey said:

 

Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov: Cesar Franck, Sonata for Piano and Violin - Ernest Chausson, Concert

 

This isn't one of the daily deals, but a new release with a promotion of hi-res for the price of standard res.

 

This is just an outstanding performance IMO, easily the best I have heard of either piece.

+2

[Musicophile]

11 hours ago, Boris75 said:

Suzuki's Bach Christmas Oratorio is also a favourite of mine. Today, Bach's Gamba sonatas are on offer. Is someone aware of this recording? Is it a recommended one?

Don't know this album but Spanyi is one of BIS better artists.

[Musicophile]

This should be worth checking out, even if Hindemith usually isn´t my cup of tea:

 

BIS Boss Robert von Bahr: Well, friends, I am not particularly known for being low-keyed and understated, and with repertoire like we have to offer, and the artistry, I can see no reason to be. Even I, though, rarely get so stunned that I don't know how to express the wonderment and admiration that something can be played that well.

This is one of those cases and, unsurprisingly, the artist is the phenomenal Zimmermann Trio (Frank Peter Zimmermann, Antoine Tamestit, Christian Poltéra, all established leading international soloists on their resp. instruments).

When I met FPZ he had just listened to the first edit of this amazing SACD and even he, the most low-keyed of musicians I have ever met, said that this was a thing to really be proud of. Truth be told, I don't always run to the studio, wild with happiness, to listen to either Hindemith or Schoenberg, but the way these masterworks have been played here is beyond understanding. It is not a Trio, it is one person with 6 arms. They went so deep into these works that we had to record them at three different occasions (very expensive indeed), to get the most out of them, but it was worth it. Possibly the best chamber music record in the whole BIS catalogue, and, therefore, anywhere (I told you I am not low-keyed!)

 

http://www.eclassical.com/trio-zimmermann/bis2207.html

 

I´ll probably spend the 9 bucks just to educate myself a bit more into 20th century music. 

[Musicophile]

1 hour ago, Bob Stern said:

The Hindemith string trios are from a brief phase in which he experimented with Schoenberg's 12-tone style.  They are almost unheard-of and rarely recorded.  Although his more popular works are unmistakably modern, they are less dissonant and much more upbeat.

 

My favorite of his works is the "Mathis der Maler" symphony, which is pretty throughout while harmonically modern.

 

His other two most popular orchestral pieces have pretty inner movements and raucous outer movements:

• "Concert Music for String Orch & Brass", op 50.

• Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Weber.

 

For wind quintet, the Kleine Kammermusik, op 24/2,  is charming but modern in the manner of the Nielsen wind quintet and Barber "Summer Music".

 

A good sampling of duets for various instruments with piano is a 2013 Harmonia Mundi album with pianist Melnikov and various instrumentalists.

I was also hoping for a more approachable style, similar to the Melnikov album which I appreciate.

 

In the end I may pass on this in spite of von Baar´s praise.

[Musicophile]

This one sounds promising:

 

Mendelssohn - Works for Cello and Piano - 24 FLAC Discount

 

BIS Boss Robert von Bahr: When I see names like Christian Poltéra and Roland Brautigam, my mouth waters, and when I see them together the dribble becomes a waterfall. For the Mendelssohn Music for Cello and Piano Christian has restrung his Stradivarius cello with gut strings, and Roland is playing a very well-made copy of an Érard piano from 1830, so the soundworld is authentic to what Mendelssohn composed for and could hear.

 

With names like this and a Producer like Hans Kipfer from Take5, nothing need be said from the quality aspect, and with 24/96 being sold at mp3 price, what's there to wait for??

 

 

[Musicophile]

1 hour ago, CatManDo said:

 

My guess is that Robert von Bahr mixed up the first names of Ronald Bräutigam and Roland Pöntinen (another pianist with a lot of recordings for BIS), as Pöntinen is on today's daily deal

 

http://www.eclassical.com/composers/enescu-george/george-enescu-impressions.html

That or a simple autocorrect. 

[Musicophile]

1 hour ago, austinpop said:

http://www.eclassical.com/pages/christmas17.html

 

Here we go! 

 

Nice, even it today’s selection is a bit particular. 

 

[Musicophile]

Today the Brautigam Berthoven is a must have, if you like fortepiano.

 

http://www.eclassical.com/pages/christmas17.html

 

https://musicophilesblog.com/2016/10/18/musicophiles-top-10-all-time-favorite-classical-pianists/

 

[Musicophile]

Today, the CPE Bach Magnificat is really very good. 

 

The Suzuki b-minor mass is also not bad. 

[Musicophile]

13 hours ago, austinpop said:

Hmm, is it me, or have this year's Christmas sale offerings been underwhelming? 

 

Lots of chamber and Nordic/Scandinavian music.

I agree. The past years were problematic as they kept repeating themselves, this year they went the way of being more eclectic.

 

Today has a very good one though with Isabelle Faust´s Schumann Violin Concerto. Highly recommended.

 

http://www.eclassical.com/harmonia-mundi/schumann-violin-concerto.html

 

 

[Musicophile]

Its getting better now.

 

The Brautigam Mozart concertos are quite nice, and the Goerne Winterreise is excellent.

[Musicophile]

7 hours ago, Bob Stern said:

Two superb half-price deals today:

 

Bach's Clavier-Übung III by organist Stephen Farr.  Dramatic performance and excellent sound on Resonus label.  Arguably Bach's masterpiece for organ, consisting of 27 preludes or contrapuntal pieces based on chorale themes.

 

Rachmaninoff's piano sonata 1, Balakirev's Islamey, etc by Alexandre Kantarow.  Both lyrical and technically impressive.

I just named the Kantorow recording as one of my Top 5 classical albums of the year on my blog. To bad its already gone. https://musicophilesblog.com/2017/12/24/my-top-5-classical-albums-of-2017/

 

Today I highly recommend the Vänskä Beethoven symphony box. Great playing and well recorded. 

 

 

[Musicophile]

4 hours ago, Bob Stern said:

 

The half-price deal remains.  This year all the half-price Christmas discounts continue in effect if you go directly to the album page, even though they disappear from the daily page:

 

http://www.eclassical.com/kantorow-alexandre/bis2150.html

 

FWIW, I greatly dislike Vanska's Beethoven.

Thanks for flagging about the half price deal. The Kantorow is a must have then. 

 

Interesting: what in particular do you dislike about then Vänskä?

[Musicophile]

16 hours ago, Bob Stern said:

 

He consistently avoids big climaxes and grandeur.

 

Otherwise, he doesn’t seem to have a point of view, since his eccentricities vary within a single performance.  Sometimes his phrases are clipped (Sym 9: I) or spastic bursts (Sym 9: IV).  Other times he's simply dull with no phrasing at all (Sym 9: III; Sym 5).

 

For Sym 4, my notes are:  I. Sforzandi exaggerated but OK;  II. Graceless.

Interesting insights. What is your personal reference here for comparison?

[Musicophile]

1 hour ago, Bob Stern said:

 

I suppose this disqualifies my opinions, but my references are not very modern.

 

My favorite 4th is Abbado/Berlin 1999, one of the few from the 1999 cycle that I prefer to the 2001 remake in Rome.

 

My favorite 9th is Bernstein/Vienna 1979.

Absolutely not. It’s all a matter of personal taste. 

[Musicophile]

On 12/24/2017 at 2:50 PM, Bob Stern said:

@Musicophile:  Since you're a big Keith Jarrett fan, have you listened to his Shostakovich preludes & fugues?  Even if you normally consider Shostakovich too somber, Jarrett's performance is quite unusual in making it playful instead.

This is actually one of my earliest Jarrett recordings and he only one where I put Jarrett on par with other classical pianists.  His other ventures into classical or baroque music are often an acquired taste. 

[Musicophile]

This one is interesting, just out freshly. Not that I don't have enough versions of Rach 2&3, and recently there hasn't been a shortage of new recordings, but still:

 

http://www.eclassical.com/performers/sudbin-yevgeny/rachmaninov-piano-concertos-nos-2-3.html

 

 

[Musicophile]

On 7/12/2018 at 9:45 PM, Jud said:

 

I'm conflicted - love Fröst, not much on Mozart ( ? - I know, I know).

It’s so beautiful. You should get it. 

[Musicophile]

I just purchased the brand new release of the Death and the Maiden by the Chiaroscuro quartet for only $9, in 24/96. 

 

A true bargain.

 

OK, it's not that I'm lacking versions of Schubert's D810 (this will be number 9, with tough competition like the Takacs or Pavel Haas) but I just like Ibragimova very much, and the very particular sound of the Chiaroscuro, playing on gut strings.

 

I only listened to the first minute before clicking on buy, so you may want to make up your own mind, but I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

 

http://www.eclassical.com/schubert-death-and-the-maiden.html

 

 

[Musicophile]

12 hours ago, Musicophile said:

I just purchased the brand new release of the Death and the Maiden by the Chiaroscuro quartet for only $9, in 24/96. 

 

A true bargain.

 

OK, it's not that I'm lacking versions of Schubert's D810 (this will be number 9, with tough competition like the Takacs or Pavel Haas) but I just like Ibragimova very much, and the very particular sound of the Chiaroscuro, playing on gut strings.

 

I only listened to the first minute before clicking on buy, so you may want to make up your own mind, but I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

 

http://www.eclassical.com/schubert-death-and-the-maiden.html

By the way, I love Robert von Bahr’s (BIS) quote introducing this album:

 

“It sounds just like Schubert would have heard it, had he had such a good quartet at his disposal, which is very unlikely.”

[Musicophile]

There is no shortage of good contemporary Beethoven recordings, but this is clearly one of the better ones, with well recorded BIS SQ. 

 

At that price I wouldn’t hesitate. 

[Musicophile]

9 hours ago, semente said:

 

https://www.eclassical.com/labels/bis/rimsky-korsakov-orchestral-works.html

Did you buy it? How good is the orchestra?

[Musicophile]

5 hours ago, semente said:

Today's deal could be one of my desert island discs:

 

 

https://www.eclassical.com/performers/sudbin-yevgeny/sudbin-plays-scriabin.html

Agree, it’s very good.

[Musicophile]

Today I can recommend the Bavouzet Haydn, and the Stile Antico Christmas album.

[Musicophile]

3 hours ago, danadam said:

That was yesterday 🙂

and on christmas sale so more fitting to:

 

Sorry, I meant to post this last night.