Album of the Evening

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Ninety-years-old Menahem Pressler's magisterial piano recital, in very good BIS 24/96 sound.

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"Vivaldi did not compose 400 concertos, he wrote the same concerto four hundred times!" - Stravinsky

 

Just one of 20 Vivaldi CDs in a bargain-priced set by LOiseau Lyre from Arkivmusic. (I hate to disagree with Starvinsky, but he *was* wrong!).

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A pleasant 'divertissement' in good, though not outstanding DSD sound from Acoustic Sounds downloads.

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Four biggies, inventive jazz, excellent Red Book (remastered) sound.

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Infectious music making by Previn and Bernstein, in a pellucid 24/192 download from High Definition Tape Transfers.

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Atmospheric reading by Ansermet and the Orchestre de la Swisse Romande, excellent vintage tape sound in a 24/192 download from High Definition Tape Transfers.

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On the heels of

 

(see post #5472), I downloaded this organ transcription of the same work from the Hyperion site:

 

 

Fascinating, musically, if not really satisfying sound-wise. (Not the clearest organ sound, and the extra wide dynamic range here might be a rare instance where a judicious amount of compression would have rendered listening more pleasant).

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I come here only about once a week because I always find 4-5 albums I don't know much about or have never even heard of, and it seems like I would like them. I try to find a copy or a sample to listen to. Then I end up buying them...

 

+1! But one must live dangerously.

 

Guido F.

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Duke Ellington and Ray Brown: "This One's For Blanton."

 

Wonderful music. Excellent sound from an LP digitized at 16/48.

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"Money Jungle." Inventive jazz from Ellington, Mingus, and Roach. CD from Amazon.

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Beethoven: Quartet Op. 131 in C minor. One of four CDs of the Late Quartets in masterful performances by Quartetto Italiano.

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Café Zimmermann : Bach : Concerts avec plusieurs instruments (Intégrale)

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Same cover image as used in this version of Pergolesi's "La Serva Padrona," where it certainly makes more sense!

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"The Soul Of Ben Webster." Two CDs, one mostly Webster, one mostly Johnny Hodges.

Great music, excellent sound.

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Disc 1 (of 4) Mosaic CDs: "The Complete Capitol Small Group Recordings of Benny Goodman 1944-1955." Delightful, glorious mono.

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Back on topic: Froberger's Capriccios by Bob van Asperen, SACD.

 

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Thank you for posting this. Fascinating music. I downloaded the 24/96 version from eclassical, which sounds great.

 

Guido F.

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May not be the best Maahler 1st out there, but the legendary Abravanel's version is still worth a listen, in excellent 24/96 sound from a DVD-A rip.

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Back to topic:

 

Chopin: Polonaises (24/96), bought for the ridiculously low price of €3,48 from Qobuz.

 

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I'm a bit torn on the interpretation. I just love his Preludes, but here, it doesn't really get me yet.

 

The reviews range from "new benchmark" (Gramophone) to "hugely disappointing" (The Guardian). Maybe it will grow on me. Anyhow, I'm also not perfectly happy with the other so-called reference, Pollini.

 

Well recorded in any case.

 

 

For a nuanced approach to Chopin's solo piano pieces, I like Ivan Moravec's. Here in decent sound from a CD rip.

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Good idea. I love Moravec for the Nocturnes, but don't have him on the Polonaises.

 

I'm currently comparing to this version, which is much more nuanced, but maybe even a bit too much so, so I'm still looking for the perfect version. Otherwise this box is highly recommended and now available in a much cheaper $50 box. Magaloff is probably one of the most underrated Chopin pianists.

 

Nikita Magaloff: Chopin: The Complete Piano Music, "CD" 10.

 

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Thanks for the suggestion. Have not heard Magaloff yet.

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Anne Sofie von Otter in splendid vocal form: "Lamenti," backed up by Musica Antiqua Koeln. Excellent sound from a CD rip.

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"Jazz at the Philharmonic - The First Concert." Joyful. In glorious mono sound from a CD rip.

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Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3; Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major. Utterly riveting performances by Martha Argerich. Great sound from an LP digitized at 16/48.

 

(The cover image is actually from the CD release -- Gaspard de la Nuit is not on the LP).

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Saint-Saens Piano Concertos No. 2 & 4; Cello Concerto No. 1. Superb performances by Philippe Entremont and Leonard Rose with Ormandy and the Philadelphians. Adequate sound from a CD rip.

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The Organ Works of Bach. Adventurous, gripping, moving music, played with conviction and skill by Jean Guillou on two outstanding instruments. Excellent sound from CD rips.

 

This is a 6 CD set. Disc 6 contains Guillou's transcription for organ of the Goldberg variations. Personally, I find it much less convincing than the original harpsichord version or modern piano renditions.

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Charles Mingus: The Complete 1959 CBS Sessions. Set of 4 Mosaic LPs.

 

Unleashed, unorthodox Mingus. Very good LP sound digitized at 16/48.

 

And, by way of contrast at least . . .

 

 

Monteverdi: Sacred Vocal Music.

 

Exquisitely spiritual music, beautifully played and sung. Clean and refined Hyperion sound from a CD rip.

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Zino Francescatti plays Beethoven's violin concerto. Bruno Walter conducts. The 24/192 download from High Definition Tape Transfers sounds as if excessively multi-miked, resulting in a somewhat flat soundstage and lack of air among instruments. But with such satisfying playing, who cares if the sounds leaves something to be desired . . .