Classical Music & Opera Forums

Karl, I hope the performance was up to snuff!

A.C. Douglas wrote:Free Concert By The Berlin Philharmoniker

Link

ACD

Sounds good.

Small niggle. It's either the Berliner Philharmoniker or the Berlin Philharmonic. I know that the orchestra prefers, even in references in the English-language press , to call themselves the Berliner Philharmoniker. I guess we can give them that.

maestrob wrote:I first heard Mahler VII in the Solti/Chicago recording, and it just blew me away: certainly as effective a piece as V or VI. I've never considered VII to be inferior in any way, just problematic for some conductors. Luckily, we had Bernstein & Solti back then, and now Abbado. I do wish Ben Zander would record the piece. IOW I agree that the finale is quite impressive, and not in any way a let-down.

My first Mahler Seventh (in my freshman year in college in 1955) was a mono recording with Hermann Scherchen and the Vienna Symphony. I have always loved it not least because the trumpet soloist cracked on two high Cs in its big tune in the last movement and that somehow made the whole thing more human for me.

The Abbado/CSO Mahler 7 is pretty sensational!

kashania wrote:The Abbado/CSO Mahler 7 is pretty sensational!

I agree. And Abbado's DVD of the 7th with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra is just about as good. My review of it is here.

Hmmmmm, Rattle conducting Brahms 3 & 4.

Musical tofu.

karlhenning wrote:Your buzz on this reminds me that I need to listen to the Seventh . . . .

Separately, I was delighted to get a txt message fresh from the Ann Arbor performance of Out in the Sun last night!

Cheers,
~Karl

I'll post some detail tomorrow about Karl's splendid performance last night.

ScottMorrison wrote:

kashania wrote:The Abbado/CSO Mahler 7 is pretty sensational!

I agree. And Abbado's DVD of the 7th with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra is just about as good. My review of it is here.

Yes, I totally agree with your review, Sc0tt. Those Abbado/Lucerne Mahler DVDs stack up against Bernstein's 1970's Vienna set magnificently, and in fact I prefer Abbado's tempi in II over Bernstein's sometimes "a bit too slow" rendition.

karlhenning/minacciosa: Am awaiting with bated breath your reports....

Been listening to Ben Zander's version of Mahler III recently, and while his tempi are admirable, I find the over-extended dynamic range of the recording annoying. I keep adjusting my volume up to accommodate the quieter moments, even when listening through headphones, then rushing to turn things down. This recording could work for some in a soundproof room, but with ambient noise of radiators, fans, air conditioners and street noise, (not all at the same time), I find this recording difficult to listen to. Headphones are best, of course, but I really like listening through my speakers, and found it really annoying to be constantly adjusting the volume to get the best sound.

Karl: very glad to have been of inadvertent assistance, what with the Tallis CD and all!

And now I can't get the idea out of my mind, that if Webern had written an Amen, it would have been syllabic not melismatic, and it would have been the shortest of all his works!

maestrob wrote:Been listening to Ben Zander's version of Mahler III recently, and while his tempi are admirable, I find the over-extended dynamic range of the recording annoying. I keep adjusting my volume up to accommodate the quieter moments, even when listening through headphones, then rushing to turn things down. This recording could work for some in a soundproof room, but with ambient noise of radiators, fans, air conditioners and street noise, (not all at the same time), I find this recording difficult to listen to. Headphones are best, of course, but I really like listening through my speakers, and found it really annoying to be constantly adjusting the volume to get the best sound.

I haven't heard this recording but I wholeheartedly agree with your comments about recordings with too wide a dynamic range. If the only way one is going to truly appreciate the recording is in a soundproof room or with headphones, then I ask "what's the point?". I'm not suggesting that classical recordings need to be made with the ipod in mind but if one can't listen to the CD on a stereo without having to constantly adjust the volume, then something's wrong.

Am listening to music of Rameau by the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra and what wonderful music. His dance music is really lovely to listen to. It's almost visual and I can practically see dancers performing to this music or go back in time to the 17th or 18th century when this music was written. (Or is it earlier?)

Might go on to Praetorius after Rameau. Somehow I never seem to have any recordings by either composer. Easier I guess to just go online to listen to these composers. Have too many cds anyway.

Hello everyone. I've been meaning to say a few words about Last week's concert by the University of Michigan Symphony Band and Chamber Winds, in which was performed Karl's Out in the Sun. The group (as comprised that evening) is composed of very good to excellent students. They were led that evening by three conductors. (Not simultaneously!) Opening with a Mozart Serenade, I was struck immediately by how fine their breathing was, and hence their phrasing. Michael Haithcock was the conductor, and he was excellent. The only thing that gave away the ensemble as students was intonation that sometimes was just shy of being on the money.

Karl's work was next, and they launched into it exuberantly. Perhaps I've succumbed to suggestion, but the work's title seems completely apposite. The groups' rhythm was excellent; all the elided lines overlapped with great security, creating the impression (in me) of watching clouds roll by on a truly clear summer's day. This configuration of the group was standout, particularly the low brass. Perfect intonation and perfect balancing and blend of their voices gave it the burnished sound one hears in the best orchestras. The piece rolls along until it contentedly runs out of energy, settling down gradually into a somnambulant coda that was exquisitely paced ad played with perfect blend and pitch. The conductor was Rodney Dorsey, who clearly rehearsed this extremely well and interpreted it with great care. Love this piece. The crowd wasn't too large but they were enthusiastic.

The rest of the concert was taken up by an arrangement of Three Dances and the Final Scene from Carl Orff's Der Mond (conducted by John Pasquale), and Kurt Weill's Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra with Steven Shipps as soloist and Haithcock again on the podium. The Orff was bubbly and fun, the Weill rather dour. I've heard the piece several times, but just don't like it very much. Shipps is a very good player, but here his intonation was rather approximate. (Hey, I've been there! It's a tough piece.) In both works the wind ensemble was as distinguished as in the concert's first half.

Bravo to Karl! Your piece should be taken up by wind ensembles everywhere.

In the Arizona Republic, Richard Nilsen wrote that "while Dudamel and his orchestra showed why classical music matters, Gilbert and his showed why audiences are dwindling."

Dudamel vs Gilbert: Mark Swed's tally: ici.

yes classical music is the best one i really like it very much.Do you like this tell me.