What are you listening two?

Jose Echenique
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Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2012 6:33 pm

Re: What are you listening two?

Post by Jose Echenique »

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And yesterday we were treated to superb, electrical performances of Beethoven´2nd and 8th symphonies and 2 exquisite arias from La Damnation de Faust. The Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique played their hearts out.
fergus
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Re: What are you listening two?

Post by fergus »

That is a number of times that you have seen Mr. Gardiner and his troupe Pepe: I am terribly envious!!
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
fergus
Posts: 10302
Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2010 11:12 pm

Re: What are you listening two?

Post by fergus »

Dufay: Missa Se la Face Ay Pale under the direction of David Munrow....


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....beautiful!
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Jose Echenique
Posts: 1323
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2012 6:33 pm

Re: What are you listening two?

Post by Jose Echenique »

fergus wrote:That is a number of times that you have seen Mr. Gardiner and his troupe Pepe: I am terribly envious!!
I wish he visits Ireland soon Fergus, in fact it´s rather surprising that he hasn´t being so close. Just let me tell you that if anything, his band sounds even better live than on records. The playing was to die for.
Jose Echenique
Posts: 1323
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2012 6:33 pm

Re: What are you listening two?

Post by Jose Echenique »

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Seán
Posts: 4884
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:59 pm

Re: What are you listening two?

Post by Seán »

fergus wrote:That is a number of times that you have seen Mr. Gardiner and his troupe Pepe: I am terribly envious!!
I was thinking of you Fergus when Pepe shared his pics on Facebook and on the forum. Let's hope that Gardiner brings his wonderful orchestra to Dublin.
"To appreciate the greatness of the Masters is to keep faith in the greatness of humanity." - Wilhelm Furtwängler
Jose Echenique
Posts: 1323
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2012 6:33 pm

Re: What are you listening two?

Post by Jose Echenique »

Seán wrote:
fergus wrote:That is a number of times that you have seen Mr. Gardiner and his troupe Pepe: I am terribly envious!!
I was thinking of you Fergus when Pepe shared his pics on Facebook and on the forum. Let's hope that Gardiner brings his wonderful orchestra to Dublin.
Weird that he hasn´t already Seán, to hear them is a unique, glorious experience, so I really hope they do soon!
Jose Echenique
Posts: 1323
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2012 6:33 pm

Re: What are you listening two?

Post by Jose Echenique »

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Any composer aged 50 would be proud to have composed Mitridate Ré di Ponto, that it was composed by a 14 year old is nothing short of a miracle. Mitridate has fared well on records, Leopold Hager recorded it for DG in the 70´s with a stellar cast that included Agnes Baltsa and Ileana Cotrubas, that was a traditional reading of course, and then some 15 years ago came the first HIP recording with Les Talens Lyriques and Christophe Rousset. If anything, it had even bigger names including Natalie Dessay, Cecilia Bartoli, Sandrine Piau and a very, very young Juan Diego Flórez singing a secondary role.
That is an excellent recording, and has served the opera well since it was released, but we can always have another excellent Mozart opera recording and this is one. Signum is introducing a new HIP group called Classical Opera and they are excellent. Fine string playing and even more important in Mozart, marvelous woodwinds and fearless horns. Ian Page, a name also new to me proves a very capable musician, with that sine-qua-non ability to make their singers live the drama in the studio.
He also has a very fine cast. Barry Banks is even better than Giuseppe Sabbatini in the Rousset version. Mozart composed the title role for an unusual high tenor, his arias are frighteningly difficult because of the high tessitura, and Banks manages it better than the competition. Both sopranos are exquisite: Miah Persson is already famous, and Sophie Bevan is up and coming, and they can stand comparison with the young Bartoli and Sandrine Piau. Countertenor Lawrence Zazzo has a very beautiful voice and he improves on Rousset´s Brian Asawa, though maybe not in the marvelous young Agnes Baltsa in the Hager.
This new version however has a trump card: it includes in a fourth disc variants of arias and duets that Mozart composed for later performances that are fascinating. Signum sells the 4 CD set at $25.00 US (Amazon USA) which is a steal, I don´t know if it´s as inexpensive in Europe, but it must be. Warmly recommended!
Seán
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Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:59 pm

Re: What are you listening two?

Post by Seán »

Well Claudio Abbado has certainly opened my ears to the wondrous and fascinating beauty of Beethoven;s's fourth symphony. I haven't paid much attention to it until lately but now this recording is always the first one into the CD player, this is a daily occurrence:

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Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 4

Berline Philharmonic Orchestra
Claudio Abbado conducting
"To appreciate the greatness of the Masters is to keep faith in the greatness of humanity." - Wilhelm Furtwängler
fergus
Posts: 10302
Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2010 11:12 pm

Re: What are you listening two?

Post by fergus »

Jose Echenique wrote:
Seán wrote:
fergus wrote:That is a number of times that you have seen Mr. Gardiner and his troupe Pepe: I am terribly envious!!
I was thinking of you Fergus when Pepe shared his pics on Facebook and on the forum. Let's hope that Gardiner brings his wonderful orchestra to Dublin.
Weird that he hasn´t already Seán, to hear them is a unique, glorious experience, so I really hope they do soon!

I have no doubt that it would be a glorious experience indeed guys....here's hoping!!!
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
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