What are you listening two?

[Seán]

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 5
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Paul Lewis - Piano
Jiří Bělohlávek conducting.

This is a throughly wonderful performance of Beethoven's Fifth, Lewis playing is delicate, powerful and sumptuous throughout and the BBC SO are magnificent, this performance is second only to Murray Perahia's with Haitink and the RCO in my affections; even those not enamored with the sound of the piano will love this. ;)

[Seán]

Johannes Brahms
String Quartet in C minor, op 51 No. 1
Amadeus Quartet

[fergus]

Well Pepe, what do you think of Price and Domingo in Aida....

[Diapason]

Allegri for the day that's in it. Tallis Scholars obviously.

[Jose Echenique]

Well Pepe, what do you think of Price and Domingo in Aida....

That´s Verdi singing you just can´t find these days. Leontyne Price recorded Aida some 7 years before with Solti and Jon Vickers. If forced to choose I would prefer her first recording because if anything, the voice was even more resplendent and ravishing (in the early 60´s), but even in her second outing she outshines any other soprano of her generation. The real quibble in Erich Leinsdorf´s conducting, he was never very idiomatic on Verdi.

[Jose Echenique]

It´s Ash Wednesday and it´s time to start listening to Passion music. Since this year the great Niccoló Jommelli will turn 300 years old, let´s start with his superb setting of the Lamentationes. An extraordinary recording with Gérard Lesne and Veronique Gens. Superb music gloriously sung and played.

[Jose Echenique]

Another exquisite Gérard Lesne recording.

[fergus]

Well Pepe, what do you think of Price and Domingo in Aida....

That´s Verdi singing you just can´t find these days. Leontyne Price recorded Aida some 7 years before with Solti and Jon Vickers. If forced to choose I would prefer her first recording because if anything, the voice was even more resplendent and ravishing (in the early 60´s), but even in her second outing she outshines any other soprano of her generation. The real quibble in Erich Leinsdorf´s conducting, he was never very idiomatic on Verdi.

I am no expert Pepe as you know but I have to admit that I certainly did hear a difference here for the better over the von Karajan version.

[fergus]

Finishing off a version of Der Rosenkavalier by E. Kleiber this evening....






....I really like this work I must say.

[Jose Echenique]

Well Pepe, what do you think of Price and Domingo in Aida....

That´s Verdi singing you just can´t find these days. Leontyne Price recorded Aida some 7 years before with Solti and Jon Vickers. If forced to choose I would prefer her first recording because if anything, the voice was even more resplendent and ravishing (in the early 60´s), but even in her second outing she outshines any other soprano of her generation. The real quibble in Erich Leinsdorf´s conducting, he was never very idiomatic on Verdi.

Of course there´s a difference with the Karajan dear Fergus. Karajan uses Mirella Freni, really a light lyric soprano, too light for Aida, and Carreras was also too light for Radames.


I am no expert Pepe as you know but I have to admit that I certainly did hear a difference here for the better over the von Karajan version.