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Arnold Schönberg’s Verklärte Nacht
Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Duration: 00:30:07
Benjamin Godard’s Piano Concerto No. 1
Martin Yates, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Victor Sangiorgio (piano)
Duration: 00:29:24
Georg Muffat’s Apparatus Musico-Organisticus
René Saorgin (on the organ of Charles Boisselin de Malaucène)
Duration: 01:16:06
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Italian Partsongs
Heike Heilmann (soprano), Anne Bierwirth (alto), Daniel Johannsen (tenor), Manfred Bittner (bass)
00:26:27Beethoven having something of a reputation for being a brutal composer for the voice, I wouldn’t willingly have subjected myself to half an hour of his Italian part-songs! But the Randomiser does what it does so I don’t get to prejudge things that way 🙂 As it turns out, far from being a warning as to why buying ‘complete works’ boxed sets is maybe not such a good idea, these turn out to be quite attractive and definitely listenable. Characteristic Beethoven they are not, however!
Jean Sibelius’ Piano Quartet in D minor
Jaako Kuusisto (violin), Satu Vänskä (violin), Taneli Turunen (cello), Folke Gräsbeck (piano)
Duration: 00:32:58
Michel-Richard de Lalande’s Dominus regnavit
Olivier Schneebeli, Collegium Marianum, Les Pages et les Chantres du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles
Duration: 00:24:53
Percy Grainger’s Works for Multiple Pianos
Penelope Thwaites (piano), Wayne Marshall (piano), John Lavender (piano), Rhondda Gillespie (piano), Antony Gray (piano)
Duration: 00:42:23
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6
Otto Klemperer, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Duration: 00:46:22You know, some of the first classical music I ever heard must have been Beethoven’s 5th -and, guessing from when I was 5 or 6 years old, it’s quite possible that I was listening to one of these Klemperer recordings (though I doubt my father would have had such good taste, to be honest). Anyway: despite -or perhaps because of- that early introduction, I’ve never really loved Beethoven’s music. He’s only just about scraped into my Last.fm top 20, for example. But… but… there is only one symphony in all of classical music that has physically cheered me up when I was once in the middle of a bout of deep gloom or other: and that’s the sixth. And this recording of the sixth symphony has reminded me of that very distinctly, very tangibly. It is a gorgeous recording of it. It was mentioned as David Hurwitz‘s choice for ‘ideal 6th’ several months back, which is why I went and bought this complete Klemperer cycle, but by golly it’s extraordinary, with or without his endorsement! It’s warm, jovial, tuneful and perfectly paced. What utterly staggers me, however, is that it was recorded in 1957, in glorious-sounding stereo and with a ‘sound stage’ to die for: the violinists sound like they’re playing for me personally, in my study! Pause for a moment at that news: recorded before (just!) the Russians launched Sputnik; before the first man in space; before man landed on the Moon; before Watergate… several years before I was born, in fact… and yet it sounds as if it was recorded yesterday. I am astonished at the technical wizardry that has brought these recordings back to life. I can only point you to Amazon and tell you: you have to own this cycle.
Gustav Holst’s The Planets
Vernon Handley, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Duration: 00:49:18One of the more hard-driven Planets I know of. By which I mean it is sonically and stereophonically wonderful (though, there’s an organ part which is seldom heard -and it took me listening to Dutoit’s 1986 recording with the Montreal Symphonic before that was brought out to glorious effect). It seems to me to be an incredibly exciting Planets, too. Never judge a Planets by Mars, but if Mars makes the back of your neck tingle, then we’re certainly on the way: this one does that in spades. I think the Venus is gorgeous, though: it’s not slow and langourous, but entirely and delightfully voluptuous. Mercury is fleet-footed but generous and warm, not skimpy and emaciated. Jupiter is a little flat-footed for me, but the timpani are great and the ‘big tune’ is done beautifully. A fairly average Saturn gives way to a thrilling Uranus, with a great timpani opening and excellent continuing percussion and harp throughout. His Neptune is one of the more exciting ones I can think of, too. No sloppy, ectoplasmic ethereality here! Anyway 9.5/10 from me for this one, I think. It is one of the best I know (Dutoit excepted).
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2
Maurizio Pollini (piano), Eugen Jochum, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Duration: 00:28:50Not a piano concerto I’m particularly familiar with: thank you Randomiser! (I don’t mean, ‘performance’, either. I mean, literally, I know the 3rd and 5th backwards, but seldom listen to the 2nd.)
Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio D898
Trio Wanderer
Duration: 00:40:40I have to say they don’t look like a classical trio! But they certainly sound like one!
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