Classical Music Mayhem!!

I dropped by my used CD store and found these for .75 each. I also picked up Maazel directing the first act of Wagner's Walkure.

I'm sure you'll like the Haydn, Brian. The trumpet concerto is particularly thrilling; if you wish to hear it on a period trumpet there's always the recording by Pinnock and the English Concert.

Yeah, the reason I bought it is because I wanted to hear the trumpet concerto. The soloist here is disappointing, though, so I'll be on the lookout for the Pinnock version. I have no complaint about the horn concertos, though.

I just ordered Ernst Toch's Canta of the Bitter Herbs, written on the death of his mother and his return to his religious community. It looks interesting.

I have to stay away from used CD stores. I found this for $3.



At Sorin's recommendation, I've been wanting to hear the Holberg Suite. The Berlin strings pour out a luscious sound, like melted chocolate. The result is, the piece may not sound like it's from the classical era, but it sure is nice.

Isn't it? I've read some commentary that states that despite the fact it's a Baroque replica it was intended for performance on a full string orchestra, though I'm still curious as to how it would sound played by a Baroque ensemble! Glad you liked it, Brian.

I'd be interested to hear the Haydn, Brian. Feel free to put it up in the trumpet concerto thread if you wish. Also, if you like Brass work and Bach, you really need to hear German Brass Bach 200. It's out of print, but I know you like to the used stores. It's some of the best brass playing I've ever heard.

It's up. I'm interested in your impression.

German Brass Bach 200? With a name like that, it'd better be good.

Rounding out my Rameau collection...





Of course, true Rameau nuts would laugh me out of the forum for saying that as I have absolutely no recordings of his main genre: opera. I do, however, have all of his orchestral suite arrangements! Note that these all feature French harpsichordist and director Christophe Rousset; my French Baroque sources assure me he's excellent with Rameau. The Six Concerts en Sextuor are popular orchestral arrangements of some of Rameau's works, possibly by Rameau but more likely by a French admirer.

I notice Brilliant have started what looks like the first ever set of complete Handel cantatas, all new recordings too it seems. Considering the volume Handel produced this will be a considerable undertaking, though coming from Brilliant not an unduly costly one - Vol 1 is under a fiver...

http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product/NR_November09/93999.htm

I found this oddity for $1 while trolling through my used CD shop.



Back in the '40s Nathaniel Shilkret commissioned Schoenberg, Milhaud, Stravinsky, Toch, and some others better known back then who were living in Los Angeles (Tansman, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and Shilkret himself) to each contribute a movement to what was to become The Genesis Suite. This event contributed to the famous anecdote about Schoenberg and Stravinsky standing at opposite sides of the rehearsal hall because they wouldn't speak to each other.

So now I finally get to hear it in its original form, recorded by Werner Janssen and the Janssen Symphony Orchestra of Los Angeles (i.e., a pickup group of studio musicians) in 1946.

Schoenberg and Stravinsky are great, Milhaud and Toch are very good, but the other composers sound like movie composers, which they pretty much were. The recording is remastered, but it still sounds like it was recorded in 1946, complete with a wordless but not vibrato-less Hollywood choir.

This is the only true recording of the piece, because the orchestration of a couple movements was destroyed in a fire. But it has been reconstructed and re-recorded by Naxos. I would be interested to hear that one, because this recording sounds dated.

Very affordable! I suspect this is a part of their effort to release of complete Handel edition at some point down the road. In the mean time I'll consider this set - if TMT approves of the quality, of course!

Which is why I've put what was to be my final Handel cantata topic on hold!

Listening to some Pergolesi and Scarlatti lately I wondered what their broader, more grand music sounds like. I placed an order for this...



Pergolesi's only mass coupled with one of Alessandro's ten. I saw Biondi has recorded some A. Scarlatti as well so threw these in as they were very cheap used...



Apparently, the latter is an oratorio on the subject of God's triune existence, which is a particularly fascinating subject to me. It's a sort of unspecific oratorio with general parts like "Faith" and "Time," bringing to mind the mode of Mozart's Die Schuldigkeit des Ersten Gebots and some of Handel's oratorios. Should be interesting! Went ahead and threw a Naxos bargain album of his son's sacred music...



That'll probably do it for the Scarlatti's! I can't believe how cheap these were, though - it was like they were giving them away!

Bought this today, just £6 in HMV - £10 cheaper than the cantatas disks by Glossa. Will report in due course.