The Classical Music Guide Forums

Marc

I bought all the Beatles albums on vinyl. I heard the Stones and the Kinks live at their peak and would have the Beatles too if I had had the chance. I was a big Who fan and owned a lot of their records. What I liked about the British new wave was the way they recaptured the spirit of early rock, t...

Marc

Mind you, in his last series of interviews (after the release of Double Fantasy ), he mostly took all questions about The Beatles's music very seriously. Once a con artist, always a con artist. Oh I do apologize, I thought you suggested that he grew up. ;) I LOVE The Beatles btw. And I've never bee...

Marc

I reckon you're either a Beatles guy or a Stones guy. I've always been the latter probably b/c I was all grown up when the Beatles hit our shores. So was this guy, after he grew up: None of it [the Beatles' music] is important. It just takes a few people to get going, and they con themselves into t...

Marc

Heard her mezzo/alto already as a little kid. My parents had a Christmas album where she sang 2 or 3 songs. In the Netherlands, she was considered a truly committed religious interpreter of mainly church vocal works by f.i. Bach and Händel. Later she admitted that she sometimes regretted not being a...

Marc

Bach cantatas BWV BWV 166, 108 and 117, the first two for the 4th Sunday after Easter. (I know I know, I'm running late.) Performed by John Eliot Gardiner and his Monteverdi Choir (London) and the English Baroque Soloists. Part of the 'Soli Deo Gloria' cantata boxset, with live recordings from Gardi...

Marc

Politics ain't beanbag. Maybe that's the problem. People, governors, ministers and representatives think this is mostly about 'politics'. Well, it's not. It's about government, arranging, settling. Seeking solutions for a very severe problem. Anyone who thinks that fighting a war against a dangerou...

Marc

Great playing (imho) on the Schnitger et al organ of the Martini Church in Groningen, Netherlands.

With works by Bach, Buxtehude, Tunder, Scheidemann, Böhm and some improvisations:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj5KzWtY3IY

(Actually listened to it yesterday evening, hope that's OK.

)

Marc

It's just a huge tragedy that politicians are using these dramatic cirumstances for their own agendas, and making a match/race/whatever of it. Andrew Cuomo, yesterday, in his press briefing: “In New York, the cases are now on the decline. You look at the rest of the nation outside of New York, the c...

Marc

Your irrelevant interpretation of my rights not aside, I see nobody is willing to say whether they think it would be alright for people to be locked in, even in parts of the country without a serious problem, for a year-and-a-half, as Emmanuel argued, or even longer. It's a sacrifice indeed. Though...

Marc

What's the upset? :roll: Trump is DEAD right. Of course injection of disinfectant will beat corona virus. Tell you what, it will beat everything in your entire body, and for sure it will get you a clean ticket for your journey to the Afterlife. Death . . . comes for us all, my lords. Yes, even for ...

Marc

I always listen to Bach's B Minor Mass at this time of year. I've sung lots of Bach in Carnegie Hall, including the B Minor, and so it brings back memories. Definitely uplifting music! The famous tenor Peter Schreier tried his hand at conducting some decades past, and produced a very fine version w...

Marc

What's the upset?

Trump is DEAD right.

Of course injection of disinfectant will beat corona virus.
Tell you what, it will beat everything in your entire body, and for sure it will get you a clean ticket for your journey to the Afterlife.

Marc

This little gem IS Christmas to me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CXsN91oOHg

(desperately searching for a 'heart' emoticon

)

Marc

Very sad to hear this. I'm not a regular here, but I had some nice musical conversations with John, as we both shared our love for Bach and the organ. May he rest in peace.

Marc

The Liszt was quite good, but in poor sound. The Chopin was even better, and in stereo without the annoying hum that accompanied the Liszt, which was monophonic. I'll try the Beethoven later, but this young man has something important to say and should have a major career. BTW: The Valentina Lisist...

Marc

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=46913

Marc

I guess you are referring to something that's called 'coupling'. These old mechanic Dutch/German organs are built according to the so-called Werkprinzip: each manual is in fact the 'entrance' to one single instrument or 'work' (mostly called 'division'). When organ specifics are given, it's mostly ...

Marc

It's off topic, I realize, but here is a 'swift' example of how the organist uses a good ole 'slider coupling' (around 6:17) in Buxtehude's BuxWV 155 D minor Toccata. After Bernard Foccroulle's delicate push, the two upper manuals are coupled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjHkzqSOxnw

Marc

I guess you are referring to something that's called 'coupling'. These old mechanic Dutch/German organs are built according to the so-called Werkprinzip: each manual is in fact the 'entrance' to one single instrument or 'work' (mostly called 'division'). When organ specifics are given, it's mostly d...

Marc

I actually conducted the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra doing Beethoven 7 for about a minute. They were doing a promotion at the local station, giving passers-by a minute burst of conducting a chamber-sized group, and I was sent down to cover it. Despite my embarrassment - I had a lot to lose as occa...

Marc

And he didn't mention me, conducting in my living room. Of course, he hasn't had the ill-fortune, as my wife has, of actually seeing me. But the sound that comes out of the speakers (Haitink or Walter or Bernstein or Solti or...) is actually pretty damn fine... :D :lol: Yeah, peacefully listening o...

Marc

barney wrote: ↑
Sat Feb 03, 2018 12:47 am
[...]
It might have been easier to list the great conductors who did NOT make fine Mahler recordings! [...]

And he's even forgotten Abravanel, Bertini, Fischer and De Waart.

Marc

[...] You rarely listen to Mahler nowadays? Wow! He's still bread and butter for me, and I listen to roughly one symphony every 10 days or so. Am especially interested in good new recordings as they come out, as few as they are. [...] Now that I'm old and grey, I've turned more and more towards 16t...

Marc

I very rarely listen to Mahler anymore, but for some 15 to 20 years of my life he was at least weekly bread and butter to me. Which means that I don't know much about recent recordings, even though I sometimes listen to parts of newer stuff on f.i. YouTube. Here's a list of performances that (among ...

Marc

Of course there's also the question: how reliable or truthful is a score? Even when it's a so-called Urtext ? Cases where the composer had bad penmanship (for example, Beethoven) or revised the work after publication, [...] create difficulties. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtext_edition]. And wha...

Marc

[...] It comes down to personal preference, but there isn't one single PERFORMANCE for me - so far - which has everything I'm wanting from this sonata. I'm searching for 'the unicorn', probably!! :D [...] Say no more. :mrgreen: In general: I'm happy I bought this set for a budget price. Like many o...

Marc

O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig BWV 656, played by Ton Koopman on the Christian Müller of the Grote Kerk in Leeuwarden, NL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1R4CQxyAtc

Marc

These links might be interesting (concerning the St. John Gospel and Luther, and their position towards "the Jews"): https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/research_sites/cjl/sites/partners/cbaa_seminar/townsend.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_and_antisemitism BTW, I like both Pas...

Marc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1aGPeqWNFw

Marc

Beekman's set is great.
Sometimes maybe a tad too 'stiff' in the free works, but IMO he's got a natural and instinctive feel for the chorale-based works. The old organs are sounding superb, too. Too bad the set went OOP and was never re-issued.

Marc

Actually, Jochum's tempos in Bruckner are all over the place, and I never understood what he intended by that. I thought Van Beinum's recording of the 9th was in stereo, though I bought it in mono; it dates from 1956, so I'm probably wrong. When published on a single Epic LP, the scherzo was split ...

Marc

[...] Another positive factor in my early exposure to Bruckner was doubtless the style of the conductor. As van Beinum's Bruckner recordings show, he moved the music along, not luxuriating in slow tempos like Karajan and Jochum; his first movement of the 8th symphony is Beethovenesque in its urgenc...

Marc

Wnat attracts and rewards us is not the emotions it expresses but its esthetic qualities. That's a pretty good description of how and why I listen to classical music - and why I get so little out of other kinds of music. I'd have to think more about this but it doesn't seem to apply with regard to ...

Marc

Wnat attracts and rewards us is not the emotions it expresses but its esthetic qualities. That's a pretty good description of how and why I listen to classical music - and why I get so little out of other kinds of music. I'd have to think more about this but it doesn't seem to apply with regard to ...

Marc

I think it's got something to do with emotional empathy and consolation.
IMO, these feelings are beautiful and positive.
And that's why it feels good to experience them.

I think.

Marc

My favourite cycle on period instruments is the one with Jos van Immerseel conducting his Anima Eterna, first released in 1997. In general, I find them a bit more entertaining than Brüggen. http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Complete-Symphonies-Franz-Vienna/dp/B00008PW45 http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-S...

Marc

Philadelphia, February 1994: http://articles.philly.com/1994-02-13/news/25857058_1_philadelphia-orchestra-wolfgang-sawallisch-orchestra-spokeswoman I myself don't know that much about him, but I do admire his no nonsense approach, without mannerisms, towards music in general. Here are some personal ...

Marc

Yes, it's nice to have a picnic on a hanging rock.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picnic_at_ ... ck_(novel)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picnic_at_Hanging_Rock

Marc

[....]Pursuing a career in medicine? Well of course that will guarantee a decent salary, but even doctors these days are veering toward slave labor in the US, where only hedge fund managers and the like actually make any good money and dominate politics to make sure that it stays that way. He told ...

Marc

Well, uderneath the surface maybe (for outsiders), but in 'organ country' the Netherlands there are many worries about the future of organ playing and about the future of the instrument itself, mainly due to the secularisation of the last half century. No matter if protestant or roman-catholic, chur...

Marc

Listened to and enjoyed his recorder playing from my dad's vinyl, enjoyed his concerts (a.o. Bach, Mozart, Schubert) and his recordings, especially his first Beethoven symphony integral (Philips, recently re-issued on Decca, including a very fine violin concerto with Zehetmair). http://www.deccaclas...

Marc

When I was young .... this was one of my favourites. Well .... To be honest, I don't listen to it anymore, with the odd exception of course, but I've always liked Herbert Kegel (once re-issued on Philips Silver Line Classics), Kurt Eichhorn (the (in)famous Ponnelle movie/DVD with Lucia Popp, John v...

Marc

Tarantella wrote:That's the beauty of it though - we're capable of having more than one time at a time!

Exactly!

We're capable of almost anything!

Marc

[....] I do have a favorite one. It's by the Vienna Konzerthaus Quartet plus double bass, one player to a part, which most likely is how it was originally played. They're members of the Vienna Philharmonic and play Mozart con amore. One of my favourites would be a Eurodisc vinyl gem from 1979 with ...

Marc

[....] These comments are entirely my own opinions: Mahler suits the zeitgeist. Everything about our world is large and somewhat grand in style - large TV screens and wide cinematic aspect ratio, huge public spectacles (fireworks, sport and the like), grand opera, over-the-top rock performances in ...

Marc

Thank you, Marc! Well one can't really have "everything." Well, maybe one can. I am just delighted that I have been able to amass these things over a period of many years ... am and most thankful! The above was NOT a bragging effort, but merely to illustrate how the great beauty of a piece of music...

Marc

I'm not a KV 466 collector (though I love the piece), but at least I've got a recording which is not on the Luscious Lance List! :P Roberte Mamou with the Berliner Symphoniker, conducted by Gerard Oskamp. http://112.imagebam.com/download/goOh0luqI7cob-5XXQTc6Q/31704/317035468/wam-466%26491-rmgo.jpg ...

Marc

Well, let's consider it a luxury problem. I recognize the problem though, also because of severe budget limitations, but there is still room to move. Of course there's nothing wrong with drawing lines or making a more strict selection. But there's also nothing wrong with exploring lesser known compo...

Marc

[....]These days I am often inspired to turn to YouTube, which seems to have covered every cantata one way or the other. Lance was moved by the fourth number in Cantata 125, but the second is even more astonishing, worthy of a place in one of the passions: bJ6PcSG-7SM QFT. The first time I listened...

Marc

The social-democratic God-denying Dutch minister of Home Affairs, Plasterk, insists on singing along with such a large SMP performance each and every year .... probably even if Holland is in acute danger of some flood. :) Now now, don't go pointing the finger at us unbelieving devotees of music wit...

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