The Classical Music Guide Forums

GK

After the Hatto scandal in which major music critics couldn't discern that umpteen different pianists were responsible for the Hatto discs, in some cases praising the "Hatto" version after panning the original, can anyone really tell the differences among prominent pianists?

GK

Kennedy/Tennstedt produced the worst recording ever of the Brahms violin concerto. Kennedy did much better in the Mendelssohn and Bruch concertos with Jeffrey Tate.

GK

Perhaps the greatest symphonic work ever composed for band is John Corigliano's Symphony #3, "Circus Maximus". I heard it done by the Marine Band under Leonard Slatkin who also did it with the Detroit Symphony. It is currently on the schedule of the Baltimore Symphony with Marin Alsop.

GK

Is there an anti US rebellion by Russian conductors because of Rozhdestvensky's treatment by the Boston Symphony?

GK

I'm a great fan of the Marine Chamber Orchestra and go to many of their concerts. Nevertheless I wondered about this concert which featured Schubert's 9th Symphony. I've heard the work played by a chamber orchestra on record, but could this 30 piece ensemble do justice to this great symphony in a go...

GK

The area has another new orchestra, "The Symphony of the Potomac". It is the same orchestra which used to be called "The JCC orchestra" when it performed at Rockville's Jewish Community Center. In its new guise it performs at several venues in the area. The conductor is Joel Lazaar who occasionally ...

GK

A friend bought the CD and this is from the label:

Fanfare Records
Intersound Inc., an American Company
P.O. Box 1724, Roswell, GA 30077

GK

http://www.radix.net~chinatom/rach.html

If this doesn't work it is Fanfare Records #3540

GK

Frank Wiens a touring professional pianist who is also a music professor at the University of the Pacific gave a recital at Riderwood Village a senior community in Silver Spring, MD where I reside. The program: Mozart- Adagio in B Minor Grieg-Ballade in G Minor Kodaly-Dances of Marosszek Liszt-Sonat...

GK

I have a very good recording of Beethoven's 1st and 3rd symphonies. It's by the San Francisco Symphony, not the Dresden.

For a fiery 5th you may want the highly acclaimed Dudamel recording. You can sample it on Arkiv. I heard the companion 7th on radio and it is indeed fiery.

GK

No, alternating performances.

GK

It was not the case of the same man singing the two roles, but some years back Samuel Ramey snd Ferrucio Furlanetta alternated the roles of the Don and Leporello at the Met and other venues.

GK

Also recommended is his recording of Gershwin's piano concerto with Kostelanetz

GK

Of the three offenses listed, the last is the one I'm most in sympathy with.

GK

Two CDR's fit perfectly into storage spaces designed for one CD. I've done that for some of my CDs in which the jewel box did not contain a booklet including all my BBC Music Magazine discs which were slim but larger than CDR"s.

GK

Most of these Vienna New Year's concerts are somewhat more varied than the all Strauss family program offered by Barenboim. Why not some Lehar, Kalman, Waldteufel, or Offenbach?

GK

I have the Stravinsky/Columbia SO and the Boulez/Cleveland SO on Sony. I much prefer the Stravinsky.

GK

During a performance of the Brahms 2nd concerto with David Zinman and the Baltimore SO, Garrick Ohlssen's piano bench leaked hydraulic fluid. The bench gradually lowered as liquid spilled on the floor. As soon as they realized what was happening the music stopped. The mess was cleaned up, a new benc...

GK

Let's not forget that Mozart, needing some quick cash, rewrote his oboe concerto for flute. I prefer the flute version to the oboe one.

GK

Two losers emerged from last night's debate:

Gwen Ifill who allowed Palin to evade answering questions by making speeches.

Barak Obama for not selecting Hillary as his VP. Hillary would have clobbered Palin.

GK

Rubinstein, Watts, Browning, Ohlsson, De Larrocha, Kallir, Rodriguez, Istomin, Toradze, Fleischer (in the Ravel concerto for left hand.) Also, though not generally known as a pianist, conductor Hugh Wolff who performed Mozart's #21 with the Annapolis Symphonny at the time that he was an assistant co...

GK

The smirker was McCain not Obama.

GK

Some years ago when we had a piano tuner in our social group we always inquired about his health. We were afraid of mercury getting into our tuner.

GK

If Obama loses, before I even consider racism as a cause, I will wonder about his stupidity in not selecting Hillary Clinton as his VP.

GK

Re: Opening the concert season with the Star Spangled Banner

One year after the Washington Redskins won the Super Bowl, Mstislav Rostropovich opened the next concert with "Hail to the Redskins". How's that for patriotism?

GK

Was Windgassen born again? What would Sarah Palin say about that?

GK

I expected to see a lot of Rev. Wright on Fox the next two months. Now this may not happen.

GK

It is obvious, based on the principal theme of last night's speeches, that the Republicans will soon reverse their ticket running Palin for president and McCain for VP. By their definition she is by far the more qualified of the two.

GK

While the Zogby poll is in the minority it has generally been the most accurate over the past two decades, a notable exception being the New Hampshire primary. Also a close analysis of all the polls point to a narrowing of the race. It may be time for the Obama people to reconsider the VP situation ...

GK

In the mid 1990's Best Buy sold Pilz 2CD packs for $1.49 and single CDs for 99 cents. At the same time Best Buy's arch rival Circuit City was selling many of the same performances for $1.99 per CD on such labels as Point Classics and Classical Gallery, and Sam Goody was selling the same material for...

GK

One of my 56 BBC discs is "Music for Christmas:An anthology from the 12th to the 20th century". It is a fine recording including works by Bach, Handel, Liszt, Webern and Schoenberg performed by the Taverner Consort.

GK

A few years ago a thrift shop in our senior development sold them for 50 cents each and I bought all they had--56. Even at $1 I'd consider Ralph's advice and buy them all. In any case buy all the chamber, and solo works. Also buy works by composers that you are not likely to buy at a higher price, e...

GK

I have a wonderful recording of Mozart's concertos 3 & 5 made in 1981. Google research indicates that she's still performing but she never gets mention.

GK

Haven't heard about Pamela Frank in recent years.

From the past--Bronislaw Gimpel & Ruggerio Ricci

GK

Last night one of our local PBS stations showed the recent Met Opera production of Donizetti's "Daughter of the Regiment".I regard it as perhaps the best opera production I've ever seen with respect to singing, acting, and directing. The just about perfect cast was headed by two of today's operatic ...

GK

Some years ago when the cold war was still on but there was a thaw in the relations, my cousin visited eastern Europe. In a cafe (I don't recall the location) a pianist was ostensibly playing the Moldau theme. At one point my cousin, who knows his classical music, realized that he was actually playi...

GK

For operas, you may consider renting. A large number of opera DVDs are available at Netflix.

GK

Interesting that Slatkin admitted that he didn't do his best in the early 2000s implying that he was over committed. But isn't he over committed now as music director in Detroit as well as involvements with the Royal Philharmonic and Louisville Symphony?

GK

Tim Page was one of many Washington Post journalists who recently took a buy-out. The Post is reducing staff because of the decline in circulation which is affecting most US newspapers. Page originally planned to take a year's absence to teach at the University of Southern California. His final depa...

GK

The Washington Savoyards have been around for 35 years doing Gilbert & Sullivan works in various venues around the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. In recent years they also began doing other operettas and musicals. Last Sunday they did "Pirates of Penzance" at the Clarence Smith Performing Arts C...

GK

My favorite is Markevich & the Lamoureux Orch.

GK

DVD Tosca at Verona with Fiorenza Cedonis, Marcello Alverez, and Ruggero Raimondi in the leads with Daniel Oren conducting. On a bi-monthly basis the Italian club in our senior development presents an opera DVD. The man in charge prefers videos of actual performances to films. On this criterion this...

GK

Check out

http://www.beverlysills.com/operaroom.ht

GK

The Church is not too far from where I live and ordinarily I would be interested. However I have a conflict. The Alexandria Kleztet, a klezmer band which also features an outstanding clarinetist is performing at our senior development, and we have invited friends to join us.

GK

One name that may or may not belong in this discussion is Gilbert Levine. His is more a case of never was rather than forgotten. Until recent years that is. Somehow this Jewish lad from Brooklyn made alliances with both the previous and present Popes and conducted concerts they sponsored. PBS recent...

GK

Based on the number of outstanding recordings--

Karajan
Ormandy
Solti
Bernstein
Maazell
Klemperer
Abbado
Reiner
Bohm
Haitink

GK

I have a recording with Flagstad and Walter (on piano) on the Legend label lwhich I assume is the same performance as on your two recordings with this couple. My recording is a bit scratchy, but Flagstad comes across loud and clear. I also have a recording of a live performance with Waltraud Meier a...

GK

My internist who's mostly against "Alternative Medicine" suggested that I try CoQ10 for leg cramps. It didn't work. On the other hand he told me that I was wasting good money by buying Soothherbs lozenges, a combination of vitamin C, echinacea, and zinc. I still take them at the first sign of a cold...

GK

I'm glad that Florez is back in fine form. He missed a series of performances when a fishbone damaged his vocal cords.

GK

I'm the dunce so far--51 or 85%, missing 1.9,16,23,26,35,36,48 and 54.

Search found 464 matches