The Classical Music Guide Forums

dirkronk

I've been a BRK.B investor for a couple of decades, but a Charlie Munger fan even longer than that.

Dirk

dirkronk

Warmest holiday wishes to every music lover here and around this little globe!
From (all-too-warm) south Texas...hey, it'll be mid-80s F here today!

Dirk

dirkronk

Based on a brief review of the contents I have to think the box may be a treasure. Van Beinum’s Brahms is always good and frequently superb, and his Mendelssohn “Italian” is my favorite of all time. In fact, years ago I bought two copies of the white multi-LP Philips box of Van Beinum just to make s...

dirkronk

On my honeymoon in NYC in 1984, I was shopping at the old Tower Records basement annex and chanced upon a vinyl set of Toscanini Brahms with the Philharmonia. Had it shipped home to Texas and, from that point on, it was often Toskie (Phil) vs Toskie (NBC) in Brahms…the performances were SO different...

dirkronk

My favorite Brahms 4s are Toscanini/NBC ['51] and Reiner/RoyalPO...great performances, by the time they get to the finale, things are really cooking!! Agreed, Heck. Have not heard Honeck in anything, truth be told, but my personal preference lies also with Reiner/RPO for Brahms 4th. Never did warm ...

dirkronk

maestrob's post reminded me of Haitink's skill in accompaniment, whether live OR in studio. Examples would have to include two superb Beethoven violin concerto recordings with the COA: one with Krebbers, the other with Grumiaux (my listening buddy Mark's all-time fave). And I would be remiss if I di...

dirkronk

RIP, Mr. Haitink.

Have to say that I was not always impressed by Haitink’s studio albums…I could probably count the ones I still own on a couple of hands. But the collection of live performances with the Concertgebouw on Q Disc is utterly extraordinary…and a true prize.

Dirk

dirkronk

FYI, Canfield’s guide had zero evaluations of performances. Its value was in providing accurate and(then) current market prices on collectible classical LPs…much like Goldmine did for rock, jazz and pop. Classical was notoriously lacking in that kind of reference until Dave’s guides came along. The ...

dirkronk

Lance wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:01 pm
The CDs, however, will continue to grow ... as if I can live to 150 years old or more.

Hey, that's the plan, right? I'll be rootin' for ya, Lance! Well...at least for as long as I hold out myself.

Dirk

dirkronk

Per a just-now perusal of my comprehensive CD list (this is a joke...I haven't updated it in a l-o-o-o-n-g time), I'm a piker when it comes to Cziffra...just 13 assorted CDs, many CDr copies of live performances (though yes, the obligatory Liszt and Chopin stuff on EMI). Still, I'm not in acquisitio...

dirkronk

Hi all. Dirk popping up again...after being sidelined for a few months by surgical (hernia repair) and dental issues (two crowns +) and assorted other stuff. Now that I can lift things again, I'm in the midst of "honey-do" chores around the house. This includes elimination of excess bookshelf fodder...

dirkronk

Well, Richter also had a famously low opinion of his own performances during his 1960 trip to the US, especially the Carnegie Hall pieces. I listen to his encore Appassionata from his all-Beethoven evening and simply cannot agree; I think it's one of the top handful of performances of that piece tha...

dirkronk

Not sure if this belongs here or in Corner Pub, but because it involves a violin, I'll try here... My grandfather played fiddle, but I never got to hear him play. When I knew him, he was a brilliant man, read voraciously (history, science, philosophy, comparative religion). But he was an autodidact....

dirkronk

I'd like to say it's odd that, if de Larrocha had such a clear affinity for Soler, she only committed eight sonatas of his to record, but then, this is so often true of great artists. Rubinstein's album of Spanish music, for example, is stellar, but it is just that - one album. Or we can think of R...

dirkronk

Thanks for adding to the list, maestrob! The Beethoven is an old friend. The Elgar, Novak and Suk...I've heard the pieces but years ago and I can't be certain with the artists specified. The Magnard...recognize the name but actually don't remember hearing the piece. I have my work cut out for me! Dirk

dirkronk

Hi ayevey, Allow me to opine that you have lucked into what are probably the best performances you'll find. I say that because in Spanish piano repertoire, I am hopelessly enamored of the divine Alicia. Here's a comment I made on another board back in 2002: "Once you have plenty of orchestral stuff,...

dirkronk

Great start, guys. I’ll start my own personal blubber fest this weekend so further examples will be welcome.

Cheers,
Dirk

dirkronk

So over on the Acoustic Guitar Forum, someone asked what solo instruments can bring a person to tears (assuming, of course, a truly talented person is playing said instrument). My answer has traditionally been twofold. First, instruments that fall within the typical range of the human voice: cello, ...

dirkronk

OK, I’m following up my own post because I just looked up “Harmonia Mundi Musique d’abord” and the label has kept the name for what I suppose is a download service but replaced the players. There is in fact a Nachtmusik but it’s done by Manze and the English Concert, who may do a splendid job...but ...

dirkronk

My faves in large ensembles: Reiner (mono) and Szell. I once had a French Harmonia Mundi LP of a small chamber group with equal lilt, speed, expression AND wonderfully open texture...but I cannot for the life of me recall their name. (It was one of those generic cover Musique d’Abord issues for thos...

dirkronk

I concur with Lance's comment that keeping track (of a larger collection) on computer is a must. In my case, I did it in a way that not everyone would find advisable: as a single Microsoft Word document (!). I'm not kidding. I do my rock/folk/jazz stuff on a separate document, but all of my classica...

dirkronk

I was born in the province of Groningen in northern Holland but left at the age of 5 when my own parents emigrated to Alberta, in 1959. Wow, a true "northerner" (just looked on a map). :wink: Thanks to Facebook and the Internet I'm more connected to the extended family in both Alberta and the Nethe...

dirkronk

Unlike the days when my music collection was all on vinyl, my CDs are organized differently and stored differently. Right now, alas, "storage" is about 20 boxes out in the garage. In fact, I'm looking for inside-the-house storage options myself -- not to display but to hide (to mollify the SO), poss...

dirkronk

Finally, Bernsteins Eroica with the NYPO. Ah...one from left field and another one that I'll have to source. Haven't heard that one in years and my LP copy went in the huge university library donation years back...but I'll bet either my local library or YouTube has it. So Ric... You mentioning Bern...

dirkronk

Equally though provoking is the Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony which is often maligned by critics, and is even mocked by Bartok. I fear that I too maligned it...for a while. Here's a post I wrote back in 2007, in a thread about "depressing music": dirkronk wrote:For years, I looked on the Shosta...

dirkronk

Beautiful examples, stickles! Thanks so much for sharing those memories.

Dirk

dirkronk

Fascinating. My own family journey took us through Alberta as well, although I've lived in Ontario since 1967. I still have a large extended family there, and our daughter has settled in Edmonton. Small world! So were you born in Holland or Canada? And when did your family journey take place? I oft...

dirkronk

There is something really special in the Pesek version of the Suk String Serenade if you can find it, not least of which is the ability of digital recording to capture the warm, woody overtones of the Czech Philharmonic's strings. Gotcha. Note to self: don't ask for MAGIC! and then suppose you can ...

dirkronk

2) Beethoven String Quartet #135, arr. for string orchestra, Lento: Bernstein/Vienna 5) Suk: Serenade Mvt. 3 (Adagio): Pesek/Czech Philharmonic I actually remember owning the Bernstein/Beethoven...though on LP, so it was part of the big university library donation from many years ago. Have Talich d...

dirkronk

What immediately came to mind was Sergei Babayan's Scarlatti recording on the Pro Piano label. No surprise there...a longtime favorite of mine, as well. And luckily, a friend provided me with a copy some years ago -- so it goes on the list for sure. :mrgreen: And I've just got Orozco's Chopin Prelu...

dirkronk

Hello Dirk, from one who drifts in and out of this lovely site. Unfortunately the lovely Cheniston died a few years ago, this site has lost some really good friends and contributors. I do remember you. Sorry to hear about Cheniston. Not really surprised (he was getting up there in age, as we all ar...

dirkronk

For those who haven't seen my first two posts, I'm returning to classical listening after a 10-year dry spell. I mean, I've been to assorted concerts (chamber music, mainly) pre-pandemic and so on, but I haven't delved into my classical recording collection for a l-o-o-n-g time. And my thought is, m...

dirkronk

If that was in the Zaandam area, then possibly they were a part of a very interesting Protestant sect who ran all the windmills in the area. <SNIP> These are all industrial windmills used for fabrication, milling, et cetera, as opposed to simply pumping water back out to the sea, so your great gran...

dirkronk

Digressing a bit here, but my own background is also Dutch, and I happened to spend a day in the Zaandam area 2 years ago on a trip. Search youtube on "drone Zaandam" or "drone Zaanse Schans" and you'll find all kinds of great footage of this area of the country, famous for preserving a battery of ...

dirkronk

I'll totally agree with my colleagues here that your post is very thoughtful and yet you don't "talk down" to your readers. It's a great way to start the conversation. Thanks, maestrob. That is what I was shooting for. As an old married man but with no kids (but with a grown niece and nephew), I al...

dirkronk

Since this was an acoustic guitar group, why no mention of Segovia? These folks already know their guitarists! In fact, earlier in the thread, people had mentioned Presti and Lagoya, Sharon Isbin and other names. I could have mentioned Julian Bream, Christoper Parkening, and Carlos Montoya as some ...

dirkronk

In the decade I've been away, I've been posting on forums with folks who, by and large, don't talk at all about classical music. Of course, that has seldom stopped ME from yammering away if the opportunity presents itself. So last year, on the Acoustic Guitar Forum's "Open Mic" area, someone asked "...

dirkronk

Welcome back, dirkronk. Is your handle a nod to the great 'Dave van Ronk'? Hi slofstra. I do know about Dave van Ronk, but no, Ronk is just my family name. Near as I can tell, we never used the "van" but my records only go back to my great-great-grandfather (on my dad's side). "Van" of course typic...

dirkronk

Thanks, all. OK, so I guess some 'splainin' is in order here. As in, where have I been all this time? And what have I been up to these past X years? Well... Working – until May 2020 (as a reminder, I was an advertising creative director & senior copywriter). I turned 70 last July – max-out age for s...

dirkronk

Hi Lance, Corlyss, et al. 'Sup? Dirk here...reporting in after a number of months offline. Well, maybe a few years. Wow, OK, make that a decade. (Really?) So...what did I miss? :mrgreen: Dirk (...hoping to say "hi" once more to Holden, georgeb, Heck, Que, Mandryka, Cheniston (violinland) and countle...

dirkronk

jbuck919 wrote:Durn, I read the subject and was about to go out an buy a metal detector.

This is allowable only if you are wearing big ol' shorts...either oversize plaid Bermudas or safari-style with the giant sewn-on exterior pockets. The dorkier, the better.

Just sayin'...

Dirk

dirkronk

I once found Franck's symphony completely uninspired and uninspiring. Then I heard Mengelberg's version and it finally started to make sense. There was even excitement in the notes. And then I heard Monteux/Chicago, which added the element of good stereo recording (albeit with some compression in th...

dirkronk

Two examples for me. 1. About twenty years back, maybe a bit more, my listening buddy Mark suggested we forego our usual hi-fi evening in favor of a live rendering of Rimsky's Scheherazade by the San Antonio Symphony. The local group was going through some internal ups and downs and I hadn't been in...

dirkronk

I'll recommend it, too, but for a more specific reason. Except for a few performances of Liszt and Chopin (and anything live...I never count Arrau out in a concert setting), I don't really care for the Arrau I hear in post mid-1960s recordings. Often too slow, self-consciously "profound" and...well,...

dirkronk

Wow...must be birthday season! Have a great one, David.

Dirk

dirkronk

Happy birthday, Holden! May many wonderful musical notes fill your ears, today and throughout the year!

Dirk

dirkronk

William Kapell did a few things with Stokowski (though live, I believe, and not planned recordings for official release): a live Prokofiev PC#3 with the NBC Symphony Orchestra...and (IIRC) some de Falla.

Cheers,

Dirk

dirkronk

It would appear the Kaleidoscope CD came out only recently and is one of his very few compilation albums. Might be a good place for me to start, since my library seems to have none of his complete operas. Might just go ahead and spring for that Carmina Burana...since I liked the whole thing, not jus...

dirkronk

At a listening session with friends last night, I heard a chamber version of Orff's Carmina Burana on BIS. I liked it quite a bit, and was particularly impressed by the singing of baritone Peter Mattei. Naturally, I'm curious to know what else he's done and what recordings present his voice in best ...

dirkronk

As I've repeated here often enough, I'm not a fan of many voices, but Caballe is certainly one. When I first heard her voice, back in LP days, it was one of her earliest albums of operatic arias that first attracted me. But the clincher was the first time I heard her sing zarzuelas. Good lord, she w...

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