He was a giant of the music world, and a particularly important figure in Germany’s postwar era. There’s a terrific biography/obituary at The Telegraph. EMI’s new SACD release sporting high-definition transfer of his four groundbreaking early HMV LPs of Schubert lieder with the incomparable Gerald Moore arrived at my office last week; these are among the most important classical recordings of the postwar era.
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Lucerne Festival Shake-Up: Mahler Out, Mozart and Beethoven In
Change of program:
LUCERNE FESTIVAL hereby announces that on 8 August as well as on 10 and 11 August, Claudio Abbado will conduct Beethoven’s Incidental music to “Egmont” and Mozart’s Requiem. For artistic reasons, this program replaces the originally scheduled Eighth Symphony by Gustav Mahler.
LUCERNE FESTIVAL hereby announces that on 8 August as well as on 10 and 11 August, Claudio Abbado will conduct Beethoven’s Incidental music to “Egmont” and Mozart’s Requiem. For artistic reasons, this program replaces the originally scheduled Eighth Symphony by Gustav Mahler.
I had been planning to attend what was to be the culmination of Abbado’s Lucerne Mahler symphony cycle. Interesting that as of the hour of this post lucernefestival.ch seems to be having technical problems (style sheets and javascript are offline). I will post more information as soon as I know more.
The Grand Unified Media File Solution — Well, the One I Prefer
Audiophiles who delve into the world of computer audio have hundreds of software tools from which to choose for organizing and playing their libraries, but I’ve found none to compare to… Continue reading The Grand Unified Media File Solution — Well, the One I Prefer
Prof. Vicari Was Far Too Gentlemanly
Professor Andrea Vicari was clear and diplomatic in a letter to the editor published a few days ago in the Guardian. Vicari was replying to a suggestion from Guardian writer that musicians play without pay for the honor of being associated with the games.
I would have been a bit less polite…
Lost Dog and Englishman (plus Italian and Hungarian)
Following an underwhelming concert last Thursday, I was beginning to think I was getting too cynical for concertgoing.
Continue reading Lost Dog and Englishman (plus Italian and Hungarian)
Returning Soon
I’ve been a wee bit sidetracked. Blogging resumes the first week of April, and will include at least a new/recent release roundup.
Major Artistic Breakthrough
I hope the Cleveland Orchestra and New York Philharmonic look into this, not only for the potential savings but a solution to numerous troubling aesthetic and interpretive issues (although I’d advise the management of the NYPhil to avoid trying that last setting for both liability reasons and high repair costs). Hat tip: David Atkins.
… and yes, I’m enjoying every note…
Saturday night listening: Hans Werner Henze’s too-rarely-performed opera “Elegy for Young Lovers”. I know, it’s light listening as usual. An old college friend reminded me earlier today that I would often assert that “music should be rigorous”; that sentiment has changed little in 30-plus years.
The Henze recording features Lisa Saffer (she can sing anything, and I mean anything), Roderick Kennedy, a stunningly good supporting cast, and the Schoenberg Ensemble conducted by the much-underrated Reinbert de Leeuw. It’s part of a 27-disc set documenting Schoenberg Ensemble recordings of 20th century music issued about five years ago by Dutch indie Et’Cetera. The performances are consistently excellent.
Maazel / Orchestre de Paris @ Salle Pleyel
I’ve just returned from a sensational concert at the Salle Pleyel. I cannot recall the Orcehstre de Paris ever sounding anything close to as formidable as they were this evening. Lorin Maazel, who returned to the OdP after a decade of absence, led a colorful and characterful performance (with more than a few daring nuances of tempo and phrasing) of works by Ravel and Dukas – Ma mère l’oye, Tzigane (with OdP principal violinist Phillipe Aiche), L’Apprenti Sorcier, Rhapsodie espagnole, and La Valse, with the Farandole from Bizet’s L’Arlesienne as an encore.
The audience was wildly enthusiastic, and (knowing full well that this is probably going to ruffle the feathers of a couple of my friends who are frequent critics of Maazel) so was I. Under Maazel, The New York Philharmonic was never less than engaging and more often than not thrilling; this concert, easily the most enjoyable I’ve seen this season, makes me miss the level of playing he got from the Philharmonic.
The Great Classical/Jazz Metadata Crisis Solved
After the Worst Air Travel experience Ever® (bottom line: never fly Alitalia), I’ve hit the ground running at MIDEM, and had a terrific breakfast with occasional partner in crime the music biz Todd Landor and musichi‘s CEO/inventor/metadata genius Philippe Watel. If you’re a serious classical music geek or computer audiophile who loves jazz, you know what a pain int the butt it is to find music on Amazon, iTunes, and most other services. Philippe may have hit on a solution – and a cool new player for your media center or netbook! More to follow the middle of next week; stay tuned…