When I first looked at today’s album, I thought, “Oh what fresh hell is this?” I continued, uninterrupted. (I’m gracious with my own time that way.) “Is this is a mistake? I’ve already heard Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture! In fact, I’ve seen that very album cover already – in this very box se! Is this a … [Read more…]
I’m surprised and pleased! This morning’s CD is much more enjoyable than yesterday’s. The performances sound better to me. At least, they’re more robust than what I heard yesterday. Woo-hoo! There are a couple of items from Kenneth Morgan’s book Fritz Reiner Maestro & Martinet that I’d like to mention. First, this from page 214: … [Read more…]
Now this is more like it. Whenever I think of Classical music, I think of composers from the Classical period – Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, et al. Also, I think of Anton Bruckner, who straddled Classical and Romantic, but whose symphonies (to me) seem more Classical than Romantic in their construction. Essentially, I think of composers … [Read more…]
Now this is more like it. As I’ve mentioned, several years ago (July 21, 2018 – December 29, 2018, to be precise) I spent 162 Days with Beethoven “Evaluating Symphonies 1-9 from 18 CD Box Sets.” (Famed conductor Herbert von Karajan was in there twice, with two different box sets. If memory serves, he recorded … [Read more…]
I admit it: I don’t get Bartok. Oh, I can read who he was and what he accomplished. And I, like many others, am impressed by his credentials. In fact, to be honest, I just learned from his entry on Wikipedia things about him that I didn’t know: Béla Viktor János Bartók; 25 March 1881 … [Read more…]
My listening post today for two Mozart compositions is, actually, tonight. I didn’t get around to listening this morning because I just wanted to sit in a restaurant and eat, not eat while listening to music and writing. Sue me. As it turns out, it’s a good thing I didn’t decide to listen to the … [Read more…]
This morning, I return to Brahms, one of my least favorite Classical composers (second only to Haydn as composers I just didn’t get), although this time I am treated to the debut (to my ears, anyway) of Jascha Heifetz, widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest violinists. From his entry on Wikipedia: Jascha Heifetz … [Read more…]