What classical music you listening to, luv?

Tyson · « **Reply #2803 on:** 28 Mar 2019, 03:56 pm »

I'd been listening to the Handley set of Bax Symphonies and just wasn't connecting with them. I'd been trying over several years, but I just couldn't get into Bax's music. Well, 3 days ago I decided to try a different interpreter/recording and finally hit paydirt! I really, really like the way Lloyd-Jones plays this music. A little less of the "English Pastoral" style and more like a mix of Debussy, Sibelius and Beethoven. I've been working my way through the symphonies in order and today I'm on #6:

Randy · « **Reply #2804 on:** 28 Mar 2019, 04:58 pm »

Quote from: Tyson on 28 Mar 2019, 03:56 pm

I'd been listening to the Handley set of Bax Symphonies and just wasn't connecting with them. I'd been trying over several years, but I just couldn't get into Bax's music. Well, 3 days ago I decided to try a different interpreter/recording and finally hit paydirt! I really, really like the way Lloyd-Jones plays this music. A little less of the "English Pastoral" style and more like a mix of Debussy, Sibelius and Beethoven. I've been working my way through the symphonies in order and today I'm on #6:

I had the same trouble with the Handley set of Bax symphonies. I think the problem lies with the sonics. Chandos was hit and miss back then, still stuck in their "back- row-of-the-hall," with plenty of reverb engineering of the 80s. Many, if not most, of their orchestral recordings of that era were unlistenable. They'd even add artificial reverb to recordings they licensed from other companies.
While this set isn't the worst of the lot, still, Chandos ruined what could have been a great set of Bax symphonies with their bone-headed engineering, and frankly, the performances are kind of dull, too, though that may also be a function of the sonics.

I love many other of Bax's works for orchestra, so the music itself isn't the problem. Maybe I'll give the Naxos set a try. Thanks for the tip.

Tyson · « **Reply #2805 on:** 28 Mar 2019, 05:10 pm »

Quote from: Randy on 28 Mar 2019, 04:58 pm

I had the same problem with the Handley set of Bax symphonies. I think the problem lies with the sonics. Chandos was hit and miss back then, still stuck in their "back- row-of-the-hall," with plenty of reverb engineering of the 80s. Many, if not most. of their orchestral recordings of that era were unlistenable. They'd even add artificial reverb to recordings they licensed from other companies.
While this set isn't the worst of the lot, still, Chandos ruined what could have been a great set of Bax symphonies with their bone-headed engineering.

Agreed, Chandos has very spotty record with recordings. Although I don't feel like that's the case with this particular set, the sound is actually pretty good. A bit laid back, but still quite clear. No, the issue for me anyway, seems to be firmly with Handley. He seems more concerned with "conjuring a sound world" with this music. Many people like this approach, I do not. Lloyd-Jones on the other hand is more focused on the musical argument, the throughline and connecting everything together in a coherent way. That, I love.

Edited to add: Chandos did have another set of Bax symphonies conducted by Bryden Thomson, and I agree, the sonics on that are horrible. Way back of the hall and massive reberb. Yuck.

OzarkTom · « **Reply #2806 on:** 28 Mar 2019, 05:29 pm »

Randy · « **Reply #2807 on:** 28 Mar 2019, 06:24 pm »

Quote from: Tyson on 28 Mar 2019, 05:10 pm

Agreed, Chandos has very spotty record with recordings. Although I don't feel like that's the case with this particular set, the sound is actually pretty good. A bit laid back, but still quite clear. No, the issue for me anyway, seems to be firmly with Handley. He seems more concerned with "conjuring a sound world" with this music. Many people like this approach, I do not. Lloyd-Jones on the other hand is more focused on the musical argument, the throughline and connecting everything together in a coherent way. That, I love.

Edited to add: Chandos did have another set of Bax symphonies conducted by Bryden Thomson, and I agree, the sonics on that are horrible. Way back of the hall and massive reberb. Yuck.

Yes, I have some of the Bryden Thomson versions. Typical horrible sonics of the 1980s. The Handley set was touted as being the "definitive performances" when they were issued, at least by Chandos and some reviewers. Whether it was Handley, who usually was very good, or the sonics, they turned out to be duds as far as I was concerned. I agree the sonics weren't the worst of Chandos, but still not very good. They don't make much of an impact as if they were compressed.

andolink · « **Reply #2808 on:** 29 Mar 2019, 03:43 pm »

andolink · « **Reply #2809 on:** 29 Mar 2019, 03:43 pm »

LesterSleepsIn · « **Reply #2810 on:** 29 Mar 2019, 08:41 pm »

“One of music’s great risk-takers, Barbara Hannigan goes out on a limb with ‘Crazy Girl Crazy’, her debut album as both conductor and singer, in which she flanks the Lulu Suite with Berio’s unaccompanied Sequenza III and a suite from Gershwin’s Girl Crazy, arranged in tandem with the Broadway orchestrator Bill Elliott and scored for the same forces as the Berg. “

Tyson · « **Reply #2811 on:** 29 Mar 2019, 10:10 pm »

Qobuz is very awesome, I get to listen to albums before their official release date, like this Purcell and Britten album of string works performed by the Doric String Quartet:

LesterSleepsIn · « **Reply #2812 on:** 30 Mar 2019, 01:59 am »

LesterSleepsIn · « **Reply #2813 on:** 30 Mar 2019, 01:43 pm »

Tyson · « **Reply #2814 on:** 30 Mar 2019, 08:15 pm »

A little tinkly music in the afternoon:

LesterSleepsIn · « **Reply #2815 on:** 30 Mar 2019, 10:40 pm »

Today, in a theater near me:

The Met: Live in HD
Die Walküre

Stand-out performances by soprano Christine Goerke as Brünnhilde, soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek as Sieglinde, Greer Grimsley as Wotan and Philippe Jordan conducting. The (100 million $ set??) by Robert Lepage was a meh of a pilates machine contraption supporting the most comical ride of the Valkyries I’ve seen. .

Freo-1 · « **Reply #2816 on:** 30 Mar 2019, 11:18 pm »

Two of my favorite musical works on the same disc.

andolink · « **Reply #2817 on:** 31 Mar 2019, 07:19 pm »

andolink · « **Reply #2818 on:** 1 Apr 2019, 12:41 am »

LesterSleepsIn · « **Reply #2819 on:** 1 Apr 2019, 12:11 pm »