Love Your Classical Music Geek
Classical music obsessive. 🏳️🌈
- I do love this electrifying Brahms 2. The speedy end feels daring and triumphant.
- #NowSpinning A recording of Ravel’s La Valse from 1941, with Pierre Monteux in San Francisco. Lots of his, but wow there is a marvellous energy here.
- #NowSpinning this AMAZING account of the Brahms/Schoenberg concoction. One of those occasions where the Vienna Philharmonic is persuaded to really deliver. This is extraordinary!
- #NowSpinning Donald Johanos with Copland’s Rodeo. I’m not normally one to fuss about whether or not an orchestra is playing music from its ho country, but I genuinely feel it made a difference here! The Dallas Symphony Orchestra just feels every note. Toe tapping stuff!
- #NowSpinning Debussy Estampes with Livia Rev. Such fluidity in her approach. A thoroughly songful and beautiful account.
- New addition to the box set collection, because I have no filter! The Friedrich Gulda Edition on 85 discs. This looks to be a phenomenal set and I can’t wait to jump in!
- Kicking off today’s listening with two classic Nielsen discs. This is still my favourite Inextinguishable, despite amazing competition. Fire, ice, passion. And Bernstein’s disc is intrepid and inspiring.
- New arrival! Sir Adrian Boult The Stereo Recordings 1956 - 1978. There are some personal favourite Vaughan Williams, Holst and Elgar performances in this box. And what a beautiful thing it is. 79 discs.
- #NowSpinning A late night walk to clear the head. Not sure if Peter Grimes is the right companion, but here he is! For some reason I have not heard this performance before.
- #NowSpinning Copland Music for a Great City. This work was commissioned by the LSO to celebrate its 60th season. Very amusing to see that the Evening Standard described it as a ‘knock-off of West Side Story’. I’m not sure their critic was listening.
- #NowSpinning Abbado’s 1995 Amsterdam Mahler Festival Mahler 5, with the Berlin Philharmonic. In the two years between Abbado’s live DG recording and this version, the interpretation darkened somewhat. The opening march is emotionally leaden.
- Coming out on March 27. BRING IT ON!!
- All in all it’s just another…
- #NowSpinning Hindemith The Four Temperaments, with Salonen, Ax and a sumptuous-sounding LA Philharmonic. I keep forgetting to return to this box. Such an interesting conductor.
- #NowSpinning Gil Shaham, the LSO and Previn with Barber’s magnificent Violin Concerto. I do love this heart-on-sleeve performance, though it never degenerates into note spinning nor too much sentimentality.
- #NowSpinning the first of a run of Strauss discs in the big Karajan DG box. Lots of elegance and lots of fun here.
- #NowSpinning this thrilling disc of Offenbach Overtures. Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic let their hair down for some real fun and the result is sparkling and uplifting.
