This piece is obscenely beautiful. It's not human.

Glenn Gould: Portrait of Leopold Stokowski

Both of these men were eccentric geniuses, and it shows in this very unique document. It's essentially Stokowski talking about his ideas of music, with excerpts of his recordings playing in the background. This may sound simple, but at times it is used to chilling effect, most notably at the beginning, where the words fit the music being played eerily well, and at the end, in which the words from the beginning are brought back, but with different music that builds to a shattering catharsis. Certainly this programme is not to everyone's taste--it is, after all, Glenn Gould and Leopold Stokowski--but hey, somebody's got to like it. It's a monumental artistic document.

today it's part of my early birthday present -
schubert symphony box/bohm/bpo/dg

dj

karl jenkins/armed man mass

Back to some Mahler...



Mahler: Symphony No. 6
Pierre Boulez/Vienna Philharmonic

This is definitely my favorite Mahler 6th at the moment. The way Boulez brings every detail of the score to the surface is really fascinating to me, and there is so little to distract one from the music that it's actually really refreshing to hear (and to someone who hopes to get into conducting, it's really enlightening).

As for interpretation: the first movement starts out at a tempo that is not too fast (Bernstein I) nor too slow (Barbirolli or Zander), and it almost never strays from that basic pulse (Mitropoulos...). It is enormously detailed and sets a very high standard of laying bare every instrumental line in the texture. Very little rubato means that ears more used to Bernstein's approach would find the "Alma" theme hopelessly rushed, but no--it's only taken at the same tempo as the beginning march. The end is actually very thrilling when it isn't slammed into with a highly mannered rubato at the last second a la Bernstein...

Scherzo is placed second, and while you'll find little of the humor or characteristic cutesy-ness of other interpretations, it carries on the first movement's uncannily revealed textures.

The Andante is flowing, not as quick as one might think, and altogether very beautiful. The little rubato used is only there to round out a phrase; otherwise the tempo remains secure. It is immensely understated as compared to most other interpretations of this movement, and in fact it is downright serene because of it, which makes the minor-key episodes all the more crushing and full of angst. Certainly a very fascinating (and eminently valid) way of looking at this.

The finale begins with such perfectly-paced phrases that it literally sounds cold. And the deep bells... wow. This is truly chilling Mahler. The pacing of the tempo is such that the quiet episodes are extraordinarily full of tension, and the louder ones are magnificent releases of that tension. The hammer blows are not loud in the conventional sense, but they have tremendous musical impact; for example, the first hammer blow's transition from victorious hopefulness to outright hysteria has never, in my experience, been more perfectly attained. And it didn't take whacking a huge wooden crate with a lead pipe, either.

No, what I love most about this movement is that it doesn't sound like a big and stupid wall of sound, slugging it out with seemingly nothing in particular, as so many other recordings have it. This recording puts it in the context of an oversized Beethoven's fifth, with the musical argument being played out in the orchestra... only this time the argument is lost. That's all the music is about, really, and to think that nobody else has so successfully realized this as Boulez is quite honestly shocking but not all that surprising when one thinks about it. All Boulez is doing is playing the music for what it is. And all Mahler's sixth is, really, is the classical-Beethovenian symphony on steroids.

Mahler 8
Pierre Boulez/Staatskapelle Berlin

Really great Mahler 8, actually. Very moving for Boulez...

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KURT SANDERLING SIBELIUS CYCLE

Right from the early Kajanus recordings in the 1930's, Sibelius has been well served on record, but Sibelius himself once remarked that he had never been completely satisfied with any one recording of his music, and when one looks at the various complete cycles of the symphonies on record over the years, it is difficult to single out a completely successful set.

Lorin Maazel's Vienna series in the 60's was very fine, but the Sixth Symphony was not particularly idiomatic. Karajan's early Fourth and Sixth with the Philharmonia have long been favourites of mine, but Karajan never recorded No.3, as was the case with Ormandy.

I have always held Bernstein's cycle from the sixties in high esteem, and Colin Davis and Simon Rattle have both made significant contributions to the Sibelian recorded legacy, and many other fine individual recordings come to mind.

For many years Anthony Collins set, recorded in the fifties, has been regarded as perhaps the most successful overall, but on hearing Kurt Sanderlings cycle on Berlin Classics some years ago, I realised that another fine contender had entered the field.

Kurt Sanderling was born in East Prussia in 1912. Jewish, he emigrated in 1936, as Berlin was not a very hospitable place to be at this time. Sanderling went to Russia and was joint chief conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic from 1941 to 1960, along with Mravinsky. Sanderling relates that he learnt the Sibelius symphonies in Russia directly from the scores, and he had to imagine the Sibelian musical landscape from within himself.

The present cycle dates from the mid to late seventies and the response of the Berlin Symphony orchestra is enthusiastic and committed. I can't think that the orchestra would have been very familier with the music at this time.

In the first two symphonies there is no lack of romantic passion and drama, but Sanderling underlines the classical discipline already present in these early works, and which was to become increasingly important in the later symphonies, and I must say that in the final paragraphs of No.2 Sanderling, more than many, captures the epic majesty and rugged individuality of this music.

Sanderling is again most successful in No.3. His tempo in the second movement is faster than Kajanus, but Sanderling too brings out all the wistfulness and elegance of a summer day.

Sanderling has the full measure of No.4: he brings out many new ideas from the score, and I would place his account among the great Fourths of Karajan, Vanska and others.

Sanderlings vision of No.5 is very fine. The opening Tempo molto moderato transforms itself into the scherzo with masterly control, and in the finale the famous horn theme is wonderful against the woodwind and celli counter-melody, and its nice to see the final six hammar blows spaced out at the conclusion of this mighty work.

For me, Sanderlings vision of No.6 is one of the greatest on record. It seems to me that his tempi in all four movements are near perfect. Take the second movement, which Sibelius marks Allegretto moderato. Most conductors sadly take this much to fast [and here I include Anthony Collins] I am not ashamed to admit that in the final coda, tears well up.

Sanderling has a grasp of No.7's unique structure and delivers a noble account, though falling short of such classic readings as Mravinsky [Leningrad Phil] and Koussevitzky [BBC Symphony] at 23' 49'' it is a broad and spacious reading.

I would urge all Sibelians and others to seek out Sanderlings Sibelius cycle which also includes fine performances of Finlandia, En Saga and Nightride and Sunrise.--kp

Brilliant Classics 6899 [five Cd's]

kullervopete:

that's the one i have.
right now, i'm hearing the chopin preludes/ashkenazy.

dj

Dipping into the dark side...



Berg...

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Stately and good.

i'm gettin' down with the schubert sym box/bohm/bpo on dg.

dj

Really really intense Beethoven...

And really really musical too. Just amazing Beethoven!

listening to 'gladiator' soundtrack by zimmer.
principal lso trumpet maurice murphy plays on so many sdtrks i can't count them. he's great here as usual!!

Thanks Dj for mention of London Symphony Orchestra principle trumpet, Maurice Murphy a superb player. I can remember when he was solo cornet with the world famous Black Dyke Mills Band.-kp

you heard him live? i envyest thou

dj

Ravi Shankar - Sound of the Sitar

World Violist wrote:

Ravi Shankar - Sound of the Sitar

Have you gotten into sitar/Indian classical music lately?

Tapkaara wrote:

World Violist wrote: Ravi Shankar - Sound of the Sitar Have you gotten into sitar/Indian classical music lately?

I've been into this music for quite a while now in some capacity. Right now I'm just getting re-interested in it. Or something.

World Violist wrote:

Tapkaara wrote: World Violist wrote: Ravi Shankar - Sound of the Sitar Have you gotten into sitar/Indian classical music lately? I've been into this music for quite a while now in some capacity. Right now I'm just getting re-interested in it. Or something.

I'm not sure I know your thoughts on Philip Glass, Violist. Shankar has collaborated with him quite a bit.

Tapkaara wrote:

World Violist wrote: Tapkaara wrote: World Violist wrote: Ravi Shankar - Sound of the Sitar Have you gotten into sitar/Indian classical music lately? I've been into this music for quite a while now in some capacity. Right now I'm just getting re-interested in it. Or something. I'm not sure I know your thoughts on Philip Glass, Violist. Shankar has collaborated with him quite a bit.

Yes, I've seen the famous "Passages" CD.