Do we need another Brahms cycle...?

“Oh, why do we need the X’st cycle of… (fill in)” is an often heard complain when people discuss a symphony or concerto cycle by a well known composer. In the days that CD boxes were 20 to 50 euro’s, I could understand that criticism, but with Spotify, a well played, well recorded cycle is often very much welcomed by me. Especially when as well played as this Brahms cycle by the WDR symphony orchestra under Jukka-Pekka Saraste. Symphony no’s 1 and 3 already caught my attention around Christmas 2017, when I found them on Spotify and a while ago I discovered that the complete cycle was online. Just listen for yourself. Fine music making, new details and musicians who really put their heart in this music. 

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Track 01-04 Symphony no 1 in C minor, Op. 68 (1855-1876)

Track 05-08 Symphony No. 2 In D Major Op. 73 (1877)

Track 09-12 Symphony no 3 in F major, Op. 90 (1883)

Track 13-16 Symphony No. 4 In E Minor Op. 98 (1885)

Track 17-26 Variationen über Ein Thema von Haydn Op. 56a (1873)

Track 27 Academic Festival Overture Op. 80 (1880)

Track 28 Tragic Overture, Op. 81 (1880)

WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0JMHX9AWOjfWmkVN7lUEqg?si=e656aead67a64098 (if you want the weblink for this playlist)

Jukka-Pekka Saraste

Anja Harteros in Strauss, Brahms and Beethoven

Sometimes you have these CD’s that are only half successful. When soprano Anja Harteros started a 2009 recital with Haydn (too big), Beethoven (ok), Schubert (slow and unimpressive), and Schumann (missing the mark) I thought this was a wasted opportunity. But then, the night, a Richard Strauss song from 1885 and everything fell in to place… The voice fitted, the interpretation was spot on and the remainder of the CD glued me to the loudspeakers. I combined the successful part of the recital with a glorious 2009 recording of Strauss four last songs, live, with Mariss Jansons as conductor. The bonus is the two Beethoven songs from the recital, more opera arias than songs here, but a fine finish to this vocal playlist. 

Hope you will enjoy it a well…!

Richard Strauss

Track 01 Lieder, Op. 10: no 3, Die Nacht (1885)

Track 02 Lieder, Op. 37: no 3, Meinem Kinde (1897) 

Track 03 Lieder, Op. 39: no 4, Befreit (1897-8)

Track 04 Lieder, Op. 10: no 8, Allerseelen (1885)

Johannes Brahms 

Track 05 Lieder, Op. 59: no 8, Dein blaues Auge (1873)

Track 06 Lieder, Op.  3: no 1, Liebestreu (1853)

Track 07 Lieder, Op. 57: no 2, Wenn du nur zuweilen lächelst (1871)

Track 08 Lieder, Op. 96: no 1, Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht (1884)

Track 09 Lieder, Op. 49: no 2, An ein Veilchen (1868)

Track 10 Lieder, Op. 43: no 1, Von ewiger Liebe (1864)

Wolfram Rieger, Piano, 

Anja Harteros, Soprano

Rec 2009

Richard Strauss

Tracks 11-14 Vier letzte Lieder (1949)

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Mariss Jansons

Anja Harteros, soprano

Rec Philharmonie im Gasteig, Munich 25-27 March 2009

Ludwig van Beethoven

Track 15 An die Hoffnung, Op. 94 (ca 1815)

Track 16 Zärtliche Liebe, WoO 123 "Ich liebe dich" (1794-5)

Wolfram Rieger, Piano, 

Anja Harteros, Soprano

Rec 2009

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/1PKdmB3n1BefD2wIeEKQW1?si=Qt_2h2cZSB2rtBYMGltClQ (Webplayer link)

Carl Schuricht part II - Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner ea on Spotify

April of this year, I posted the Spotify link to a 20 CD box with the German born conductor Carl Schuricht (1880-1967). Here is the follow up of that box, with more recordings from the archive of the South-German SWF radio. More about there recordings can be read here:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/July13/Schuricht_collectionII_CD93292.htm

Hope you will enjoy these performances as well!

Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Carl Schuricht, conductor

Tracks: 01 to 08 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1 3/7/1961 (23:29). Symphony No. 3 2/29/1952 (45:56) 

Tracks: 09 to 16 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4 4/8/1959 (33:47). Symphony No. 5 4/10/1953 (31:22) 

Tracks: 17 to 25 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 2/14/1957 (37:20). SCHUBERT Symphony No. 5 4/11/1960 (24:28) 

Tracks: 26 to 33 BRAHMS Symphony No. 1 9/18/1963 (42:55). Symphony No. 3 12/2/1954 (34:47) 

Tracks: 34 to 39 BRAHMS Symphony No. 4 3/6/1964 (43:46). Alto Rhapsody Lucretia West (alt); SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart; 3/5/1964 (12:16). Tragic Overture 1/29/1954 (13:08) 

Tracks: 40 to 49 SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3 9/15/1960 (29:44). R. STRAUSS Sinfonia domestica 12/14/1960 (42:05) 

Tracks: 50 to 55 WEBER Euryanthe: Overture 2/19/1962 (8:46). Oberon: Overture 4/10/1953 (9:32). WOLF Italian Serenade 2/14/1957 (7:17). TCHAIKOVSKY Hamlet Overture 10/24/1952 (19:05). VON REZNIEK Donna Diana: Overture 2/12/1960 (5:44). BLACHER Concertante Music for Orchestra 10/29/1951 (9:42) 

Tracks: 56 to 64 DEBUSSY La Mer 5/23/1952 (23:28). RAPHAEL Sinfonia breve 3/14/1952 (21:20). OBOUSSIER Violin Concerto Roman Schimmer (vn); 1/4/1955 (13:29) 

Tracks: 65 to 78 LISZT Ce qu’on entend sur la montagne 3/7/1961 (27:30). REGER Variations and Fugue on a Merry Theme by Johann Adam Hiller 1/10/1953 (39:54) 

Tracks: 79 to 82 Rehearsal Excerpts from: BRAHMS Symphony No. 2: Finale 3/15-16/1966 (17:48). WAGNER Parsifal: Act I Prelude, Act III Good Friday Music and Conclusion 3/15-16/1966 (32:20) 

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/0uupc6ECJ8sPfR6YhUf8Mn

(Spotify Webplayer link)

Queen Elisabeth competition Elisabethwedstrijd 75 years on Spotify

And yes, sooner than I expected the circus of the Queen Elisabeth competition ( #kew2016 on Twitter) has started again! For me, in 1983, it was the first time I ever came across classical music. If you think the Eurovision song contest is alienating, try the full week of piano madness when you are in your early teens ;-) 

Especially the winner of that year, Pierre-Alain Volondat, with his robot-slow-bows is for ever imprinted in my memory… 
The nice thing about the 75 years of QEC CD box is that not only the winners are on it, but also some fine 2nd or 4th place performances, just like on the CD box with the violin performances.

Hope you will enjoy the list, also notable for the inclusion of conductor Belgian conductor Franz André, who’s LP’s are often well sought after collectors item. 
All recordings are live recordings from the competition!

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/6wb2exli6NhAqzx5h82zxC

(HTTP web link to 7 hours of Queen Elisabeth history)

-Pjotr Iljitsj Tsjaikovski

Piano concerto no 1 in Bb major

Valery Afanassiev, Russia, 1st prize 1972

Orchestre National de Belgique

Rene Defossez, conductor

-Franz Liszt

Piano concerto no 1 in Eb major

Vladimir Ashkenazy, Russia, 1st prize 1956

Orchestre National de Belgique

Franz Andrér, conductor

-Franz Liszt

Piano concerto no 2 in A major

Pierre-Alain Volondat, France, 1st prize 1983

Orchestre National de Belgique

Georges-Elie Octors, conductor

-Sergei Rachmaninov

Piano concerto no 2 in c minor op 18

Wolfgang Manz, Germany, 2nd prize 1983

Orchestre National de Belgique

Georges-Elie Octors, conductor

-Sergei Rachmaninov

Piano concerto no 3 in d minor op 30

Andrei Nikolsky, Russia, 1st prize 1987

Orchestre National de Belgique

Georges-Elie Octors, conductor

-Ludwig van Beethoven

Piano concerto no 4 in G major op 58

Frank Braley, France, 1st prize 1991

Orchestre National de Belgique

Ronald Zollman, conductor

-Johannes Brahms

Piano concerto no 1 in d minor op 15

Leon Fleisher, USA, 1st prize 1952

Orchestre National de Belgique

Franz André, conductor

-Johannes Brahms

Piano concerto no 2 in Bb major op 83

Denis Kozhukhin, Russia, 1st prize 2010

de Filhamonie

Edo de Waart, conductor

-Sergei Prokofiev

Piano concerto no 2 in g minor op 16

Anna Vinnitskaya, Russia, 1st prize 2007

Orchestre National de Belgique

Georges-Elie Octors, conductor

-Sergei Prokofiev

Piano concerto no 1 in Db major op 10

Malcolm Frager, USA, 1st prize 1960

Orchestre National de Belgique

Franz André, conductor

-Frédéric Chopin

Piano concerto no 1 in e minor op 11

Jeffrey Swann, USA, 2nd prize 1972

Orchestre National de Belgique

Rene Defossez, conductor

-Frédéric Chopin

Piano concerto no 2 in f minor op 21

Cécile Ousset, France, 4th prize 1956

Orchestre National de Belgique

Franz André, conductor

Carl Schuricht radio recordings (part 1 - 20 CD's)

Ok, normally I don’t buy CD’s anymore. But this 20 CD set was on my “omg I want to have this” list for several years. Also important, it was sold for a staggering 12 euro’s at a local CD shop. 

The box is dedicated to the German born (Gdansk, now Poland) Carl Schuricht (1880-1967), a name I knew from the many Musical Masterpiece Society LP’s he made. Although the orchestra’s on those LP’s are often not top class, Schuricht always knows how to get a crisp and lively performance from those sources. That same quality can be heard on this box with the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, radio recordings from the period 1950-1966. These radio recordings were the backbone of what German radio listeners on the radio, and for many (south)German people their first contact with classical music. The repertoire ranges from the standard repertoire to unknown, 19th and early 20th century Austro/German repertoire. From Arkiv I borrowed the tracklist of this box. Normally, the playlists on this blog are not that lengthy (assuming you want to listen to the playlists :-) so I added a hint where on the list the CD’s could be found.

Hope you will enjoy this splendid box as much as I did…! 

Tracks: 01 to 08 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7 10/24/1952 (33: 24). SCHUMANN Symphony No. 2 10/31/1959 (36:20) 

Tracks: 09 to 13 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 Maria Stader (sop); Marga Höffgen (alt); Murray Dickie (ten); Otto Wiener (bs); 9/13/1961 (64:24). Coriolan Overture 9/25/1952 (8:07) 

Tracks: 14 to 19 BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 3/16/1966 (41:30). Schicksalslied SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart; 1/26/1954 (15:07). Nänie SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart; 1/25/1954 (13:22) 

Tracks: 20 to 26 BRAHMS Ein Deutsches Requiem Maria Stader (sop); Hermann Prey (bar); SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart; 11/7/1959 (68:12) 

Tracks: 27 to 30 BRUCKNER Symphony No. 4 4/5/1955 (69:03) 

Tracks: 31 to 34 BRUCKNER Symphony No. 5 10/18/1962 (72:54) 

Tracks: 35 to 40 BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7 3/6/1953 (60: 04). WAGNER Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod 4/29/1950 (18:18) 

Tracks: 41 to 44 BRUCKNER Symphony No. 8 3/10/1954 (79:45) 

Tracks: 45 to 47 BRUCKNER Symphony No. 9 11/2/1951 (56: 00) 

Tracks: 48 to 53 GRIEG Im Herbst Concert Overture 12/2/1954 (11:21). BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1 Hansheinz Schneeberger (vn); 9/15/1960 (25:11). GOETZ Violin Concerto Roman Schimmer (vn); 4/10/1953 (16:39). VOLKMANN Richard III Overture 9/12/1952 (13:23) 

Tracks: 54 to 64 HAYDN Symphony No. 100 4/8/1958 (22:27). Cello Concerto in D Enrico Mainardi (vc); 11/5/1950 (27:08). Symphony No. 95 4/5/1955 (19:52) 

Tracks: 65 to 92 MAHLER Symphony No. 3 Rut Siewart (mez); SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart; Boys’ Choir of the Eberhard-Ludwig-Gymnasium Stuttgart; 4/7/1960 (66:40) R. STRAUSS Ein Alpensinfonie 1/4-7/1955 (45:32) 

Tracks: 93 to 106 MOZART Symphony No. 35 7/4/1956 (16:53). Symphony No. 38 7/4/1956 (23:05) Symphony No. 40 5/19/1961 (23:23). No, no che non sei capace K 419 Ruth-Margret Pütz (sop); 4/9/1959 (4:23). Le Nozze di Figaro: “Porgi, amor” Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (sop); 4/6/1959 (4:18). Die Zauberflöte: “Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön” Fritz Wunderlich (ten); 4/12/1959 (4:15) 

Tracks: 107 to 112 MOZART Piano Concerto No. 9 Clara Haskil (pn); 5/23/1952 (30:17)” Piano Concerto No. 19 Clara Haskil (pn); 7/4/1956 (27:17) 

Tracks: 113 to 125 VON REZNICEK Theme and Variations Barry McDaniel (bar); 12/2/1954 (17:17). R. STRAUSS Guntram: Overture 3/20-23/1956 (11:16). PFITZNER Käthchen von Heilbronn: Overture 1/20/1956 (12:26). REGER Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart 11/5/1950 (31:45) 

Tracks: 126 to 134 SCHUMANN Manfred Overture 9/14-15/1960 (11:22). Overture, Scherzo, and Finale 9/21/1954 (16:09). MENDELSSOHN Hebrides Overture 1/4/1955 (10:06). Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage 3/10/1961 (12:27). Midsummer Night’s Dream: Overture, Nocturne, and Scherzo 1/26/1954 (21:46) 

Tracks: 135 to 141 WAGNER Parsifal: Act I Prelude 3/17/1966 (12:31). Parsifal: Good Friday Music 9/23/1954 (9:49). Parsifal: Act I Prelude 3/17-19/1966 (5:30). Tristan und Isolde: Act I Prelude 4/29/1950 (18:18). Götterdämmerung: Dawn and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey 9/28/1955 (11:10). Götterdämmerung: Siegfried’s Death and Funeral March 9/28/1955 (7:12) Siegfried Idyll 9/28/1955 (17:20) 

Tracks: 142 to 150 MAHLER Symphony No. 2 Hanni Mack-Cosack (sop); Hertha Töpper (alt); SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart; Bach Choir Stuttgart; 4/17/1958 (45:43) HAYDN Symphony No. 86 5/20/1954 (25:26) 

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/7iRpka7cnjT2kMlMGCNLSG

(HTTP link)

Jaap van Zweden on Spotify

A fine and critically acclaimed Bruckner 6, superb partnership in Beethoven’s Spring sonata, a we-have-to-get-in-to-it-but-then-sparkle Brahms horn-trio and a Magnificent Mahler 5 is what we have for you, this time. Central figure in these performances is Violinist and Conductor Jaap van Zweden.

He started his career with a remarkable step; in 1979, at the age of 19, he became the youngest concertmaster ever of the Concertgebouworchestra. While performing this function, he also maintained a soloist and chamber music career. In 1986, van Zweden put his first outings as a conductor on record which *in short* led him to his present day partnership with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

The Arts desk wrote about the performance of the Brucker 6 recording:
Listen to this disc several times and you’ll fall in love with this symphony…
Seconded. this is a fine version of Bruckner’s most accessible symphony. 

Ronald Brautigam is now a renown fortepiano player, but don’t forget he’s an excellent „modern” pianist as well. His 1980’s partnership with Jaap van Zweden is shown here in a recording of Beethoven’s Spring sonata, where the joy of playing chamber music together jumps out of every page the play. 

Jacob Slagter was the principle horn player of the Concertgebouworchestra from 1985 till 2007 and he joins in with van Zweden and Brautigam in Brahms’ horn trio. After a cautious start, the performance starts to shine at the end of the first movement, and really takes off in the Scherzo. 
They keep that energy till the end of the work…

Last but not least a magnificent live Mahler 5, recorded in the Royal festival hall, 2008. An outstanding Mahler Fifth in a field crowded with great ones!

Anton Bruckner - Symphony no 6 in A major.
Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jaap van Zweden, conductor.

Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata for piano and violin no 5 in F major „Spring”
Jaap van Zweden, violin
Ronald Brautigam, piano

Johannes Brahms - Horn trio in  op. 40
Jacob Slagter, Horn
Jaap van Zweden, violin
Ronald Brautigam, piano

Gustav Mahler - Symphony no 5 in c# minor
London Philharmonic orchestra, Jaap van Zweden, conductor
Live 2008




http://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/1ZeXE5FgmXjKtdlBf3ebqB (HTTP link)

Máš rád Brahmse? The Czech Philharmonic in three decades...

Central in this playlist is the very fine Brahms 2nd piano concerto performance by Ivan Moravec and, with a very important contribution, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Jiri Belohlavek. „Here both soloist and conductor go for the gusto” wrote Victor Carr in his review for classics today, unashamedly romantic and with that special Czech orchestral sound, of which Vaclav Talich (1883-1961) was the founder. He can be heard at the start of the list with a work written in 1903 by the Czech composer Vitezslav Novak. After Talich an other Czech master, cellist Milos Sadlo (1912-2003) in two cello gem’s from Antonin Dvoak, the Rondo in g minor op 94 and the tone picture for cello and orchestra called Silent Woods. Vaclav Neumann conducts. Mas rad Brahmse? Yes, very much indeed!
Hope you will enjoy this Czech playlist… !


-Vitezslav Novak, Slovacko Suite op 32
  Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Vaclav Talich (1957)
- Antonin Dvorak, Rondo in g minor op 94 & Silent woods op 68
 Milos Sadlo, Cello,  Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Vaclav Neumann (1976)
- Johannes Brahms, Piano Concerto no 2 in B flat Major op 83
 Ivan Moravec, piano, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra,  Jiri Belohlavek (1988)





               http://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/6LJG4Q7UWRaDi5iWgq2YZi
                                        (One hour thirty-two minute Czech sounds)

So Classical, it's classic!... 001

Here are three "classic" classical records. Weird enough each with it own little flaws; Edward Elgar's cello concerto was better played by other cellists, than Jaqueline du Pre's 1965 recording. "Von Fremden Länden" and "Wichtiche Begebenheit" from Robert Schumann's Kinderszenen, played by Daniel Barenboim in 1979, is more Daniel than Robert. Too pounderous... And the 1981 recording of Brahms fouth symphony, conducted by Carlos Kleiber can seem a bit straightforward on first hearing. But the emotionally charged du Pre, backed up by Sir John Barbirolli and the London Symphony orchestra is unchallenged in utter expression and expressive depth. It is said that Mislav Rostopovich dropped the concerto off his repertoire after hearing this recording, as he had nothing to add anymore... At the time of the Schumann recording, Daniel Barenboim had already dropped his then handicapped wife Jacqueline du Pre (as mercilessly is depicted in the brilliant movie Hillary and Jackie), but nothing of that can be heard in his recording of the Kinderszenen. Lightweight playing on a heavy Steinway at a time when he was technically an musically at his peak. Kleiber and the Wiener Philharmoniker make Brahms human again. No autumn colours here, but a shining spineshivering sound... There are so many details in this recording that *work*, so many fine moments; it's never boring or really superficial. There was always a complain that with 39 minutes, the CD version made it only half-a-CD, but with Spotify, that is no longer a problem :-)

Hope you enjoy this classic pack!

http://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/15ps5rpjoRvF7tWGHu0FeP

(one hour, twenty-eight minutes of fine performances... :-)