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

Young, snobbish classical loiterers

Found this cartoon and had a good laugh…

(Click for larger image)

Well, it is horrible to hear Beethoven over a pair of crappy Tanoy speakers outside, but what do young snobbish classical loiterers listen to? To op 101, the sophisticated A-Major sonate by Richard Goode? The highlight of his complete sonatas set! 

Or the ultimate vintage vinyl of the 1944 Furtwangler Eroica on Urania? One of the holy grails for classical collectors. Issued in 1953, but drawn from the market when Furtwangler found out this radio recording was issued without his consent. One of the most intense Eroica’s ever produced. 

Maybe they go for one of the finest recent Beethoven 4th piano concerto recordings, Pierre-Laurent Aimard with “the father of all Hipsters” Nikolaus Harnoncourt? 

You tell me! :-)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1828)

Tracks 01-03 Piano sonata no 28 in A-Major op 101. 

Richard Goode, piano

Tracks 04-07 Symphony No.3 E-flat major

Wilhelm Furtwängler and Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra

December 1944, Musikverin Saal, Vienna

Tracks 08-10 Concerto for Piano no 4 in G major, Op. 58 

Pierre-Laurent Aimard 

Chamber Orchestra of Europe,

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/1negIwqm45IBAbIfR5mwhz?si=fVW7q3y0QYWTik_hkihcfQ (Webplayer link)

The early days of the Marco Polo label

Belgian composer Charles Auguste de Bériot had a successful career, but a rather sad life. After difficulties getting his new style of violin playing accepted in the 1820’s, he enjoyed succes with his many violin concerto’s. He declined an offer to lecture in Paris, but started to teach in Brussels, where he founded the Belgian violin school, where his pupil Henri Vieuxtemps and Eugene Ysaye are the best known examples of. After a couple of years he lost his eyesight and became blind. His left arm was paralyzed and cut off (!) to relief him from the pain. Brrr….

Of his concerto’s, no 7 and no 9 are played most often, but I have a weak spot for no 8, composed in 1856. 

Anton Rubinstein (no relation to the pianist) was one of the most important Russian composers and pianists, according to the 19th century critics. Yet he was outshined by his pupil Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky. Both men had a rocky relationship, but always stayed in touch, or went to parties together, as this unique 1890 phonograph recording shows. Nope, not a hoax, in the house of Julius Block Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky can be heard speaking and whistling (!).

Anton Rubinstein’s last symphony, his Symphony no 6 was written in 1886. 

Alexander Borodin wrote his piano quintet in Italy, 1862, when his fiancee, the pianist Yekaterina Protopopova, was there for the recovery of a disease. The 28 year composer would meet with Balakirev soon after the couple returned and this fine quintet was the last work of his early period. 

Charles-Auguste de Bériot (1802-1870)

Tracks 01-02 Violin Concerto No. 8 in D major, Op. 99 (1856)

Takako Nishizaki, violin

RTBF Symphony Orchestra; Alfred Walter; 

Rec: 14 to 19 July 1986;

Anton Rubinstein (1824- 1894)

Tracks 03-06 Symphony No. 6 in A Minor, Op. 111 (1886)

Philharmonic Hungarica

Gilbert Varga, conductor

Recorded in Marl, FRG from 16th to 18th July, 1986

Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)

Tracks 07-09 Quintet in C Minor for Two Violins, Viola, Cello and Piano (1862)

Ilona Prunyi, piano

New Budapest Quartet

Recorded 1991

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/4MMt2Z15PCn0yFvZJxKju8?si=mWKZMckCSPCyCWGOtpw4Mg (Webplayer link)

Remember the days when you went broke buying full-price CD’s?

A closet full of CD’s. Full price CD’s, all bought around 1995. That is what I saw in a house in Leiden, the Netherlands. At 22 euro per CD, this collection costed the owner tens of thousands of Euro’s. And now all sold for one euro per CD, only 20 years later…

And I remembered that as a student I bought 2 CD boxes that made me broke at that time. 99 Dutch guilders (around 45 euro) for a double CD with Messiaen and 88 guilders for Mahler 7. 

And now, for 10 euro per month, I can share these CD’s (and many, many more) with you.

Much has changed…

Fine performances, by the way. The Dutch composer Diepenbrock was a close friend of Mahler and Richard Strauss, who met each other regular.

Odd enough, the 1976 Quatuor pour la fin du temps with siegfried Palm and Aloys Kontarsky was replaced in the re-issue of my original 1987 CD with the 1969 performance below. But that groundbreaking record is a good replacement. 

Hope you will enjoy this cheap playlist ;-)

Alphons Diepenbrock (1862-1921)

Track 01 Im grossen Schweigen (1905)

Håkan Hagegård, Baritone

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

Track 02-06 Symphony no 7 in e minor (1904-1905)

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Riccardo Chailly, conductor

Rec 1994

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)

Track 07-16 Turangalîla-Symphonie (1946-48)

Peter Donohoe, Piano 

Tristan Murail, Ondes Martenot

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra 

Simon Rattle, conductor

Rec 1986

Track 17-24 Quatuor pour la fin du temps (1940)

Gervase de Peyer, Clarinet

William Pleeth, Cello 

Erich Gruenberg, Violin

Michel Béroff, Piano

Rec 1969

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/1dj8pgp2ipCCNzDZq1toGz?si=n63RWn5VTCey0a-O8WaCXg

My copy of Mahler 7

Colorful compositions: Szymanowski, Schönberg, Gubaidulina

Here is a “sort of virtual concert” with works where sound color occupies an important place. 

Szymanowski’s World War one violin concerto is perfumed with fragrant instrumentation, rhapsodic in form and has, in my opinion, one of the most hypnotic endings of any concerto I’ve ever heard.

Arnold Schönberg’s 5 orchestral pieces from 1909 are the starting point of
“Klangfarbenmelodie”, the technique of separating a melody over several instruments. 

Although presented as a single piece, Gubaidulina’s 2nd violinconcerto is divided into five episodes. In each of them the high register, symbolizing the sky and the low register, symbolizing hell with instruments like trombones, tubas - including three Wagnerian tubas - and double bassoons, oppose each other. In this struggle between light and shadow, with the orchestra playing the role of fate, “divine unity" is symbolized by unison, achieved in the transition from the fourth to the fifth episode. 

Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)

Violin concerto no 1 op 35 (1916)

Rosanne Philippens , violin, 

Nationaal Jeugd Orkest 

Xian Zhang, conductor

(Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, Amsterdam, live, september 2014)

Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951)

Fünf Orchesterstücke op 16 (1909)

City of Birmingham Orchestra

Simon Rattle, conductor

(Warwick Arts Centre, England, 1987)

Sofia Gubaidulina (born 1931)

Violin concerto no 2 “in tempus praesens” (2006-7)

Simone Lamsma, violin

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra

Reinbert De Leeuw, conductor

(Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, live, oktober 2011)

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/45fGoXPb07Znx5JRw8Hq5p?

si=JuIyx3PmSWa6ZwXx8JU85A

(web player link)

Lost Generation composers from the Netherlands (1944-1967)

The joy of Spotify, finding, at random, a CD you heard on the radio many years ago and now can re-listen. Dutch “lost generation” composers, too modern for the pre- WW2 audience, too “not avant-garde” for the post-WW2 audience.  Hendrik Andriessen (1892-1983) is the father of better known composer Louis Andriessen. Henk Badings (1907-1987) was, although never a serialist, also a pioneer on electronic music. Léon Orthel (1905 - 1985) was a student of Paul Juon and Curt Sachs, was for 30 years piano teacher at the Royal conservatory in the Hague and composition teacher in Amsterdam. Marius Flothuis (1914-2001) was, besides composer, also a world famous musicologist and from 1955 to 1974 artistic leader of the Concertgebouworchestra, Amsterdam. Hope you will enjoy it! 

“nicked” the tracklist from the Discogs website.

Concerto Per Organo E Orchestra (1950)

Composed By – Hendrik Andriessen

Organ – François-Henri Houbart

1 I Introductie En Passacaglia

2 II Toccata

Concert Voor Harp En Klein Symphonieorkest (1967)

Composed By – Henk Badings

Harp – Ellen Versney

3 I Lento

4 II Grave

5 II Presto

Scherzo Per Orchestra, Opus 38 (1957)

Composed By – Léon Orthel (so not Flothuis, as is stated on the Spotify playlist!)

6 Scherzo Per Orchestra, Opus 38 (1957)

Concert Voor Fluit En Orkest, Opus 19 (1944)

Composed By – Marius Flothuis

Flute – Raymond Delnoye

7 I Introduzione, Tango E Walzer

8 II Rondo

9 III Variazioni

Het Brabants Orkest

Marc Soustrot, conductor

Recorded 1999

https://open.spotify.com/album/29pLh50MkuaxZA3aJcEBGX

(Webplayer link)

The best Christmas album ever on Spotify, Boston Pops Christmas Party

Ok, RCA Read Seal LSC 2329. *The* ultimate Christmas album. One of the best known albums, also by the Boston Pops Orchestra (more about them, here) and Arthur Fiedler. Not to many words now for this 1959 album, just enjoy the playlist ;-) For more detailed info (about soloists etc), click here. 

Track 01 A Christmas Festival

Track 02 White Christmas

Track 03 Sleigh Ride

Track 05 Winter Wonderland

Track 06 Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers

Track 07 Hansel And Gretel: Dream Pantomine

Track 08 Sleigh Ride

Track 09 The Nutcracker: Dance Of The Sugar-Plum Fairy

Track 10 Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Track 11 Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/1kkLH5i9jZ5KM0dBThfMOk (Webplayer link)

Beethoven Between the Boobs, the infamous Daniel Barenboim Westminister gold series LP

Dutch NPR radio 4 initiated a “vinylweek” november 25th till december 1st 2017. Classical music recordings, not yet on Spotify or CD, bargain finds for an euro and of course the cover art of classical LP’s. 

One of the most (in)famous classical music covers -and therefore very much sought after!!- is the 1970 re-issue of Daniel Barenboim’s performance of Beethoven’s 3rd piano concerto. The cover is known as the “Beethoven between the boobs” cover (see below the Spotify widget on this page)

The cover was designed by Christopher Whorf for the Westminister Gold series. Originally, the cover of the 1965 Lp was quite traditional, as can be seen here. Whorf managed to make it one of the most whimsical and silly coves ever to be produced on the classical market…

Interesting to know that Christopher Whorf actually did make magnificent record covers, as he has been nominated four times for a Grammy award for best sleeve design, and won the Grammy in 1974, for his design of Mason Proffit’s “Come and gone”. 

But, most interestingly, almost no one seem to know the music on this LP, a 22 year old Daniel Barenboim on the brink of an international break-trough. So, here is the chance, thanks to a fine transfer by Deutsche Grammophon (who bought te tapes of the Westminister label), to hear the performance on of the most infamous LP’s in classical music history. 

Enjoy! 

Ludwig van Beethoven 

Track 01-03 Concerto For Piano And Orchestra In no 3 C Minor, Op. 37

Track 04 Fantasia For Piano, Chorus And Orchestra, Op. 80

Daniel Barenboim, Piano

Vienna State opera orchestra

Laszlo Somogyi, conductor

Vienna Academy Chamber Choir

Recorded in Mozart Hall, Vienna, May 1964

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/62j3Y1NQGGSm0RhApHdsrW

(Spotify Webplayer link)

The Christoper Whorf design...

Nils Gade by Christopher Hogwood and Ronald Brautigam

How joyful it is to rediscover a splendid cd… In a Dutch Facebook group someone posted a link to the 5th symphony by the Danish composer Niels Gade, in the 19th century a prominent composer.  I liked the work, but remembered that I heard an even more splashing performance, years ago. A quick search through the review sites revealed the Chandos recording. And yes, Christopher Hogwood and pianist Ronald Brautigam really shine in this “symphony with piano obbligato”. Recommended! 

As a bonus, the first symphony by Gade is added, a symphony that Felix Mendelssohn adored… 

Reviews of this CD can be read on the websites of Classical Net, The Gramophone and Musicweb International.

Hope you wil enjoy it as much as I did…! 

Niels Gade (1817-1890) 

Track 01-04 Symphony No. 5 in D minor Op.25 (1852)

Ronald Brautigam, piano

Danish National Symphony Orchestra

Christopher Hogwood, conductor

Track 05-05 Symphony No. 1 in C minor Op.5 (1842) 

Danish National Symphony Orchestra

Christopher Hogwood, conductor

Rec: Danish Radio Concert Hall, Copenhagen, November 2001 

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/4DDXAOcmG0XGJyD6zqbg9g (Spotify web player link)