Aug 14

Requiem – Verdi

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Messa da Requiem, by Verdi, conducted by von Karajan ★★★★★

This is a staged piece with an empty audience, performed by the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1967. This was a time when Karajan, and many of the performers, such as Leontyne Price, and Nicholai Ghiaurov were truly in their prime. Luciano Pavarotti is very young in this production and appears a touch insecure, though Verdi gave the tenor a minor solo part in this work. The work itself is a compositional masterpiece, stylistically being very operatic. Karajan’s conducting is also demonstrative of the best that this piece could possibly be performed. Interestingly, he is usually found with his eyes opened during the conducting, a characteristic I find peculiar to Karajan conducting choral works. The filming is a little problematic at times, since the camera seems to stray off of the performers, and the view is often obstructed by microphone poles. All in all, this is one of the best performances of Verdi’s Requiem, and a must have by any music lover.

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Jul 27

Bach Organ Works

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Bach Organ Works, performed by Simon Preston ★★★★★

I was a little leery of getting yet another set of Bach Organ works, since both the Peter Herford and Helmut Walcha sets are superb. Preston offers a change of venue, with many of the Bach pieces not performed in a perfectly traditional manner. Yet, the performances were entirely compelling, and most interesting to listen to. Oftentimes, syncopation or variations in volume or tonal presentation made a completely different piece than is traditionally heard. This is a very worthy purchase for the Bach lover. Quite honestly, I think that Bach would approve entirely of this performance. Remember that Bach quite often re-worked the pieces of other composers in order to hear them in a fresh manner. These works are definitely fresh, and bring an intense amount of life and vitality to what might otherwise be considered fairly boring works.

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May 22

Vivaldi Edition

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Vivaldi Edition by Philips, featuring I Musici and Vittoria Negri ★★★★★

I’m a Vivaldi fan, but he is not in my top 5 composers of all time. Our friend J.S. Bach was far better endowed from our creator with the gift of music, and Bach remains the greatest musician that ever tread on terra firma. Ever. Yet, the fact that Bach listened to the music of Vivaldi, and often wrote modifications of Vivaldi, suggesting that even Bach held Vivaldi’s music in highest regard. This 29 CD set is no longer available, and that is a great shame, since this is the best performances one will ever get of Vivaldi. Between such performers as I Musici and the artistic direction of Vittoria Negri, you will never hear Vivaldi in a better light. It is a pity that the only piece that is usually performed by Vivaldi is his Four Seasons, as so much of his instrumental pieces have deep charm and compositional brilliance. It is even a more serious pity that virtually none of his choral music is widely known, as Vivaldi’s choral (sacred) music excels his instrumental pieces. How could one not be deeply moved by the brilliance of his Dixit Dominus, Nisi Dominus, his Glorias, etc. Vivaldi via Vittoria Negri is a absolute must for the discriminating listener. Make every effort possible to get copies of these performances and you will be greatly blessed through listening to them.

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May 01

Complete Brahms Series

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Brahms Complete Works, by Brilliant Classics ★★★★

Brahms Complete Edition, by Deutsche Grammophon ★★★★★

I realized that I did not have collections of the complete works of Brahms, and so when these two editions came out on sale, decided that they needed to be in my collection. Both are very worthy editions to have in one’s collection, and are distinctly different. Brilliant Classics, though sold as a “budget” production, had notable quality that would be worthy of the sole Brahms of a less ardent classic music collector. Yet, the Deutsche Grammophon recordings were generally better. The symphonies had a livelier sound and better production, partially attributable to the conducting of von Karajan. The DG edition also had far better vocal works, making the vocal pieces far less of a drudgery, and actually enjoyable, to listen to over the Brilliant collection. The chamber works with the Brilliant Classics were quite nice, and quite on par with the DG productions. All in all, I’d vote for the DG edition, but enjoyed hearing both sets of Brahms works.

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Jan 08

Zar und Zimmerman

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Czar and CarpenterZar und Zimmerman, by Albert Lortzing, performed by Hamburg State Opera, starring Hans Sotin, Lucia Popp ★★★★

I’ve never seen nor heard this opera before, but apparently it is quite popular in Germany. The title means the Czar and the Carpenter, based very loosely on the historical Peter the Great while living in Holland. This is a playful opera, with quite simple music, used in a delightfully extraordinary manner. The performance of Lucia Popp is absolutely extraordinary, with superb acting complementing a most beautiful gentle voice. The plot of the opera is comic, with confused identities, resolving in an expectable sort of way. The opera is sung in German, but the under-titles are fairly accurate in translation. I’m told that Wagner was heavily influenced by this piece written in 1837, and I’m not surprised. Recommended for viewing.

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