Thread: Latest Purchases

Just got this. It was recommended to me by fellow long time TC member Air a while back. I have never heard Pollini playing & look forward to hearing this tonight. & on the weekend, a friend will bring over his set of Schubert late sonatas played by Pollini. I have Idil Biret on Naxos playing the Boulez 2nd sonata, but am interested in hearing Pollini's take on this masterpiece, as well as the other pieces on this disc which I have not heard in recent memory...

These arrived today :

Just arrived today:



The packaging for this one is really neat - A 150pg Hardcover Book about the size of a Fatbox with the Discs and libretto inside: Very nice!, I did not realise this when I bought the recording .

Well here we go... after recovering from a bit of disillusionment against Wagner (and Solti's Wagner), I've decided to go with Solti's antithesis... yep, I'm collecting a Ring cycle and it's my first opera DVD I've ever purchased. This had better be good, but with Boulez I find it hard to believe it could be otherwise.



Wagner: Das Rheingold
Boulez/Chereau et al.

These arrived a bit later on today:

Originally Posted by World Violist

Well here we go... after recovering from a bit of disillusionment against Wagner (and Solti's Wagner), I've decided to go with Solti's antithesis... yep, I'm collecting a Ring cycle and it's my first opera DVD I've ever purchased. This had better be good, but with Boulez I find it hard to believe it could be otherwise.



Wagner: Das Rheingold
Boulez/Chereau et al.

Congratulations! In the 1970s this Ring was reviled, hissed, and booed for the extravagance of its reinterpretation. Now it's regarded by many as a legendary classic. But let me forewarn you about the giants. They're panto giants, barely capable of lifting their absurd fake arms. (Being warned in advance might permit you to find them less distracting and more acceptable.) Apart from that, this is a terrific Rheingold, both musically and dramatically. In particular, the opening section with the Rhinemaidens is stunning - really vampish Rhinemaidens, singing brilliantly, and Alberich a really squalid character.

Originally Posted by Elgarian

Congratulations! In the 1970s this Ring was reviled, hissed, and booed for the extravagance of its reinterpretation. Now it's regarded by many as a legendary classic. But let me forewarn you about the giants. They're panto giants, barely capable of lifting their absurd fake arms. (Being warned in advance might permit you to find them less distracting and more acceptable.) Apart from that, this is a terrific Rheingold, both musically and dramatically. In particular, the opening section with the Rhinemaidens is stunning - really vampish Rhinemaidens, singing brilliantly, and Alberich a really squalid character.

Thanks for the tip about the giants! I'd been looking at the CD version of the whole cycle in a box, but that didn't have the whole poem included. Besides, the reviews for this cycle on DVD rank it quite highly overall (the separate releases, anyway; the box includes a bit more of the booing and hissing). I'm looking forward to it.

The DVD of Zedda's Rossini La Pietra del Paragone.

Originally Posted by Aramis

oooh what is this like?

Couldn't help myself

Originally Posted by Bix

oooh what is this like?

Kind of reminds me of Pollini's Beethoven.

Originally Posted by Bix

Couldn't help myself

Considering the excellent price I can't blame you. I'm tempted myself!

Originally Posted by World Violist

Thanks for the tip about the giants! I'd been looking at the CD version of the whole cycle in a box, but that didn't have the whole poem included. Besides, the reviews for this cycle on DVD rank it quite highly overall (the separate releases, anyway; the box includes a bit more of the booing and hissing). I'm looking forward to it.

The booing and hissing subsided in due course. At the very last performance of this production of the cycle in 1980-ish, the story is told that the applause lasted for more than an hour....

I've just discovered that MDT are selling this significantly reduced (as a Gramophone 2010 award winner), so having dithered about it for ages, I've taken the plunge: