Current Listening Vol IX [2023]

Drinking delicious coffee and listening to my favorite composer of all time, J.S. Bach, being conducted by my favorite conductor, Otto Klemperer. Sublime.


J.S. Bach - Mass in B minor
conductor - Otto Klemperer
BBC Chorus
New Philharmonia Orchestra
BBC chorus master - Peter Gellhorn
Agnes Giebel - soprano, Janet Baker - mezzo-soprano, Nicolai Gedda - tenor, Hermann Prey - baritone, Franz Crass - bass-baritone
Recorded November 1967 Kingsway Hall, London

Watching and Listening to the Berlin Philharmonic live via the Digital Concert Hall.

Todays program:

Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 6
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Klaus Tennstedt
Recorded live at the 22nd August 1983 Promenade concert, Royal Albert Hall, London
Performance Duration - 83 minutes, 53 seconds (including applause and a fecking moron screaming 'Bravo!' within one nano-second of the last note 😡 )

I've been a huge fan of Tennstedt's Mahler, and this performance in particular, for many years.

I was not surprised that it was picked by Edward Seckerson on this morning's Radio 3 Building a library programme. Seckerson felt it was a toss-up between this recording and Bernstein's Vienna Philharmonic recording on Deutsche Grammophon. This latter point I find interesting because I've been in the habit of choosing his earlier NYPO Sony release ahead of the VPO, so much so that I have not listened to the VPO in quite a while (it's now near the top of my playlist).

For the record, Seckerson is firmly convinced that S-A is the only way to play this symphony, so he gets my vote!

Although any one of Tennstedt's Mahler 6 recordings (this, a studio and a live one on EMI) is all anyone ever needs, should they be restricted to one recording of the 6th (Heaven forfend!), it is generally this Prom recording that is considered the primus inter pares.



NB: Those for whom lossless downloads are acceptable, 7 Digital have this available in 16 bits CD quality for no more than three English Pounds, eleven shillings and fourpence-ha'penny (£3.56)

Bkeske said:

😁 Gotta tell ya, Martha is quite incredible. Sounds very nice with my cheap ol stereo setup.

Click to expand...

Hey, I see tubes and pyramid-shaped speakers, so i doubt that was very cheap!

Now, if you want to talk about cheap...this is my stereo system (plugged into my Mac):

Gustav Mahler

Symphony No. 9

New York Philharmonic
Leonard Bernstein

Quicker than the RCO remake, but I enjoy both. The remastering of these recordings sounds really good.

New year, new cycle.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 C major op. 21

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan
1961/62

I wonder who put me onto this?

Bach


Ciaccona

Transcriptions by van Asperen,Bach himself (?) & Wilhelm Friedemann Bach

Mendelssohn, Robert Shaw, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Barbara Bonney, Florence Quivar, Jerry Hadley, Thomas Hampson – Elijah

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