Archive through December 15, 2004
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Gold Member Username: John_aPost Number: 2363 Registered: Dec-03 | Don, Thanks. Larry, As I always suspected, I dwell in the presence of sensitive, intelligent people when I enter this forum Man, how can you say that after posting on MR's Old Dogs and their jokes!......?! Moon Over Parador (1988). It looks good. Many thanks. |
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Gold Member Username: John_aPost Number: 2364 Registered: Dec-03 | Don, Short postscript on the house. Mrs A and I sometimes meet people who advocate some course of action, like getting into massive debt, and say "who cares what happens after you're gone?". We just look at each other. We know we do. And we know there is no point in arguing with them. |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileToronto, ON Post Number: 115 Registered: Jun-04 | Have ordered (God bless Amazon) the Mahler 5th symphony DVD-video... Larry, With Merri's blessing and imprimatur, I assume? (grin) So you don't have to stand by the door and wait for the courier to deliver it to you and sneak it in, eh? Regards, Don |
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Gold Member Username: John_aPost Number: 2367 Registered: Dec-03 | Larry and Don, Merri might have a case, if she knew the latest on the conductor, the old dog. See Old Dogs. |
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New member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 2 Registered: Oct-04 | To all: Well, I'm back - same guy, new name. Wanted to get my posting numbers back, but apparently no can do. Anyway - don't let the new "name" throw yah! |
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New member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 9 Registered: Oct-04 | Whew! - second time around the forum gave me my name back! OK-Larry R is back! |
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Bronze Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 17 Registered: Oct-04 | To all: if any of you is a fan of the late Carlos Kleiber - Decca is bringing out a new DVD of his in November - might want to check it out? Kleiber, like Rattle with the Berlin Boys, is known for his, uh, "eccentric" behavior on the podium. Just my opinion. . . . More anon. . . |
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Bronze Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 27 Registered: Oct-04 | OK! M2 by MMT coming soon! Mahler 2nd with Thomas and SFSymphony coming out November 9th. Should be yummy! Have already ordered mine. . . More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Two_centsPost Number: 305 Registered: Feb-04 | Larry R., Thanks for the Carlos Kleiber info. I'll be on the watch for it. Do you know the program on the DVD? A side note: It'd be great if these DVDs had bonus features of rehearsals. It'd be interesting see the interaction between Kleiber and the musicians. |
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Bronze Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 29 Registered: Oct-04 | Two Cents - Kleiber Alert - not one, but MANY DVDs coming out later this month. http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/futurereleases.php?&page=15 That should give you a good idea of what's ahead, starting November 8th. Now - who's got the spare change? Hmm. . . More anon. . . |
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Bronze Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 32 Registered: Oct-04 | Two Cents - "specially fer you" scroll down to page two on the above-listed link - and you will see a DVD TDK-DVDOCCK - of Kleiber in rehearsal and concert. Your cup of tea? Hope so. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Two_centsPost Number: 307 Registered: Feb-04 | Larry R., Beautiful. Thanks. Good stuff for the xmas wish list. Der Rosenkavalier looks especially good. |
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Bronze Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 33 Registered: Oct-04 | 2C - "Xmas?" Good grief! Is THAT anywhere near? I'm just finished paying off last year's stuff, and now you're telling me it's "that" time again? Sigh. Well. . . Seems that there are lots of SACDs and DVD-Vs coming out this month. I, of course, am salivating over the Mahler 2 with MTT coming out November 9th. . . That's all, BuBuBuBuBaby! (snicker) |
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Bronze Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 41 Registered: Oct-04 | WOW - when I finally figgered out how to "program" the DVD - the Rattle/Berlin Mahler 5th is a knockout! Absolutely stunning! Thanks to all who recommended it! More anon. . . |
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Bronze Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 62 Registered: Oct-04 | 2Cents et al - Lieberson wins! Got the SACD of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson singing Handel arias, and here's my reaction: stunning. Oh, not in the way an "1812 Overture" is stunning, but sonically and musically this CD is amazing in its clarity, warmth and overall "friendliness." Ms. Lieberson comports herself well - which is to say that she has moments where she sings so softly you want to hold your breath - and at other times "belts it out" so that you reach for the remote volume control! SACD tends to have great variances in sound level - more so than regular CDs - and this is one case where it shows up suddenly and in a startling manner. If you like Handel - and think other than "Messiah" - you will find this CD to be one you return to again and again. It's on the Avia label, AV0030. I got this disc from Amazon - along with the new and marvelous Kiri Te Kanawa "re-do" of the chants d'Auvergne - which had been released in two forms previously. This time around, the engineers cleaned it up a bit - and added a second disc - a DVD - showing the stunning Auvergne countryside, and giving us another setting for Kiri's bell-like tones. Again, I highly recommend this version - though it is too bad that the songs were originally recorded digitally, so we lack that special warmth that comes from re-issues of analog recordings. Anyway - another keeper! Decca 175 6115. Now - if only the new Sony would get here! I can't wait to give it a whirl and report to you all on whether it's as good as many people say it is. More anon. . . |
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Bronze Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 90 Registered: Oct-04 | Uh-oh! Anybody out there heard anything about a delay in issuing the Mahler 2nd by SanFran and MTT? Amazon says they're not shipping until next week - when the disc was due out today - 9th. Hmmm. . . wonder if something went wrong? I'm impatiently waiting, so hope for some info! More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 246 Registered: Feb-04 | Larry R... My local Barnes & Noble told me it would be at least a week before they could fill my special order on the M2/SF/MTT disc(s). I'm hoping it will be a dual-layer SACD/CD as I haven't yet decided what to do about a universal player. In any case I can't wait to hear it! |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 105 Registered: Oct-04 | John S. - the disc is a "hybrid" disc - playable on either SACD or "regular" CD players - and I cana't wait, either! Thanx. . . As you may note on "Teaching an old dogs new tricks" thread under DVD SACD in Home Audio - I've ordered a new Sony 975 - has SACD, but not DVD, as Sony is pushing their SACD - hoping DVD-A goes away! Right. . . |
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Gold Member Username: John_aPost Number: 2429 Registered: Dec-03 | Larry, Sony is pushing their SACD - hoping DVD-A goes away! If you mean that it is Sony that is "hoping", they are doing more than that. DVD-A is an excellent format for sound recording, and a natural development from CD, using Pulse Code Modulation but at higher resolution, and offering mutichannel. It comes mostly from being able to put two layers on a 12 cm disc. If Sony had been interested in delivering a better product to consumers, confident in their own ability to compete with other manufactureres, then they would have backed DVD-A. Instead, they decided they had enough market control, of both audio equipment and recordings, to introduce a more complicated system, which they could patent. What they are doing is using this format exclusively on the large catalogue of sound recordings which they own, not having made recordings themselves, but having bought them up with once-independent companies they took over (many great American record labels included) in order that this music will be available, in high-resolution, only to people who also buy their own patented decoding system in players. In addition, the benefit of SACD to Sony is that the digital files cannot be copied; the music cannot be freely shared. That is why you cannot buy an SACD writer and why the discs will not play in computers. Primarily, SACD is not about music, nor about sound quality. We would all be better off if Capitol, CBS etc had stayed independent and gone on making great recordings in formats that anyone could play, using players thay anyone could make. I do not object to companies charging for products which deliver added value. I think we should all object to companies charging us to develop technologies that give subtracted value. The advertising and promotion of SACD conceals its real objective. This is my opinion. I have stated it before. It is why I propose to stay with DVD-A for the time being. Others disagree, including some good friends, here. With luck you will soon be able to read their views, too. This is a contentious issue, as we have seen before. |
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Gold Member Username: MyrantzPost Number: 1043 Registered: Aug-04 | John A I know you were directing your post to Larry but I have to chime in again. Back to the old conspiracy eh? You write an awful lot of intelligent stuff John but your ramblings about SACD are absolute poppycot IMHO! Funny how there's a lot of recordings on both formats John. Funny how in many cases it is either the engineer or the artist that has made the choice of format. Funny how it IS about great sound quality - try it and see. I think both formats are excellent, but in the end, if there is one winner - and I certainly hope not - I think I'd go along with Larry now and put my money on SACD. It seems the marketing push for SACD is really gathering momentum, and that's what we have all been wanting to see for both formats. John, I really think you have to get a grip - SACD is every bit as good as DVD-A - if not nudging toward the front somewhat, it's a real toss-up. But for everyone I do advocate both formats and to get a real universal player. To add fuel to a pseudo format war machine that would ultimately cause grief for some audio enthusiasts if one was forced into extinction is like audio treason as far as I am concerned. There's such a thing as choice, we have it, and so we should allow others to have theirs and be supportive of any format that means audio quality. I'm really at a loss over this anti-sacd thing of yours! |
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Gold Member Username: John_aPost Number: 2431 Registered: Dec-03 | Mr Rantz, Good friend, I have now had time to put on the flak jacket. Back to the old conspiracy eh? ---YEP--- There's such a thing as choice, we have it, and so we should allow others to have theirs and be supportive of any format that means audio quality. Try telling Sony that. From your post on "Old Dogs": I think it's pointless to even contemplate a decent turnatable. Better off contemplating your navel. So where did the choice go? It seems the marketing push for SACD is really gathering momentum It does. But where is the consumer pull? And what would it be based on? I have put some more on "Old Dogs". I doubt if "Discoveries" readers want to see us wrestling again. Or fencing, or whatever. Mixed metaphors with flak jacket. Sorry about that. The key point in all this is that a lot of people have either never owned (Kegger), or have disposed of (you), LP collections. I only have mine because I have an aversion to throwing things away. For 20+ years we have had a dominant format that was an improvement only for convenience. How long before CDs are history, too? And what will have been the gain? To be future proof, get an MP3 player. And better get used to the sound. At its best, it is claimed to be "CD quality"... |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 112 Registered: Oct-04 | MR and John A. - uh-oh, I hate to get into this, but have to make a coupl-ah comments. First - I see in SACD-DVDA a repeat of the now-ancient Beta-VHS battle with videotape. Sony pushed its Beta - Panasonic its VHS - just as the two are battle each other today. VHS won out - as you all know. But Beta was a better technology - TV stations around the world still use the "broadcast" version of beta - because it is better. I bought a beta player. Loved it. But finally there were so many VHS recorded tapes that beta couldn't keep up. Will this now happen - in reverse - with SACD vs. DVD-A? I think it might. More and more musicians are choosing to record in DSD - the SanFran Symphony does, for example - and even brings in its own technicians to record on its own record label - just to make sure the sound is as good as the orchestra's golden-eared producers can make it. One by one, record companies are bringing out more titles in SACD. I have yet to find a DVD-A title that I yearn for. Then - TAH-DAH! - LOOK OUT! - we've got another format coming right around the corner: "blu-ray." OK - it is (or was) designed primarily for data storage - but movie companies have now embraced it, and apparently will be pushing to use it, rather than "reg" DVD for their discs for rental or sale. In the very near future. What will this do to SACD or DVD-A? Maybe some of you can tell me - I only work here! OK - I'm only going to refer back to one of John's earlier comments that SACD is not about music or sound quality. Well, I can't argue that, John, because I'm not privvy to insider-info on the recording industry. But for me - SACD IS about music and sound quality. So - I go there. More anon - with respect and peace . . . |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1786 Registered: Dec-03 | As usual agree with rantz and larry. JOHN: "Primarily, SACD is not about music, nor about sound quality. We would all be better off if Capitol, CBS etc had stayed independent and gone on making great recordings in formats that anyone could play, using players thay anyone could make. I do not object to companies charging for products which deliver added value. I think we should all object to companies charging us to develop technologies that give subtracted value. The advertising and promotion of SACD conceals its real objective." Before this you complain about sony charging for their tech. And how do you know it wasn't about the music? And why do you say they offer no better? Again john you are putting accross your own conspiricy theories as fact! Does this all stem from (PERFECT SOUND FOREVER) GET OVER IT! WE ALL KNOW IT WAS FALSE! But if a new format comes out and to some it sounds better then what they had (before they bought it) can they buy into it because to them it sounds better without someone like you feeling they've been dooped? |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1787 Registered: Dec-03 | And again john if a new format comes out! AND IT IS BETTER! (JUST FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUING SAY IT IS) Would you consider people stupid if they bought into it and started buying media and players in that format? To me that is technology and what we look forward to! A progression towards a better sounding medium! You don't want that? I sure as heck do! Yes things will get replaced over and over and over and over and over! If not how can we progress towards better sounding equipment? |
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Gold Member Username: KeggerMICHIGAN Post Number: 1788 Registered: Dec-03 | Maybe you don't want to have to replace your equipment to meat the demands of new tech! I don't either, but I will if new tech warrents the move to it! And in my oppinion lately tech has a lot of positive progression! So I welcome and embrace this new era! |
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Gold Member Username: MyrantzPost Number: 1044 Registered: Aug-04 | Mr John A, Don't you "friend" me sir. You are an audio traitor. You should be taken out, blindfolded and put in front of the SACD squad. And you act like a darn tabloid reporter. If you are going to quote me then do it in context not cut and snip it to suit your obsession. For example: "I think it's pointless to even contemplate a decent turnatable. Better off contemplating your navel." To which you replied: "So where did the choice go?" It didn't go anywhere John, it yours for life! I was referring to the fact that new LP's are expensive but the choice is still there John - if one chooses to remain a dinosaur then so be it - who am I to criticise. And to the marketing push line your reply: "It does. But where is the consumer pull? And what would it be based on? " Another defensively pointless reply - only what does that mean? I could type similar BS like: "How is the consumer reacting and should there be an inquiry into these monopolies to find out how deep the deception lies in this marketing ploy and blah blah bl00dy blah . . . " "The key point in all this is that a lot of people have either never owned . . . " Why is that a key point - because you say so? I fail to see the relevence - again! CD's have been around for 25 years John - that's fairly indicative of consumer approval if you ask me. And the fact is that they can and are being improved - the LP arrived slowly to a point where it could not - so the transition was obvious whether or not you felt sucked into a big fat lie. I'm through with this silly obsession of yours and your narrow view of this format. You have the gall to tell Larry to get a universal player so he can hear the benefits of DVD-A, but for you a single format player is just fine because you choose the opposing format - damn hypocritical in my opinion! "It's really about the music" If you really believed that John you should be on your knees giving thanks to the big, nasty, evil, empire. Aarrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!! I thought that would help but it doesn't! I'm outa here! |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 130 Registered: Oct-04 | To all: Well, Amazon came through today, and shipped the Mahler 2nd, SanFran and MTT - should get here (from Lexington, KY) Monday - Tuesday at the latest. Will post my review - but should be a very nice disc! More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Rick_bNew York USA Post Number: 622 Registered: Dec-03 | Oh boy, I see you "kids" are at it again. Let's review what we all know for sure. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC! Who really cares what format one ultimately decides is the one for him/her? Yes you have choices. Please listen, learn and decide which one pleases you most. Is there really a right or wrong? NO! We "Dogs" often kid and joke with each other about a favorite format, then I always thought we do that in the spirit of good fun. You all know how I feel about digital in general, but let me just say this. Jan hits it right on the head when he says digital has made more progress in 25 years, than analogue did in 100. If digital did nothing more than make music more convenient to handle and store, then I think it might be a good thing. The best example I can think of is this.... let me ask you..... What would you rather store for 50 years, a cake, or the rescipe for the cake. The rest is all straightforward capitalism. We all know that. Sometimes the consumer wins and sometimes we lose. That's life in the real world. I've always been a player. Love you all! Cheers! |
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Gold Member Username: MyrantzPost Number: 1054 Registered: Aug-04 | Thanks 'Uncle Rick'  |
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Silver Member Username: Rick_bNew York USA Post Number: 623 Registered: Dec-03 | My pleasure............................ |
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Gold Member Username: John_aPost Number: 2440 Registered: Dec-03 | Yes, thanks, Rick. We may all agree that "it's all about the music". I know I do. But my tentative view, and I still hold it, is that there is something else at work in the format war. And, if the rest is just capitalism, Rick, there is little that is "straightforward" about it. Go to "Adam Smith's" free market and look around at the stalls, and try the bread from different bakers. Remember you are exchanging what you have to sell at the market. You've tried hard all your life to make a better, say, mousetrap. In audio, we have a baker who boasts his new loaf is better than the "perfect one", which he promised us, twenty years ago, could never be improved. And it only really tastes good, he says, when you buy the butter and cheese from him, too: no-one else's will do. We have Old Dogs making or buying bread from fifty-year old recipes, and finding it tastes darned good, better today than we remember. And, at that time, said baker was just starting out, taking other baker's recipes to see if he could make it nearly-as-good but cheaper. Now he's got a better recipe, he says. Fine. There is such a thing as progress. So who can copy his recipe, to see if they can make it better, or cheaper? No-one. It is secret, you know. This does not seem quite so straightforward to me. I have no political affiliation or economic theory to promote. I just love music, wish it were more freely available to people, and have to count my pennies. Back after two minutes's silence. |
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Gold Member Username: John_aPost Number: 2441 Registered: Dec-03 | BTW I predict MR will roll his eyes in despair at more paranoid loon postings from me, but, in my analogy, I submit we can now finally guess why the baker has been energetically buying dairy farms over the last decade or so. Frankly, it did not make much sense, before. At least to me. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 139 Registered: Oct-04 | John A. - G-day, sir! Well, you should be happier, now that I've ordered a true "universal" player, as posted on "Ole Dawgs." I just want you to know that I try to keep an open mind on this format-war stuff - but remain in the SACD camp mainly because there are more and more discs recorded in SACD format - and everybody seems to say that they cannot hear any differences in sound quality between the two formats. Good enough for me. I guess this is one instance where I must say: "Why bother?" when you and others say I must try DVD-A. IF there were performances for which I yearned - and only available on DVD-A, I might purchase those. But, in looking over the catalogs on ArkivMusic, Amazon, etc., all I see is a list with more and more of "My" music in the SACD column. I am unable to engage you in an argument over such things as manufacturer conspiracy or whatever, and frankly, for me, at my age, I don't have any reason to do so. I'm convinced that the new "hi-res" discs make a difference in sound - and will hopefully be able to better enjoy that in my own home when the Yamaha arrives. What REALLY excites me is the "second coming" of the old Mercury recordings - and such masters as Rubenstein. Sigh. Coming on SACD. A long time ago in a format far far away I had stacks of Rubenstin LPs - thought the man a true genius on many levels. But then he, and the LPs, disappeared from my life. Now Mer is super-excited that I intend to buy all of his performances, as they are reissued on SACD. SACD for us - because that's where "our" music is these days - simple as that. More anon . . . and have a productive day! |
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Gold Member Username: MyrantzPost Number: 1065 Registered: Aug-04 | "BTW I predict MR will roll his eyes in despair at more paranoid loon postings from me," You're right again as usual John:  Oh and at last you finally admit to your paranoia! Congratulations - that's the first step on the long road to recovery. Unfortunately, I predict many setbacks on the journey. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 155 Registered: Oct-04 | To all: The Mahler 2nd - SanFran with MTT - came today, and as I was in the throes of trying to set up a new player, I didn't get to it until this eve. (and then Merri wanted to watch CSI, so I had to retreat to the den. Sigh) I don't have the SACD cables on yet - so can only report on the stereo layer. It is a sonic masterpiece. The SAnFran chaps have gone the full distance, and produced a recording that has a sound so close to real concert hall that it is disturbing. In a good way, that is. I sat on my sofa-spot and just took it all in. The performance by MTT is relaxed when it needs to be, and exhausting in tempo and intensity when it needs to give its all. I like MTT's interpretation very much - the tempos ebb and flow, as Mahler marked so many times in his scores. Will post more on this later this week, when I have time to both savor the disc - and to hook up the remaining wires for true SACD sound. I think Benjamin Zander did the best job of the 3rd - but MTT gave him a real run for the money with this 2nd. Just plain amazing! More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 183 Registered: Oct-04 | How really, really tragic. Was listening again to my wonderful CD set of "Turandot" with Pavarotti (best Calaf ever) and Joan Sutherland. Absolutely stunning! BUT - why oh why couldn't we have these performers on DVD video! Sigh. Ms. Sutherland never did perform Turandot on stage, to all of our sorrow. . . Today, I am still trying to find the "definitive" Turandot on DVD - with the Domingo-Marton Met discs coming close, but not really moving me. By the time the opera was recorded, Ms. Marton's vibrato got in the way of everything else - calling attention to its wavery qualities and - for me - ruining the whole thing. Bring on a new DVD - please, somebody!!!!! |
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Silver Member Username: Two_centsPost Number: 336 Registered: Feb-04 | Larry R., I just picked up the Glyndbourne production of Figaro with Te Kanawa on DVD. However, I'm at my parent's place for the holidays and their DVD player is kaput. So sad. It's a shame that Puccini never finished Turandot. The too-quick ending is the only weakness as far as I can tell. I've been enjoying the 1959 RCA Living Stereo version with Nilsson, Tebaldi, Bjorling. Wonderful singing, although the orchestral playing is a level below the singing. My most recent discovery isn't music related though. If there's a Trader Joe's store near you, you might want to pick up a bottle of Tomatin Scotch. It's a single-malt, 12-year old Scotch that's silky smooth and costs less than JW Red. A real find! Cheers! |
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Silver Member Username: Two_centsPost Number: 337 Registered: Feb-04 | Larry R., It's me again. I just want to thank you for sharing your knowledge of opera and other matters. That's all. I have some things to say about MTT and Mahler, actually a lot of things to say, but it'll have to wait... |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 191 Registered: Oct-04 | Two Cents - always - ALWAYS - appreciate your postings, my friend! No Trader Joe's, I'm afraid - so will stick with my long-time "daily" scotch: Grants. Very smooth, fer shore! Wow - don't know the Nilsson Bjoerling Turandot, but will surely have to check it out. Nilsson and Bjoerling - wow is all I can say! I still hope, hope, hope that RCA makes good on its promise to re-master all of the old RCA Living Stereo records! Hope springs. . . All of the Te Kanawa/Glyndebourne productions are solid gold - worthy purchases all! Don: have ordered the Desmond/MJQ album from Fresno, California. Never heard othe place, but hope that I'm not getting "stung. Their disc is listed as a "Red Baron" one, but from what I understand, the album was recorded by Finesse records - FW37487. I'm getting more confuseder as I get along on this quest of mine! Mer and I have about "worn out" Pure Desmond - we both love it SO much! From everything I've heard, Desmond was much better without the heavy-handed playing of Brubeck! I'm still trying to line up all of the Toronto recordings - I believe there are 4 or 5 - from the mid-70s - about two years before Desmond died, sadly, of lung cancer. Will post my observations and reviews of the MJQ album - if it ever gets here! Sigh. The older I get the more I appreciate the nuances of both jazz and classical pieces - and both Mer and I tend to gravitate to smaller groups now. Mahler aside, of course! (grin) More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 143 Registered: Jun-04 | Larry, Just make sure you keep their contact info handy. I "googled" the 'net for PD & MJQ but most that turned up were either used LP's or CD's. I'm sure you got the same search results. That's the good thing about getting old --- one tends to appreciate certain things that were taken for granted (that's me speaking for and about myself). But musically, I keep asking myself, "What will the people today listen to 30 or 40 years from now if they don't look back and take a lesson or two from the great masters?" A great personal lament that bothers me now and then. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 193 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: thanx again. Yep, got a confirmation e-mail from them - bad spelling - a sure sign that I need to watch them carefully! Getting old - sigh - a lot of psychological baggage there, my friend! Mer and I have decided to start fining (or savagely beating) people who refer to "the Golden Years." BAH, HUMBUG! The great masters, ah, yes. I often catch myself "looking back," and then return to the present, only to question what is being done today in relation to that which I know was done well in past years. Is that dumb, or what?? (grin) Desmond is, for me, an example of a person who lets his inner self find outer expression, and in doing so, goes its own way, despite the current "trends." Had Desmond, for example, tried to follow Charlie Parker - welllll. . . . . I love jazz - but do not any more appreciate the big and the loud. Give me a quartet - solo piano - sax with trio, etc. and that's just fine for me. Fits my style. Fits my room! Just right. More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 145 Registered: Jun-04 | West Coast jazz... Larry, Do you remember the "West Coast" jazz sound? The likes of Gerry Mulligan, drummer Shelley Manne, Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck, and the great sax player-arranger Lennie Niehaus? The reason I brought this up is that I ordered Vols. 1, 2, 3, and 5 of Lennie Niehaus's CDs at amazon.ca (the Canadian equivalent). The .com links are here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000542QZ You can sample the tunes from each album. I love the tight harmonies yet free playing of Niehaus and his group. This is, pardon my saying this, cultured bebop. The pro writers call West Coast jazz "filleted bebop." Anyway, I thought I'd mention this to you. The US $ prices aren't bad, don't you think? I couldn't find them in the local stores, that's why I ordered them online. But you may find them there in "swampsville". OK, more later. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 194 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: How do I say "thank you" in huge, red letters? Wow! Been wearing out poor Lola's sound board, just sampling, sampling. Needless to say, I'll be putting in an order with Amazon later today. Now THAT'S JAZZ!!!! Mer is all a-twitter now that I've ordered (I hope,think) the Desmond-MJQ album. She's a BIG fan of both - especially so as she knows of my "former life" as a would-be sax/clarinet mope! Very funny - Mer used to play clarinet, also - and for Christmas several years ago she surprised-shocked me by renting two clarinets, along with some simple sheet music. Welllll, the last time I'd picked up a clarinet was in (if I remember right) 1965 - a "pick-up" band in Aspen, Colorado. Shall I say that our Christmas "concert" was pathetic, shrill, tinny, squeaky, reedy, and all-of-the-above! (double grin) We did some scales and such, then tried to remember all the fingerings - hahahahahahahaha. I may never forget how to ride a bicycle, but clarinet-fingerings tend to slip away after decades of "moldering" away. Sigh. At first, I was quite depressed - then both of us saw the raw humor and had a good laugh. After two days of "noodling" we packed up the clarinets, gave them a goodbye blessing, and came back to our performance-less lifestyle. Still, in the mid-night hours, the ole fingers tend to take on a life of their own, and when a clarinet or sax is wailing - the fingers sorta do the walking. See also my "controversial" posting on Ole Dawgs, and have a good laugh. More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 206 Registered: Oct-04 | Any Keith Jarrett fans out there? Although a recent "re-discovery" in my house brought forth an album with which I quickly got bored (Jarrett and bass/drums "Whisper Not") I usually find the man a real genius. He records not only jazz but very good classical works as well - and his work with Michaela Petri (recorder) is near-perfect. Anybody with either jazz or classical discs of Jarrett's that you'd recommend personally? Always eager to hear more from him. Didn't he recently "retire" because of hand problems? I think so, but understand he's back now. All info welcome. With thanks. . . |
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Gold Member Username: John_aPost Number: 2535 Registered: Dec-03 | and his work with Michaela Petri (recorder) is near-perfect If you mean the Handel Op. 1 sonatas.... Argh. Performance and recording. Our previous differences are as nothing compared to this! |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 146 Registered: Jun-04 | Larry, When it comes to ballads, Jarrett can be lyrical, almost sounding like Bill Evans. On bebop and swing, he can swing. But what I don't like about recordings is his annoying grunts! OK, I understand the rapture that he goes through but someone please put some duct tape in his mouth. He is performing on Dec. 5 at the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. No, I'm not going, but to anyone out there who might be interested: http://www.roythomsonhall.com/home.cfm Re: his illness, this is what I found: http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~lnewton/music/JarrettSketch.html#illness |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 147 Registered: Jun-04 | Larry, More "spend your money" recommendations... Not sure whether you already have these in your collection, but I'll give it a shot: Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Kiri Sings Porter http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002SKQ Cole Porter is my numero uno songwriter. His works are sophisticated, often going beyond the usual AABA format. My favourites are "So In Love," "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye," "I Concentrate On You" and "In The Still Of The Night." No, don't expect a swinging version of "I've Got You Under My Skin" here. But listen to Kiri sing the line "I'm yours till I die / So in love / So in love / So in love am I." Kiri Sings (Irving) Berlin http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002RYP Kiri Sings (Jerome) Kern http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002SK3 |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 148 Registered: Jun-04 | Larry and to my American neighbors: (off-music topic) I think it was Rick Barnes who posted a reply with a "5th amendment." I hear this in many cop movies. Is the 5th the one about "I'm going to shut up or else I'll get in trouble"? What about the 1st? What is it? Also, what is this "Miranda" thing? Would appreciate some reply to the above trivia questions. Thanks, Don |
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Gold Member Username: John_aPost Number: 2536 Registered: Dec-03 | Larry, Please accept quick apology. I just played the Petri/Jarrett Bach sonatas 1992 RCA Victor Red Seal/BMG, which I have, not the Handel. Great playing. Not sure about the reverb, though. Thanks. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 209 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: will post more re your questions later - see my e-mail that crossed with all these postings! John A. - no need to apologize - we have many different tastes, equally as valid. I was referring both to the Bach: 6 Sonatas album and "The Ultimate Recorder Collection," in which Mr. Jarrett plays a part. On the Bach, the reverb is natural - church - not artificial. Now - re Mr. Jarrett and his moanings - he's infamous for them - and it bothers me no end! At least, on classical albums, he confines his sounds to an occasional grunt in the background! Don: the 5th and 1st are amendments to the US Constitution - the famous 5th lets defendants and others under questioning refuse to answer "on the grounds that it may tend to incriminate me." The 5th amendment says we don't have to do that. The 1sst deals with free speech. And the "Miranda" comes out of a court suit with Miranda as one party - and is now standard issue to police departments, who must read out loud to persons under arrest: "you have the right to an attorney, you have the right to remain silent, and anything you say may be held against you in a court of law." That comes just before the cops beat the shiit out of the mope! (double grin) Nooooo. . . . |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 210 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: anytime (sigh) Kiri sings - I'll listen! The two times I met her I nearly fainted - talk about juvenile reaction! (blush) |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 213 Registered: Oct-04 | Re Jarrett jazz - as I posted privately to some, Jarrett was still suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome when he recorded the Whisper Not album. And by the way - disc #2 is much better than #1 - I put #1 in the back, #2 in the front of the cover! And yes - Jarrett makes TOO MUCH NOISE!! Oscar Peterson, anyone!!!??? |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 215 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: Well, dat's it - I give up - you're the King, sir! Never have I come upon such creativity, and I wish I'd had you as a writing partner years ago. We'd-ah-been great! Whew! Must away to some take-out supper. Will post more anon... |
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Silver Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 252 Registered: Feb-04 | Larry and Don: My introduction to Keith Jarrett was with the Charles Lloyd quartet. Back in '69, I remember driving the desert of southern New Mexico, where I was stationed, with Lloyd's "Live at Monterey" in the 8-track player. Barely nineteen when this album was released, Jarrett was playing like a pro twice his age....  |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 217 Registered: Oct-04 | John S - thanks for the posting! Never heard of Forest Flower album - and what is this format you mention - "8-track?" Must have been much, much before my time - never heard of it! (double grin) Yeah - I vaguely remember that lo-fi format, and a lot of us thought that was "the end" it was so "advanced!." Shows what we knew. . . Jarrett is truly a genius - I've got him playing improvisations that rival Oscar Peterson, and fine classical albums that rival the top-drawer classical pianists. Don't know how he does it - BUT - sure wish somebody would get the guy to SHUT UP! Sigh. . . Good to have your input - we hope to broaden our scope on this thread, and bring in more music-loving folks, whether it be jazz, classical, whatever. But - being the almost-purists that we are, we'd probably ignore the likes of pop and rap. At least I would. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 218 Registered: Oct-04 | SO, MR. ADMINISTRATOR, HOW DO WE GET THIS THREAD ARCHIVED - IT'S GETTING TOO LONG!! |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 158 Registered: Jun-04 | John S - Thanks for the posting. Agree with you on Keith Jarrett's playing; also share Larry's gripe with the man's non-musical sounds --- at least they're coming from his mouth! :-) |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 160 Registered: Jun-04 | Larry, Another one for your evening or lazy Sunday afternoon listening: Dave Grusin: - Two For The Road: The Music of Henry Mancini Grusin's piano sounds crisp on the jazz tracks, particularly on Mr. Lucky; sweet, round and warm on Two For The Road, Moment to Moment, Whistling In The Dark. Even Mr. Mancini would be proud! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000001W5 I have the CD. I plan to buy the DVD-A at Best Buy. Here's a brief technical evaluation: http://www.technofile.com/dvds/grusin.html Pour yourself a glass of Grants and just sit back and enjoy the music, my friend. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 225 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: thanx for the above - I don't have it, but will think about it, fer shore! See my "embarrassing day" on Ole Dawgs. Ahem. . . Hoping that more people sign onto this thread - it could be a good jazz-classical discussion forum, and I might even larn sumpin' - maybe! More anon. . . with luv from Mer and me to Ms. Don. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 231 Registered: Oct-04 | Well, lookee what's here! Dual Disc! Of course, it may jam up your machine - but here's yet another format to buy and love! (grin) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - DualDisc offers a multi-dimensional experience, providing audio, video and computer content on a single two-sided disc. DualDiscs have a full length CD on one side and a DVD on the other. The DVD side can feature video, the full album in surround sound and/or enhanced stereo, plus photos and lyrics. DualDiscs work wherever you play CDs and DVDs, including car players, PCs, DVD players, game consoles and CD players. CAUTION: Please be aware that there have been reports involving incompatibility between the new DualDisc format and some DVD and CD players. It seems that with some players (still the minority) one or both sides of the DualDisc is not read properly and therefore will not play. Furthermore, please understand that for those DualDiscs that contain DVD Audio programming, you will need a DVD Audio player to read that information, just as you would with normal DVD Audio discs. Also, please note that the technical specifications of this new format do not qualify as an actual "Compact Disc." For more information about this new format, please visit http://www.dualdisc.com. - - - - - - - - - OK, gang - lead me to the store! Hmmm. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 238 Registered: Oct-04 | Carlos Kleiber was a tough case. He never gave interviews - he ruled the podium with an iron hand - he garnered both hate and adoration among those who performed with him. Audiences loved him, but never knew whether he'd actually show up to conduct the orchestra! All that in mind - his conducting was pure silver, and performances were treated as jewels. Still are - which is why, for those of who are Carlos Kleiber fans - Decca's new DVDs are so exciting. A new 5-box DVD set: "Kleiber-the Legend" is out, and has 5.1 surround to back up the video. This should make Kleiber fans salivate - it does me! You can also get the discs separately - but not sure if they're on the market yet. Of special interest is the Beethoven symphonies 4 & 7 disc, number 070 1009 PH - understand a lot of reviewers consider it a "true classic." Well, that's my outflow for this hour. Am expecting another Amazon shipment this week, and will give thumbs up/down on it. Don: Am still waiting to hear about the Desmond/MJQ disc - haven't heard a word from - Good Grief! the city where I was born! Well, what a smallish world it can be. . . Jan: Did I mention that I've ordered some new record-glop from Zaino? On Ole Dawgs. . . More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 241 Registered: Oct-04 | OK! Classical ain' dead! Re the New York Times: - - - - - - - - - Critic's Notebook: Amid Dire Predictions, Classical Records Flower November 30, 2004 By ANTHONY TOMMASINI Early this year the polemical British cultural critic Norman Lebrecht came out with what he called a "rock-solid prediction" that the year 2004 would be the last for the classical record industry. Though Mr. Lebrecht's dire prediction was absurd, his grim overall take on the field resonated. The major recording companies have been mired in financial crises for years, and some clueless leaders at the major labels have only made things worse. After shedding staff and floundering artistically for years, two former behemoths in the industry, BMG Classics and Sony Classical, merged this year. Clearly the merger hasn't solved the problem. The combined company recently announced an additional 25 percent cut in staff at its offices in Germany. These labels are the humbled remnants of companies that once maintained the most distinguished catalogs in the business, RCA and Columbia. Could Peter Gelb, the president of Sony Classical, be jumping ship by accepting the post of general manager of the Metropolitan Opera starting in 2006? Sounds bad, right? Yet I have seldom had so many exciting and important new classical music recordings come across my desk as in the last year or so. Major labels like EMI Classics are championing contemporary music, as with the new recording of Messiaen's visionary "Eclairs sur l'Au-Dela," his last major orchestral score, in an exhilarating performance by Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic. Smaller labels are releasing invaluable explorations of the masters, like the mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's sublime program of Handel arias and cantatas with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conducted by Harry Bicket on Avie. Koch International Classics showed that sizable companies are still open to offbeat projects of special interest, like the pianist Sara Davis Buechner's lovely program of piano works by the operetta composer Rudolf Friml, surprisingly fine music and a labor of love from Ms. Buechner. Despite the financial struggles in the industry, it feels as if we are in the midst of a golden age of classical recording. So what's going on? Several things, no doubt. Being forced to cut back production drastically has made label executives come up with projects that matter, recordings that truly contribute to the discography. "Smaller is better" may be a cliché, but that approach has paid off for the classical recording industry. Perhaps for once the free market is working the way it is supposed to. At the smart labels, the shift of thinking recalls the golden days in book publishing when distinguished houses had small lists of authors they believed in, and they took the time to nurture and promote their works. Today publishing companies release far too many books, hoping that one will be a surprise best seller, like "The Perfect Storm" and "The Da Vinci Code," and cutting losses from books that don't catch on right away. Among the major classical labels, EMI has had the smartest reaction to the financial challenges. The company has made choices among artists, choosing not to extend the contract of the tenor Roberto Alagna and making a major commitment to the remarkable young Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes. Fans of Mr. Alagna may question the company's choices, but at least EMI is making them and standing by its artists. Though for 20 years the market has had a glut of the same core repertory, EMI understands when an artist has something fresh to say about familiar works, as with Mr. Andsnes's most recent release, joyous and sparkling accounts of two Mozart piano concertos (No. 9 in E flat and No. 18 in B flat), with Mr. Andsnes conducting the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. Manfred Eicher, the principled producer at the Munich-based label ECM, who has released bracing recordings of contemporary music, has also made valuable contributions to the standard repertory, as with its release of the first book of Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier," played by the Austrian pianist Till Fellner, a lucid, sensitive and refined performance. In earlier times it was essential for an artist to have an exclusive contract with a recording company, though such relationships are rarer today. Deutsche Grammophon has made a long-term commitment to the splendid young Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, whose recent "Sempre Libera" is a radiantly sung program of Italian arias with the great Claudio Abbado conducting the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. But the soprano Deborah Voigt is proving that with the right management and a sense of mission, you can steer yourself into projects without having an exclusive contract with a major label. This year EMI released Ms. Voigt's "Obsessions," a program of arias and scenes from her signature Wagner and Strauss roles, sung gloriously, with Richard Armstrong conducting the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. But also this year, Deutsche Grammophon issued Ms. Voigt's first foray into the role of Isolde in a live recording of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" from the Vienna State Opera, with Thomas Moser as Tristan, conducted with breathtaking intensity by Christian Thielemann. Which brings up the issue of live recordings. A large market for complete opera recordings still exists, but these mammoth projects have become prohibitively expensive, especially in the United States, where the prospect of paying unionized orchestra musicians for the required number of studio sessions has ended many projects at their conception. But as recording costs have soared, so has the capability of recording technology. Today, with digital editing techniques, a single wrong note or off-pitch tone can be replaced with the right one from another take. Consequently, more and more companies have begun to record operas and major symphonic works live, with the final edit compiled from several performances. The new "Tristan und Islode" offers arresting evidence of how successful this so-called compromise can be. Moreover, the trend among major orchestras to compensate for the timidity of the major labels by releasing and distributing their own recordings on their own labels continues. LSO Live, the recording outlet of the London Symphony Orchestra, has just issued a spirited new performance of Verdi's "Falstaff," conducted by Colin Davis, recorded live last spring at the Barbican in London. Similarly the San Francisco Symphony has just released Michael Tilson Thomas's bold account of Mahler's Symphony No. 2, with the rich-voiced soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and the affecting Ms. Hunt Lieberson as soloists. Any notion that these ventures into self-produced recordings are just an experiment should be quashed by the latest entrant, the Boston Pops. Long a cash cow for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Pops has just issued its first self-produced and self-distributed CD, "Sleigh Ride," a Christmas album conducted by Keith Lockhart. In addition, the smaller labels are responding with heartening creativity to the business challenges in the industry and the cutbacks by the majors. Highlights this year include Nonesuch's "Voices of Light," a program of vocal works by Messiaen, Debussy, Fauré and Osvaldo Golijov, sung exquisitely by the soprano Dawn Upshaw, accompanied by the elegant pianist Gilbert Kalish. There is a gripping new release of orchestral works by Steve Reich, performed by the dynamic conductor David Robertson and the Orchestre National de Lyon, from Naive. And Naxos, the invaluable and adventurous budget label, may get top honors for the most significant contribution of the year with its release of William Bolcom's setting of William Blake's "Songs of Innocence and Experience," 46 poems by William Blake, in a live performance by the University of Michigan School of Music Orchestra and Chorus. This work, with over two hours of Mr. Bolcom's poly-stylistic music, is surely his masterpiece. It is still hard to know how things will fare with the smaller-is-better approach at the major labels and the current trends toward self-producing among major orchestras. Also, distribution via the Internet is already transforming the role of retailers. In 10 years the classical recording business may look quite different from the way it does now. But despite the naysaying, the business will adapt and survive. Meanwhile I can hardly find enough time to listen to all the discs that have come out during this golden era of classical music recording. Maybe I'll listen again to the blazing new Philips recording of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4 with Valery Gergiev conducting the Kirov Orchestra in a live performance. Or the pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard's revelatory and pianistically stunning account of Ives's "Concord" Sonata on Warner Classics. Or. ... http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/30/arts/music/30gold.html?ex=1102828210&ei=1&en=d 7e103d370c872bf |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 164 Registered: Jun-04 | Larry, Thanks for the post. Where are those distinguished catalogs of RCA and Columbia? It's ironic that now that we have a better medium to reproduce and represent that music, it's not available. It also affects jazz and some good pop music material of the 50's, 60's and 70's that were recorded under those two great labels. More later. Have to unwind after a long day. |
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Silver Member Username: Two_centsPost Number: 343 Registered: Feb-04 | Shelley Manne was mentioned earlier on this thread. If you're a fan of West Coast jazz and you don't have them already, I highly recommend Shelly Manne and His Men, At the Blackhawk, Vols. 1-3. Each volume has fantastic, small group playing, excellent improvisations without the honking virtuosity of hard bop. Larry R., You're right about the Te Kanawa/Glyndebourne Figaro. Solid gold. I might revive the opera thread with a mini-review. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 243 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: Happy unwinding. Sling some my way, OK? (grin) Two Cents - you, sir, obviously have a memory bank to reckon with! Hmmm. . . OK - I've written down the Manne albums - do not know them, but hope to, and soon! I think I see a conspiracy (KONSPIRACY?) cropping up here. You and Don are out to strip me of all my hardly-earned cash! Yep. Should-ah seen it coming. "Larry, you've GOT to have this!" "Uh, Lar, why don't you have that disc?" "Hey, Lar, I know you'll want this CD!" HAH! found you out! dismantled the evil cabal before it got out of hand! NO, NO, NO! I will NOT buy all of those discs! Ever! Well. . . Hey, that was a pretty good idea. . . Uh, Don, maybe you're right. . . Two Cents, why didn't you post that earlier?. . . Hmmm. . . I see a weakening situation right before my eyes. And it's all YOUZE GUYZ fault! (triple grin, if possible) Looking forward to more and more idea-exchanges on this thread. It's shaping up even better than I'd imagined. Don't leave me hanging out here by myself! OK? Promise. . . Hello, Amazon? Uh, do youze guyz have a 3-volume set. . . sigh. . . More anon. . . PS - 2 Cents - the opera thread? Hey - OK!!! |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 165 Registered: Jun-04 | Two Cents, Thanks for the Shelley Manne recommendation. I'll also toss in another album, actually two, reissued as a two-fer: Empathy / A Simple Matter of Conviction with Bill Evans Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000478L Lar, my four [4] Lennie Niehaus CD's are expected to be shipped sometime on the second week of December from amazon.ca. Can't wait. Did you order yours, too? |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 168 Registered: Jun-04 | Just thought I'd share with anyone who's collecting DVD-A's and SACD's: Telarc International's Catalogue: http://www.telarc.com/default.asp?mscssid=QAP0QEXRADCX9KHQ31CAE9Q9KFQ3BJ92 |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 169 Registered: Jun-04 | Index of on-line audio/video/music magazines in various languages: http://audionova.nu/innehall/audionova_magazines.htm |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 250 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: Yo - yesterday was all taken up with Mer's birthday and the rush to finish poly-ing a small table. Both came out fine, thank you vury much! As to the Niehaus - I only ordered the first volume - thought I'd "taste" it before jumping in feet first with four! Amazon shipped my order yesterday, and should get here on Saturday. I ordered three discs this time around: the Niehaus, a Shubert trio album, and the first of what I hope will be many Artur Rubenstein reissue SACDs - Chopin, BTW. I've tried to ask RCA about more Rubenstein reissues, but have no answer yet. As you know, many of the old-but-great "Living Stereo" records are being re-done. Mer is super-anxious to get the Rubenstein - he's an idol of hers - and we hope that the sound quality is as good as RCA "claims" it will be! Will post more later today. . . busy, busy. Two Cents - you're not forgotten - later today. |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 170 Registered: Jun-04 | Larry, Please do let us know your listening impressions of the Rubinstein Chopin SACD's soundwise as soon as you're ready; the performance is no longer debatable. (IMHO, Rubinstein is the only pianist that can do justice to Chopin --- my opinion only, I repeat...). I have his Chopin Collection series CD's and never get tired of listening to them. "Living Stereo" brings back fond memories. OK, will post later. Have to work at home. My little guy is sick but otherwise, he's fine. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 257 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: Good morning, sir! How is your little guy today? Hope all is better now - he's probably just reacting to the onslaught of the Great Canadian Winter! (grin) As you may note: OPERA NUTZ IS BACK! I know you're not really into it, but an occasional comment from you is always welcome. Two Cents - note above, and prepare to post, sir! Without your insights, the thread will suffer. Been cleaning all of my discs with the new glop from the Zaino company, and am amazed at the look of the discs, and the sound that comes from them. I think that Jan and others are quite correct: that outer layer on the discs is crucial in focusing the laser so that it accurately reads the beginning and end of those pits! Oh, I know you can't change the 1s and 0s - but there is something going on with the disc clean-up, so I'm taking it for as much of a ride as I can. Rubenstein should be here tomorrow - and will post a same-day review-ette! (grin) More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 259 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: got the Rubenstein SACD today - and after "tweaking" it, put it on the player. Oh, my! What a wunnerful recording! I've now played it four times, and Mer is deeply in love with it. Highly recommend it, unless, of course, you already have the Rubenstein Chopin recordings, which I believe you said you own. Had a bad day otherwise. As I posted on Old Dogs, got two other recordings which turned out to be lemons. Mer really disliked the Lennie Niehaus recording, calling it "Muzak." Well, now!!! So, I'll play it whilst she's away teaching people how to do sloppy art and love it. (grin) We're in a snit at the moment - see our Old Dogs posting about the stereo for details. Two Cents - yes, hope to read some good comments from you soonish on the Figaro audition, etc. - both here and on Opera Nutz! Always like to hear from both you and Don re classical, opera and jazz. Gotta go bash my head against the wall now - will post more when my psychiatrist says I'm back to (hahaha) "normal." If I don't get this stereo system sounding "good" pretty soon I'm going to turn it into a boat anchor!!! Really!!!! Grrrrrrrrrr. . . OK - end of rant. Have a good night and a productive tomorrow - with good sound!! |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 171 Registered: Jun-04 | Larry, Re: Rubinstein SACD, would this be the one: RCA LIVING STEREO SACD 61396 Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23. Ballade No. 2 in F, Op. 38. Ballade No. 3 in A flat, Op. 47. Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52. Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20. Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31. Scherzo No. 3 in C# minor, Op.. 39. Scherzo No. 4 in E, Op. 54. I 'googled' the 'net and that's what I found. I doubt if we have it the local stores here. I thought I'd check wity you first. Thanks Don |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 260 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: Yes - the record - oops - CD box has the numbers: 82876-61396-2 on it. Ballades 1-4 and Scherzos 1-4. It's the only SACD of Rubenstein out so far - and I hope they produce more! If only Mer had liked the Niehaus, and if only we had liked the Schubert trios! Triple sigh. This stereo thang is beginning to drive me just plain crazy!!! Hope your liddle guy is better!!! Lar. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 262 Registered: Oct-04 | Wow - sure wish Admin would do some archiving on this thread! Anyway. . . Don: sent Mer away to teach a class - and (hahaha) slapped on the Niehaus disc. Rather full volume, no less! (chuckle) Sat here and enjoyed it thoroughly. Fine chart work, and the Parker influence is very strong. Did a wow-double take on cut #3 "Whose Blues." Great - great sax work! I've tried my best to get good sound out of the darned Schubert discs - even burned down one of them to a CD-R and tried that. Still sounds dead and tinny and just plain miserable! If I can find it again on Amazon I'm going to write up a review. I don't understand how London/Decca could bring out a disc that sounds that bad! Tried it out on Mer's el-cheapo, and on my computer with its Cambridge Soundworks speakers. Arggggghhh!!! in all cases. Just a bad disc! Anybody reading this who wonders: It's London 455 685-2 "Schubert: The Piano Trios" with Ashkenazy, Zukerman and Harrell. Stay away from it! Oh, the performance is great - IF you can stand the sound quality! Cut in 1997, so it's not one of those "early CD" situations. More anon . . . |
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Silver Member Username: GhiacabrioletNC Post Number: 529 Registered: Apr-04 | Good morning, gentlemen! Thought I'd visit my old neighborhood, Discoveries. Looks like I've got a lot with which to catch up. A visit to the record store is on the agenda for today...I think I'll start with Shelley Manne and Niehaus. Fortunately, my record store of choice is far away from the suburban hell I encountered yesterday on an ill-advised shopping trip. It's a good thing I don't carry a gun.... |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 263 Registered: Oct-04 | And good morning, Ghia! Think you'll like the Manne and Niehaus, even though Mer thought the Niehaus too much like "Muzak." (pssst - sometimes, just once in awhile - she's wrong!) Know what you mean about "shopping hell." Anymore I hate to go outside the house for fear of suicidal shoppers! If they don't get me with their cars, they'll surely maim me with their shopping carts! they oughta be listed as "lethal weapons." Wrote up the Schubert on Amazon, but don't know when it will appear Online. I don't understand how, these days, they can put out a CD with sound that bad! Guess they figger most folk listen on liddle pocket-players? Maybee. . . Ghia - glad to see you back on this thread. The only way I keep up with multiple threads is that I have the computer set up to send me e-mail notification anytime I get an answer to my postings. Some days 30 - some days 0. Depends. Have a Happy Shop! More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 173 Registered: Jun-04 | Larry, Good afternoon! Glad to hear of your impressions of the Niehaus CD (whew! what a relief). Initially, I was afraid you'd have a similar "muzak" opinion of it. I'm waiting for my order --- not one, but four volumes --- of Niehaus. After reading your brief review of it, I'm excited. The CD's should be here by the end of the week. Your review of the Schubert CD on Amazon should appear in 2 or 3 days. Let me know when it comes out; please cut-and-paste the link. Sorry to hear of your disappointment with the quality of the sound. I think I have a couple of London/Decca CD's with pianist Jorge Bolet, and the sound isn't so bad. Is the Rubinstein-Chopin SACD a much better buy? The Ballade in G minor is one of my favourite Chopin pieces and one that I always pretend I could play :-) (imagine me doing an "air piano" with my fingers gliding over an invisible keyboard!) Keep us posted of your listening impressions. Don't forget to share with us your Amazon review. Regards. |
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Silver Member Username: Two_centsPost Number: 352 Registered: Feb-04 | Yes, Rubinstein and Chopin are an unbeatable match; they are like the Starsky and Hutch of the classical world (I apologize for revealing my lack of class. How is this: ) Make sure you have a fine glass of sherry on hand as you listen to the sweet tinkling of the ebony and ivory. If you can get your woman to wear a corset and lace, which you can stroke between your fingers as the two of you recline on the divan, that will add immeasurably to the pleasure of the experience. My mind is in a purply, velvety fog just thinking about it. The wispy aroma of loveliness wafts through the air. Yes, Artur, do it for me one more time... So much for my review of Rubinstein's entire ouvre of Chopin recording. Now for other kinds of discoveries. A MATTER OF SCOTCH If your musical listening calls for a fine single-malt Scotch, let me be your guide. (Ghia, if you're seriously listening to jazz, you'll either have to start shooting heroin or drinking hard liquor. Larry, my apologies for offering more ways to spend your money.) 1. Balvenie 15 yr. Drinking this you start thinking about words used to describe fine wines. Wonderful bouquet, smooth open and finish, etc. Complex in an entirely pleasing way. 2. Glenmorangie 18 yr. Almost on par with the Balvenie in taste. Both with hints of honey or ambrosia. It's probably a matter of personal preference between these two. 3. Glenmorangie sherry wood. Definitely similar in taste with Glenmorangie 18, but lighter and more delicate. The women seemed to like this. 4. Speyside. A few notches down from the above, but I imagine more affordable. Rougher around the edges, but pleasant nonetheless. Would make a good everyday Scotch. 5. Macallan 15 yr. Kind of a disappointment, considering it's price. Not much better than a good blended Scotch. Rougher tasting than the Speyside. 6. Laphroaig 10 and 15 yr. The biggest disappointments. Drink it if you like the taste of medicine. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 266 Registered: Oct-04 | Well, my preposterous proponent of purple prose, (grin) I see that you've been confronting the muses and their ilk. Not to say that alone, but with spiritous encantations to boot, no doubt! Hmmm. . . OK, Two Cents - you win the Great Expectorations award for this week! (grin) I'm with you all the way on the Glenmorangie. Any and all of them. Been there, and have enjoyed the trip. But I'm a "pooh boy," and as such, must content myself with a blend every-day. After doing a lot of taste-testing, I decided that Grant's Scotch suits me just fine! Smooth, with a hint of the olde bog, but not so much as to make a musty overtone. And price that's right. For the Holidays, I choose to dip into a Scotch highly recommended to me by Chicago mystery writer Sarah Paretsky - it's called "Cardhu." If you try it, I THINK it will meet with your approval, though a couple of notches below your obvious enjoyment level. Sorry, but IMHO it is very fine "medicine." Mer wants you to know that if I ever even hinted at corsets and lace she'd take various blunt instruments to sensitive parts of my body. The very thought destroys any inclination towards the tawdry, if you catch my drift! (double grin) Dark-shaded and high-fashioned boudoir scenes do not lightly fall on the breasts of hot-flashy menopausal women. Sigh. That's what memories are for. . . Tomorrow is "crown #1 day for Mer - so I'll be in a "rescue mode" all the rest of the week. She has a mortal fear of dentists, and it will take all my strength just to get her to the office! I have a secret stash of pain pills - and won't hesitate to be stealthful with them, should the need arise. A fine night and productive week to all! More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 277 Registered: Oct-04 | Don, et al - remember way, way back - to late November? Welll - I still haven't heard anything from "Centennial Music" in Fresno, California. I'd ordered the Desmond-MJQ CD. I've e-mailed with no response. Called with no answer. Hmmm. . . why do I think these guyz don't really exist? Oh, well - if at first you don't. . . In the midst of trying to help a friend wire in a huge stereo/TV system - and this may be my undoing. The electricians did him NO favors in his new home - and he finally got them to come back today to see if even they can make sense out of 24 wires coming out of one liddle box in the wall! Whadda mess! A Happy Day to all!. . . |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 177 Registered: Jun-04 | Larry, Is it Centennial or Counterpoint? Did you get it from the website posted here: https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/110943.html#POST182355 That's disturbing. Hmmm... Have you already paid for it with your credit card and all? Good luck. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 278 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: sigh - Counterpoint - was thinking Centennial Bank when I wrote it out. Old dogs. . . Well, I sent credit card info Online - but have not been charged. Don't know anymore than that. I scan my card and bank statements every night, so I'd know if they have put anything on an account. I'll try to call them again - but so far, just no answer. Hope all is well with you. . . more anon. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 280 Registered: Oct-04 | To all: please see "Old Dogs" thread for conclusion to stereo-TV wiring job I talked about in my Dec. 9 8:59 a.m. posting above. Job is done - but I'd never put speakers in high ceilings again! Sounds too much like that "Muzak" we all hear in elevators, etc. Very strange to be watching TV and have the dialog way, way up there in the air, somewhere! But that's what the builder suggested, and that's what my friend bought. Not good - IMHO! More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 181 Registered: Jun-04 | Larry, Your amazon.com reviews are out. I read them tonight here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A3AKB32L8MJH7Q |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 283 Registered: Oct-04 | Don - thanks for the post. Gee Whiz! I guess that this means Im' FINALLY a "published author?" Well - anudder cause for a glass. . . More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 287 Registered: Oct-04 | Two Cents, et al - had a marvelous 23rd anniv. day today - topped off with a couple of CDs by Chanticleer. Two Cents - you DO know about Chanticleer, don't you? Hope so. If not, please find a way to check out this phenominal group. I think they're still based in SanFran. Never heard such music-making from a "men's chorus" before. Started out as a "ga-ay male" chorus, but not sure whether it's still that way. At any rate, the precision and sound rate my highest scores. . . Maybe this week I'll get to audition the B & Ws and Paradigms? Stay tuned. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 289 Registered: Oct-04 | Don et al - have y'all heard? Some of the great Jim Hall jazz guitar albums are coming out in SACD format. Two that I've heard snippets of include "Concierto" (must-have for me!) and "All Across the City." 's-far's I'm concerned, these two discs really swing sweetly! Still trying to get some answers from Counterpoint Music - will try to call them again today. Sigh. The way the SACD industry is going, I'll have a hard time keeping up with their new releases, both in classical and jazz genres. Good news for me - bad news for the ole wallet!!! (grin) The new Yamaha CD/DVD player is all I'd hoped it would be - and now am finding myself playing more CDs than before - for obvious reasons! To all: have a productive week!!! More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Two_centsPost Number: 356 Registered: Feb-04 | Larry R., Congratulations to you and Mer! I'm glad the two of you had a marvelous celebration. Who says wealth is measured by the amount of money you have. I have heard of Chanticleer, but didn't realize that they are based in SF. It does make sense though if they started as a g a y choir. It just goes to show you that I've only scratched the surface of the cultural opportunities here. Regarding the MTT/SFSO Mahler 2 SACD, I now know what you mean by the dynamic range of the recording. Although the dynamics make it sound closer to live, I believe the live performance had even greater dynamic range. It definitely sounded more exciting live. The recording just doesn't convey the "sizzle" of the live performance. I'm sure you know what I mean. I compared the MTT disc with some other Mahler 2s in my collection. In terms of performance, Bernstein's account still tops my list. I was surprised to find out that LB's account is longer than MTT's, which sounds slower to me. MTT seems to provide more space between the notes (producing a more staccato sound), whereas LB takes a slower tempo in general, but is more fluid in terms of sound. LB's DG recording though falls way short of the sound quality of MTT's SACD. Still, I find Bernstein's version more emotionally involving. Mehta's account with the Israeli Phil. on Teldec also has exemplary sound. His interpretation is very good, albeit with fast tempi. It fits on a single DVD-A. Peace and happy listening! |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 184 Registered: Jun-04 | The Lennie Niehaus CD's arrived yesterday and so did the expensive David Spinozza exclusive Japanese reissue. I ordered Vols. 1, 2, and 5 of the Niehaus set -- great charts, tight harmonies, and wonderful improvisations. Jazz pundits may have branded the West Coast sound as "filleted bebop", but make no mistake about Niehaus and his ensemble: these guys could swing, and swing hard they did on these sets. I listened to all three CD's last night, and already, my instant favourites are Figure 8, I'll Take Romance (an old standard), Whose Blues? (you're right, Larry!), and Four. Most of the tunes are standard jazz fare, but what sets them apart from other ensemble arrangements is how closely the saxophones play in harmony yet allowing Niehaus and the others to improvise freely on the choruses. The only other sax ensemble that play in a similar vein, and whom I like just as much, is Supersax, Med Flory's hard-bopping group that plays a lot of Parker charts and solos. I have two of their "Bird" tribute albums: http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000005HH1 http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000026MX David Spinozza is (or was) a session musician. I think "Spinozza" is his first album as a solo artist. I had it on LP in the early '80's when jazz fusion was in its heyday. Highlights of this album are Airborne backed up by a full brass section, On My Way To The Liquor Store, and Doesn't She Know by Now?, where he plays an acoustic guitar. This is not an ordinary modern jazz album. Too bad, it's no longer in the domestic A&M catalogue. The Japanese reissue is expensive, but Amazon.ca was kind enough to send me back a $10 coupon to apply on my next order. Fair enough. Peace and holiday wishes to all! |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 293 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: Glad you got and like the Niehaus. Been holding my breath on those! Mer is not a fan of chart-work, and tends to like her jazz improv-style. OK - I think most (not all) of the Neihaus tracks are just fine. I mostly listen when she's away teaching or at the library. Compromise, and all that sort of rot, you know! Sigh. Still trying to contact Counterpoint Music out in Fresno. I e-mail, e-mail, e-mail, and get no response. I call both 800 and regular numbers and get shunted to a fax tone. Well, I guess they're in business - but surely don't seem to want MY business! Their own sweet time is what they're taking - IF they've even got the CD! Will post any resolution here. I see my heartthrob, Natalie Dessay, has a new opera highlights CD out - but it's Strauss, as in Richard, and I'm not eager to hear most of his stuff. If Amazon puts snippets of it Online so I can listen, we'll see. . . More anon . . . |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 294 Registered: Oct-04 | Two Cents: My friend, you owe it to yourself to somehow audition some Chanticleer. Must be some on Amazon? I'm so "sold" on their sound and overall performance excellence! They've got a lot of CDs out - some religious, some folk-song style, some rather esoteric chant-like. Neat! As to the Mahler - I really wish I could experience one of his "early" symphonies live. One through five for me - after that - I leave it to purists and those who like more "complex" music. As I've posted before, with a few exceptions I'm leaning more and more toward smaller ensemble playing - both classical and jazz. Just seems to fit both my room and lifestyle better than huge symphonic work. With exceptions, of course! Thanks for your postings - hope that my "regular" cyber-friends, including you and Don, keep up the correspondence! Thanx . . . |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 303 Registered: Oct-04 | Don, et al - Well, well, well!! FINALLY got an e-mail from the Counterpoint folk - saying that their supplier no longer, uh, "supplies" the Desmond-MJQ CD - so that's that. OK - at least I know it's "out of print" and can only hope that maybe, just maybe, somebody will have the presence of mind to re-issue it in SACD format!! Hope springs - well, you know. . . Aside from that - have a productive day! |
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Silver Member Username: OjophileON Post Number: 185 Registered: Jun-04 | Larry, That's a letdown! Just a friendly advice, please make sure you check your credit card statement for the next 2 months for any charges from that company. I'll keep searching here in the Great Nawth. Don't keep your hopes up, but I'll keep my eyes open. Keep warm. Man, the wind chill here is brutal. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 304 Registered: Oct-04 | Don: thanks - the e-mail from the company made a point of saying that my account would not be charged. And I really trust them - right? Yeahhhhhhh - talk aboutchur wind chill! Down here, where it's supposed to be Warm - went down to 35 degrees last night - wind chill below freezing. For us, man, dat's COLD!!! But I know, I know - I spent nearly three decades in Chicago - so I feel your pain!!! (grin) More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: Two_centsPost Number: 365 Registered: Feb-04 | Larry, I got Chanticleer's Magnificat for my girlfriend, who's taking a music class of sorts. She just covered medieval and rennaisance music and mentioned one of her favorite Gregorian chants is "Maria avis stella," which happens to be on the Chanticleer album. Well, it turns out that she knows one of the members and she tells that he is straight. Anyway... She loves the album and so do I. We'll try to see them when they perform locally. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 307 Registered: Oct-04 | Two Cents - good for you. G-ay, straight, whatever, I only know what I read about Chanticleer's beginnings - and that they have to be one of the most incredible music groups I've ever heard! So glad you'll try to see/hear them. I remember when Mer and I were in Santa Fe back in, I think 2001 - and Chanticleer had just come through town, and had hired away one of the members of the Santa Fe Chorale - another very fine group. Big excitement for Santa Fe music circles, for sure! We have, I think, nearly a dozen of Chanticleer's albums - and play them often. Your girlfriend, by the way, is a lucky person! To know talent - ah, that is a supreme joy in life. More anon. . . |
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Silver Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 257 Registered: Feb-04 | Larry, you inspired me to play Chanticleer's "Sing We Christmas" today. What a beautiful collection it is, with a lot of early pieces. Praetorius, Jacob Handl (d1591) and the great Josquin Desprez. There's even a lovely work written by Charles Ives during his undergraduate Yale days, "A Christmas Carol". The sound drips with natural reverb having been recorded in Paterskirche Kempen, Germany. |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 308 Registered: Oct-04 | John S - Ah! Great minds in same track, eh? (grin) Mer and I were playing the same album just today - and you are so right: "a beautiful collection it is," sir. Among their many! This is one album (OK, I still call them that, even after years without an LP to my name!) that Mer and I play every Holiday season - without fail. That and a wonderful CD by the Santa Fe Chorale that just seems to "set" the season in place. Plus brings back a ton of fine memories for us! I must scurry around and see if Chanticleer is now recording in or re-issuing in SACD format. Thanks for the welcome posting! |
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Silver Member Username: Larry_rNaples, FL Post Number: 309 Registered: Oct-04 | Two Cents - You're in luck. You can attend a Chanticleer Christmas concert Friday, December 17th at Mission Santa Clara - or on Sunday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. at St. Ignacius Church, 650 parker Av., NE of Golden Gate Park. You can just type in "Chanticleer" on Google and find out much more. good luck!! Sure wish they'd come back our way again!!!! |