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The Classical Thread

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To kick it off, I'll start with my two favorite recordings of Beethoven's 9th Symphony:

Felix Weingartner conducting the Vienna Sympony Orchestra, 1935


and Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1942.


There are multiple recordings Wilhelm Furtwangler conducted of Beethoven's 9th.....but none as urgent, dramatic, pertinent and emotional as this infamous concert. Literally the best and worst of humanity in one room, every note dripping with meaning.....often multiple meanings. Heroic and heartbreaking! Not a museum piece!

(nothing can touch the Weingartner recording though for the voices on the last movement, the last movement I have to give it to Weingartner, I don't think those voices will ever be bested.)
 
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Dang...now I gotta start remembering classical music... knew I should kept my mouth shut!
 
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9

Clara Haskil piano, Carl Schuricht conducting. 1953.


 
Thank you for the great links above.

I'm going to share a 1967 performance by the Soviet violinist David Oistrakh of Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 1. Go especially to the cadenza - where the orchestra drops out and he plays solo for about four minutes - from a bit after the 28:00 minute mark.

This man knew exactly what Shostakovich was saying in it, and he pulls no punches. Both men had lived through the Stalin regime in the Soviet Union, and it is all in there.

It is fascinating to go also to the American violinist Hilary Hahn's performance of the same cadenza in that concerto (also on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTl0MWIf4rA). I heard that before I ever heard Oistrakh's performance, and she plays it with the matchless perfect technique and sublime tone that she is famous for - I thought there could never be a better or more moving performance of it...Then I went to Oistrakh. The raw authenticity of this performance by a man who had seen what Shostakovich had seen nearly took the top of my head off. It's in a different world altogether:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXBugKoo7L0
 
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Richard Wagner. Ride of the Valkyries.



Grieg - In the Hall of the Mountain King
 
Bugman, that performance is beautiful, plus I'm in love with the pianist! lol!

Matt62, the Shostokovich recordings I will hit next! Thanks for giving two performances to choose from, I love comparing classical recordings, and hunting for the "ultimate" performances!

Take Bach's "The Goldberg Variations". There's no tempo markings or anything on the original manuscript so interpretations can really vary.

Here's Glen Gould's amazing 1955 recording:


and here's Rosalyn Tureck's 1957 recording:
 
Thank you for the great links above.

I'm going to share a 1967 performance by the Soviet violinist David Oistrakh of Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 1. Go especially to the cadenza - where the orchestra drops out and he plays solo for about four minutes - from a bit after the 28:00 minute mark.

Haven't had a chance to listen to these yet, but I'm intrigued.

Bugman, that performance is beautiful, plus I'm in love with the pianist! lol!

It is beautiful, isn't it. And yes, Clara was quite the looker in her day.

Sergei Rachmaninov plays his Piano Concerto No. 2.

 
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The difference in tempo in those two Goldberg Variations recordings is extraordinary.

Almost all of the other examples shared above were pieces that I remember fondly from my teenage years listening to them for the first time - good to hear them again after a long gap.

Carmina Burana wasn't one of them, but I liked the performance above - it packs a punch and has integrity too, which has rescued it from the associations with aftershave commercials that polluted my brain before.

I've just remembered something. I once heard that someone, in conversation with Elgar (I think), once expressed a love for the religious music of Brahms, and Elgar said, "Yes, but don't forget that Brahms liked to take serving maids on his lap and tickle them!" Anyone else heard about this proclivity of Brahms?
 
I've just remembered something. I once heard that someone, in conversation with Elgar (I think), once expressed a love for the religious music of Brahms, and Elgar said, "Yes, but don't forget that Brahms liked to take serving maids on his lap and tickle them!" Anyone else heard about this proclivity of Brahms?

I have not heard that. Johannes was one of us eh? That old rascal.

Mozart wrote five violin concertos around 1775. Love them all, and this brilliant 1968 performance of Concerto No.3 by David Oistrakh is flawless in its execution.

 
Thank you for the great links above.

I'm going to share a 1967 performance by the Soviet violinist David Oistrakh of Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 1. Go especially to the cadenza - where the orchestra drops out and he plays solo for about four minutes - from a bit after the 28:00 minute mark.

This man knew exactly what Shostakovich was saying in it, and he pulls no punches. Both men had lived through the Stalin regime in the Soviet Union, and it is all in there.

It is fascinating to go also to the American violinist Hilary Hahn's performance of the same cadenza in that concerto (also on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTl0MWIf4rA). I heard that before I ever heard Oistrakh's performance, and she plays it with the matchless perfect technique and sublime tone that she is famous for - I thought there could never be a better or more moving performance of it...Then I went to Oistrakh. The raw authenticity of this performance by a man who had seen what Shostakovich had seen nearly took the top of my head off. It's in a different world altogether:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXBugKoo7L0

Wow, ok, finally got through them both. The Oistrakh is amazing, and amazing to watch. The Hillary Hahn performance is flawless! Well-recorded also! Loved them both!

Ok what's next. I love Carmina Burana. "Ride of the Valkyries" and "Hall of the Mountain King" are always great to hear!

Hey Zod......here's the WHO doing "Hall of the Mountain King"!



Is that sacrilege? Ok, well then I won't do ELP's rendition of Mussorsky's "Pictures At An Exhibition" for Desdemona!

[
 
I've just remembered something. I once heard that someone, in conversation with Elgar (I think), once expressed a love for the religious music of Brahms, and Elgar said, "Yes, but don't forget that Brahms liked to take serving maids on his lap and tickle them!" Anyone else heard about this proclivity of Brahms?


Brahms, a TICKLER??!!!!! As reported by Elgar! "Yes, but don't forget....." (how could one forget?) Oh that is HOT.

Makes me look at him a whole 'nuther way!!!

Which is hotter, old Brahms taking the serving maid onto his lap.......
Johannes-Brahms.png

.....or young Brahms?!

JBrahms.jpg

Either way, what a true maestro!

(I hate to post another Glen Gould, but this is pretty great.)

Glen Gould plays Brahms.....a piano tickler......and a maid tickler!
 
My favorite from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons: "Winter" because of its agitation.



......

Chopin's Etude Opus 10 no.12 - "The Revolutionary" (though i have to admit that my real favorite is Etude Opus 10 No.4)

 
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Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto 1, B Flat Minor

 
Brahms, a TICKLER??!!!!! As reported by Elgar! "Yes, but don't forget....." (how could one forget?) Oh that is HOT.

Makes me look at him a whole 'nuther way!!!

Which is hotter, old Brahms taking the serving maid onto his lap.......
View attachment 511387

.....or young Brahms?!

View attachment 511388

Either way, what a true maestro!

(I hate to post another Glen Gould, but this is pretty great.)

Glen Gould plays Brahms.....a piano tickler......and a maid tickler!

Re: Brahms and the serving girls: I picture him surrounded by his friends in a beer garden in his native Hamburg on these occasions. And it is hard not to conjure up the usual image of him in his later years, with full beard and girth, but I'm not sure how hot the serving girls would have found that.

I've listened a bit more to the 1942 Furtwangler/BPO performance of Beethoven 9 above. What a powerful piece of history. I have never heard the first movement played so slow and heavy, and in any other time and place I wouldn't like that, but how else would you play it in Berlin in 1942...just think of everything that was going on in Germany and Europe, and what was still to come. Beethoven had written something whose architecture could carry that extra weight when history required it.
 
To go with Bugman's sharing of Mozart's Violin Concerto No 3 (which I will head for soon): the only one of them that I have come to know so far is the No 5, mostly thanks to this gorgeous performance at the Proms a few years ago by Dutch violinist Janine Jansen, with the European Union Youth Orchestra:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jjKBaEQh1k
 
Mantovani - Charmaine - Medication time! lol

]
 
Haven't had a chance to listen to these yet, but I'm intrigued.

It is beautiful, isn't it. And yes, Clara was quite the looker in her day.

Sergei Rachmaninov plays his Piano Concerto No. 2.

Bugman, this is great! Best Rachmaninov I've ever heard!

Mantovani - Charmaine - Medication time! lol
]

I'm not even playing it, that's GOT to be a "Cuckoo's Nest" reference, am I right? Is that the record she plays? lol.
 
Being an old (former) cellist myself, I'm rather fond of Mischa Maisky's performance of Bach's Cello Suite No.1.

 
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