SPOTLIGHT The classical music general discussion thread

[windhoek]

Still no new classical purchases for me. But I did go and see the Royal Scottish Symphony Orchestra perform Mahler's Song of the Earth (their preferred title) as well as Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss last night at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

I only knew the opening to the latter so I haven't got much to say except I enjoyed the opening and then the rest of it was okay. Not my cup of tea but nothing wrong with it either.

Das Lied was a tale of two halves: the lights weren't dimmed after the intermission so it took until the start of Der Abschied for me to really settle into it. But once Der Abschied began I was totally caught up in its spell, hook, line and sink. Seriously, I was practically having an out-of-body experience, with trembling limbs and tears about to flow forth, such was the performance.

As an aside, the conductor opened the evening with a brief speech on the relationship between music and philosophy via Nietzsche with a focus on climate change and what we've lamentably been doing to the planet during our tenure of it as a species. I thought it worthy of applause so I started clapping and most of the audience joined in accordingly.

As an aside not once but twice, I listened to this version of Das Lied by Philippe Herreweghe as transcribed for chamber orchestra by Schoenberg once I got home: it's perfect for late-night listening as it's a much more intimate affair than the full-bodied Das Lied we've come to know and love.

Anyway, that's me. Still in love with Mahler

 

[Lute]

Here’s an impressive organ recording that I recently picked up on SACD. Highly recommended for fans of organ music. The amazon UK seller didn't deliver to my home address, so I ordered directly from Base 2 Music, where it’s also available as a download. My order arrived quickly and safely.

https://www.hraudio.net/showmusic.php?title=14131#reviews

 

[bktouchstone]

WOW! That could be pretty cool if done right. Do let us know what you think of it.

I found this Blu-Ray.com review on their website.

https://cappellaromana.org/5-star-blu-ray-review-for-lost-voices-of-hagia-sophia/
Hmm...I might not be able to wait

NPR had a story on this recording and I immediately geeked out. Being a lover of tech as well as a lover of Byzantine history, it was an irresistible purchase. From the snippets I heard, this is reminiscent of Russian Orthodox chorale music I have heard. Russia was heavily influenced by Byzantine culture and religion early in its history so I wasn't too surprised to hear the same mesmerizing low bass drone in the Byzantine music here. And now I wait....Does anyone here have any thoughts on the recording/performance quality? Thanks...

 

[mwhealton]

NPR had a story on this recording and I immediately geeked out. Being a lover of tech as well as a lover of Byzantine history, it was an irresistible purchase. From the snippets I heard, this is reminiscent of Russian Orthodox chorale music I have heard. Russia was heavily influenced by Byzantine culture and religion early in its history so I wasn't too surprised to hear the same mesmerizing low bass drone in the Byzantine music here. And now I wait....Does anyone here have any thoughts on the recording/performance quality? Thanks...

I received my copy and love it. There are multiple formats available in the package, so everyone's favorite mix may vary! (I cannot properly comment on the Atmos mixes, besides saying that on my non-Atmos system (Oppo 205 + Lexicon MC12B in 7.1 mode and 5.1 mode), the Dolby Atmos mix sounds too rich in ambience, as though the height channels have been doubled and summed to the regular ones. The Lex decodes that as Dolby II I think. I will definitely need to spend more time with this). So my preferred mix/format is 5.1 DTS-HD MA.

With the DTS-HD MA mix:
There is a clear separation of the choirs in the ambo position from the priest and deacon(s?) near the altar. This makes the call and responses very natural sounding.
The ambience itself is beautiful and decays beautifully to silence in about 10+ seconds.
The ambience also has clear resonance / harmonic components that work with the music to create some very interesting 'chordal' effects.
Perhaps, needless to say, the very resonant ambience and harmonics come from everywhere. This recording wraps you in a very strong sense of being in a huge space.
The singing is excellent and in certain passages and texts takes on a kind of ecstatic quality while at others has a more reserved quality like western liturgical chant. And again in others sounds close to the Arabic-speaking community traditions. This can really be strong in some of the melismata.

Overall it makes me want to fly to Istanbul to hear Capella Romana perform this piece live in Hagia Sophia, if that ever becomes possible.

Hope this helps and isn't too wacky sounding. If I am unclear please ask questions and I too really want to hear and learn from others' impressions!

 

[ubertrout]

Still no new classical purchases for me. But I did go and see the Royal Scottish Symphony Orchestra perform Mahler's Song of the Earth (their preferred title) as well as Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss last night at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

I only knew the opening to the latter so I haven't got much to say except I enjoyed the opening and then the rest of it was okay. Not my cup of tea but nothing wrong with it either.

Das Lied was a tale of two halves: the lights weren't dimmed after the intermission so it took until the start of Der Abschied for me to really settle into it. But once Der Abschied began I was totally caught up in its spell, hook, line and sink. Seriously, I was practically having an out-of-body experience, with trembling limbs and tears about to flow forth, such was the performance.

As an aside, the conductor opened the evening with a brief speech on the relationship between music and philosophy via Nietzsche with a focus on climate change and what we've lamentably been doing to the planet during our tenure of it as a species. I thought it worthy of applause so I started clapping and most of the audience joined in accordingly.

As an aside not once but twice, I listened to this version of Das Lied by Philippe Herreweghe as transcribed for chamber orchestra by Schoenberg once I got home: it's perfect for late-night listening as it's a much more intimate affair than the full-bodied Das Lied we've come to know and love.

Anyway, that's me. Still in love with Mahler

There aren't a ton of versions of Das Lied von der Erde in multichannel - I prefer it with a contralto (rather than a tenor) in the finale, but that's probably a result of being imprinted with the Ferrier/Walter version. My go to:

 

[windhoek]

My current Das Lied go-to is this one with Janet Baker and Waldemar Kmentt on vocals conducted by Kubelik. Why?
Intimacy. This is the only version of Das Lied I've heard that seems to have been played to and for the listener rather than at the listener. Whether that's because of how it was recorded or performed I couldn't say. Perhaps it's a combination of both. All I know is, is that when Janet Baker and Waldemar Kmentt sing, although especially when Janet is singing, I feel as though they're singing to and for me. The same goes for the orchestra: when they play, I feel as though they're playing to and for me.

There are probably many other recordings out there that sound better, clearer, less polluted by background noise. But I really feel that what is lost in audio quality, what with it being a live recording, is gained in spades in sheer musicality.

Fwiw, 10 out of 10 reviewers on Amazon including myself rate it five-stars - that's a lot better than your standard 8 out of 10 cats prefer [whatever] commercial

 

[windhoek]

How dynamic in the multichannel mix on that pentatone release?

 

[mwhealton]

Thank you ubertrout and windhoek for those recommendations. I first imprinted on the Walter/Miller/Häfliger Das Lied von der Erde, and so am most used to a female voice in the final Abschied movement. Will try to check these two recordings out.
EDITED to add: I ordered them both..

 

[Kal Rubinson]

My current Das Lied go-to is this one with Janet Baker and Waldemar Kmentt on vocals conducted by Kubelik.

Lately, I've been hooked on this one:

 

[ubertrout]

How dynamic in the multichannel mix on that pentatone release?

Pentatone's recordings are pretty universally very dynamic, but I don't have details on this one. Or do you mean use of the surrounds? They're mostly ambience.

 

[bktouchstone]

I received my copy and love it. There are multiple formats available in the package, so everyone's favorite mix may vary! (I cannot properly comment on the Atmos mixes, besides saying that on my non-Atmos system (Oppo 205 + Lexicon MC12B in 7.1 mode and 5.1 mode), the Dolby Atmos mix sounds too rich in ambience, as though the height channels have been doubled and summed to the regular ones. The Lex decodes that as Dolby II I think. I will definitely need to spend more time with this). So my preferred mix/format is 5.1 DTS-HD MA.

With the DTS-HD MA mix:
There is a clear separation of the choirs in the ambo position from the priest and deacon(s?) near the altar. This makes the call and responses very natural sounding.
The ambience itself is beautiful and decays beautifully to silence in about 10+ seconds.
The ambience also has clear resonance / harmonic components that work with the music to create some very interesting 'chordal' effects.
Perhaps, needless to say, the very resonant ambience and harmonics come from everywhere. This recording wraps you in a very strong sense of being in a huge space.
The singing is excellent and in certain passages and texts takes on a kind of ecstatic quality while at others has a more reserved quality like western liturgical chant. And again in others sounds close to the Arabic-speaking community traditions. This can really be strong in some of the melismata.

Overall it makes me want to fly to Istanbul to hear Capella Romana perform this piece live in Hagia Sophia, if that ever becomes possible.

Hope this helps and isn't too wacky sounding. If I am unclear please ask questions and I too really want to hear and learn from others' impressions!

Thanks very much for your thoughts on the recording. Can't wait now to hear it myself. Istanbul and the Hagia Sophia are on my bucket list.

 

[windhoek]

Pentatone's recordings are pretty universally very dynamic, but I don't have details on this one. Or do you mean use of the surrounds? They're mostly ambience.

Yeah, I meant the latter: whether the use of surround speaker was more ambient than anything else. I wasn't really expecting to hear it was dynamic in that regard, but it's always worth asking just in case.

 

[mwhealton]

Thanks very much for your thoughts on the recording. Can't wait now to hear it myself. Istanbul and the Hagia Sophia are on my bucket list.

You are welcome! All religious music was banned from the building under Ataturk when it was made into a museum, but that has been lifted now for Islamic chant performances. So far, Church chant performances are still not allowed. (This is from the very extensive notes in the booklet).

 

[Lute]

NPR had a story on this recording and I immediately geeked out. Being a lover of tech as well as a lover of Byzantine history, it was an irresistible purchase. From the snippets I heard, this is reminiscent of Russian Orthodox chorale music I have heard. Russia was heavily influenced by Byzantine culture and religion early in its history so I wasn't too surprised to hear the same mesmerizing low bass drone in the Byzantine music here. And now I wait....Does anyone here have any thoughts on the recording/performance quality? Thanks...

You guys are really getting me excited for this one. Can’t wait to get my copy! In the meantime I’ve been listening to some older recordings of Byzantine music by Sœur Marie Keyrouz, Fadia El-Hage, and others.

 

[4-earredwonder]

A Very Robust rendering of Handel's Organ Concertos...in nicely immersive sonics!

https://www.hraudio.net/showmusic.php?title=3021#reviews

 

[4-earredwonder]

This one's for Brett [Wink! Wink!] From Bissie ... with ❤

 

[gvl_guy]

Hello classical enthusiasts. I know almost nothing about classical music, but would like to learn.... especially about classical quad.

The only stuff I know are a few pop pieces, like Messiah because of Christmas and Blue Danube because of 2001 A Space Odyssey. I don't know composers, orchestras or anything else.

What would you suggest I look for to listening to? What are some well known "pop" classical pieces that I might like and maybe even recognize? And, more than just that, any quad records of these that I should look for? (I can decode all record formats.)

Thanks for your help!

 

[windhoek]

Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture was the piece that got me into classical music back in the early '90s, so that's my recommendation. Although there is a lot of classical music available in surround, it's worth noting that most of it - and I mean MOST of it - is ambient only in terms of how dynamic is the multichannel mix, so temper expectations accordingly.

That said, there are some releases that are quite perceptibly dynamic in this regard, but whether the music will be to your taste is anyone's guess. I suggest listening to classical music in any shape or form to begin with to find out what you like, and if it happens to be available as a dynamic multichannel mix, great. If not, you've still got music you like

 

[JediJoker]

What would you suggest I look for to listening to? What are some well known "pop" classical pieces that I might like and maybe even recognize?

You'd probably recognize and might enjoy Gustav Holst's The Planets. Multichannel recordings exist, though I have yet to hear any. I grew up with conductor Seiji Ozawa's 1979 take on the suite conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and so that's the one that sounds "right" to me in stereo. This guy also likes it.

 

[windhoek]

Oh yeah, The Planets is a great gateway to classical as well.