Beethoven Late String Quartets
Amadeus Quartet
Amadeus Quartet
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Zevy -
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel: Das Jahr (The Year), a twelve-part piano suite based on the months of the year."Life is too short to spend it wandering in the barren Sahara of musical trash."
--Sergei Vasilyevich RachmaninoffComment
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Hansel und Gretel with Moffo, Auger, Popp, Ludwig, and Fischer-Dieskau."Life is too short to spend it wandering in the barren Sahara of musical trash."
--Sergei Vasilyevich RachmaninoffComment
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I've just bought stunning and powerful new hi-fi equipment; Unison Research CD player and Integrated Amplifier with Bowers and Wilkins floor-standing speakers. The Unison Research components (Italian) are 'hybrid' - part valve and solid state. Right now my listening represents the coalescence of some miracles - the Brahms 4th Symphony, the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra, the remarkable Carlos Kleiber and delivered on first class sound equipment. Since this is the recording which was found in Kleiber's car the day after his death and was probably the very last music he ever heard this Brahms has extra special meaning and potency for me.
The good professors of the VPO have produced something very very special here with Kleiber.Last edited by Humoresque; 09-16-2016, 02:31 PM.Comment
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I have Kleiber's Beethoven 5 and 7 - which should be a part of any Beethoven collection - but I want to say a few words about your new audio setup.Originally posted by Humoresque View Post
It is no nice to hear of someone enjoying a new CD system. There has been some much emphasis on vinyl in the last few years that it is exciting to see someone who enjoys a new digital system and doesn't have to worry about cartridge alignment and tracking weight and end of side distortion.
Maybe you have a turntable and haven't mentioned it but I get the feeling that you are happy with digital sound. So am I.
My system wouldn't compare in any way with yours but I enjoy the background silence of digital, and the absence of pitch variation (especially in solo piano music) and the experience of hearing Beethoven's Opus 131 without the effect of somebody frying eggs in the background. I had this problem up until the early 90s.
I envy you. Enjoy!!!
.Last edited by Michael; 09-17-2016, 02:13 AM.Comment
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Oh ....I got so distracted with the above post that I forgot to mention what I have been listening to.
Predictably enough, it was Beethoven: his first piano concerto which, helpfully, has been catalogued as No. 2.
The opening movement has been my earworm for the last few months. (I also have tinnitus but the concerto has almost overcome this).
I have become fascinated with this work for a long time. Beethoven described it as one of his lesser compositions and he even charged lesser than his usual fees when he was trying to sell it.
So, I felt personally vindicated when no less a person than Leif Ove Andsnes proclaimed it as a work of genius.
Okay - it might not be up there with Mozart's K595 but it suits me just fine.
.Last edited by Michael; 09-17-2016, 01:55 AM.Comment
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Thank you so much for your kind and interesting comments. Much appreciated. I spent an inordinate amount of time on this purchase, reading reviews, investigation of valve over solid state, listening, consulting others on messageboards etc. The salesman was a particularly intelligent, handsome and agreeable man (the same age as me) who was super impressed with my music library (in fact, he took pictures of the CDs I took into the shop so he could buy them himself!). We just couldn't get away from him as he talked non-stop and, consequently, spent one whole day there as he wanted to 'show off' the $350,000+ speakers and $20,000 CD players he had on display!! It's his hobby!! I did finally buy the speakers online and saved $1,000 but this left me feeling guilty because of the effort Dennis put into finding the right gear for me. I wasn't convinced about the Unison Research at first but after a few listenings and some good reviews I was sold, and the only downside is the waiting time until the valves warm up.Originally posted by Michael View Post
He showed me expensive valve equipment and turntables, but I have no vinyl (yes, we have no bananas!!). True, many recorded digital CDs have less then ideal sound but the more expensive CD player more or less 'fixes' many of those issues. We compared a Densen (Danish) with the Unison Research (Italian) - both were exceptional compared to the Japanese electronics mostly available - though both were considerably more expensive. One could look forever and still find 100% perfection elusive.
And I was able to convince my salesman of the virtues of Carlos Kleiber and he's going to take it seriously. A win/win I'd say.
On another matter related to listening; in our music group just 3 weeks ago a Flautist lectured about her instrument (and the Piccolo) and played a great array of CDs from Berlioz up to Shostakovich which featured either or both instruments. There was no doubting the absolute beauty which has been attainable since improvements in instrument technologies in the mid-late 19th century and the arrival of larger orchestras and genius orchestrators like Ravel et al. I kept thinking that, despite that wider palette of colours, I tend to favour Beethoven and his smaller forces and less sophisticated instruments. And I've put one of my friends on notice about this telling him I want to meet him for coffee before our next program in order to put flesh on the bones of this issue in relation to Beethoven. In the meantime, should you hold any clues to it yourself I'd be most appreciative of your thoughts.Comment
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Beethoven String Quartets
I am exploring and getting to know again the Beethoven String Quartets in preparation of the The Beethoven Quartetfest, Bromsgrove, West Midlands, Fri 28th - Sun 30th Oct, Dante Quartet.Fidelio
Must it be.....it must beComment
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[YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/AneABJXRym8[/YOUTUBE]
https://youtu.be/AneABJXRym8
Mussorgsky - A Tear , played by Maria Yudina.Last edited by Megan; 09-25-2016, 05:02 PM.🎹Comment
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The Jupiter on period instruments!
Wow- perfection!!!
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTEVr5zk9CU[/YOUTUBE]Ludwig van Beethoven
Den Sie wenn Sie wollten
Doch nicht vergessen sollten
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Listening and watching the master at work; this time the Wiener Philharmoniker at a Neujahrskonzert with Kleiber. I have both the 1989 and 1992 concerts on DVD. Now, normally I'm not so enamored with those annual festivities in Vienna, but Kleiber takes it to another level and it's enjoyable. The concertmaster of the Wiener Philharmoniker retired in the middle of this year and I do hope he'll publish some memoirs.
Just watch a few minutes of the grace of Kleiber! And at 3'26" we can see him from the back - statuesque and elegant. God, he was gorgeous. (His modern counterpart is Andris Nelsons!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dunn_2wAs0oComment
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Ligeti: Lontano and AtmosphersComment
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I've been exploring the Quartets in depth for over a year now and still can't get enough. But now I am some how stuck on the Violins Sonatas OP 30 1,2,and 3. Truly amazing compositions. Can't explore them enough either.Originally posted by Fidelio View PostComment
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Mascagni: L'amico Fritz. A most beautiful opera both musically and the plot."Life is too short to spend it wandering in the barren Sahara of musical trash."
--Sergei Vasilyevich RachmaninoffComment
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