Schuberts Ava Maria

I'm familiar with the former, need to get a taste of the latter then ?

 

You're kidding! Can't say I hear it myself, then I don't like Gerontius much, and think Elgar cribbed it pretty much from Parsifal....
yes, the whole Sea Symphony is total bliss.... but that first part of the finale the words and music just go together so well, almost makes me religous. No surprise that RVW kept returning to Whitman for text.
favourite recording is either Haitink with excellent Felicity Lott, or recent Paul Daniel/Bournemouth on Naxos (total bargain at £4.99), choir are much more invigorated than for Haitink and Christopher Maltman is superb.

Requiems - favourite of all is Brahms, must be my protestant ancestry. The most Human requiem of all.

Does no-one else here like Bruckner's masses?

 

Where the hell-else are we gonna talk about Requiems and whiskey, wonderful.

On second listening I'd have to say that coming from the Opera side and moving into the choral side Verdi is currently more enjoyable, but Berlioz seems to have more originality about it. Both excellent

So I shall be shopping for Brahms Requiem this weekend, the Sea Symphony and looking out for Bruckner's masses. Currently enjoying Bruckner 5th, which is a wonderful piece of work, (I take it that's the same guy)

OK pound for pound I'd consider Bowmore 17 the whiskey the offers best value for money, it can be had in duty free for about £35 a bottle. I have tried most Lagavulins and enjoyed them all, especially the 30, although along with Adberg you pay a premium for the name. Not ventured too much into Bunnahabhain or Talisker, but will have a look for them when I'm in the UK for the festive period.

 

Anyone tried any cask strength whiskies? They have to be watered down before tasting. When I got married I bought my best man a bottle of Rosebank (small distillery nr. Falkirk that closed many years ago) .... and never got to try any of it.

 

Yeah cask strength normally comes in at around 10% more powerfull. Best way to taste it is take the first sip without water to try and then add a couple of drops, really not a lot at all, and then taste it again. The flavours from the first sip should now really come to life. Never use ice and not too much water. The cask stuff is generally produced in a more limited number.

 

AB, Well, get married again and this time keep the bottle to yourself.

And following your suggestion, I'm now listening to Bruckner's Mass in E minor (Herreweghe). Thank you for reminding me, I had almost forgotten it was on my shelf

 

Please do yourself a favour and avoid the dreadfully dreary, dirge-like 'classic' Klemperer version on EMI Great Recordings of the Century. Eliot Gardiner, as always, is very good - the only other versions I've heard are the stereo Karajan ones and they're pretty grim.

 

I remember a rather posh lady coming into the Cambridge Music Shop to buy a copy of the score of the Brahms Requiem for her son who's school choir were going to sing it. "German or English version?" asked the assistant. "No, the original Latin please" . I always thought that "Ein Deutches Requiem" was quite a big hint...

Michael.

 

Agreed, Gardiner is excellent (I have it). Another good one is Roger Norrington (can't remember the details).

 

Was ?

Subtitle: this is not "was", past form of "to be", but the German for "what" ?

 

Have been very happy with this one over the years:
Brahms- Choral Works and Overtures including German Requiem etc. Wolfgang Sawallisch/Wiener Symphoniker on Philips (2CD)
Not a modern recording but a good sound and emotional balance seems right to me. Reminded of it because of the Shaw/Verdi with it's selection of fillers (have to remember to get to the remote otherwise I find the first chorus is a bit of a rude awakening after the end of the Requiem).
The extras on the Brahms are worth a listen 'Song of Destiny' being a personal favourite. The Alto Rhapsody is though disappointing on here. Just a further tangent - favourite Alto Rhapsody anyone ?

 

Alto Rhapsody..... Marjana Lipovesk (sp?), Claudio Abbado, BPO
or Adrian Boult, Janet Baker and LPO, got it with their stonking 1st symphony.

I really like Brahms other choral works too, Song of destiny is favourite too, again Abbado, BPO etc do it for me. Also got San Fransisco/Blomstedt, very good too but not quite.

 

Alto rhapsody
Listen to:
Aafje Heynis / Concertgebouw Orch. / E. van Beinum.
Philips ca. 1957.
Only mono, and as far as I know only vinyl.

 

Have been pondering another Brahms 1 (I have Joachim or something, can't remember, but it lacks drama even though it was highly recommended in the press, I think it was the recording that put me off Naxos for a while) so might have a look for the Boult.

And alan thanks for your input on speakers, got a bit bogged down over there but have now done a bit of homework so at least I know what the Quads look like. Had a search here and there was a long thread last year concerning Apogee/Magneplanar etc. which ended with purchase of Quads (henryt ?)

Oh yes - Highland Park, not very adventurous I know.

 

Does that have the double concerto on the other side ?

 

When I say it stonking.... its a straight down the middle performance, not slow, not fast, just right, lets the music speak for itself.

 

Try having a listen to the Harnoncourt / Berlin Philharmonic, to which I'm quite partial - it's fresh, incisive, urgent and powerful and a bit different, and would probably be quite refreshing if you've already got a more middle-of-the-road version.

 

Dear Coda II

I own it on an EP without coupling.
As far as I can remember, it was edited on an 25cm LP too, but I
dont remember the coupling. Certainly not the double-concerto, but perhaps the tragic ouverture.
Heynis' voice is warm and instrumental, like a viola, and the accompaignement is sonorous and well balanced.
Well worth hearing.
Maybe it will pay to find out, if it has been edited on CD.

 

Have now checked so can correct myself:

lacklustre Brahms 1 is Jochum/LPO on EMI (sorry Naxos)

the Naxos disc I had in mind was Elgar 1, Hurst/BBC which is OK

the (old) vinyl Alto Rhapsody is Mildred Miller