What Classical Music Are You Listening To Tonight?

[Kal Rubinson]

Originally Posted by cma29

Here is another...

Mahler: Symphony No. 6
MusicAeterna, Teodor Currentzis
This guy Currentis is on a roll. His Pathetique from earlier this year was one of the highlights of 2018 and this new Mahler effort is...wow - just intense. It brings the music to life and the Sony recording is vivid and dynamic. This one is a winner.

Not a universal opinion. Many of us find him frustratingly willful and insensitive.

[Kal Rubinson]

Originally Posted by Toccata

Good stuff. Only moderately dissonant and highly virtuosic at times. Shawn is quite a pianist, too. Fun fact: His brother is actor Wallace Shawn!

And his father was William Shawn, the long-time editor of The New Yorker. Talented family.

[jzzmusician]

Love this recording.

[cma29]

Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson

Not a universal opinion. Many of us find him frustratingly willful and insensitive.

Fair enough.

[bart]

Originally Posted by cma29

Fair enough.

I found his Tchaikovsky 6 brilliant though.
Haven't listened to this Mahler.

[cma29]

I've been listening to this Esoteric remaster...

Beethoven: Symphony Nos. 5 & 7
Kleiber/Weiner Philharmonic
(Hybrid SACD)





Everyone is familiar with these performances, but I was curious to see if Esoteric could improve on the less-than-stellar recorded sound quality of these recordings. After listening twice my impression is that the character of the 1970s DG recording remains, but Esoteric has been able to decrease / eliminate most of the sonic congestion that marred the earlier releases. This opens up the sounds allowing me to better connect emotionally to these performances.

The results are better for the 5th which comes across as more vivid and intense particularly the resplendent brass in the 3rd and 4th movement. The 7th sounds darker to my ears, so the improvement in sound quality is not as good, but I'm still glad to have it.

I paid $51 for this disc. Since it's one of the classics of the gramophone and the performances are top-notch, I found the investment to be worth the expense.

Here is the marketing material:

Classical Masterpiece Collection
The reissue of classical music masterpieces by Esoteric has attracted a lot of attention, both for its uncompromising commitment to recreating the original master sound, and for using hybrid Super Audio CD (SACD) technology to improve sound quality. This series marks the first hybrid SACD release of historical recording selections that have been mainstays of the catalog since their initial release. These new audio versions feature Esoteric's proprietary re-mastering process to achieve the highest level of sound quality.

Experience for Yourself
Experience the legendary performance in this new Super Audio CD/CD format. Not only for new followers, but also for well experienced followers of these recorded materials. All will be equally impressed by the "soul" hidden within the notes, but never before found in previously released recordings in any format.

Esoteric Equipment Used for Re-Mastering
The criterion of re-mastering is to faithfully capture the quality of the original master. Esoteric's flag ship D/A converters, model D-01VU, Rubidium master clock generator model G-0Rb and Esoteric MEXCEL interconnect cables and power cords, were all used for this re-mastering session. This combination of highly advanced technology greatly contributed to capturing the high quality sound of the original master.

[Kal Rubinson]

Originally Posted by bart

I found his Tchaikovsky 6 brilliant though.
Haven't listened to this Mahler.

You might like it. I didn't.

[Toccata]

Whew, this is a stunning recital. His playing ranges from ravishing pianissimos to white-hot volcanic eruptions. Superb sound too (recorded by famed engineer Peter McGrath), which practically places him in one's living room. The second image is from the DVD...the CD image on Amazon only shows the front cover.

[Toccata]

I received this 2-LP set today. It was the standard for a long time. Maybe not the last word in emotive playing, but his clarity and perfection are astounding.

[bart]

Kalevi Aho - Trombone Concerto - Trumpet Concerto
Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins
Jörgen Van Rijen, trombone
Alain De Rudder, trumpet
Qobuz 24/96




First listen, and very nice works!
I knew the Clarinet Concerto already from Aho, and these are equally interesting pieces.