Music for the atonally challenged

This glorious masterpiece by Schoenberg will NOT hurt your ears!

ENJOY!

Lyric Symphony inspires Alban Berg

Alban Berg was so impressed by this work that he took a theme from one of the movements and incorporated it into his "Lyric Suite".

Alexander von Zemlinsky

Alexander von Zemlinsky was a colleague of Gustav Mahler and one of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's teachers. This work is a three movement tone poem and a splendid tonal seascape.

Discover and enjoy!

The Mahler Third

This clip is the latter half of the third movement from Mahler's Third Symphony....this is one of my favourite movements that he ever wrote. Great fun!

And still another Mahler favourite

Another Mahler favourite

Favourites from Mahler's "Des Knaben Wunderhorn"

Happy belated Birthday Herr Mahler!

It has been so hot recently and I also forgot this past Wednesday to post a commemoration on the 150th birthday of one of my very favourite composers of all time...Gustav Mahler!

Des Knaben Wunderhorn

The other day I bought the complete Symphonies of Gustav Mahler conducted by Riccardo Chailly at the unbelievable price of $48.45! Quite extraordinary recordings as in all my years of loving these masterpieces, I have never heard them so sonically spectacular! Decca must be very proud of these performances. I have known Mahler's Symphonies for over fourty years and have heard many a conductor's recording. You name it, I've probably heard it. My favorite conductors include Tennstedt, Bernstein, Haitink, Sinopoli and more recently Boulez. Now I can include Chailly! I also bought "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" recorded on Decca with Chailly and Barbara Bonney and Matthias Goerne. Best recording ever....just don't throw away the Bernstein/Ludwig/Berry performance as it is also quite excellent! Overall the sound quality and interpretations are superior to most versions currently available.

However as regards the Third Symphony Chailly does NOT displace the Boulez recording which is totally beyond reproach.

My goodness....I think I've finally become a Mahler fanatic!

Civilized music at it's finest!

Until recently I have never appreciated Faure's music. I'm still NOT a fan of his Requiem and his orchestral music is boring, to say the least. That all changes when I approach his chamber music! The man was a genius and this is most evident in his Quartets(2) and Quintets(2) for piano and strings...glorious and immensely civilized!

A "Das Lied von der Erde" for me..... finally!

In a previous post I had mentioned that I purchased a chamber version of Mahler's masterpiece. The recording was made by Harmonia Mundi and features Phillippe Herreweghe conducting the Ensemble Musique Oblique with Birgit Remmert and Hans Peter Blochwitz. In all the 35 years I have known this work, I've finally found a recording that pleases me! Especially Mr. Blochwitz's(tenor) performance, as no singer on any recording has ever satisfied me. This version and recording is simply the best I have ever heard by anyone and in my opinion, one of the best Mahler recordings EVER!

The recording is on YouTube but I am unable to post this on my blog! Please investigate and discover the revealed treasures in this version!

The Song of the Earth

Having recently purchased a recording of Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde" in the chamber version made by Schoenberg/Riehn, I have discovered that I now prefer it to the full orchestral version. It would seem that in the chamber version the music and words seem to benefit from clearer textures that the orchestral version, with it's scoring for a large ensemble, simply "blur".

Discover and Enjoy!

Do you love Beauty?

Mahler's "Rueckert Lieder" includes this marvelously wonderful "Lied"(song) call "Liebst du um Schoenheit?"(Do you love Beauty?). The song is one of Mahler's most memorable and beautiful!

A Chamber Music favorite

This piano Quintet was written by Erno Dohnanyi and it has always been one of my favorite Quintets for Piano and Strings!

ENJOY!

Mahler in Warsaw!

The Naxos recording of the monumental Eighth Symphony by Herr Mahler is an absolute MUST hear! It is the best I have ever heard in the 40 years I have known and loved this work! The recording lets you hear every sound and voice as clearly as if you were there. There are moments in this recording where I can truthfully say I have NEVER heard, in any other performance, everything the Master put into his masterpiece. Kudos and bravos to Naxos and to one of the greatest conductors of our time: Antoni Wit. Another outstanding recording conducted by Maestro Wit is Penderecki's Seventh Symphony on the Naxos label. This one will blow you away.....sonically unbelievable!! I have always admired Maestro Wit, especially for his recording of Bedrich Smetana's "Ma Vlast". This is the only recording that EVER satisfied me, and I have heard them all! Naxos is to be praised for their determination to bring to the world the best artists and their recorded performances!

Finally a Mahler third!

I have never liked Mahler's Symphony no. 3 mostly due to lousy interpretations and/or recordings. I recently bought a used copy of Pierre Boulez conducting this great masterpiece with the great Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, on the Deutsche Grammophon label. Absolutely awesome recording and flawless interpretation!! Now I have rekindled a long overdue(over 35 years) love for this work. Bravo Maestro!

Mahler rocks!!

Autumnal dreams

This movement from "Das Lied von der Erde" has always hypnotized me! This is immortal music from Herr Mahler. I have heard many a singer sing this(Janet Baker, Christa Ludwig...etc), however Jessye Norman's is the finest rendition ever(in my opinion).

Listen and enjoy this heavenly music!

Early American master

Arthur Foote is a tragically neglected composer who wrote quite marvelous music especially in the field of the chamber music repertoire. Some of his music can be found on the NAXOS label and I heartily recommend every recording.

DISCOVER AND ENJOY!

You don't like Mahler?.......shame on you!

What can I say? Not much except that I truly do believe that the Master did compose galaxies and universes! This is a GREAT performance....Bernstein doing what he did best! Truly marvelous!

Don't like Mahler?.....shame....shame....SHAME!