[Christer]

I remember one year when I was living in Calgary, we didn't see a single flake of snow until literally the second day of spring. From that point on it snowed once a week until the Victoria Day weekend. Went out rollerblading and ended up kneedeep in the icy cold Elbow River

Maybe my Geographic memory fails me again, it has been a while, but isn´t Elbow River the one that basically flows through Calgary town?
"Elbow deep" would have been even colder I guess?

Some of my most memorable intentional winter dips were in north Yellowstone River hot springs at -33C and steaming hot water, but only if one sat still in the exactly right spot.
Jasper has got some nice hot springs too.
We used to watch the black bears and grizzlies feed on blueberries on the golden coloured slopes in fall, above one of those from the cosy pool.
But I also remember some very slippery quite snowed over winter conditions in Calgary when I had to engage 4Wheel drive to get up the hill that lead to the long term parking near the Airport, where I used to longterm park my Motorhome while off to Costa Rica or some other warmer place.
So,where do you live know?
Cheers CC

 

[CanadianMaestro]

T-shirt and shorts seriously?

You must have a much better isolated house and better heating than I have. But yes I also remember cold November days in Banff when my girlfriend used to point at Canadians still in shorts whilst she and I were already wearing our downjackets and newly aquired well insulated Canadian winter boots. Still got those and use them regularly.
-15C here today and I am wearing leather boots indoors and again having the two fireplaces going in both downstairs rooms, and I am even beginning to consider firing up the old Husqvarna iron stove in the kitchen too.
Problem is it is currently serving as my wine cellar with a big wooden rack stacked with good wines.

Anyway pedalling with leather boots on, at the piano practicing Beethoven´s Pathetique Adagio Cantabile today again, works fine, and made me think of the old days when a more famous Bernstein than the piano teacher Seymour B, Quinto posted ,shocked the conservative members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra by wearing his Cowboy boots at rehearsals of Mahler in the Musikverein.

But he sure "took them for a quite a ride" in his very idiosynchratic sometimes imho maybe at a bit "over the top" interpretations of Mahler´s symphonies.

Although some of the most conservative members are rumoured to have whispered among themselves : "Scheissmusik und Bernstein heult ja immer?
For non German readers loosely translated: "really bad music" and "why is he crying so much"

Much as I like most of Berstein´s recordings and the live concerts I attended at the BBC Proms conducted by him , I have to say that I prefer both Karajan´s and Ivan Fisher´s M5 over Lennies DGG VPO recording of the same work .

Karajan´s almost the opposite of Lennie´s and Fisher´s somewhere in between those two.
Karajan´s BPO with extreme attention to inner detail and balance and ironically imho the best played "Jewish Kletzmer" music of all three.


Karajan once said about Mahler´s music that "it has to be played extremely well otherwise it is at serious risk of sounding banale."

And Bernstein´s advice to his players was basically the opposite.
Provides some interesting and enjoyable listening comparisons indeed.

Finally back OT again In the very North of Sweden, I am at least an 8-10 hours drive south of there ,but -42.8 C was recorded a couple of days ago. The coldest ever recorded winter temp there was over -50C.
Cheers CC

Yes, LB certainly enjoyed milking Mahler's symphonies for emotional weight and tears.
To "counterbalance" all that nectar and hemlock, I enjoy the cycles by Boulez (a very transparent cycle with tons of details revealed by Boulez's forensic approach) and also by Bertini, the latter is very well recorded by EMI.
Karajan's 5th is very good indeed; been a while since I've listened to his M6. Mahler's 6th was his only symphony in classical form. I wish Karajan would have also done the 2nd and 8th -- both have choral parts, and he excelled at vocals (just listen to his Haydn's The Seasons and The Creation, not to mention the Missa Solemnis 1966 with a stellar vocal cast incl Wunderlich, Janowitz). A pity; lost opportunities are never recovered.

Enjoy the extreme cold, but avoid heavy exercise outdoors, a sure way to get pneumonia!

CM

 

[Mr Trev]

Maybe my Geographic memory fails me again, it has been a while, but isn´t Elbow River the one that basically flows through Calgary town?
"Elbow deep" would have been even colder I guess?

Some of my most memorable intentional winter dips were in north Yellowstone River hot springs at -33C and steaming hot water, but only if one sat still in the exactly right spot.
Jasper has got some nice hot springs too.
We used to watch the black bears and grizzlies feed on blueberries on the golden coloured slopes in fall, above one of those from the cosy pool.
But I also remember some very slippery quite snowed over winter conditions in Calgary when I had to engage 4Wheel drive to get up the hill that lead to the long term parking near the Airport, where I used to longterm park my Motorhome while off to Costa Rica or some other warmer place.
So,where do you live know?
Cheers CC

I'm in Northern Alberta (~500km NE of Edmonton) now. It was -29 this morning. Without the windchill. The best part of living here in the winter is when I order tubes for my amp and the delivery driver leaves them outside my door, I get free cryotreating

 

[Christer]

Yes, LB certainly enjoyed milking Mahler's symphonies for emotional weight and tears.
To "counterbalance" all that nectar and hemlock, I enjoy the cycles by Boulez (a very transparent cycle with tons of details revealed by Boulez's forensic approach) and also by Bertini, the latter is very well recorded by EMI.
Karajan's 5th is very good indeed; been a while since I've listened to his M6. Mahler's 6th was his only symphony in classical form. I wish Karajan would have also done the 2nd and 8th -- both have choral parts, and he excelled at vocals (just listen to his Haydn's The Seasons and The Creation, not to mention the Missa Solemnis 1966 with a stellar vocal cast incl Wunderlich, Janowitz). A pity; lost opportunities are never recovered.

Enjoy the extreme cold, but avoid heavy exercise outdoors, a sure way to get pneumonia!

CM

Completely agree with you there.
I would add Karajan´s mid 60s DGG /BPO Mozart Requiem and Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem to the list as well.
Karajan had some of the World´s very best singers "in his stable" in those days.
But I think he did not have a donkey for his daughters that early?
I was actually looking at some possible longterm rentals in the Salzburg region recently ,before Omicron and new lockdowns resurfaced, and there was actually one available in Anif where Karajan lived.

Cheers CC

 

[CanadianMaestro]

I'm in Northern Alberta (~500km NE of Edmonton) now. It was -29 this morning. Without the windchill. The best part of living here in the winter is when I order tubes for my amp and the delivery driver leaves them outside my door, I get free cryotreating

Does it work? (cryo)
Have always wondered...headscratch.

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Completely agree with you there.

I was actually looking at some possible longterm rentals in the Salzburg region recently ,before Omicron and new lockdowns resurfaced, and there was actually one available in Anif where Karajan lived.

Cheers CC

Nice, go for it!! Take lotsa photos.
cheers
CM

 

[Luis Mad]

A sea symphony - R. Vaughan Williams - Dir. Adrian Leaper​

 

[Light - Man]

Does it work? (cryo)
Have always wondered...headscratch.

Indeed!

And something to help warm up the cockles of one's soul during this chilly time of year!

Lea Desandre sings Pallavicino: L’Antiope: Act III, Final Scene: “Vieni, corri, volami in braccio”



Lea Desandre sings as Antiope in the world premiere recording of this floating aria, "Vieni, corri, volami in braccio" ("come, run, fly into my arms"), by 17th-century composer Pallavicino. Discover more on her album Amazone, with Thomas Dunford and the ensemble Jupiter: https://w.lnk.to/aldLY

The program draws inspiration from the great female warriors of myth, viewed through the lens of Baroque composers. Mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre explores the fascinating ways that composers treat their Amazonian characters, particularly interesting figures in that they embody a "male/female" duality. The recordings feature three special guests: Cecilia Bartoli and Véronique Gens appear in separate duets with Lea, and William Christie features on harpsichord in a piece by Couperin. Video: Au Jour le Jour #ClassicalMusic #BaroqueMusic

 

[CanadianMaestro]

^ tsk tsk LM, where did you find that video of me tending to my noggin hairs?

 

[Christer]

Nice, go for it!! Take lotsa photos.
cheers

Indeed!

And something to help warm up the cockles of one's soul during this chilly time of year!

Lea Desandre sings Pallavicino: L’Antiope: Act III, Final Scene: “Vieni, corri, volami in braccio”



Lea Desandre sings as Antiope in the world premiere recording of this floating aria, "Vieni, corri, volami in braccio" ("come, run, fly into my arms"), by 17th-century composer Pallavicino. Discover more on her album Amazone, with Thomas Dunford and the ensemble Jupiter: https://w.lnk.to/aldLY

The program draws inspiration from the great female warriors of myth, viewed through the lens of Baroque composers. Mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre explores the fascinating ways that composers treat their Amazonian characters, particularly interesting figures in that they embody a "male/female" duality. The recordings feature three special guests: Cecilia Bartoli and Véronique Gens appear in separate duets with Lea, and William Christie features on harpsichord in a piece by Couperin. Video: Au Jour le Jour #ClassicalMusic #BaroqueMusic

You naughty boy!
That covershot just after the music stops ....

But this TRULY wonderful music also has me scratching my head a bit, it sounds VERY similar to an aria in my favourite Baroque Opera, Handel´s early Opera Agrippina!
I wonder who did the actual stealing here. Handel or Pallavicino?
Maybe CM knows?

I am sure it was NOT the maqaque monkey, although I have had some nasty personal experiences with some of his relatives, and even had a travel guest who was bitten by one in India on a Tour there.
They are NOT to be trusted!
Trust me I know.
This "fella" is from the Indonesian Island Sulawesi, but they are all the same.
Cheers CC

 

[Christer]

^ tsk tsk LM, where did you find that video of me tending to my noggin hairs?

Oh it is a shot I took in Sulawesi,
Just joking, not mine.

But as always from our Light -Man, spot on.
I do not know where he keeps finding these treasures .

There is another funny shot of one of those thieves "which/who" stole the camera from a photographer and took a selfie!
The debate on a photo site was who actually owns the copyrights to that shot?
The thief or the camera owner?
Cheers CC

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Oh it is a shot I took in Sulawesi,
Just joking, not mine.

But as always from our Light -Man, spot on.
I do not know where he keeps finding these treasures .

There is another funny shot of one of those thieves "which/who" stole the camera from a photographer and took a selfie!
The debate on a photo site was who actually owns the copyrights to that shot?
The thief or the camera owner?
Cheers CC

Remember, we evolved from those critters.

 

[Luis Mad]

10 Popular Mozart Pieces You Should Know - by world's greatest orchestras | wocomoMUSIC​

0:00 Le Nozze di Figaro, K. 492: Overture (The Marriage of Figaro) Orchestre de Paris, Thomas Hengelbrock
4:28 Don Giovanni, K. 527: Overture Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Manfred Honeck
10:14 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525 Gewandhaus Quartett
15:34 Die Zauberflöte, K. 620: Papageno and Papagena duet Thomas Quasthoff, Sylvia Schwartz with Staatskapelle Berlin, Julien Salemkour
18:01 Piano Concerto K 503, No. 25: III. Allegro David Fray, Philharmonia Orchestra, Jaap van Zweden
29:47 Symphony No. 29, K. 201: I. Allegro moderato Claudio Abbado, Berlinerk Philharmoniker
33:35 Symphony No. 25, K. 183: I. Allegro con brio Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, Gábor Takács-Nagy
36:20 Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466: II. Romance Ivan Klánský, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Jiří Bělohlávek
45:01 Symphony No. 40, K. 550: I. Molto Allegro Staatskapelle Berlin, Julien Salemkour
52:01 Piano Sonata No. 11: Rondo alla turca Margaret Leng Tan

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Not really into tenors that much (prefer sopranos), but I gotta admit, this album is a gem: Fritz Wunderlich
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8169174--fritz-wunderlich-the-50-greatest-tracks

 

[Christer]

Not really into tenors that much (prefer sopranos), but I gotta admit, this album is a gem: Fritz Wunderlich
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8169174--fritz-wunderlich-the-50-greatest-tracks

I have got several of those recordings in full and one of my absolute favourites is his Pamino and "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd Schön", from Mozart´s Die Zauberflöte
For non German readers again it reads roughly as: "This little portait is bewitchingly beautiful."

Not something I would say about the Sulawesi maqaque portrait Light -Man posted!

But that DGG/Böhm recording which I have both as original LPs boxed set ,and as hi res download, is the one I like most of all recordings of that amazing Opera.Much better than the Karajan first ever DGG digital release on the same label, imho. Fritz Wunderlich also recorded some really impressive Schubert Lieders for DGG in the early to mid 60s.
Cheers CC