[scottder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears Scottie, You've got to go to Fenway at least once in your life! I'm a yankee fan and even I have gone there. It's an historic venue!

Maybe I'll take my son when he's older. and there are always Paw Sox games locally

 

[JayG]

*Warning* What follows is a shamelessly off-topic post *Warning*

Randy Johnson doesn't have much time left, I'm convinced. I think it was a mistake for the Yankees to sign him, just like I think it was a big mistake to sign ARod with the deal they made. But since I hate the Yankees, I guess I should be happy. I enjoyed the ALCS last season. And yes, I'm still bitter about the perfect game the Big Unit threw against my Braves.

But...Smoltz, Hudson, Hampton, Thompson, Ramirez. No complaints here. I can't wait.

-Jay

 

[Bunnyears]

~Off Topic Warning~

The Braves? If they try to get anywhere, the Mets are there to stop them!

And where you are, all that's in the way is Tampa Bay, and that's a town that roots more for the Yankees than TB.

The Big Unit is still The Man. His knee is not a problem, and his arm and shoulder are still prime. A-Rod is a clean player -- no steroid use even whispered about.

The Yankees have been going through a period of reorganization. I think they will be the team to beat this year.

Be warned: THE EVIL EMPIRE IS STRIKING BACK!
Muuhahahahaha

 

[scottder]

Hey, there is an area for the off topic stuff ya know....geez bad enough you sprorts people preempt TV shows...not Head-Fi threads too!!!

Scott

 

[Bunnyears]

Sorry Scott! but wait till your little boy is as passionate about the Sox as you are about music. Then you'll know what true madness is.

 

[daycart1]

I'll edge this back toward the track by noting that those who love the Rach concertos should try the Scriabin. It is very much in the style of the Rach 1 and 4. A reliable perfomance/recording is, as ususal, Askenazy/Decca.

 

[scottder]

Yesterday I picked up the Van Cliburn SAC with the Rach 2nd and Tchaikovsky 1st. Wil be spinning it up today.

Scott

 

[DarkAngel]

Zinman/Ozawa/DG 1,2
This is a great performance no doubt, goes right to the top 4-5 available PC2, Tyson has a real winner here. Spirited perfromance in the general style of Richter, powerful virtuoso playing by Zinman and Ozawa surprisingly does a good job keeping up his end. Only tiny critique I will make is that DG sound is slightly opaque in orchestral passages compared to best available.

Rubenstein/RCA Red Seal 2, Pagnini
Why in gods green earth did I get this, this is average at best and should not be purchased. Several "informed" persons at Good Music Forum recommend this, why???? The 1956 remastered RCA sound is actually better than new Zinman, but all downhill from there. Rubenstein as you would guess takes the Van Cliburn approach but is in all respects inferior, VC is more fluent and poetic with dramtic flair when required. The same conductor Reiner/CSO appears in both but performance is much better overall in the VC disc.

 

[Tyson]

Rubinstein is too fastidious to do Rachmaninov well. I shoulda warned you . . .

 

[Bunnyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel Rubenstein/RCA Red Seal 2, Pagnini Why in gods green earth did I get this, this is average at best and should not be purchased. Several "informed" persons at Good Music Forum recommend this, why???? The 1956 remastered RCA sound is actually better than new Zinman, but all downhill from there. Rubenstein as you would guess takes the Van Cliburn approach but is in all respects inferior, VC is more fluent and poetic with dramtic flair when required. The same conductor Reiner/CSO appears in both but performance is much better overall in the VC disc.

Rubinstein approached Rachmaninoff the same way he approached Chopin, looking for the most "melodious," "singing" line, and it just didn't work. Rachmaninoff has to be recognized as more dramatic than lyrical, but the Rubinstein is a good example of how American ears were hearing Rachmaninoff until Van Cliburn burst onto the scene. I still remember how radical it seemed that an American could interpret Rachmaninoff in "Russian style." He bombed on his live performance on tv (probably jet lagged), but his subsequent recordings of the Russians are excellent.

 

[Bunnyears]

This is just a quick post because I don't have time to write more right now, but last night I heard the SFSO at Carnegie hall doing the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in Cminor, Opus 18 (1901), and it was a different but stunning version from what I am used to. It was less sentimental but no less powerful and there were standing ovations and encores, so you can guess that we were one happy audience. Tonight they are doing the Mahler 7 which MTT recorded with the LSO to universal acclaim, so I have high hopes for tonight as well. By the weekend I should have more time to get my thoughts together about all this and make sense of the notes I made after the performance.

Btw, there were two encores, one by Andsnes who played Jánek's In the Mists and for the other the SFSO did Stravinsky's Scherzo à la Russe. The Stravinsky is a wonderful short piece and now I am looking for a good recording of it.

On the bill were Copland's Orchestral Variations (nice to see American works included with Europeans rather than relegated to "American works only" performances) and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 15 in A major, Opus 141 (1971).

The Shostakovich, which is amazingly lighthearted was performed beautifully and yet so many left the hall at the intermission that it did not get the attention it deserved. I wouldn't have imagined that so many people would leave if I hadn't seen it myself. What a pity, because it was a really beautiful performance of a work that should get more attention.

 

[Tyson]

Bunny, sounds great, I think Andsnes is going to be this generation's maestro at the piano. Hopefully he'll start recording even more so those of us not able to see him live can get some piano goodness.

As for the shostakovich, it doesn't suprise me at all. Shostakovich is in the same position that Mahler was in about 30 years ago. The public at large has not embraced him, but there is a small (and rapidly growing) vociforous group of hardcore fans. I predict that in the next 10 or 15 years that Shostakovich will be as popular as Mahler.

 

[Bunnyears]

Tyson,

I sincerely hope you are correct. To see all of the empty seats in the hall was very upsetting. I cannot imagine what the orchestra thought of the usually so sophisticated New Yorkers.

As for Andsnes, he goes on to perform the same concerto in Baltimore and in other venues with other orchestras. He has a recording of the Rach 3, but I don't know much about it yet. He also is famous for his Mozart and Schubert recordings. Personally, I am much more attracted to his style of playing than perhaps Lang Lang who although loaded with talent, often overplays and produces what I consider gimmicky playing. For dramatic Rach I think Zimermann is the way to go. For cerebral fire I think Andsnes is going to be showing the way. Btw, he is also on the Boulez Bartok disc along with Zimermann and Helène Grimaud. Although I find Boulez to be very inimicable, the three pianists he chose are really beyond reproach (especially Grimaud in the 3rd concerto which is the best piece in the recording).

 

[snowy]

i'm learning to play Rach 3... as for the matter of me actually being able to play with a full orchestra is another question..

 

[Bunnyears]

Snowy,

You have my very deep admiration. That is not an easy piece of music to learn and if you can actually master it I am sure that an orchestra will be found for you.