What are you listening to? (Vol VII)

Originally posted by Doug:

Claude-this all depends how interested you are in Schubert and lieder, in particular.  This is a huge collection - 21 cd's.  On the box, you mostly see the three song cycles highlighted but this only accounts for 3 of the discs - D795, D911 and D957.  The remaining lieder probably number close to nearly 1000.  These are the lieder of course that most suitably can be sung by a baritone.  It's a musical investment for me.  These days though it isn't much of a financial investment - very affordably, at least compared to the cost of this amount of music would have been several years ago.

Many gems to be found here but you better like lieder to get your money's worth, I guess.  One shortcoming is that this comes with only a listing of the pieces and no program notes.  The lyrics and translations can be had online but I still like to read informative program notes.  I guess this is the tradeoff for getting more music.  After-all, I can probably be resourceful and find other sources of info.
Doug

Thanks Doug, very informative response.

I like reading the lyrics too, and while they can be found on the web as you point out, it's a combersome process. May I ask what you think of Fischer-Deskau's interpretation overall? (With 1,000 lieder one cannot expect that everything is top, I'm sure)

Claude

Jack Johnson "Sleep Through The Static"

Some good stuff posted here over the last few days, wish I could comment a little more but I guess we will have to wait for the quote function to work.

EJ,

With names like Alexander Pavlovsky , Sergei Bresler and Kyril Zlotnikov you would think that they were the Moscow and not the Jerusalem Quartet...

This is the only disc I have of them and here they are playing those late quartets of Haydn with a nice combination of young energy and a delicacy the music requires. 
I enjoy them a lot.

Haim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lga0p6gFoco 

Strawbs

On CD:-

Some good sophisticated, tasteful choices of music being played on the forum today......
So I'll change that!

Howard, am surprised the PC software didn't censor the cover and turned it into the boring American version ... just kiddin' ... nothing wrong with a titillating cover and the music is great too.

Bon Jovi. Really???

If you don't stop that immediately I'll raise you a Van Halen.   ;-)

Flettster, thanks for the Black Dub heads up, love it. Big Daniel Lanois fan and didn't even know about this.

Angus & Julia Stone - EP compilation (all their eps on one disc/file)

disc 1

Originally posted by Doug:

Claude-this all depends how interested you are in Schubert and lieder, in particular.  This is a huge collection - 21 cd's.  On the box, you mostly see the three song cycles highlighted but this only accounts for 3 of the discs - D795, D911 and D957.  The remaining lieder probably number close to nearly 1000.  These are the lieder of course that most suitably can be sung by a baritone.  It's a musical investment for me.  These days though it isn't much of a financial investment - very affordably, at least compared to the cost of this amount of music would have been several years ago.

Many gems to be found here but you better like lieder to get your money's worth, I guess.  One shortcoming is that this comes with only a listing of the pieces and no program notes.  The lyrics and translations can be had online but I still like to read informative program notes.  I guess this is the tradeoff for getting more music.  After-all, I can probably be resourceful and find other sources of info.
Doug

Thanks Doug, very informative response.

I like reading the lyrics too, and while they can be found on the web as you point out, it's a combersome process. May I ask what you think of Fischer-Deskau's interpretation overall? (With 1,000 lieder one cannot expect that everything is top, I'm sure)

Claude

Claude, I should say right off that the Fischer-Dieskau set for me was not intended to be my one and only set.  I don't mind Fischer-Dieskau but in general, he seems to convey a certain detached emotion which I don't always care for.  Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't.  It depends on the mood I'm in and maybe what I might think is the intention of the piece.  For instance, today I might prefer a Padmore/Lewis Winterreise to the Fischer-Dieskau/Moore.  Overall though, I still want Fischer-Dieskau in my library and to be familiar with and know his interpretations.  Recorded sound quality is excellent.

As EJ pointed out earlier, their is the Hyperion set and this has been on my Wishlist for some time.  Within the next year I will likely be getting this one too.  With thousands of lieder to contend with I don't think it is realistic to relate to them all.  For me personally, I really favour the dark ones filled with gut-wrenching despair, desolation and tragedy.  These ones also tend to have the most interesting or dramatic piano scoring.  This is the emotion I find most true and fitting from Schubert.  It really irks me when he tries to shine some sunlight on the matter and suggest that their may be hope lying somewhere around the bend somewhere.  Ah, but that's just me 

As important and informative the lyrics and program notes are I find that about half the time I like to just listen and use my intuition to let the music inform me as to what is going on.  While many would disagree, Franz Liszt was a master at understanding the emotion or heart of the music and bringing that to us through many of his piano transcriptions.  And because I don't always have a singer handy this allows me to enjoy some of this music on the piano alone.

So to answer the question, I am enjoying the Fischer-Dieskau.  It is very good and is a strong representative of a certain style.  If the Hyperion Schubert edition was not so expensive I may have sprung for that one first though because it has a better, more complete package.

Doug

My original vinyl still sounding good...

Cheers
Flettster


Hi Flettster
I never heard of this one.
Nice picture...
What about music value...?

Cheers
Christophe

I am not familiar with the music either. The text on the top right says:

"I am asleep, my heart is awake..
Among the sea waves 
Inside me, the flame burns"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...eature=related 

 
Haim

Tori Amos "The Beekeeper"

Will Owsley - Owsley