MUSSORGSKY, Modest (1839-1881)
Night on Bald Mountain (Orch. by Rimsky-Korsakov)
Colin Davis, Concertgebouw + S:Firebird Philips 434731
Fiedler, Boston Pops + Dukas + S-Saens + Etc DG 413689
Solti, London Sym. + other Russian Decca or London 417689
Pictures at an Exhibition
Solti, Chicago Sym. + Rehearsals (LD) Sony SLV 46373
+ Prokofiev: Sym.1 + T.: 1812 (CD) Decca or London 430446
Janis (Piano) + Dorati (Orch.) Mercury 434346
Byron Janis played the original piano version while Solti
and Dorati conducted the orchestral version by Ravel. Dorati's
performance was spoiled by Northrop Auditorium horrible acoustics
and is only here because of Janis. Solti is excellent on CD and
even better on video, where he presents the work in detail during
rehearsals.
MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)
Concerto No.20 in d for Piano and Orchestra, K.466
Anda, Vienna Sym. + Con. 21 RCA 60484
Barenboim, Berlin Phil. + Con. 21 Teldec 75710
Brendel, Marriner, ASMF + Con. 24 Philips 420867
Rubinstein, Wallenstein, RCA Orch. + Con. 21 RCA 7967
Barenboim and Rubinstein play Beethoven's cadenzas for 1st
and 3rd movements whereas Anda and Brendel play their own.
Rubinstein's is the oldest recording and has the best sound.
Concerto No.21 in C for Piano and Orchestra, K.467
Anda, Vienna Sym. + Con. 20 RCA 60484
Barenboim, Berlin Phil. + Con. 20 Teldec 75710
Rubinstein, Wallenstein, RCA Orch. + Con. 20 RCA 7967
Deutsche Grammophon made a lot of money when the 2nd.
movement of this Concerto, played and conducted by Geza Anda, was
used as soundtrack for Elvira Madigan movie. He latter recorded it
again for RCA, together with No.20.
Concerto No.24 in c for Piano and Orchestra, K.491
Anda, Salzburg Mozarteum + Con. 20 (LP) DG 2535226
Barenboim, Berlin Phil. + Con. 25 Teldec 75715
Brendel, Marriner, ASMF + Con. 20 Philips 420867
Rubinstein, Krips, RCA Orch. + Con. 23 RCA 7968
Anda composed a short and beautiful cadenza for this work
and his recording is my preferred, but DG made us a "favor" only
releasing on CD as part of a 10 Discs box with all Concertos. Pigs!
Concerto No.3 in G for Violin and Orchestra, K.216
Francescatti, Walter, Columbia Orch. + Con. 4 (LP) MS 6063
Mutter, Karajan, Berlin Phil. + Con. 5 DG 429814
Schneiderhan, Berlin Phil + Con. 4 + Con. 5 DG 429159
Another "favor", this time from Sony that instead of this
historical recording, showing Francescatti and Walter at its best,
produced a fruit salad of conductors and spoiled a CD.
Concerto No.4 in D for Violin and Orchestra, K.218
Francescatti, Walter, Columbia Orch. + Con. 3 (LP) MS 6063
Schneiderhan, Berlin Phil. + Con. 3 + Con. 5 DG 429159
Ditto!
Concerto No.5 in A for Violin and Orchestra, K.219
Mutter, Karajan, Berlin Phil. + Con. 3 DG 429814
Schneiderhan, Berlin Phil. + Con. 3 + Con. 4 DG 429159
Schneiderhan is better and is the best buy, but Mutter is
near.
Don Giovanni - Opera K.527
Raimondi, Moser, Riegel, Kanawa, Berganza, van Dam, others
Maazel, Paris Opera 2 (LD) Pioneer PC-94-029
3 CDs CBS 35192
Excerpts of above CBS 35859
Ramey, T-Sintow, Winbergh, Varady, Battle, Furlanetto, oth.
Karajan, Vienna Phil. 2 (LD) Sony S2LV 46383
3 CDs DG 419179
Excerpts of above DG 419635
Joseph Losey directed a film, in 1979, where the stars are
the singers in Maazel recording for CBS, an idea that later
inspired Francesco Rosi to do the same with Carmen. Karajan, in
1987, conducted this Opera in the Salzburg Festpielhaus and
Telemondial (his video company) recorded sound and images from the
event. Losey is better to the eyes, Karajan is better to the ears
and LD companies sent both to limbo.
Magic Flute - Opera K.620
Oelze, Schade, Sieden, Peeters, Finley, Roth, others
Gardiner, EBS & MC 2 (LD) Archiv DG 072547
Lorengar, Burrows, Deutekom, Talvela, Prey, F-Dieskau, oth.
Solti, Vienna Phil. 3 CDs Decca or London 414568
Janowitz, Gedda, Popp, Frick, Berry, Crass, others
Klemperer, Philharmonia 2 CDs EMI 555173
For 25 years the Decca recording conducted by Solti was the
only one I used to hear this work complete. The other, by
Klemperer, was only used for highlights, and that fate came as a
natural consequence of his mistaken decision of cutting all
dialogues. Stuart Burrows gave to Tamino the best incarnation I
ever heard, the cast is excellent and Solti, as usual in his opera
recordings, conducted this forces brilliantly.
Klemperer, with this recording, brought to a world wide
audience the most beautiful female voice - Lucia Popp. Her Queen of
the Night is one of the great moments in the history of recorded
sound, her enduring and successful career a proof that it was not
the only one.
Since 1996, I have in Gardiner's video an alternative to
Solti's sound recording. I never took Gardiner seriously before
because authentic instrumentation is a foolishness that I never
accepted, but in opera the most important instruments are human
voices and this is the only kind of authenticity I appreciate.
Gardiner proved to be a competent opera producer, choose an
excellent cast of new singers and his semi-staging is a joy. Gerald
Finley, in the role of Papageno, shines as a singer, actor and as a
bonus even plays the glockenspiel.
Musical Joke, K.522
Amadeus Qr., Seifert, Klier + Ser. K.525 DG 400065
Marriner, ASMF + Div. K.136 + Ser. K.525 Philips 412269
Hilarious! Indispensable!
Overtures (Abduction, Figaro, Cosi, Magic Flute, Etc.)
Marriner, ASMF Angel 747014
The Overtures to Abduction from the Seraglio and The
Marriage of Figaro are indispensable music to any collection.
Requiem, K.626
R.F. de Burgos, Philharmonia EMI CFP 4399
Mathis, Bumbry, Shirley, Rintzler
Giulini, Philharmonia Sony 45577
Dawson, van Nes, Lewis, Estes
Karajan, Vienna Phil. (LD) Sony SLV 46384
T-Sintow, Molinari, Cole, Burchuladze DG 4XXXXX
Three great recordings of Mozart's last work.
Serenade in G, K.525 "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"
Bohm, Vienna Phil. + Ser. K.239 + Etc. DG 415309
Marriner, ASMF + Musical Joke + Div. K.136 Philips 412269
Marriner's disc has also the hilarious Musical Joke, Bohm's
has also the Serenata Notturna.
Symphony No.25 in g K.183
Harnoncourt, Concertgebouw Orch. + Sym.40 Teldec 842935
Marriner, ASMF + Sym.24,26,27,32 Angel EMI 749176
The first movement of this symphony opens the soundtrack
for Amadeus movie. It is his first symphony in a minor key.
Symphony No.35 in D, K.385, "Haffner"
Karajan, Berlin Phil. + Sym.40,41 Angel EMI 769012
Karajan, Berlin Phil. + Sym.29,36 EMI 566098
Krips, Concertgebouw Orch. + Sym.41 (LP) Philips 6500429
Marriner, ASMF + Sym.41 EMI 747466
Symphony No.39 in Eb, K.543
Kertesz, Vienna Phil. + Sym.33 (LP) London STS 15274
Karajan, Berlin Phil. + Sym.38 + Rehearsals EMI 566099
Symphony No.40 in g K.550
Harnoncourt, Concertgebouw Orch. + Sym.25 Teldec 842935
Karajan, Berlin Phil. + Sym.35,41 EMI 769012
Karajan, Berlin Phil. + Sym.41 + Rehearsals EMI 566100
Symphony No.41 in C K.551
Karajan, Berlin Phil. + Sym.35,40 EMI 769012
Karajan, Berlin Phil. + Sym.40 + Rehearsals EMI 566100
Krips, Concertgebouw Orch. + Sym.35 (LP) Philips 6500429
Marriner, ASMF + Sym.35 EMI 747466
Harnoncourt made excellent digital recordings of Mozart
Symphonies with Concertgebouw Orchestra for Teldec, but latter
adopted authenticity religion and recorded it again for the same
label with chamber orchestras and the result was a deception, in
artistic and engineering aspects.
Karajan made also a successful recording of the last
Symphonies for EMI in the Jesus Christus Kirche, including some
rehearsals, and latter did it again in the dry Philharmonie for DG
not so successful, and died before having a chance to do it again
in the only good place in Berlin - The Schauspielhaus.
Marriner recorded them for Philips and latter in digital
equipment for EMI, with equally successful results.
For the gallery of engineering disasters there is the
digital recording of Symphonies 40 and 41 with James Levine and
Chicago Symphony made by RCA and released as RCD1-4413, and latter
as 61397 and also as "Basic 100 Volume 11". It is an atrocity to
the ears, the sound is so ugly that it is hard to describe, it
seems to be recorded in a desert with telephone equipment.
MENDELSSOHN, Felix (1809-1847)
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in e, Op. 64
Heifetz, Munch, Boston Sym. + Tchaikovsky V.C. RCA 5933
Milstein, Abbado, Vienna Phil. + Tchaikovsky V.C. DG 419067
During the last forty years, to include any other is an
offence to these two giants of the violin.
In this Concerto, Mendelssohn moved the cadenza to the
middle of first movement, an idea adopted latter by Tchaikovsky.
Overtures (Midsummer, Hebrides, Ruy Blas, Etc.)
Colin Davis, Boston Sym. (Midsummer) + Sym.4 Philips 420653
Bernstein, New York Phil. (Ruy Blas) + Sym.3,5 Sony 47591
Karajan, Berlin Phil. (Hebrides) + Sym.3,4 DG 449743
Karajan, Berlin Phil. (Hebrides) + other wks. Angel 764629
Symphony No.3 in a, Op. 56, "Scottish"
Karajan, Berlin Phil. + Sym.4 + Hebrides DG 449743
Sandor, Philharmonia + Sym.4 LaserLight 15822
Sandor received demonstration quality digital sound, and
Karajan offers a beautiful Hebrides (Fingal's Cave) Overture.
Symphony No.4 in A, Op. 90, "Italian"
Colin Davis, Boston Sym. + Midsummer Philips 420653
Sandor, Philharmonia + Sym.3 LaserLight 15822
Davis plays the exposition repeat in the 1st movement, plus
Midsummer Overture and excerpts; Sandor conducts also the
"Scottish" Symphony.
MAHLER, Gustav (1860-1911)
Symphony No.2 in c "Resurrection"
Bernstein, London Sym. (LD) DG 072200
Armstrong, Baker + Sym.1 2 CDs Sony 47573
Haitink, Concertgebouw 2 CDs Philips 420234
Ameling, Heynis
This is the only work by Mahler that I consider worth
listening, and these two recordings are my favourite.
In the last years record stores has been overflowed by
dozens of Mahler recordings in detriment of really important works.
Most of his music is morbid, negative, and sometimes grotesque, so
it is easy to understand the current crisis in the classical music
market, with such kind of investment by the record companies.
© Copyright 1998 Amilcar Schiappe Pereira End of section M