quote:

Originally posted by sjust:

quote:

Originally posted by Cosmoliu:
I have Julia Fischer's well reviewed Unaccompanied Violin Sonatas and Partitas on order and look forward to seeing how it compares with my other half dozen or so versions.

Norman

Norman,
my (personally signed... druel...) copy of her partitas and sonatas are high ranking in MY list of versions. Amongst the rising (and falling) violin stars, my hope is that she'll stay for a little longer. Very serious woman...

cheers
Stefan

Stefan,

My copy just arrived: Wow, this young woman can really play that fiddle! Burned through the third Partita's Preludio like there's no tomorrow. Hard to say, but if Viktoria Mullova's Partitas remain my favorite rendition, it won't be by much. I was reading in the liner notes about how she picked up the piano arrangement of the Chaconne by Busoni to explore the music in a different way. I remember reading an interview in Strings Magazine where she said she thinks it is necessary for a serious violinist to be accomplished on the piano. Multitalented and multifaceted as well.

My first Pentatone Classics recording: great sonics. I need to check out more releases on this label.

Norman

And the SACD layer is even better, about the first time I have ever actually thought I could hear a significant difference. The SACD layer has more hall ambience information, a more "woody" sound to the violin's resonant cavity, and a general decrease in digital hash. There may be something to SACD after all, if the medium survives. By the continued releases in the format, as opposed to the essentially dead DVD-A, particularly in classical music, maybe it actually will.

Norman

My first three recordings have arrved from Amazon:

Trevor Pinnock's Brandenburg Concertos
Victoria Mullova's Concertos and Partitas
Angela Hewitt's Goldberg Variations

I have listened to some of each and all are really enjoyable; I paricularly like the Goldbergs. I fell asleep during the Partitas, but that was because it was too late at night rather than any reflection on the playing!

Thanks to all for the recommendations - and I've still got a couple more to come, including the Fischer and Meyer recordings.

Nigel

Dear Nigel!

Fantastic! Beware that if you listen to and study Bach for a very long time you might end up just like me! [Low bandwidth smiley]. Fredrik

quote:

Fantastic! Beware that if you listen to and study Bach for a very long time you might end up just like me! [Low bandwidth smiley]. Fredrik

Fredrick

I'm sure there are many worse things that could happen.

Nigel

quote:

Originally posted by Cosmoliu:
And the SACD layer is even better, about the first time I have ever actually thought I could hear a significant difference. The SACD layer has more hall ambience information, a more "woody" sound to the violin's resonant cavity, and a general decrease in digital hash. There may be something to SACD after all, if the medium survives. By the continued releases in the format, as opposed to the essentially dead DVD-A, particularly in classical music, maybe it actually will.

Norman

Phew !
Great you like it, too, Norman. It's always a bit risky to recommend (highly "competitive") music in public, and the person who buys after your recommendation thinks "why the hell..."

Re:sonics / Yes, very natural recording. Actually, the Fischer recording is as much on the "woody" side as it gets for me. ALL other recordings have the emphasis more on the metallic side.

re:SACD - can't judge that.

cheers
Stefan

quote:

Trevor Pinnock's Brandenburg Concertos
Victoria Mullova's Concertos and Partitas
Angela Hewitt's Goldberg Variations

Hmmm, is the music good through SL2s?
Creme de la creme

quote:

Hmmm, is the music good through SL2s?

Nah - they are complete rubbish.

Nigel

quote:

Originally posted by hungryhalibut:
I fell asleep during the Partitas, but that was because it was too late at night rather than any reflection on the playing!
Nigel

Persevere Nigel, persevere ! (See Cosmoliu's earlier advice !) WW.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
Dear Nigel!
Fantastic! Beware that if you listen to and study Bach for a very long time you might end up just like me! [Low bandwidth smiley]. Fredrik

Frederik,
It's interesting to note that all the musicians I know (of shall we say more mature years) often have flirtations with other composers i.e. Mozart, Brahms, but ultimately 'return' to Bach as the master.

There's so much more to Bach than what most people initially hear. It takes a little effort for the riches to unfold, but it's certainly worth it.

quote:

Nah - they are complete rubbish.

Nigel

Dam, I wanted a pair of those...

Still, the Mullova Bach is next on my list (together wit the Hantai Goldberg!, Hewitt Wholtemperierte I&II and L'Archet d'Or Series Three)

quote:

Originally posted by Wugged Woy:

Fredrik,

It's interesting to note that all the musicians I know (of shall we say more mature years) often have flirtations with other composers i.e. Mozart, Brahms, but ultimately 'return' to Bach as the master.

There's so much more to Bach than what most people initially hear. It takes a little effort for the riches to unfold, but it's certainly worth it.

Dear Woy,

There is no end to Bach, at least for us lesser mortals. There are others who are great and sometimes very often, but Bach seems never to make a mistake. The breadth of it is only matched by the depth of it!

And the involvement only grows. It is good that he is not really treated like Shakespeare, being taught to children, or he would be less appreciated, I suspect!

Fredrik

Listening to Haydn's 88th in G. Haydn is my other hero... Actually I had better start again...

quote:

Originally posted by hungryhalibut:
My first three recordings have arrved from Amazon:

Trevor Pinnock's Brandenburg Concertos
Victoria Mullova's Concertos and Partitas
Angela Hewitt's Goldberg Variations

I have listened to some of each and all are really enjoyable; I paricularly like the Goldbergs. I fell asleep during the Partitas, but that was because it was too late at night rather than any reflection on the playing!

Nigel

Nigel,

How have you got on with the Partitas recently ? Love 'em or still turned off ?