HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: grider@IASTATE.EDU
Subject: Any comments on these CDs?
Organization: Iowa State University
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 05:34:14 GMT

Someone is offering me some classical CDs with famous performers, just wonder
anyone has any comments on the performances of these CDs? Will they be worth my
money to get it?

1) Paganini: Violin Concerto No.1 (Maxim Vengerov, violin, Zubin Mehta          
conducting the Israel Philharmonic), TELDEC

2) Brahms: Violin Concerto in D (Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin, with         
Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Edo de Waart), ANGEL

3) Mendelssohn & Brahms: Violin Cencertos (Cho-Liang Lin, violin, with Michael  
Tilson Thomas and Leonard Slatkin, conductors), CBS MASTERWORKS

4) Dvorak: Concerto in B Minor for Cello and Orchestra (Yo-Yo Ma, Cello, with   
Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Lorin Maazel), CBS MASTERWORKS

5) Tchaikovsky & Sibelius: Violin Concertos (Nigel Kennedy, violin, with        
conductors Okko Kamu and Simon Rattle conducting London Philharmonic           
Orchestra and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra respectively), EMI

6) Chopin: Ballades; Barcarolle in F#; Fantasie in F minor (Krystian Zimerman,  
piano), D.GRAMMOPHON

7) Chopin: 4 Scherzi etc. (Maurizo Pollini, piano), D.GRAMMOPHON

8) Liszt: Huagarian Rhapsodies (Nos. 2,3,8,13,15,17), and Csardas obstine       
(Alfred Brendel, piano), VANGUARD



Yuhang
grider@iastate.edu















Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: jfisher@hplabsz.hpl.hp.com (Josh Fisher)
Subject: Re: Tower Records
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1993 02:24:22 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories Palo Alto,CA

One caveat on the Tower sale: yes, books are 30% off, but it's 30% off their
*cover* price.  Tower usually discounts books at least 10% to start with.

-- Josh Fisher
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: chrisi@lloyd.Camex.COM (Chris Ischay)
Subject: Re: Ravel
Organization: Camex Inc., Boston MA
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 06 Jan 1993 10:10:11 EST

In article <C0Ez6I.GBM@ecf.toronto.edu> torenvl@ecf.toronto.edu (TORENVLIET
GERARD LAWRENS) writes:

>I was wondering, is Ravel any good.  

Yes he is.  

>The only piece that I am familiar with is his orchestration of Mussorgsky's
>"Pictures..;" I think it is chaotic and cacophonic and don't like it much
>(the solo piano I do like, very much).  Yet, just because of this bad
>recording, I don't wish to put Ravel permanently out of my collection.

Based on your comment that you prefer the piano to the orchestral version
of Pictures (other things aside), you might prefer Ravel on the piano.
Many of his works exist both ways.  Alicia de Larrocha, whose name I have
only the vaguest idea how to spell, excels.  I am also fond of Pascal Roge.

The string quartet is also beautiful, and it's usually paired on a disk
with Debussy's.  Both wrote only one.  My favorite interpretation is by the
Italian Quartet, now around on Philips mid-price.

Ansermet had an album on London of various Ravel orchestral biggies
(Bolero, Valse, Pavane) that I like a lot.

Chris Ischay
chrisi@camex.com

Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: dbarker@spang.Camosun.BC.CA (Deryk Barker)
Subject: Re: Favourite Organ Work Survey
Organization: Camosun College, Victoria B.C, Canada
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 03:50:37 GMT

knotts@hpl-opus.hpl.hp.com (Tom Knotts) writes:
: In rec.music.classical, syliao@athena.mit.edu (Stan Yi-Huang Liao) writes:
: 
: > mrapple@quack.sac.ca.us (Nick Sayer) writes:
: > > ObOrgan: Tochata & Fugue in D minor, JSB. The
: > > famous one. Overused, but undeniably excellent.
: > 
: > There are some disputes on the authenticity of BWV 565.  Is there a
: > convincing proof/disproof on this matter?
: > 
: 
: There is no serious dispute that JSB was the author. There has been talk
: recently that the work was originally written by JSB for the violin,
: then later transcribed by JSB to the organ. I think this is quite
: plausible.

Someone will correct me on this, but wasn't it Peter Williams from
York (?) University in England who suggested that JSB was *not* the
author? He apparently wrote an article in a journalm which I have not
read, and also did a talk on BBC R3 about 7 years ago - which I recall
hearing - outlining his theory. He sounded fairly serious to me. :-)
--
Real:  Deryk Barker, Computer Science Dept., Camosun College, Victoria B.C.
Email: (dbarker@spang.camosun.bc.ca)
Phone: +1 604 370 4452
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: gustavo@dent.uchicago.edu (Gustavo Comezana)
Subject: Re: Bruckner: second try to post
Organization: Dept. of Mathematics, U. of Chicago
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 21:31:42 GMT

In article <C0AE3p.9Mx@news.udel.edu> graziano@ravel.udel.edu (Lisa Marie Graziano) writes:
>
>
>I am unfamiliar with Bruckners music but wouldn't mind learning something
>about him.  But it seems reading the postings is a waste of time.  People
>confuse "I don't personally enjoy his music"  with  "His music is
>worthless and anyone who likes it is a bozo."  Those who like him are
>fairly informative.  Those who don't seem incapable of giving intelligent
>information...  ie, "He Sucks"- now what the hell is that supposed to tell
>me?? That you don't like him??  I couldn't care less.  
>
>Try giving specifics; HOW is his musically technically/musically at fault.
>Thanks.
>Lisa
>

I would suggest that your time could be better put to use if you
listened to, say, Symphonies #6, 7, 8 or 9 and decided for yourself. I
agree that the quality of this thread has become tiresomely poor.

                                                    G.
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: brad@buck.viewlogic.com (Bradford Kellogg)
Subject: Re: When did Ives stop composing?
Originator: brad@buck
Organization: Viewlogic Systems, Inc.
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 20:37:29 GMT


In article <b-grant-040193124713@mac51.ed.nwu.edu>, b-grant@nwu.edu (Barry Grant) writes:
|> I was speaking with someone from our music school who said he though Ives
|> stopped composing music at age 29. This doesn't seem right to me. Does
|> anyone know the facts?
|> 
As far as I know, Ives composed music right up to the end. Incidentally,
if you haven't heard his "Fourth of July", by all means listen. It is quite
remarkable, to put it mildly (It requires *two* conductors).

- BK
From: wilcox@vax.oxford.ac.uk
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
Subject: Re: Hvorostovsky and Ainsley (was Re: My Christmas CDs)
Date: 12 Jan 93 14:42:41 GMT
Organization: Oxford University VAX 6620

In article <215190004@hpcvra.cv.hp.com>, chrisr@hpcvra.cv.hp.com (Chris Robson) writes:
> Can anyone recommend any recorded works of John Mark Ainsley? I heard him
> sing in the Messiah (Andrew Parrott & LCO(?)) at the 91 Bath Festival and
> I was totally captivated. Any recommendations?


How many do you want? He appears several times in the Hyperion complete Purcell
odes; he's recorded Acis and Galatea (for Hyperion again, I think); there's a
newish Mozart Requiem (in one of the non-S"ussmayer completions) on which he
appears; if you like that sort of thing he's recorded Kiss me, Kate and
Brigadoon (the excerpt from Brigadoon I heard was unbelievable); he's recently
recorded Idomeneo; somewhere there's a recording of him doing Howells' Hymuns
Paradisi. All this is off the top of my head, and I haven't heard any of it
(but I would kill to have it all). Go and look in the latest Gramophone
catalogue: there's a list there of 9 or 10 recordings; the record companies'
catalogues (especially Hyperion's) will fill the gaps.

Why do I know all this? For a start he's an atrociously good singer, especially
for a 29-year-old. For a second he was at University a couple of years ahead of
my fiancee and she knew him there, when he was in Christ Church Choir and she
and a few friends had a thing about Francis Grier, and for a third we're making
a list of CDs to ask for as wedding presents, and he appears prominently, as
one might expect.
-- 
Stephen Wilcox             |   For Sale: Posts in British Government. Suit
wilcox@vax.oxford.ac.uk    |   outgoing American. Highest bids accepted.
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: christoj@bme.ri.ccf.org (Judy Christopher)
Subject: Vocal Concertos  
Reply-To: christoj@bme.ri.ccf.org
Organization: Biomedical Engineering and Applied Therapeutics, CCF
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 15:41:39 GMT

I recently heard (I believe) Joan Sutherland performing Glier (spelling?)
Concerto for Soprano and Orchestra.  It was fantastic and I was curious as to
whether there are any other concerti written for the human voice (which is
a form of wind instrument, after all).  

Thanks,
Judy


Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: dbarker@spang.Camosun.BC.CA (Deryk Barker)
Subject: Re: New Boulez discs on DG - review
Organization: Camosun College, Victoria B.C, Canada
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 17:57:47 GMT

ujwb@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (Jeff Beer) writes:
: I reviewed PB's new Le Sacre a few months ago and basically I like the
: 1969 version much better.


Chacun etc. I reviewed it a few months ago also, and I prefer the new
one. There are points of detail where the previous version seemed
preferable, but I think this new version is quite outstanding.

Incidentally the Debussy disc is available, I don't have it in my
office, so can't recall what is on it apart from L'apres midi. It was
disappointing next to the Stravinksy and next to the classical L'apres
midi/La Mer/Jeux disc from the late 60s.

--
Real:  Deryk Barker, Computer Science Dept., Camosun College, Victoria B.C.
Email: (dbarker@spang.camosun.bc.ca)
Phone: +1 604 370 4452
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: dbarker@spang.Camosun.BC.CA (Deryk Barker)
Subject: Re: So exactly what's wrong with Bolero, anyway?
Organization: Camosun College, Victoria B.C, Canada
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 23:30:32 GMT

velde2@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Francois Velde) writes:
[....]
: All "warhorses" as someone called them, or old saws, become so tiresome
: to me that I need some special event or occasion to bring about a 
: reconciliation.  What did it for the 4 Seasons was a concert by the
: Academy of Ancient Music, 5 years ago, under the stars in the courtyard
: of the old Hospital in Beaune. 
: 
: For Pachebel's Canon, it was the Cambrige Buskers :-)

Me too!

--
Real:  Deryk Barker, Computer Science Dept., Camosun College, Victoria B.C.
Email: (dbarker@spang.camosun.bc.ca)
Phone: +1 604 370 4452
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: torenvl@ecf.toronto.edu (TORENVLIET GERARD LAWRENS)
Subject: Penguin Cafe Orchestra (was Re: Help! Name this piece)
Organization: University of Toronto, Engineering Computing Facility
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 03:44:03 GMT

Speaking of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, I was wondering what you guys out 
there think of them.  Personally, although I only own one of their albums,
I think they are brilliant.  The album I have is "Broadcasting from Home;"
can anyone point me to some other good albums by the same, or similar groups?

Regards,
Gerard.

_____________________________________________________________________
Gerard Torenvliet                 |
Engineering Computing Facility    |  Hofstadter's Law:
University of Toronto             |   It always takes longer than you
                                  |   think, even when you take into
torenvl@ecf.toronto.edu           |   account Hofstadter's Law.
(416)221-5949                     |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
From: velde2@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Francois Velde)
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
Subject: tainted music (Re: There's nothing wrong with Bolero)
Date: 12 Jan 1993 09:19:05 -0500
Organization: Homewood Academic Computing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md, USA
NNTP-Posting-Host: jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu

In article <106751@bu.edu> spacefox@acs.bu.edu (Godfrey Degamo) writes:
>
>     Well, before this turns out to be a totally irrelevant post, let
>me try and save it.  What other "classical" pieces you know of that
>have been "tainted" by movies?

I can think of examples of the reverse process, i.e. pieces I had become 
tired of, redeemed by a movie. Beethoven's 5th (-My Gawd, how can you 
become tired of it? -OK, so I was young and thought I knew everything):
redeemed by Andre* (spelling?) Wajda's movie "the Director".  Albinoni's
adagio: Orson Welles' the Trial. Movies also help discover new music:
strangely, the movie that led me to discover classical music was Zardoz 
(and the 7th has long since for me lost any link to Sean Connery).

-- 

	Francois Velde

Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: cb@tamarack13.timbuk (Chris Brewster)
Subject: Re: Bruckner (was: Re: Best finale)
In-reply-to: 's message of Thu, 7 Jan 1993 22:07:56 CST
Organization: pubs
	<93007.220756U60019@uicvm.uic.edu>
Date: 8 Jan 93 15:17:47 CST

Michael J Valinis:

   >there have been such postings here lately!) would think that
   >old Anton must be the best of the "three B's". (...)

Volker Kleinschmidt:

   The three B's are Johann Sebastian, Ludwig and Johannes. Does
   anyone see Anton in here?

Unless B is just a statistically common initial letter for last names,
it seems to loom disprortionately large among composers.  One publisher
even has a series of biographies, each of which features a huge B on the
cover: in addition to the traditional three, there are Berlioz, Bartok,
Berg, Bruckner, and Boulez.  The B section of my personal phone
directory has always needed many supplemental pages (and would even
without family members).  I guess a B name just indicates something
special about a person; Deryck Barker, wouldn't you agree?

Chris Brewster
cb@cray.com
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: conrad@brahms.udel.edu (Jon Conrad)
Subject: Re: Recommend CD of Strauss's Salome
Organization: University of Delaware
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 14:49:54 GMT

In article <face-110193185027@ptoon.ccit.arizona.edu> face@arizona.edu (Chris Janton) writes:

>Complete work, please - thanks for advice

"Salome" has fared pretty well on records.  I have considerable
admiration for the Nilsson/Solti recording on Decca/London, and
Behrens/Karajan on EMI.  I hear exciting things about an early radio
broadcast by Ljuba Welitsch from the Met (not the later one reissued by
the Met Guild, for which she was in vocal trouble).  I own and love the
Caballe/Leinsdorf recording on RCA.

But for me, the pick of the lot is the year-old recording with Cheryl
Studer in the title role, Bryn Terfel as Jokanaan, and Sinopoli
conducting the Berlin Opera Orchestra.  On Deutsche Grammophon.  His
conductorly predilictions are right in line with what the piece needs,
Terfel makes an awesome effect in his first recording of a major role,
and the supporting cast is more than adequate, as is the sound.

But it's Studer herself who makes the recording.  Her mixture of vocal
beauty and security, interpretive subtlety, and musical imagination
makes for quite a potent experience, and shows the reasons record
companies stand in line to sign her up.

Jon Alan Conrad
From: ridgway@athena.mit.edu (Lee Ridgway)
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
Subject: Re: Favourite Organ Work Survey
Date: 4 Jan 93 16:59:16 GMT
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Speaking as an organist, my favorite pieces to listen to and play are the six
trio sonatas of J. S. Bach. Out of those, my favorites are Nos. 1, 4, 5.
From: mjharris@vax.oxford.ac.uk
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
Subject: Re: Favourite Organ Work Survey
Date: 8 Jan 93 17:12:07 GMT
Organization: Oxford University VAX 6620

Well my choice is Poulenc's Organ Concerto

Mark Harris
Dept of Physics
University of Oxford
UK
From: dozonoff@bu.edu (david ozonoff)
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
Subject: Re: Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony
Date: 9 Jan 93 04:48:47 GMT
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

It's not DDD but the just reissued Mercury Living Presence recording
with Paul Paray and the Detroit Symphony is a classic, rarely
bettered. Sound is pretty good for an analog recording.

--
Dave Ozonoff
dozonoff@med-itvax1
Boston University School of Public Health
80 East Concord St., T3C
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 638-4620
Xref: sparky rec.music.classical:19836 ny.general:518
From: smoliar@iss.nus.sg (Stephen Smoliar)
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical,ny.general
Subject: Re: Pittsburgh Symphony Wins New York Times Award
Date: 7 Jan 93 10:21:15 GMT
Organization: Institute of Systems Science, NUS
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4

acid+@cs.cmu.edu (Christopher Colby) writes:
: In article <199301061755.AA10821@tuna.wang.com> IMAGING.CLUB@OFFICE.WANG.COM
:("Imaging Club") writes:
: >
: >I noticed that the Pittsburgh Symphony just won the 1992 New York
: >Times Award for "The Most Faithful Fidelio."
: >
: >"Lorin Maazel and the Pittsburgh Symphony made a virtue of
: >unstaged concert opera with their presentation of Beethoven's
: >'Fidelio' at Carnegie Hall; in their hands, an opera became a
: >cantata."
: 
: I'm not sure exactly what all this means, but I heard this performance in
: New York was, not surprisingly, absolutely panned.
:
Now that you have clarified your source, I think we can take an inside opinion
for what is worth (particularly when you consider the quality of their own
FIDELIO)!
: 
: To those of you in other cities:  As a whole (management, policy, etc.),
: what orchestras do you like/dislike?
: 
I have always felt that calling our local band a "symphony orchestra" is the
height of generosity (or something).  All I can do is wish that some other
orchestra would decide this would be a good place to take up residency to
escape winter.  In the best of all possible worlds, that would be the Munich
Philharmonic with Celibidache.  It's so nice to listen to a group that
appreciates the virtues of hard work!

--
Stephen W. Smoliar; Institute of Systems Science
National University of Singapore; Heng Mui Keng Terrace
Kent Ridge, SINGAPORE 0511
Internet:  smoliar@iss.nus.sg
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: kfogel@occs.cs.oberlin.edu (Karl Fogel)
Subject: Re: Beautiful songs for piano solo !?
	<djg2.726452016@crux1.cit.cornell.edu>
Organization: Oberlin College Computer Science
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 08:52:59 GMT
X-Posted-From: occs.cs.oberlin.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu


	IMHO, Janacek's "From an Overgrown Path", particularly the first
and second pieces in the set, is very beautiful and requires almost no
technical skill to play. Also the third and fourth pieces, and the
fifth and sixth, not to mention the seventh and... well, you get the
idea. It's really unique -- I can't think of another collection of
short pieces that can evoke an atmosphere anything like this.
--

 Karl Fogel ("Leg of Lark") <>         My institutions are not 
   kfogel@cs.oberlin.edu    <>    necessarily those of my opinions.
 fogel@antares.mcs.anl.gov  <> 
 <> Linux, the free, copylefted Unix for the 386/486 PC <> Ask me more!! <>
 <> advice and/or opinions: twenty-nine cents each or three for a dollar <>
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: dbarker@spang.Camosun.BC.CA (Deryk Barker)
Subject: Re: Bruckner (was: Re: Best finale)
Organization: Camosun College, Victoria B.C, Canada
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 03:53:37 GMT

jwa@vipunen.hut.fi (Jyrki J Wahlstedt) writes:
: In article <1290@xlnt.COM> david@elwood.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (David Johnson) writes:
: >|> >"Imagine that you're walking in the Alps.  You look up at a majestic,
: >|> >snow-covered mountain.  That is Mahler.  Then you look down at the
: >|> >wild flowers growing at your feet.  That is Bruckner."
: >|> 
: >|> Exactly backward, except that the flowers are cultivated.
: >|> 
: >|> Bertram Walsh  Mathematics Dep't  Rutgers University New Brunswick NJ 08903
: 
: >I am not a Bruckner basher but I cannot see, regardless of the degree
: >one's imagination is stretched, how one can perceive that
: >Bruckner is superior to Mahler.  I consider some of Mahler's works
: >some of the best even written for their respective genre.  I cannot
: >say the same for anything Bruckner has written.  I do not hate
: >Bruckner but I love Mahler's works.
: 
:   The image implies their music is different. I do not see that it
:   implies superiority in any direction, really!
:   For me Bruckner's music is somehow the most innocent music there is,
:   it is childlike and charming in that it does not pretend to be any
:   different than it is. It does not try to make any effect on me, it 
:   just is and tells the truth of something visible and/or invisible.
:   Hmm, these are my feelings and impressions!
:   I wouldn't even say Bruckner's music is romantic (imo:-) though the 
:   length of the symphonies is what it is (that has actually nothing to do
:   with it). Maybe my view of romantic music is a bit narrow, but I think
:   romantic music tries to produce certain emotions on the person who listens
:   to it (not only romantic emotions). I could, I believe, produce better
:   definitions, but the previous is the first thing that comes to mind.
: 
:   These are my totally subjective opinions, there is no logic in them
:   (ie. I do not claim any statement to be correct) and I only hope someone
:   understands me!

Childlike I'm not sure about, but I'd certainly agree that Bruckner is
not Romantic (or romantic). As someone (I forget who) pointed out,
man(kind) does not appear in any Bruckner symphony, except arguably
the 9th. Bruckner is about nature and the cosmos. His music always
brings vistas of mountain peaks to my mind.
--
Real:  Deryk Barker, Computer Science Dept., Camosun College, Victoria B.C.
Email: (dbarker@spang.camosun.bc.ca)
Phone: +1 604 370 4452
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: ssc@nwu.edu (Steven Chung)
Subject: Re: About the conductor of New Year's concert
Originator: schung@casbah.acns.nwu.edu
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 14:37:33 GMT

In article <1993Jan4.130640.23342@debbie.cc.nctu.edu.tw> u8011515@cc.nctu.edu.tw (Crazy for Mozart !) writes:
# Does anyone know Who the conductor of "1993 New Year's Concert" is in Wiener ???

Riccardo Muti.
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: bryan@netcom.com (Bryan Higgins)
Subject: Re: Bruckner (was: Re: Best finale)
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 00:39:11 GMT

dbarker@spang.Camosun.BC.CA (Deryk Barker) writes:

>cb@tamarack13.timbuk (Chris Brewster) writes:

>> in addition to the traditional three, there are Berlioz, Bartok, Berg,
>> Bruckner, and Boulez.

>BTW you forgot Busoni....

And Britten!
-- 
Bryan Higgins, Berkeley, California  (bryan@netcom.com)
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
From: chrisi@lloyd.Camex.COM (Chris Ischay)
Subject: Re: Recommend CD of Strauss's Salome
Organization: Camex Inc., Boston MA
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 09:34:38 EST

In article <face-110193185027@ptoon.ccit.arizona.edu> face@arizona.edu
(Chris Janton) tersely writes:

>Complete work, please - thanks for advice

That's OK, I don't know of any highlights disks of this music anyway.  

My favorite recording is on Melodram (MEL 27042):

    Salome		Ljuba Welitsch
    Jochanaan		Herbert Janssen
    Herodes		Frederick Jagel
    Herodias	  	Kerstin Thorborg
    Narraboth		Brian Sullivan
    Conductor		Fritz Reiner

All of these do a marvelous job.  Reiner manages to hold onto the
Straussian tone-poem lush quality, at the same time letting the thing sound
like the dramatic stage work that it is rather than some concert
extravaganza.

Sullivan's Narraboth is strong and urgent.  Janssen's Jochanaan has the
power to scare the daylights out of you.  But the star is really Welitsch;
she manages to capture the petulant capricious youth of Salome without
pushing too hard on the demented cruel side.  For me, she makes the
character believable.  Her voice never seems to push, and it's not a big
voice in the style of, say, Birgit Nilsson, but she is right there for all
the big moments.  I think this is one of those marriages made in heaven,
like Callas/Tosca.

The sound is of course mono, but pretty good.  If you're a DDD-only person,
stay away.  But if it's a performance with depth, understanding and musical
intelligence you're after, this definitely fits the bill.

Chris Ischay
chrisi@camex.com