Home Classical Court

From Perotin to Prokofiev (and beyond), performed by Caruso to Khatia, it's all here.

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Classical Court ] [ Return to Search Results ]
[ Alert Moderator ]

Hyperion Shopping Spree. Not About Babes, Stick Size, or Vibrato; Am I Posting in the Appropriate Place?










So, pulled the trigger on some Hyperion titles in which I've been interested:

Brabbins' Vaughan Williams' 2nd: the most idiomatic VW I've heard since Boult's and Previn's. And who would have thunk it: the BBC can actually be a charismatic band when they want to be! IMHO Brabbins get more out of them then most recent conductors. Slow mov't is absolutely radiant, and the hustle and bustle of the 1st mov't is vividly-projected. Crisp, explosive percussion, attention to accents, sizzling tremoli, etc. I've never understood the hoopla over Hickox, Manze, Elder or Davis. None of them seem to capture VW's "metaphysical" angle. BBC strings are warm, there's impressive front-to-back soundstage, but only so-so left-to-right expanse. Climaxes remain oxygenated and moisturized but don't bloom as much as I'd have wished. Concertante sections are very vivid and uncanny.

Next up was Strauss' Don Quixote and Till Eulenspiegel with Stenz and the Koln. Satiated by the VW, I only listened to the Till; I'm saving Don Quixote for later in the week. That said, Stenz' Till was absolutely riveting, and the recording took it to the next level: hall ambiance, just slightly lacking in the Brabbins' VW, was delivered in spades. Can't wait to hear the Don Quixote. My gold-standard is Szell/Fournier on Epic/Columbia.

I also downloaded the Takac's Janacek Quartets, which must be a nightmare for recording engineers, given the harsh writing for strings. Last performance I've heard was the Janacek Quartet on Supraphon. Critics seem to like the Takac's so we'll see....

Finally, and oldie but a goodie, in--gasp--16bit! Stott's Faure Nocturnes, from the Complete Piano Music. Maybe there's better out there, but it was so good to re-acquaint myself with Stott's interpretations, which have never failed to check all my boxes. (Not to be confused with Stott's less- inspired single-CD recording on Conifer.)

So, hopefully you've made to the end of my post, without references to boners, boobies or babes.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.  

Topic - Hyperion Shopping Spree. Not About Babes, Stick Size, or Vibrato; Am I Posting in the Appropriate Place? - jdaniel@jps.net 22:09:11 01/21/18 (56)
FAQ

Post a Message!

 Forgot Password?
Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
  Remember my Moniker & Password  (What's this?)    Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:
Message:   (Posts are subject to Content Rules)
Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:  Automagically notify you when someone responds.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]