What Classical are you spinning?

It’s not much of a valley. There’s a lake at one end with nice views. Could be Colorado. Maybe your friend Bob went there on holiday, like I did.

Incidentally, where did you listen to this, obviously not on Qobuz, only $15/month and I got to listen to the collected piano works of Maria Szyanowska (managed an hour, got a little bored).

Meanwhile, here’s one that’s been around a while, and got a rare 5-star review from the Guardian.

Mr Hahn was a South American who spent most of his life in Paris and was a big success, going from a writer of songs for piano (first published aged 14) to concert works and ended up the Director of the Paris Opera. He was also lover and lifelong friend of Marcel Proust, and Jewish, and gay, and foreign, and really quite short, so he did pretty well for the country of Dreyfus.

The music is beguiling with just enough notes. Recorded in lockdown in a not-big church that was not ideal, but perfectly OK.

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@stevensegal In PCM!!! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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and vinyl

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Thanks for the heads up. These snafus drive me nuts!

Having dug out some of my Reiner RCAs in response to a Classic records reissue of Also Sprach Zarathustra I thought I delve int o some of my mono RCAs, LM series. Reiner and the CSO performing Bartok, in glorious mono. This particular pressing was released in 1960. If I recall correctly, and I may be wrong here, this was recorded simultaneously in stereo and mono. This has quite a bit of depth to it. If you don’t mind mono with some effort these can be found on the used market at a fraction of the Living Stereo, LSC, prices. Is this one sonically the best, NO. Is it the best performance, NO. It is a FUN listen all the same. With effort you can pick one up for the price of a Intelligensia cortado and a San Pelegrino/Topo Chico.

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Colorful music within a colorful cover. This Vanguard Everyman release has a nice sound to it.

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Born in Sofia, Emilia Baranowska began piano lessons at the age of four with her mother, Maria Dimitrova Baranowska, a pianist and teacher. At the age of nine, Emilia switched to the cello and became a student of the Bulgarian cellist Zdravko Yordanov, a disciple of Rostropovich. At the age of 18, Emilia left her native country and settled alone in Paris to pursue her musical studies at the École Normale Supérieure de Musique. This is the recording session in a large home. A companion album is the same music recorded live in a church venue with 90 or so guests in the audience. Both are available and make for interesting comparison. HERE

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I am now on my fifth listening to this album and enjoying it more and more. It is proving to be one of those albums that rewards with repeated listenings. In part this is due to the challenging nature of some of the works Bouska has selected. One 27 minute work in the middle of the album I’ve found particularly challenging to wrap my brain around: Ruth Schönthal’s Fragments from a Woman’s Diary, a fascinating piece played superbly by Bouska. I’ll have more to say in my review to come.

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Playing now in honor of @stevensegal whose knowledge of classical music runs deeps and whose taste is impeccable (because I so often agree :wink: )

Information about the album and download here.

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Only because I’ve been going to the ballet regularly for about 35 years, my wife was a ballet dancer, and this is my favourite ballet.

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First listen. Definitely going to be a different journey.

Later… Oh yes, different indeed. But very interesting. I can see why the buzz about Simeon ten Holt’s Canto Ostinato.

When Matangi Quartet say that performances of this music is a real workout, I’m understanding why. Very intense, very much requiring the performers’ concentration to keep all in sync for over an hour.

More information and download here. Review to come.