Himadri Chatterjee

I have that Karajan ring on CD. Wonderful! - especially Jon Vickers as Siegmund.

Spotted in church jumble sale.
Sadly, I no longer have a turntable, & I do miss walking out of a record shop with something like this under my arm. You feel you'd actually bought something. Streaming just isn't the same!
As Wordsworth put it, there hath past away a glory from this earth.

It's all just an excuse to have a few drinks, really!

I find myself matching Scotch malt whiskies to recordings. Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic goes well with a smooth, rich, full-bodied Macallan. You'd need a Lagavulin for a Klemperer recording, though! 😀

No, I have recordings of the Op50 quartets by the Nomos Quartet (now definct, I think) on the CPO label. Had never heard of these recordings & took a chance as they were on a sale, but they’re really quite marvellous.

Quartet No. 4 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 50: I. Allegro spiritoso Joseph Haydn, Quatuor Zaïde · Joseph Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 50 · Song · 2015

Haydn composed some 40 or so string quartets of such consistently high quality, it’s impossible to pick out favourites. But this morning, I’ve decided which is the best. It’s Op 50 No 4 in F# minor.
It just is, so there.

open.spotify.com/track/5h5obK...

My wife's favourite film.
This novelty Christmas present I got her a few years ago went down a bit better than the "proper" Christmas present.

Listening to Porgy & Bess, & wondering why it isn't better known as an opera. Sure, everyone knows the individual numbers, but it's so much more than just a string of hits.

What I particularly love about Chopin is that he could be both elegant and fiery - often at the same time! If Polish vodka could do that too, I’m in!

Anyway, it’s Mussorgsky Day today. I’m opening a bottle of vodka. (Finnish vodka, as I don’t like buying anything Russian these days.)

Everyone is celebrating today the date of birth of Johann Sebastian Bach. But, as I understand it, Bach’s birthday is 21st March only in the old style, but on 31st March in the Gregorian calendar. So let’s give it ten more days, and we could then celebrate Bach & Haydn together.

Can't think of any better work to be inspired by!

Noted - thanks!

Thanks - I'll have to hunt that down.

Yes, the string quartet does seem to me the ideal medium for a work so profoundly introspective.

PS I wasn’t asking for opinions on my preference - it is what it is! - I was just wondering which version other Haydn fans prefer. (And I know there are a few Haydn fans around here…)

Yes, I need to hear that too. And also the piano version.

Calling Classical Music Bluesky: What’s your opinion of Haydn’s 7 Last Words from the Cross?

David Hurwitz reckons the original orchestral version is the one to listen to, & is dismissive of the version for string quartet. But it’s this string quartet version that touches me more deeply. Opinions?

Thanks - that sounds terrific. I'll see if they have tickets.

Since it's Ravel's 150th today, I'm going to plug again Alicia de Larrocha's recordings of the piano concertos.
Either recording. They're both magical.

I was listening to the DG recording conducted by Carlos Kleiber.

Saturday night is turning into Opera Night. Last week it was Strauss’ Salomé, & tonight, since my wife wasn’t around, I put on a bit of Wagner: Tristan und Isolde. Oh boy! - that one really does your head in! (How’s that for a bit of insight & analysis, then?)
It’s going to be a bubbly Rossini next.

Takes me back to that idyllic summer of '82 ... Brazil wowing us all at the World Cup, & me spending lazy summer days getting to know this glorious music, & reading (I distinctly remember) Fielding's "Tom Jones". And, strange as it may seem now, I was actually young back then!

When you've been overdosing on Richard Strauss, you need something to clean your ears out a bit. And these recordings are like old friends.

A good performance of the Requiem should put the fear of God into you. If it doesn't, you should ask for your money back.

Got tickets for Verdi Requiem at Royal Festival Hall in March, to be conducted by Riccardo Muti. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard this live more than I have any other piece of music: by my count, this will be my 6th. My first was over 40 years ago, with James Loughran conducting the Hallé.

That got lots of laughs. Or the bit later where he is determined to leave his wife, but expects her still to cook his breakfast and do his packing … the audience burst into incredulous laughter. Even in the darkest plays, I think, one has to look for the laughs.
2/2

I saw Peter Hall’s production of The Wild Duck over 30 years ago now, & remember how he brought out the humour. The bit where Hjalmar returns from the formal dinner, and, having forgotten to bring back some food for his daughter as he’d promised, reads out the menu to her instead.
1/2

Ibsen did write a comedy - "The League of Youth". And "The Lady from the Sea" ends with a rare burst of sunlight. But, though his plays are dark, strange as it seems, one does not come out of his plays feeling depressed. I never could work out why this is.