Cheers
EJ
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My most eagerly awaited purchase in ages. A 3LP set from Orfeo of the great Carlos Kleiber conducting Beethoven’s Fourth, Sixth and Seventh Symphonies, from 1982/83, with the Bavarian State Orchestra, his most regular orchestra for conducting (he also lived in Munich).
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Finally a picture! Compliments!
I have posted a few pictures!
One of the chamber music works I really love… I’m going to play it now on Qobuz, thanks!
Jesus, I so missed another Politically Correct Definition… 
Herreweghe’s latest includes three of Bach’s most beautiful and individual cantatas, and the performance is fantastic. Just don’t buy for the cover art…
Cheers
EJ
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Classical cover art is so often much less interesting than other genres. I really, really don’t want to see yet another photo of a Karajan or Kleiber. But I rather like the photo on this album. Callicarpa Bodinieri, I believe, a favourite plant of mine and rather elegantly captured IMO, though the text might have been better placed.
But just listening to the first few tracks, I do agree about the music and the performance is delightful. Recorded well, too, if a little close for my taste.
Roger
Decca/RCA’s 1962 Aida captures Price and Vickers in their early primes. With Solti doing a grand job drawing out sensitive performances (despite Vickers later complaining), the only fly in the ointment for me is Robert Merrill, who could do much better than what’s heard here.
Cheers
EJ
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Karajan’s 1967 Walkure remains a masterpiece, the most phonographic cast of any recorded Walkure really should be heard, and Karajan’s conducting is a marvel. The latest remastering is very clear, warmer than earlier issues, and has good depth - the at times audible tape hiss has not been removed.
Cheers
EJ
2 Likes
Watched Act II of Parsifal last night - the Royal Opera production on Blu-ray using my Muso 2 as a soundbar.
Pretty sure I’d never make it through a live performance. 
He is a great pianist, but not much is heard of him these days.
He made a ‘reference’ recording of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations early in his career, which was deleted long ago.
I have the mono cartridge/tonearm going tonight and have been listening to these great collections of mono reissues from the 50s. French EMI (Pathé Marconi) reissues of great pianists playing French music. I love Gieseking’s Debussy. I think it’s the favorite of what I have in my collection. Marcelle Meyer’s Chabrier is wonderful as well. These are delicious!
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Thanks for the information. I have a few CDs of Stephen Kovacevich on the Philips Classics label, the Bagatelles being the most recent purchase. They seem to appear a bit in charity shops in those nice maroon cases! I will certainly look out for the 1968 Diabelli recording. I also have the Grieg/Schumann concerto recording on vinyl.
I have the Gieseking on SACD.
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I’ve found Kovacevich’s Beethoven Piano Sonatas reliably excellent interpretations and are demo quality digital recordings to boot. In particular, I really love this disc of the Sonatas 5,6&7 that comprise Opus 10. Wonderful disc that must be one of my most often played.
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That performance of the Op.126 Bagatelles is really good too, though Brendel’s version may always remain my personal fave.
These 6 Bagatelles I’ve seen described as ‘chips from the Master’s workbench’ but for me they’re a fully formed masterpiece that ranks amongst Beethoven’s finest.
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