Will do 
Just came across a 1913 illustration of the first performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Thought forumites might appreciate it !
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Music’s music… 
I was wondering about that recording. Is that a new release?
How does his Brahms Sonata No.3 compare to the famous Curzon’s set which I was soooo surprised his hot blooded performance!
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Hey Kuma - it’s a new recording, one of a flood of new Brahms #3 recordings. I’ve never heard the Curzon recording, though!
I’ve heard a number of recent Brahms Sonata 3 recordings, including the Kantorov, and simply they leave me rather cold. Technically brilliant, but missing that certain Brahmsian something.
My go to is, surprisingly, Perahia. The second movement - oh my !
For the Ballads, the Michelangeli recording is ‘desert island’ and yet to be surpassed IMHO - it’s also in great sound.
Speaking of Brahms, a friend introduced me to this group 19 years ago and this album remains my top reference for testing equipment!
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Stephen Kovacevich was my first guide to Beethoven’s sonatas. I still find these discs an awesome experience.
Cheers
EJ
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Thanks EJ.
Surprised that you have not heard the Curzon.
I got it in vinyl. What a gutsy performance done with a great Decca recording.
I am going to give Kantorow a shot.
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WW,
Thanks for the heads up. Might try his Sonata as well. I did not realise he recorded this piece.
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These are really worth hearing! So far heard no.8 and no.6 from the latest set, of 6-9. These days I rarely listen again to the Pastoral, but this performance of no.6 kept my attention for its entire length. Looking forward to no.7 and no.9. The earlier set of numbers 1-5 are also inspiring. If you think you know Beethoven’s symphonies, listen to these!
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I’ve only heard the Eroica. For my ears, and tastes, it was WAY too fast. The second movement totally lost all its beauty and emotion. Of course, YMMV
Interesting to compare timings of this movement (from my collection)…
Karajan 70’s 16:31
Karajan 60.s 17:06
Barenboim 18:04
Vanska 15.13
Savall 12:48
That’s a dramatic difference !
Yes, these are not “traditional/conventional” performances, and will not be to everyone’s taste. Nevertheless, they bring out different qualities and illuminate detail which is often missed. I greatly admire Vanska’s cycle which I have as well. There are many different ways of interpreting these masterworks and hearing alternative versions helps our understanding. The use of original instruments helps clarify textures.
Gardiner beat it:
Movement 2: Funeral March: Adagio Assai 12:41
I don’t have his 3rd but I actually like his 9th where this has got to be the shortest 9th.
The whole set is less than an hour!
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To add some others to the unofficial speed contest for the 2nd movement of the Eroica:
Klemperer 16:54 (for comparison purposes)
Paavo Järvi 13:18
Williem de Vriend 12:49
Norrington (with Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart) 12:18
Here’s the latest disc from the excellent John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London. Even as a Ravel fan, I’ve always struggled a bit with La Valse but here, suddenly, it makes complete sense and the dramatic coda/collapse at the end is overwhelming. The remaining pieces are very well performed too and the disc includes the ballet version of Bolero with antiphonal side drums – fascinating.
One word of warning. The recording is terrific but it does have a very wide dynamic range. However, as a lot of it is very quiet, the volume needs to be turned up to hear just how good the pianissimo playing is and then the climaxes are pretty loud. Well worth it though.
Roger
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I can’t say I have ever spent time listening to recordings of solo viola da gamba music before, but maybe I should! This is magical. Especially the Abel WK 205 (which could have been written by Glass) and the transcription of the Bach G major cello suite.
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With the completion of Angela Hewitt’s 15-year Beethoven project, it’s a good time to revisit the first volume. She’s a much better Beethoven interpreter than she’s sometimes credited for, I think, and certainly got off to a good start.
Cheers
EJ
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I really enjoyed this one:
Digital Concert Hall – Philippe Jordan conducts Strauss’s “Alpine Symphony”
Not so much the Alpine Symphony, but more the Excerpts from Das Rheingold.
A few years ago I could not digest Wagners Idiom, but it has come to me.
I, too, came rather late to Wagner and still take the music in small doses—rather preferring some of the orchestral work to entire operas. In that context, there is another rather fine Philippe Jordan “album” (do we have to call it that?) of Wagner’s music:
Stephen
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I still can’t. There are two musical geniuses I still don’t “get”. Wagner and John Coltrane 
Maybe in good time I will…
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