Of all the Ostman Mozart opera recordings, I do think the Magic Flute has held up very well. It has such a perfect cast, including Barbara Bonney as Pamina. It's a great recording, and by far my favorite in the period vein.
I agree. And the Figaro is still highly regarded. The Don Giovanni is really quick, but I enjoy hearing it that way sometimes- it just flies by! But the Zauberote is rather special.
@DJ Quinn Depends how one feels about Cecelia Bartoli probably. But I take your point. It’s the trade off with the deliberately less ‘grand’ conceptions I suppose.
Yeah, I have to admit I've never really been a fan of Hogwood's classical/early romantic era recordings (although his Mozart symphony cycle is interesting). I'd recommend getting the big Baroque box on L'Oiseau-Lyre; a perfect example of how Hogwood was so much better in earlier periods.
Great argument, Dave, in your observation of Ronald Brautigam's Beethoven Sonatas Cycle on BIS. I haven't dipped into it, yet you'e made me curious to have a listen.
Oh yes, I love Ronald Brautigam’s work with BIS. I enjoy his Mozart cycles as well, maybe not my absolute favorite but a nice set of discs to be sure. I think he did some Haydn too but I never heard them.
As an amateur "modern" cellist, I have mixed feelings about HIP performances. I learned my music from people who learned their music from the US "Big Five" in their golden age - and that forever shapes my musical instincts. But as I was learning this, the HIP crowd was making these recordings - and after initially reacting in horror to these too often toy sounding instruments, I have learned from them. I was often using Vibrato as a crutch - thinking a good string sound starts with vibrato instead of the bow. And trying to phrase without vibrato has taught me a lot about bow control and freed me to vary the vibrato I do use more. And, yes, there are even a few rare times when I dare to play with practically no vibrato. And I have to admit that the balance issues in just about any 19th century Cello sonata are made easier by using period instruments - balance issues that were often overcorrected in recordings by over-miking the cellist. But still when I hear many recordings like those mentioned in this video, they do sound doctrinaire and not musical. But this is hardly something new in Classical Music. I think it was the great critic Harold Schonberg who spoke of how Toscanini was great, his disciples generally were boring... As a cellist, like Mr. Hurwitz, I love C. Coin (and Blysma). They are artists. And I appreciate how HIP has expanded the classical music canon. But in other ways, it just isn't the way I understand music either.
I heard Boccherini’s 3rd Symphony recently on modern instruments, and it was “beautiful and sexy”! I gave Eine Klein Gigue a listen; very unusual and delightful. Actually, I listen to 2 recordings. One lasted about 3 1/2 minutes, the other 1 1/2 minutes. What’s up with that? One was coupled with Tchaikovsky’s Mozartinia. It sounded to me like an orchestration of the Gigue.
Chopin on fortepiano sounds like a very bad idea since you need lots of dynamic control and Liszt played on pianos of his era is always disappointing. Also great point about Beethoven being greatly limited by the instruments of his day, especially with regard to his piano sonatas. I bet if Beethoven could have had a modern concert grand Steinway he would've taken it in a heartbeat over an 1800s fortepiano. His music sounds completely different on modern pianos, way more orchestral.
Hogwood’s conducting of Classical repertoire is the musical equivalent of those paint by numbers sets I bought as a kid at the local dime store. (I painted the Mona Lisa!). It has the basic form, it’s recognizable, and it has all the colors…you can recognize it….but….there is neither nuance, nor life. There is neither shading, nor shape.
As undistinguished as Hogwood was in the early and classical period music performance, he redeemed himself in his later recordings of Martinu (he championed this composer).
@@carteri6296 There are certain Hogwood recordings I cherish….Pretty much everything he recorded by Handel, especially Messiah. His early Mozart symphonies are OK, but once one gets to the more familiar later symphonies, there is a lot of competition. And well….his Beethoven symphony cycle is where I coined long ago the paint by numbers comparison.
Brautigams Beethoven is indeed excellent! Thanks for mentioning him.
Of all the Ostman Mozart opera recordings, I do think the Magic Flute has held up very well. It has such a perfect cast, including Barbara Bonney as Pamina. It's a great recording, and by far my favorite in the period vein.
I agree. And the Figaro is still highly regarded. The Don Giovanni is really quick, but I enjoy hearing it that way sometimes- it just flies by! But the Zauberote is rather special.
@DJ Quinn Depends how one feels about Cecelia Bartoli probably. But I take your point. It’s the trade off with the deliberately less ‘grand’ conceptions I suppose.
Yeah, I have to admit I've never really been a fan of Hogwood's classical/early romantic era recordings (although his Mozart symphony cycle is interesting). I'd recommend getting the big Baroque box on L'Oiseau-Lyre; a perfect example of how Hogwood was so much better in earlier periods.
Great argument, Dave, in your observation of Ronald Brautigam's Beethoven Sonatas Cycle on BIS. I haven't dipped into it, yet you'e made me curious to have a listen.
Oh yes, I love Ronald Brautigam’s work with BIS. I enjoy his Mozart cycles as well, maybe not my absolute favorite but a nice set of discs to be sure. I think he did some Haydn too but I never heard them.
He did the complete Haydn keyboard works (sonatas, variations, etc) and they are wonderful.
As an amateur "modern" cellist, I have mixed feelings about HIP performances. I learned my music from people who learned their music from the US "Big Five" in their golden age - and that forever shapes my musical instincts. But as I was learning this, the HIP crowd was making these recordings - and after initially reacting in horror to these too often toy sounding instruments, I have learned from them.
I was often using Vibrato as a crutch - thinking a good string sound starts with vibrato instead of the bow. And trying to phrase without vibrato has taught me a lot about bow control and freed me to vary the vibrato I do use more. And, yes, there are even a few rare times when I dare to play with practically no vibrato. And I have to admit that the balance issues in just about any 19th century Cello sonata are made easier by using period instruments - balance issues that were often overcorrected in recordings by over-miking the cellist.
But still when I hear many recordings like those mentioned in this video, they do sound doctrinaire and not musical. But this is hardly something new in Classical Music. I think it was the great critic Harold Schonberg who spoke of how Toscanini was great, his disciples generally were boring... As a cellist, like Mr. Hurwitz, I love C. Coin (and Blysma). They are artists. And I appreciate how HIP has expanded the classical music canon. But in other ways, it just isn't the way I understand music either.
I wanted the Baroque box but never was able to get it.
I heard Boccherini’s 3rd Symphony recently on modern instruments, and it was “beautiful and sexy”! I gave Eine Klein Gigue a listen; very unusual and delightful. Actually, I listen to 2 recordings. One lasted about 3 1/2 minutes, the other 1 1/2 minutes. What’s up with that? One was coupled with Tchaikovsky’s Mozartinia. It sounded to me like an orchestration of the Gigue.
Chopin on fortepiano sounds like a very bad idea since you need lots of dynamic control and Liszt played on pianos of his era is always disappointing. Also great point about Beethoven being greatly limited by the instruments of his day, especially with regard to his piano sonatas. I bet if Beethoven could have had a modern concert grand Steinway he would've taken it in a heartbeat over an 1800s fortepiano. His music sounds completely different on modern pianos, way more orchestral.
Famous Beethoven quotation: 'Do you think I care a damn for you and your wretched violin!'
Nice to see the return of THE NINTH! 😂 unfortunately I think this particular box is not for me.
Hogwood’s conducting of Classical repertoire is the musical equivalent of those paint by numbers sets I bought as a kid at the local dime store. (I painted the Mona Lisa!). It has the basic form, it’s recognizable, and it has all the colors…you can recognize it….but….there is neither nuance, nor life. There is neither shading, nor shape.
As undistinguished as Hogwood was in the early and classical period music performance, he redeemed himself in his later recordings of Martinu (he championed this composer).
@@carteri6296 There are certain Hogwood recordings I cherish….Pretty much everything he recorded by Handel, especially Messiah. His early Mozart symphonies are OK, but once one gets to the more familiar later symphonies, there is a lot of competition. And well….his Beethoven symphony cycle is where I coined long ago the paint by numbers comparison.
@@carteri6296 I’ve never heard his Martinu, but again, there is some pretty fierce competition from some truly great conductors out there.