This one surprised us a bit – we thought Berlioz was experimental, but this sounded pretty normal to us, nothing too untoward and pleasantly listenable in an occasionally forthright way with some quite loud horns. It seemed to flow, nothing atonal about it – which is perhaps what we expected, a bit of honking and clanging. So forgive the ignorance, what’s controversial/innovative/unique about it (I’m reading from the sleeve notes here)? We enjoyed it and Continue Reading
symphony
Schubert – Symphonies 5 & 8, Karl Bohm/Berlin Philharmonic (1966, Deutsche Grammophon)
This one hasn’t really done it for us, and we didn’t make it to the end of the 5th Symphony, let alone the 8th – I suppose it would have been more apt not to finish the 8th, given that it’s the “Unfinished Symphony”. It wasn’t helped by the record sounding quite scratchy, but SWMBO also described it as “cut-price Elgar”. I’m not sure what it was about it – most things have been “yes, that’s nice” Continue Reading
Cesar Franck, Symphony in D Minor (1973, CBS 61356)
I’m writing this while the LP is still on the turntable, and that’s because I already know it’s a keeper. I know nothing about Franck, although I have heard of him which is a start. We might be classical numptys but have generally heard of the main composers! The only downside now that we’re on side 2 is that it’s a bit crackly, the odd scratch on it. I don’t have the classical music language Continue Reading