HutchFan

R.V.W.: A Biography of Ralph Vaughan Williams by Ursula Vaughn Williams

Delightfully French-y and effervescent.

Excellent. Great album! Great band!

I like that one too. IIRC, this was originally planned to be a Joe Henderson-led date -- but some contractual issues resulted in McCoy being named the leader.

Édouard Lalo: - Symphonie Espagnole / Pierre Amoyal (vn), Paul Paray, Orchestre National de L'Opéra de Monte-Carlo - Concerto pour Violoncelle / Frédéric Lodéon (vc), Charles Dutoit, Philharmonia Orchestra

First spin of a new-to-me LP:

Damn, this sounds so good.

One might not normally associate the word "beautiful" with Schoenberg's music, but I think his Op.16 is beautiful. I've been grooving to Radu Lupu's Schubert lately -- but Pollini's is superb as well.

Best wishes to Pharoah for a smooth & speedy recovery.

I love this record, keep coming back to it. Excellent!

Magnifique! Somptueux!

Arnold Bax: Cello Concerto [with Raphael Wallfisch] and other orchestral works / Bryden Thomson, London PO (Chandos)

A very personal reading of Brahms' Third. Lenny seems to caress and linger over every phrase. I suppose you could say that in doing so Bernstein loses the forest for all the trees -- but I love it. It's old-school -- like Lenny's saying, "I know this isn't 'by the book,' but I've earned the right to offer up this music my way."

I dig Rick Margitza. ... He hasn't made a record as a leader (or co-leader) for more than a decade. I wonder why.

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5; Flos campi; Oboe Concerto / Handley, RLPO (Classics for Pleasure)

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1, 4, 5 & 6 by Barbirolli & the Hallé O: and Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique by Bernstein & the NYPO:

Now listening to Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony from Rozhdestvensky's cycle:

This again:

I think Levine's Mahler recordings range from very good to excellent. Levine's Fourth with Judith Blegen is one of my favorite recordings of the M4 -- and IMO the strongest in the set. But I also think Levine's Third, Sixth and Seventh are outstanding. To my ears, Levine's way with Mahler is that of an opera conductor. At his best, there's a strong "music drama" quality to the music -- and less of a "through line" compared to conductors with a more orchestral approach. (Perhaps it's not a coincidence that Levine's M4 is my favorite. I think there are fewer navigation pitfalls in this work than any other Mahler symphony.) So, if were to rank Mahler conductors based on my purely subjective and personal preferences, I suppose I'd put Levine on the second tier -- with conductors like Klaus Tennstedt, John Barbirolli, and Hermann Scherchen. ... My top tier choices would be Bruno Walter, Jascha Horenstein, Leonard Bernstein, and Rafael Kubelik. Forced to pick one, I'd almost certainly go with Kubelik. What do YOU think of Levine's Mahler??? NP: Mozart: Symphonies / Marriner, ASMF (Philips)

Sublime.