HutchFan

Disc 1 - originally released as A Fuego Vivo

I'm suppose César Franck's Piano Quintet is more well-known, but his String Quartet is another excellent composition.

Nice haul!!! Ibrahim's Ode to Duke Ellington and Clifford Jordan's Night of the Mark VII are two of my all-time faves.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk - A Standing Eight (32 Jazz / Warner Bros) Disc 1 - originally released as The Return of the 5000 lb. Man and the first half of Kirkatron Beautiful.

Merle Haggard - Vintage Collections (Capitol)

Has Ricky Ford moved back to the U.S.? Or is he just visiting?

Outstanding!

Terrible, terrible news. So sorry to hear this.

A classical order this week: - J.S. Bach: English Suites Nos. 2, 4 & 5 / Murray Perahia (Sony) - Berlioz: Les Troyens / Sir Colin Davis, LSO, et al (LSO Live) - Chausson: Symphonie; Soir De Fête; Viviane / Michel Plasson, Orchestre Du Capitole De Toulouse (EMI) - Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius / Sir John Barbirolli, Dame Janet Baker, Richard Lewis, Kim Borg, Hallé Orchestra, LSO, et al (EMI) - Fauré: Orchestral Works / Yan Pascal Tortelier, BBC Philharmonic (Chandos) - Roussel: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 / Charles Münch, Orchestre de L'Association des Concerts Lamoureux (Erato) All very inexpensive, used CDs.

This again:

Excellent!

David Liebman - The Elements: Water (Arkadia, rec. 1997) with Billy Hart, Cecil McBee & Pat Metheny

The apple did not fall far from the tree.

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT! (This is why I put it quotation marks!)

Yeah, I've thought about that too. Oh well. My preferred light beer would make most Germans and Dutchmen wince, but it tastes good to me. NP:

I agree 100%. In the "core German repertory" -- Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner -- Jochum is consistently outstanding, IMO. I usually (but not always! ) prefer Jochum's recordings to those made by his more famous contemporaries who focused on the same repertory; i.e., Furtwängler, Böhm, Wand, et al.

I have heard many other recordings of individual Sibelius symphonies, but the only other complete cycle that I know is Ashkenazy's. I love Ashkenazy's cycle. They were the first Sibelius recordings that really grabbed me, my gateway into his world. I've heard Ashkenazy's readings described as "Russian Sibelius," which I can understand. His approach is definitely warmer and more Romantic than what you hear from Scandinavian conductors like Berglund and Vänskä. Barbirolli's approach is also "warm" -- which I suppose is my preference (although I think one could make an argument that it's less idiomatic than "cooler," Nordic accounts). To my ears, the biggest difference between Ashkenazy's cycle and Barbirolli's cycle is that the latter seems a shade more personal, more subjectively realized. Some might hear that as a fault. To me, it's a positive. That said, I'm not sure that I could have appreciated Barbirolli's cycle as much if I hadn't heard Ashkenazy's more straight-forward account first. I hope that helps. Earlier this morning: A very distinctive and interesting interpretation of the Symphonie fantastique.

I love Barbirolli's way with Sibelius.

Franck: Symphony in D minor, etc. / Martinon, Orchestre National de l'O.R.T.F. (Erato)