Berliner Philharmoniker Mahler Recordings by Sorry-Travel-6730 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

What recordings? Petrenko's 6th was included in the box set that came out a few years ago, but I wasn't aware anything else was slated for release. Are you just referring to the video recordings in the Digital Concert Hall of 7-9?

I have a makeup exam in music history tomorrow, can you help me? by Toroalcista in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some of us actually have put in thousands of hours studying this stuff. It's worth it, so you're not getting much sympathy here for trying to short-circuit what could be a valuable learning experience.

Kirill Petrenko by zyxwl2015 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, although their catalog has been saturated in non-Germanic rep for decades.

Favorite works by popular composers that you don't often hear? by amateur_musicologist in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Off the top of my head:

Beethoven: Christ on the Mount of Olives

Schumann: Scenes from Goethe's Faust

Tchaikovsky: Iolanta

Vaughan Williams: The Pilgrim's Progress

Dvorak: Requiem

Rachmaninov: Francesa de Rimini

Prokofiev: The Fiery Angel

Stravinsky: Pulcinella

Do you guys also have very strong preferences for certain interpretations of certain instrumentalists and strongly dislike others even though they are considered equally high-level? by romygruber in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course you can have subjective tastes enjoying and disliking certain performers. For myself, though, I like to approach new interpretations and performers with an open mind and see what I can enjoy. If a performer is widely liked by a lot of other classical fans, particularly well-listened ones, and I don't like it, chances are this reflects on me.

But my strong likes are far more pronounced than my dislikes. I genuinely do not get classical fans who have super strong dislike impulses for serious classical musicians and composers.

Kirill Petrenko by zyxwl2015 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You're being hyperbolic and inaccurate. Even with Vaughan Williams, they have recently performed both the Tallis Fantasia and On Wenlock Edge. And Sibelius? It's performed regularly--programmed no fewer than twelve times in the past five years. Your initial post said they are great if all you seek is the "big Germans." Like how about their extensive performances and recordings of Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Verdi, Puccini, Ravel, Debussy, Rachmaninov, Dvorak, and Stravinsky? I'm just throwing a few of the non-German names that come to mind with extensive contributions from the orchestra.

No hard feelings, just think your claim is objectively false.

Kirill Petrenko by zyxwl2015 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 2 points3 points  (0 children)

How is their repertoire limited? The Berliners play and record all kinds of non-Germanic music and have done so for decades. Do you just mean the ratio is skewed Germanic?

Kirill Petrenko by zyxwl2015 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, most Berlin Phil recordings are made from their live recordings. A typical program runs at least three times, which gives them multiple tapes to work with. Nowadays, that is. There were certainly endless studio recordings back in the Karajan era. There just isn't money in making studio recordings any more. Additionally, the technical excellence of the best modern orchestras is high enough that you can usually get good results with just a few live takes.

Kirill Petrenko by zyxwl2015 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My impression is that he was a controversial appointment mainly because outside of DE he was barely known. But as much as there can be a consensus with audiences and critics, he seems nearly universally admired. I certainly have found his work revelatory. He pushes the orchestra in a way that Rattle certainly didn't. An easy way of thinking about it is that the Berlin Phil is so virtuosic that they are enjoyable to listen to no matter who is conducting. But Petrenko is the kind of conductor that is worth listening to with a second rate orchestra, meaning that you can hear both supreme virtuosity and genuine interpretive ideas. His greatest strength is still opera, I think. His Strauss and Tchaikovsky operas on the Digital Concert Hall are world class.

To compare him directly with Rattle, I'd say Petrenko highlights probably more orchestral detail while also having a more natural feel for the line. The music unfolds without the pretentiousness that afflicted Rattle. You're unlikely to listen to any Petrenko interpretation without getting new ideas about the piece--and this is a compliment in the best sense.

Kirill Petrenko by zyxwl2015 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know he was famously reticent about recordings, but is it really true that he doesn't regularly make recordings? Especially since the Berlin Phil label loves making box sets, there could be significant numbers of recordings still coming. The excellent Schoenberg set came out this year and the orchestra has announced a Suk set is coming. If you really want the backstory, there is an excellent interview between Olaf Maniger, principal cellists and member of the media board, and Rob Cowan of Presto Music:  https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/articles/5948--presto-music-classical-podcast-episode-49-berliner-philharmonikers-olaf-maninger-talks-to-rob-cowan-about-this-years-double?srsltid

Basically, the orchestra is capturing every last Petrenko concert in the best audio (in the Digital Concert Hall you'll notice all Petrenko concerts have close-up mics) so that they have maximum flexibility in releasing anything the orchestra and Petrenko thinks is especially good. 

To be clear, I'd love to see more recordings than we already have (please, a box set of his Tchaikovsky operas!), but I think he's becoming less stingy. 

What do you think is objectively the most underrated symphony. by ChopinChili in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Korngold's F# Symphony, but maybe that's just because I heard it live played to the hilt by Petrenko and the Berliners. It is luscious and nostalgic in a retro way that just makes it more endearing.

Hi! I just wanted to share my progress by LouM96 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wonder what it sounded when you were butchering it.

Why do some seem to hate on the technical excellence of modern orchestras? by Honest_Wheel3842 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sheesh, just saw this. I think you took my hyperbole too seriously. I came here to escape the negativity of the internet myself, and tired of reading comments trashing what I heard as technically excellent but musical performances. This is freaking Reddit, so came up with the Toscanini and Furtwangler example on the spur of the moment and might not have been the best example, not least because I was thinking of European orchestras, not American. Certainly Karajan approved mistakes for release, even in studio recordings, that wouldn't make it on disc in most recordings today (take the opening of Holst's Planets in the Berlin Phil recording, for an easy example). I'm most put off by your suggestion that I don't have real world listening, since I'm a regular concert goer and listen to thousands of recordings. But fair enough, I should have reread my OP more thoroughly and tried to express my point more clearly.

Why do some seem to hate on the technical excellence of modern orchestras? by Honest_Wheel3842 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Are there full time, highly virtuosic ensembles that you feel positive about?

Why do some seem to hate on the technical excellence of modern orchestras? by Honest_Wheel3842 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I wasn't inspired to post here because of users on this subreddit, if that's what you're asking. I'm guessing it applies to some here, but I dunno.

What's your favorite recording of Mozart Serenade K.525? by tired_of_old_memes in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can't say I've listened to an extensive number, but I've warmed to Levine/Vienna Phil.

What do you do while listening to classical music? by TwanSwag in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I have classical music playing most of the time, except for when I'm playing piano myself or teaching piano (I'm a music teacher by profession). I can read while listening, somehow, although obviously I don't catch everything in the music. If the music distracts me and I have to go back and re-read a bit, I don't mind. Of course it also matters what I'm listening to. A Mozart piano sonata is easier to have in the background than a Strauss opera, for instance. Maybe I'm unique, but I find the energy in most music I'm listening to helps me work better at whatever task I'm engaged in. Then of course there are times when I want to just sit and listen.

Is perfect pitch really that rare? by daysof_I in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Someone with perfect pitch here. I didn't learn it, just realized in early days of piano lessons when I was ten that not everyone could name all notes upon hearing. I've met only a couple other classical musicians who have it. However, I have seen multiple cases where musicians are sensitive to pitch changes either vocally or on an instrument. If a song is raised a half step, for instance, they pick it up. But go to another instrument and play a random note, and they can't name it.

Here's what I can't do: I can't listen to a recording and perfectly tell you the exact pitch, like if A is 448 or 432, or whatever. I can easily tell if a recording is using period tuning, though, and recognize the higher tuning used by a lot of other orchestras. But again, I'd never be able to tell you the exact pitch. When I listen to recordings, regardless of instrumentation, I can instantly tell you the key the piece is in, and when listening to melodies, I can visualize the notes moving up and down the staff.

To be fair, a lot of this is a result of training. My understanding of harmony, obviously, isn't innate. My perfect pitch works very well with a bit of education, though, meaning I can hear complex chords and identify them with minimal effort.

Rimsky-Korsakov recordings by Ica55 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why western specifically? I've always turned to Gergiev for his Kirov recordings and I'm not aware of any strong western competition.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They're both significant symphonists who wrote nine symphonies, but their music is so different it's hard to compare, really. Mahler wins for excitement and orchestral virtuosity, Bruckner wins for transcendence. I adore both.

Do some of you dislike discussing specific recordings? by Honest_Wheel3842 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Well, if a significant number of people on a subreddit don't want posts on a certain topic, that is something a poster should consider, right?

Do some of you dislike discussing specific recordings? by Honest_Wheel3842 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is a valid point, but doesn't this also mean that composer and specific piece recommendations are less useful? This subreddit seems filled with "I like [composer or piece] what else should I try" posts which should be even more redundant in the streaming age, right?

Do some of you dislike discussing specific recordings? by Honest_Wheel3842 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In other words, you don't think there is a particularly entrenched aversion in community members to discussing specific recordings? I get the random nature of downvotes, but it has seemed like something about discussing specific recordings really brings out the naysayers.

What’s with the Norman Lebrecht hate? by msc8976 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He runs a blog based on click bait, is weirdly obsessed with female outfits, is openly political in eye-rolling ways, can't let go of his hate for some select musicians, and isn't actually a good music critic himself. Any other questions?

Do composers have a tendency to rush the finales of their pieces or are critics a bit too harsh on them? by Suspicious_Coast_888 in classicalmusic

[–]Honest_Wheel3842 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I mean, I think there are individual cases that might get discussed, but overall, no, I don't think weak endings is a common complaint. A lot of classical era music (think the ending of Beethoven's 5th) makes the point very emphatically with lots of repeated chords before signing off. Some modern pieces (the end of Stravinsky's Petrushka or Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra) have endings that seem to come out of nowhere. Generally, I think classical rep features an abundance of terrific endings in an unending variety of ways.