New releases

**vinteuil** · 14-10-17, 18:39

.

... my Italian is pretty hopeless - but I agree with Richard that it is good to have access to the Italian text.

I find a problem with parallel texts can be that as you struggle with the original, you look across to the English version - and then there is a tendency to keep reading down the page in the English...

My improvised solution to this is to have it in a parallel text Italian / French - my French is pretty good, but far from fluent, so the temptation to keep going in the French is less: it's just a useful crib.

In this way I have stumbled and struggled thro' it - and, as Richard says - "there is so much in it"

.

.

**Bryn** · 14-10-17, 18:49

Thanks for the recommendations.

**silvestrione** · 15-10-17, 13:15

Originally posted by Richard Barrett View Post

Wasn't there a recently published translation by erstwhile TV critic Clive James? (I have a soft spot for him because he used to be a regular customer at Farringdon Records in Holborn Viaduct when I used to work there in 1980-81.)

In my view the Clive James is not a frontrunner, but very worthwhile nevertheless. He translates it into rhyming quatrains (not the terzinas of the original), and instead of appending notes, works all the extra knowledge you need, and the references, into the text. One slight problem for me there, is that it closes off avenues of interpretation sometimes, rather too soon. But in our group we do refer to it, especially when we are non-plussed.

I have a soft spot for him too, largely because of his very fine book, Cultural Amnesia.

**cloughie** · 15-10-17, 16:31

Originally posted by Richard Barrett View Post

I don't know very much about the Divine Comedy, although a colleague and friend of mine in Brisbane decided some years ago to do something like what Silvestrione is involved in, and have a few friends round one evening every week (who included a classics professor, and otherwise mostly poets and musicians, including me on one occasion when I happened to be in town) to read and discuss a single canto, and went through the entire book that way. I was amazed and fascinated to imagine that there is so much in it, but I haven't (yet) made much of an investigation of it myself. I'm very interested to hear about good translations. My Italian is pretty basic but I think I'd want to have the original there, since the metrical and rhyming structure of it is so important. Wasn't there a recently published translation by erstwhile TV critic Clive James? (I have a soft spot for him because he used to be a regular customer at Farringdon Records in Holborn Viaduct when I used to work there in 1980-81.)

Farringdon Records was a great mailorder source for deleted LPs in the 60s and 70s, particularly Decca, Ace of Diamonds and Victrolas!

**jayne lee wilson** · 16-10-17, 02:36

Thrilled to see this appear, I so, so wanted to like it, but....

In symphonies 1 & 2, whilst admiring the detail, the coloristic subtleties, the fresh, open and dynamic recording in the Konzerthaus, I was often frustrated at the lack of grip and focus - rhythmic grip and bite, and focus of contrapuntal lines, the defining of the complex, many-layered musical argument. I'm afraid I kept feeling that the conductor and orchestra, despite an attractive volatility and vividly drawn contrasts of mood, texture, dynamics and pace, weren't really inside the music - didn't know it quite well enough to be free and sure with their interpretational direction or attack on each movement. The slow movements come off better; the ORF Wien responding to their simpler, singing lines very beautifully (especially in No.2, perhaps Martinu's loveliest of all); I was grateful to have heard these at least.
(But, just to compound my discontent, there seems to be an editing fault, or late entry, shortly after the start of Symphony No.2, just before a main string theme comes in (the descent at around 00:30, track 5). Careless either in performance or production).
In No.3 though, things improved, and this gets a truly powerful, cogent performance here, perhaps because it has a more direct and dramatic musical shape and character.

But in the 1st movement of No.4.... the familiar shortcomings were evident once again...compared with Arthur Fagen/Ukraine NSO/Naxos, it didn't swing enough in the first theme, or soar enough in the second; the woodwind lines and details lacked confident projection - weren't really owned by soloists or orchestra; the climax wasn't sharply enough defined....
...And that's where I got to this weekend, listening on Qobuz HiFi. Yes, the CDs would probably give a cleaner sound, a clearer acoustic presence. But comparison with other available performances on the equivalent lossless stream and CD (Neumann, Thomson, Valek), weren't kind to the newcomer. I'll soldier on to 5 and 6....but I won't be rushing to buy it... what a shame!

**Bryn** · 17-10-17, 15:17

Halloween 77

Available for streaming from 20th inst., apparently:

Halloween 77 (Live At The Palladium, NYC), Frank Zappa - Qobuz

http://www.qobuz.com/fr-fr/album/halloween-77-frank-zappa/0082430244762

Écoutez en illimité ou téléchargez Halloween 77 (Live At The Palladium, NYC) de Frank Zappa en qualité Hi-Res sur Qobuz. Abonnement à partir de 12,49€/mois.

If you want the mask, costume, 24 bit USB stick, etc. you need to go to http://shop.musicvaultz.com/*/*/Hall...et/5OML0000000

More info here.

**Joseph K** · 17-10-17, 15:50

Originally posted by Richard Barrett View Post

Wasn't there a recently published translation by erstwhile TV critic Clive James? (I have a soft spot for him because he used to be a regular customer at Farringdon Records in Holborn Viaduct when I used to work there in 1980-81.)

I used to have a soft-spot for him, in fact, I read several volumes of his memoirs. It was reading Cultural Amnesia and his rancorous comments about John Coltrane that put me off him. I'd say his comments on literary people are more worth-while, but in general, he seems to aim too much towards snappy soundbites, which is very irritating.

I would be interested in his Divine Comedy translation, though. I'm only a few hundred pages near the end of War and Peace now, and planning on reading the Inferno once I finish War and Peace.

**Richard Barrett** · 17-10-17, 17:44

Originally posted by jayne lee wilson View Post

In symphonies 1 & 2, whilst admiring the detail, the coloristic subtleties, the fresh, open and dynamic recording in the Konzerthaus, I was often frustrated at the lack of grip and focus - rhythmic grip and bite, and focus of contrapuntal lines, the defining of the complex, many-layered musical argument. I'm afraid I kept feeling that the conductor and orchestra, despite an attractive volatility and vividly drawn contrasts of mood, texture, dynamics and pace, weren't really inside the music - didn't know it quite well enough to be free and sure with their interpretational direction or attack on each movement. The slow movements come off better; the ORF Wien responding to their simpler, singing lines very beautifully (especially in No.2, perhaps Martinu's loveliest of all); I was grateful to have heard these at least.
(But, just to compound my discontent, there seems to be an editing fault, or late entry, shortly after the start of Symphony No.2, just before a main string theme comes in (the descent at around 00:30, track 5). Careless either in performance or production).
In No.3 though, things improved, and this gets a truly powerful, cogent performance here, perhaps because it has a more direct and dramatic musical shape and character.

But in the 1st movement of No.4.... the familiar shortcomings were evident once again...compared with Arthur Fagen/Ukraine NSO/Naxos, it didn't swing enough in the first theme, or soar enough in the second; the woodwind lines and details lacked confident projection - weren't really owned by soloists or orchestra; the climax wasn't sharply enough defined....

I started in on no.3 but was interrupted before the end of the first movement which I'll return to later... the word that came to mind was luminous, although rather slow, and the recorded balance seems to favour the strings a bit artificially. I think I'll put it in my favourites anyway.

edit: hmm... having listened to the whole of no.3 I have to say there are parts where the orchestra really should have been more together, which is a great shame. As you say Jayne, not well enough prepared.

**jayne lee wilson** · 18-10-17, 02:15

Originally posted by Richard Barrett View Post

I started in on no.3 but was interrupted before the end of the first movement which I'll return to later... the word that came to mind was luminous, although rather slow, and the recorded balance seems to favour the strings a bit artificially. I think I'll put it in my favourites anyway.

edit: hmm... having listened to the whole of no.3 I have to say there are parts where the orchestra really should have been more together, which is a great shame. As you say Jayne, not well enough prepared.

Briefly - the Martinu/Meister/ORF No.5 is at times brilliantly led and played, very volatile, unusual and original reading, just a sense again of lacking some focus in the finale; but fascinating, gripping, and thrillingly concluded!
No.6? No doubts at all, replete with drama, fantasy, coloristic and almost supernatural dynamic subtlety (Cornelius Meister's sine qua non) ... one of the best (and best-recorded) I've heard, a truly great Fantaisies Symphoniques...
More detail later here or on Listening, but suffice to say - after the end of No.5, I gave up, stopped agonising and ordered the CD boxset...

Uneven perhaps but this cycle is never dull: a young conductor takes the Martinu Symphonies for the masterpieces some of us devotedly believe they are, and attempts very free, daring and exciting interpretations, without a shade of musical idées reçues, the previously-heard or routine....

**Stanfordian** · 18-10-17, 11:36

Hiya JLW,

You mention the Martinů set on Capriccio.

It was Cornelius Meister who gave the finest performance of any work I have heard in concert. It was during a reporting trip to Munich in March at an Akademiekonzert at Nationaltheater that Meister conducted the wonderful Bayerisches Staatsorchester (an on stage orchestral concert and out of the pit) in a stunning performance of Richard Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra. The opera house was packed out with many people outside asking to buy tickets. In fact Valery Gergiev was in the audience. A performance that sticks firmly in the memory.

**cloughie** · 21-10-17, 17:44

Not exactly a new release but has anyone heard the Stokowski CD on Guild (GHCD2426) which includes Tchaikovsky Hamlet LSO - RFH 1959 and Shostakovich 5 also LSO from the EIF 1961. Any views on these performances and recording quality?

**EdgeleyRob** · 03-11-17, 00:21

Box of Alkan coming soon to a shelf near you

Alkan: Edition

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/8366745--alkan-edition

Alkan: Edition. Brilliant Classics: 95568. Buy 13 CDs or download online. Vincenzo Maltempo (piano), Mark Viner (piano), Laurent Martin (piano), Alan Weiss (piano), Alessandro Deljavan (piano), Costantino Mastroprimiano (piano), Stanley Hoogland (piano), Trio Alkan, Giovanni Bellucci (piano), Kevin Bowyer (organ)

**cloughie** · 03-11-17, 00:24

Originally posted by cloughie View Post

Not exactly a new release but has anyone heard the Stokowski CD on Guild (GHCD2426) which includes Tchaikovsky Hamlet LSO - RFH 1959 and Shostakovich 5 also LSO from the EIF 1961. Any views on these performances and recording quality?

Thanks for the response - I'll take that as a no then!

**Bryn** · 03-11-17, 01:04

Originally posted by EdgeleyRob View Post

Box of Alkan coming soon to a shelf near you

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/cl...-alkan-edition

Charles Valentin Alkan Edition | CD | Brilliant Classics 95568

https://www.europadisc.co.uk/classical/134981/Charles_Valentin_Alkan_Edition.htm

Charles Valentin Alkan Edition | Reclusive and eccentric, the French pianist-composer Charles‐Valentin Alkan was also undoubtedly one of the greatest

**EdgeleyRob** · 03-11-17, 01:08

Originally posted by Bryn View Post

https://www.europadisc.co.uk/classic...an_Edition.htm

Many thanks Bryn

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