Always great to see Michael talk about classical records, pressing quality, and behind-the-scenes stories. Great idea to have him review some of your collection! I've been eyeing the Starker reissues...
Very good ! Thanks Mazzy for facilitating, Michael, really one of the brightest personalities in the VC , your channel is limited only by your busy schedule as a musician, very informative.
Loved watching this!! Learned a lot about a type of music that the vinyl community doesn’t pay much attention to!! He has a great knowledge about this genre!!
Great stuff - thanks Mazzy & Michael. Michael is clearly one of the best vinyl reviewers on RU-vid, and it's always enlightening and a pleasure to hear his opinions (those of an active classical musician). I subscribed to his channel a year or so ago.
This Michael is sooo much better than the other 2 YT Michaels. He gets straight to the point without endless fluff. I learned more in this 18 minute video than watching 18 HOURS of Fremer and/or 45 RPM. My classical collection was updated and upgraded after watching his videos during COVID. Thank you Mazzy for creating and sharing this video. If he was a speaker (no pun intended) at the Audio Shows, his events would be packed.
Great video! Here in UK we still have Radio 3, which is great for discovering classical music, way beyond the usual ‘Concert In The Park’ repertoire. One of my favourite programmes… but also most wallet scouring… is Record Review, (renamed back to it’s original moniker, from CD Review a few years back, to acknowledge the resurgence of vinyl)…. A section of the programme is ‘Building A Library’… each week a luminary of the classical scene does a deep dive of the different recordings of a specific piece and decides upon their favourite, while giving their full explanation and playing samples. Great stuff… Michael did a nice variation on this theme!
I'm looking for the Record Review channel that you referenced in your comment. I found this: www.youtube.com/@DavesClassicalGuide (The Ultimate Classical Music Guide by Dave Hurwitz) which looks great. But is Record Review (or CD Review) yet something different? I'm not finding it. Thanks!
Yep - standard fare most Saturday mornings as I do the housework LOL. I've resolved to stop buying since I have the main repertoire three times over. But do I?
@@robertmazur1 BBC Radio 3 which should be available overseas from the BBC Sounds app. If I paste the link one of the bots will probably delete it. There is really nothing like it, though I don't always buy their recommendations. They invite an expert to review one piece a week, and they really do look at ALL the main / available recordings before funnelling down to one recommendation - sometimes with clearly stated alternatives if the approaches differ, etc.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge of classical music with us. I grew up learning how to play the piano with classical music and studying classical composers. I have a few CDs of classical music. Maybe I can find some favorites on vinyl someday. I tend to buy sheet music and books to play the songs myself.
I have to admit The pair of You Both Know Your Onions ( UK Saying) and between you i have bought some great Albums that you have showcased...So Thank You To You Both For That... Long May You Both Run.
Definitely at the prices they are often dropping classical CDs, compared to the sometimes ridiculous prices fetched for some LPs in the genre. I have both, though, often of the same recording, but usually pick the CD version. And that’s not solely for convenience.
Brilliant change of venue. I have about 140 classical vinyl discs and that's most of what I have left of my vinyl collection. These were purchased in the 80's and 90's when I was exploring the standard catalog of classical music with the help of the Penguin Record Guide and also some of my favorite DJ's from that period. If I learned anything it's probably that the symphonic form doesn't really suit my interest. I found myself buying more and more Renaissance period sacred music. At least half my collection consists of this early music, probably my favorite listening experience in all the music I listen to.
More dir of music please!! Great analysis and reviews. No pretense, no snotty attitude, just great enthusiasm and insights. I studied the viola de gamba in college after playing the cello for ten years and loved it! MORE PLEASE👍👍
Michael, i find this peformance interesting because its done by the composer himself. i know he has been criticised for not being a consummate conductor but still... one major reason to have this album given that the recording itself is not the best that can be done is that cover photo. certainly as a musical artist, you can see that it is special. the photographer was Richard Avedon who has taken some of the most iconic photos ever. in Igor's glasses you can see the windows of what can only be a warehouse or industrial building that let in natural light for the workers to see what they were doing. daylight savings indeed. another feature of the photo is his tie. it looks like silk and the coarse weave is intriguing. that must have been a $50-100 tie when it was purchased back then. the essence of Stravinsky is exuded in this almost candid view of the hulk of the man. my first Rite was from the LA Public Library (as I was self-educating myself in classical) by von Karajan on DG. it can really pressurize the room so, of course I bought it. but the best Stravinsky specialist for me is Pierre Boulez. again, a library find in mint condition was his Petrushka on Columbia. sublime. his performances of all three of the ballets are worth seeking. i rather wish I had been With Jimmy Kaplan when you were here in LA but I might have been hesitant to go to the Record Collector as I was rudely ejected there for no reason. i was with my friend and we both had a few discs we wanted but when my friend asked for I small discount for making a handful of LPs, the proprietor acted overly offended by the request and ushered us out the back door from which we had entered and and kept making sure we were off the property. it was ridiculous. Mazzy, I hope to meetyou one day, it could happen it I go to the Seattle hifi show. ...hifitommy
The original french recording is on a "Columbia" label, a division of EMI, which is not the same company as Columbia in the US (the logo is also different). What is confusing is that we usually call "French EMI" the label "La voix de son maître" (His master's voice - HMV), also a EMI division in France, which have the EMI logo on the sleeves. Both those divisions, as well as standard EMI-UK, were branded "Angel Records" in North America. The story of record labels is very complicated...
Well done! I've literally picked up a ton of classical music. Vinyl are mostly un-played. Classical music seems to have taken to cd format and there are some amazing career spanning boxes available. The Ultimate Classical Music Guide by Dave Hurwitz is always interesting and good for recommendations. A 10 cd Mercury Living Presence box of Janos Starker or one album that's the very best by Starker. Thanks.
Great stuff. And people should take Poetry Michael’s advice about replacing Angel pressings with country of origin EMIs. I just picked up an EMI Du Pre Elgar and non audiophiles who have listened to both with me say the difference is large. The Angel sounds like the orchestra is contained within a box and with the EMI it fills the room. I’m usually with Mazzy on It’s the Music Stupid, but in the case of Angels, best avoided if possible. And you don’t have to spend much. For classical the thrift stores and record fairs can yield surprising finds. I picked up several Deccas and EMIs recently for $1 each including the Du Pres. All mint.
Great choices, Michael. Bernstein is great in the Rite - one of the works where his over the top intensity wins the day. I think it lends itself to so many approaches I tell people who like the work to sample streaming versions and hear how different Boulez is from Bernstein is from Dorati (& recommend Dorati). And massively second Carlos Kleiber 5th - it lives up to its legend, and more. If you have time up there, I’m putting some RU-vid suggestions ⬇ in the comments maybe you can convince Mazzy to watch, (and if you haven’t seen them …they’re great!) First is the two-part classic Glenn Gould documentary by the National Film Board. It’s incredible at capturing the days when Glenn was a blazing comet, and the NFB have put the official release on RU-vid. Search the titles “Glenn Gould - Off the Record” and “Glenn Gould - On the Record,” and look for the purple Film Board logo. (“Genius Within,” and several other good docs on Glenn are around on RU-vid, too, but some have soundtrack muting in spots because of copyright.) The second rec for watching is maybe more gimmicky, but I think it’s interesting for showing one moment at the beginning of non-clerical, non-court, non-opera, classical orchestral performance. It’s the BBC feature “Eroica” --> on RU-vid search the title “Beethoven’s Eroica - A Film by Simon Cellan Jones - BBC 2003” It’s a docudrama recreating the very first rehearsal performance of the Eroica in the home of Beethoven’s patron. It draws on the letters and diaries of the people who were there, and seems true enough - I think - to give a feel of what Beethoven performance in his lifetime was like. I would have cast a different actor in the lead - Ian Hart doesn’t seem brooding and closed off enough for the Beethoven I imagine from contemporary accounts, but never mind that. It’s still worth seeing. Anyway, thanks for all the music recommendations, and hope these ⬆ are enjoyable, too.
Thanks Michael, I learned a ton from your previous vid with Mazzy and continue to tweak my classical collection accordingly. Did Mazzy appropriate Stravinsky’s look based on the cover of Le Sacre Du Printemps? I have the Boulez / Cleveland Orch lp that I enjoy. Kudos to both, loved the vid!
Every time I see Michael talk about Classical music, I find myself wishing for a "ten records to get you into Classical" list. I suppose it would have to be "ten pieces" more than ten records. PS. - love the Deftones album sitting in the back
@@mazzysmusic hey mazzy I watched your video yesterday about the 10 records about who in the heck is buying these records and why and I thought I should do a video and then I can explain why people are buying them cuz I know the answer might be funny? I don't know
Great to see a poetry on plastic crossover. I do think there is a stronger case to label Ansermet the Kanye of classical music conductors, if you want to experience an “Oh no!” moment just read his Wikipedia page. Ansermet’s Swan Lake double album is superb and a great complete recommendation but if like me you prefer a highlights single LP there is an awesome audiophile option which is also on Decca. It’s SXL2285 Fistoulari conducts, the Concertgebouw play (very rare collaboration with Decca for this period) and Ken Wilkinson engineers, perfection.
Theeeee best video Mazzy!! Michael is a plethora of info. Way off topic I know but....lol....I don't suppose you know the name of the Grey colour paint on your wall?? I'm looking to switch my little music room setup. ,,,lol. Thanks in advance.
Classic.... The Mazzy intro voice in the beginning sounds like he is doing the narrative in a Wes Anderson movie😂😂😂😂 Not a fan of classical music...but still watched to the end and was entertained....nice job boys👍
Michael....signal if you were held against your will to make this video. Is Mazzy off camera with a machete? I do need to purge my classical but have no clue on what to keep or not.
I disagree with his comments about the Karajan Beethoven symphonies. While not a tremendous fan of Karajan and his big band sound, the 1962 Beethoven symphony cycle is still regarded as one of the best - certainly Karajan's best cycle (I have the 77 set too). There are certainly better recordings as one would expect given their age. Personally, I would recommend Gardiner's 1994 set on Archiv with the Orchestre Révolutionnaire. From a UK/European perspective, it's interesting to see the predominance of US labels and artists. Most are available here, but it demonstrates a quite different history and approach in many respects.
Thanks for this video, Michael. I collect classical, and have no one to discuss classical with. Your video is greatly appreciated!!! Way better than yet another discussion about Steely Dan or Dire Straits. P.S. - that Swan Lake has artwork inside the gatefold by Andy Warhol.
Do not knock Stokowski’s 1954 Swan Lake! It was originally done in stereo, and he got some beautiful playing from the NBC Symphony. I am not sure that the stereo tape was mislaid, but RCA initially refused to release it because of Stokowski’s unorthodox orchestral seating-- in my view, a grave error in judgment. It is not, lamentably, a complete recording. Ansermet, I agree, would be a good choice; Ozawa/Boston (DG, circa 1979) is also very good.
I like the Otto Klemperer Eroica recording with the Philharmonia on EMI. Carlos Kleiber's Fifth is my fave too. That said, I think this guy is too harsh on Karajan.
He may have been a little harsh on Karajan, but I think he is spot on about Karajan’s Berlin sound emphasizing strings at expense of other instrumentation. At least that’s what I took from his comments.
Hmm….I’m not a Karajan lover or hater…there’s good, bad and lousy, and some great stuff (Prokofiev 5th!), but what you say about his reputation in Mahler is not true. “Barely conduct Mahler”??? “Often criticized”?? His 5th and especially the live 9th are very highly regarded. The 4th isn’t terrible either. His 6th isn’t my cup of tea, but is worth a listen. Of course, they are better Mahler versions and Mahler conductors, but it’s not true that people find his Mahler something to avoid as you portray. And Glenn Gould’s solo Beethoven?? I personally think the concerti he did are quirky as heck, but still much more palatable than his completely perverse solo sonata recordings, with the exception of his Bagatelles album. Not how I envision them, but nonetheless fascinating, The early sonatas he did sound like he’s making a joke of them. Like his solo Mozart. To each his own, and it’s still fun to hear you talk about these. Thanks!
I think you are wrong or just repeating other people’s words, saying ‘most of Karajan’s recordings are mediocre’. Even if this was objectively the case, the fact that he has made hundreds of recordings of which at least 25% belongs to the best of everything out there, still leaves HvK with the most number of fantastic recordings of any conductor, now or in the past. I hope and know you will change your mind with age. 😉 Thanks for the video, though. After all, it’s only entertainment. 🙂
