LarryC

You have to click through Products, Heritage, Floorstanding: http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=6

I'd like to add another work, the Vespers of the Blessed Virgin, 1610, by Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643). While I think it's one of the great musical works of the ages, many don't seem to dig it right away. Nevertheless, I feel it can be an outstanding addition to one's collection. The Vespers can be difficult to get used to. First, Monteverdi lived through the transition from the Palestrina-like Renaissance era to the onset of the Baroque (ca. 1600-1750). His music therefore can reflect the pure but somewhat abstract style of the Renaissance, or the longing, heart-on sleeve early Baroque. The very first operas were written around 1600, and Monteverdi composed perhaps the first great opera, L'Orfeo, in 1607. In 1613, he was appointed to one of the premiere musical positions of the age, maestro di cappella at San Marco basilica in Venice, a highly influential position he held until his death 30 years later. The Vespers presents a number of puzzling juxtapositions that can baffle the listener. First, there is the juxtaposition of sumptuous, truly beautiful vocal writing (by six to eight soloists and a choir written usually in six to ten voices), with somewhat limited, primitive-sounding instrumentation (unless -- ugh -- modern instruments are used). The instruments usually include a few strings, 3 cornettos (aka zinks) which sound like soft-toned trumpets, 3 trombones, recorders and transverse flute, an organ, and a very large lute or two. Second, although this is a religious work, there is the juxtaposition of a couple of the Songs of Solomon ("I am black but comely" and "Thou are fair, my love", apparently associated with festivals of the Virgin), with other songs, psalms and prayers, ending with a wonderful magnificat. Third, there is the juxtaposition of ancient chant with florid vocal and instrumental writing right out of early Baroque opera. In particular, one can hear the long, drawn-out, spacious chant in the background of all but the last of the 12 sections of the final Magnificat, a mesmerizing listening task. I like the recording by the Boston Baroque, directed by Martin Pearlman, on Telarc 2CD-80453: See the Amazon.com website. You can listen to clips on that site; I strongly recommend the especially beautiful "Ave Maris Stella." Larry

---------------- On 11/7/2004 8:19:32 PM Marvel wrote: ---------------- On 11/7/2004 7:25:12 PM analogman wrote: An apostrophe is only used to form plurals with some figures and letters as in "five 6's" or "dot the i's". As always, Analogman ---------------- That's actually incorrect. It makes it possessive that way. It should be used for a contraction (can't or won't), or possession (Jim's speakers). Plurals put an "s" or "es" on the end. If it has a "y" you change it to "ie" and add the "s". ---------------- Well........ The New York Public Library guide to style and usage says that the plural of proper nouns or names are formed by adding -s or -es. The spelling of the name itself must be preserved, so that -y to -ies doesn't apply. I think that means "Heresys". The manual also says that plurals of numbers are formed by adding -s, i.e., "five 6s," but that, to ensure clarity, apostrophes are used to form plurals of all lower case letters, i.e., "dot the i's." Guess what, though -- the manual says that forming plurals can be stylistic and authorities may differ! Larry

To the many fine works mentioned by Wolfram, I'd like to add Elijah by Mendelssohn. Especially by its measure, Mendelssohn was a master of vocal as well as orchestral writing and writing the two in combination. Many of the numbers (some solist, some choral) are incredibly beautiful and deeply felt. The overture is one of Mendelssohn's more powerful works, and then it's not long before the entry of the divine "Lord, bow thine ear to our prayer" for soprano, alto, chorus and orchestra. Mendelssohn composed it for a music festival in England, and while he apparently assembled his own text in German, it's usually performed in a fine English translation which Mendelssohn admired and which goes extremely well with the music. I myself prefer the English version. Finding a satisfactory recording is another matter, and others are likely to have better recommendations. My best stereo is sung in German, unfortunately: Rafael Fruehbeck de Burgos conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra, EMI Classics 5-68601-2. My long-standing favorite is an old mono, Sir Malcolm Sargent conducting the Huddersfield Choral Society and Liverpool Philharmonic, Angel 3558C, probably not available to most, but worth finding if you can. I'd like to expand on the Damnation of Faust mentioned by Wolfram. IMHO, this is one of the great choral (meaning soloists, chorus and orchestra) works, of almost inconceivably broad concept and scale and brilliant orchestral and vocal writing. Berlioz was a breakthrough master of orchestration from his early works on, beginning in 1827, the year of Beethoven's death, and showing most famously in his imaginative Symphonie Fantastique of 1830. Damnation, composed in 1845-6, uses a big orchestra very innovatively (e.g., one striking number using 3 piccolos), yet has very quiet passages of the greatest beauty, including the remarkable ending after LOTS of fury and angst. Here again, I don't have a currently available recommendation; my favorite recording, apparently not available on CD, is a 3-LP DG album by the Boston Symphony and Tanglewood Chorus conducted by Ozawa, DG 2709-048. Another great Berlioz work IMO is his opera, Les Troyens, composed toward the end of his life. It's a biggie -- 5 LPs on a Phillips album by Colin Davis and the Royal Opera House of Covent Garden Orchestra and Chorus. It's still probably as good as any if it's available on CD. Again, very broad in scale and many beautiful passages. Larry

Fini, the LPs came this morning. Who says I need a computer for that? I still can't even size in Photoshop.

In writing your post, enter {img src="http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/files/YOURFILENAME.jpg"}, except you use square brackets (or maybe the < and >) in place of the curly brackets you're seeing here. If you find that the pic or image spills off the screen because it's too large, you can add "height=xxx" after the second quote and before the final bracket without any spaces, as in this example: {img src="http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/files/Great%20Total%20Basis0696.jpg"height=400}. I've found 300 or 400 to be a good number for this. You can check the size and appearance of the pic/image prior to submitting by hitting the "Preview" button.

---------------- On 11/5/2004 11:59:47 AM skonopa wrote: Use the HTML "img" tag: {img src="http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/files/BLOSE1.jpg"} ---------------- Also, if a pic takes up too much space and spills off the screen, you can control its size by putting "height=400" after the second quote and before the final bracket, like this: {img src="http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/files/BLOSE1.jpg"height=400}. While the Blose image doesn't need this, some very large pics that otherwise need to be scrolled a lot can benefit. To see an example of controlled size, see the pics at the beginning of New TT Pics. You can check the size and appearance of the pic or image prior to submitting with the "Preview" button. Larry

Here in Montgomery Co. Maryland, they have touch-screen -- you verify your registration and get a card with a chip in it. The card goes into the machine which brings up a series of 4-5 screens, including language selection, 3 pages of ballot selections which you touch and can untouch if you make an error/change your mind, a final page to review your ballot and make any final changes, touch "Cast Ballot," and give back the plastic card w/chip on your way out. Fast, simple, hopefully traceable if necessary. However, I've never seen the lines so long at 7:15 a.m. Larry

The liner notes say that after its 1954 start, RCA then began to record its great artists in two- and three-track stereo -- Heifetz, Reiner, Munch, Rubenstein, etc., probably accounting for the lag from the concerts. Larry Edit: It's certainly possible that RCA re-recorded some artists/performances in stereo for new stereo releases. Record companies put out both mono and stereo LPs for several years before finally phasing out mono disks.

Max, Wolfram: The SACD liner notes say that RCA Victor made its first "experimental binaural" recordings in 1953, Leopold Stokowski conducting -- interesting, as Stokowski, a leader in music recording, recorded stereo snippets with, I believe, the Philadelphia Orchestra way back in the 1930s. The liner notes say that RCA made its first stereo recordings with the Boston and Chicago orchestras in February and March 1954, and apparently did its first stereo releases on pre-recorded reel-to-reel tape in 1955; and that Western Electric produced the Westrex stereo disc cutter in 1958 and RCA issued its first stereo LPs later that year. Larry

Max, one of the new Living Stereo SACDs is Heifetz, Munch and the BSO doing the Beethoven violin concerto (and the Mendelssohn). The Beethoven was recorded in 1955, produced by John Pfeiffer, etc. -- is that the same recording? It's great! Larry

I'd like to mention a slightly lesser-known and played Beethoven concerto, the "Triple Concerto" for violin, cello and piano in C, Op. 58. The opus no. places it between the Third symphony, Eroica, Op. 55 and the Fourth, Op. 60, and thus written as his "middle period" was going into full swing. Parenthetically, practically every one of his opus numbers in this middle range of his works (they run from op. 1 to 135 or so) is a well-known, world-class work, a phenomenon I haven't noticed with any other composer. I think the Triple has interesting ways of handling the cello and violin -- while Beethoven didn't usually write for "singing" cellos the way, say, Tchaikovsky did, here he frequently wrote for it in a surprisingly high register. Repeatedly, he starts a theme in what sounds like the violin, except it's actually the cello playing well up in the treble register, followed by the violin playing higher still. It's useful to listen for how a cello sounds subtly different from a violin in its higher range. I happen to think Beethoven was a master at orchestration and at how to relate instruments and soloists to one another, and to believe that shows up here. My principal interest in the work is its tunefulness, at times drama, and the variety of having three soloists. The last movement is especially rhythmic, strong, and interesting, not light-weight as some are. Lots of fast, demanding string passages. The recording I recommend is EMI 7243-5-55516-2, by Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Daniel Barenboim, with Barenboim conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. These soloists are tops, and they play like it, too -- couldn't ask for better! Larry

---------------- That chick in it is so hot! She's also in old school and there are some nice shots of the arse. The Diana Krall album of the same name is probably a better expenditure. ---------------- Oh, does Diana Krall have a good arse too?

---------------- On 10/26/2004 11:16:20 AM mdeneen wrote: I think Wagner's Ring, is deservedly an entire "world" of music unto it's very own. There's opera, and then there's Wagner! Yes, certainly Figaro is a good intro as is Magic Flute. mdeneen ---------------- I think Wagner's Ring "cycle," a set of four long to very-long operas conceived as a single (but very complicated) huge story based on Norse legends and written by him over a 24-year period, is one of the astounding works of Western art, even more so because Wagner wrote the libretto as well as the music (!), and because much of it was written in exile where he had no opportunity to hear what he was writing. Begun in the early 1850s, Wagner only got to first hear the entire tetralogy in 1876, in his new opera house in Bayreuth. However, I suspect the classical music world is divided into those who like opera and those who usually can't get excited about it, and I am one of the latter. Wagner may be a heavy dose to start with. I DO think, however, that opera is made more enjoyable if one can watch with visible ongoing translations -- subtitles in VHS/DVD recordings, surtitles in the opera house. So, I have a couple of recommendations: Wagner, Das Rheingold (the first and shortest of the Ring cycle): James Levine, conducting the Metropolitan Opera, at one time available on DG VHS 072-518-3 and probably now available on DVD. The unequalled (IMHO) power and richness of Wagner's music and the complicated libretto and plot show up well here. Two and a half hours. No other composer ever matched Wagner's drama, expertise in writing for orchestra, and marshalling the greatest orchestral power ever, in my view. If that's too heavy, see if you can rent the old, fascinating Ingmar Bergman movie of Mozart's Magic Flute. Don't be fooled by the beautiful lady soloists -- not typical, I think -- and Bergman added some plot twists not in the original, but it's fine entertainment. I don't have a tape or DVD number, if it's even available on the latter. I second recommendations of Puccini's La Boheme and Bizet's Carmen. Masterpieces both. Larry

Richard, I'd never heard of him, but found this via Google: "Noel Rawsthorne (b.1929) was Organist of Liverpool Cathedral for twenty-five years and City Organist and Artistic Director at St George's Hall, Liverpool. He was also Senior Lecturer in Music at St Katherine's College, Liverpool, until his retirement in 1993 after thirty-nine years in education. In 1994 he was honoured by the university of Liverpool with an honourary degree of Doctor of Music." His music appears to be arrangements of mostly classical works, so you were certainly right about that. He just didn't write the originals. Organ really DOES do great demos of Klipsch, doesn't it? I am still such an inexperienced listener, and just do not have the wealth of knowledge in terms of good recordings of both well-known and less well-known composers -- and this includes more 'modern' classcial composers of the last century. I would also very much enjoy such a feature, and perhaps it need not be a 'formal' dept. of the forum per se,' it can be something to talk or post about whenever one might feel the interest to contribute and/or respond. It would really help me expand our collection of classical music, since I am often bewildered by the quantity available, as well as how to go about making a good choice in terms of both performance and recording quality. Erik, that's EXACTLY what I, at least, think would be very worthwhile for folks. The trick is for people to be comfortable in making those comments and asking the questions. It would be great to be able to simply say, this is what you should hear, take note of, listen to -- but we just can't get into other peoples' mind's ear. I've come to believe that Beethoven gets people to listen and pick up more detail and meaning more than any other composer; I am aware of a forum member who recently bought an entire set of Beethoven symphonies and another of the piano sonatas. It may take him a long time to listen to many of those, but it could be a very interesting experience. I am thinking of posting my own observations from listening to the Beethoven 9 symphonies in sequence if that would be helpful -- just thinking about it. Great comments, both of you -- Larry

Wolfram (this is long, too), Wow, this is a challenge, isn't it? A sort of "Members Weekly Music Recommendations" for classical. Thebes' weekly invitations have held up very well in pop music, and have revealed (to me) the truly vast knowledge base in non-classical music among forum members. Can this do the same here? From long before I knew about the forum, I have been perpetually surprised by how reticent most people are to talk or write about classical music. Pop music, movies, you name it, folks love to chat about it. Classical, well, how shy can people get? I've done a fair amount of tutoring and mentoring people in getting to know and feel comfortable with classical, but it's still like pulling teeth to get much discussion of it. I'd like to suggest that as many folks post here as feel like it, as well as regular buffs -- including those who are just starting in classical listening and would like to say something about what they think! Oh, well -- you (and others like PaulP) have always shown great depth in performance and recording values, which I don't have, and I don't usually have a lot of recordings of any one work for comparisons. I think Bach organ works are a good starting point -- everyone knows the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV (Bach Werke Verzeichnis, the standard catalog of his works) 565, the most famous. Organ works are great, perhaps sensational, for showing off the Klipsch ability to render broad, open, very fine detail, that's amazingly close to how the original sounded! For low notes, it's bottom D would be 36 Hz on a 16-ft. pipe, well within the K-horns's ability to produce if not so much the Belle's or LaScala's. Two other, equally fine Bach organ works are: Toccata in F, BWV 540, with powerful fast pedal work which the bass horn shows up beautifully. Passacaglia in C Minor, BWV 582, which starts off with a solo bass line that goes down to the lowest C, 32.7 Hz in a 16-ft. rank. It seems like PWK was intent on being able to produce that note from the K-horn, which requires it to be as big as it is. My other recommendation for THIS WEEK: Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1, BMG 60321-2-RG, from a War Bond concert broadcast in 1943 by Vladimir Horowitz and NBC Symphony cond. by Arturo Toscanini. This is a real hair-raiser of a performance like almost no other of this work, though it suffers some from being a bit too feverish. The CD's sound is greatly improved over the earlier LP, IMO, but still has the edge and graininess of the pre-tape era. For historical interest in one of the great conductors and pianists ever. I do think the SACD re-issue of the Van Cliburn Tchaikovsky is much more listenable and has remarkable orchestral clarity, though I also think that Toscanini seemed to have a better overall conception and interpretive detail. Thanks, Wolfram! Larry

---------------- On 10/23/2004 1:16:04 PM coda wrote: Quality is evident in this 1957 brochure, imitated but apparently never quite duplicated.. ---------------- I agree -- I think PWK was a genius in marketing and cosmetic design as well as speaker system engineering and manufacturing. The timeless look of all his products puts others' to shame even today. Pics of 1950s-1960s competitors look laughable (Patrician), frightening (Hartsfield), or both. Larry

I drove through Hope on a Sunday in 1963 when traveling from one position to another, and called him up! He drove out and showed me around, on the Sabbath no less, showing me a big barrel of cast-off WWII capacitors he used in his crossovers and the vacuum machine he used to form up the old plastic, pre-K400 mid-range horns he used at the time. Great guy, no one too small for him. Larry

I seem to recall Monster Cable as one of the early players in that game, though justification is a different issue. P.S. Wanna borrow a pair of Siltechs?

---------------- His Joule Electra OTLs sound great with khorns. ---------------- I agree the Joules a great match, as I think I described in the thread I posted above, but they may be too pricey for him. I haven't heard Atma-Sphere. Everyone who has posted about the Transcendent SE OTL seems to share Wolfram's opinion, although some could question the amount of headroom in some situations in such a low-powered amp. This makes the higher power of Atma-Sphere, Joule Electra and Tenor OTLs potentially appealing. Larry

I myself like pics right in the post, as in my thread on restoring a bass horn throat. I have dial-up, and the pics didn't take that long IMO, certainly not as long as some we've seen. Larry

A good thread from last year, OTL's - Atma-Sphere or Tenor, contained lots of discussion on OTLs and their advantages and disadvantages. Larry

---------------- My wife has a smaller system in the opposite corner that she likes to do genealogy (family trees) on. ---------------- What genealogy program does she use? I also noticed the great interior photography, which I think is really hard to do well. And, your whole room and setup seem to show a great sense of design that the photography then ably brings out. Stunning, professional job! Larry

Laquer or oil finish? Mine are lacquer; I once applied Murphy's wood soap, found it darkened and increased the contrast in the grain, which was undesirable. I'm satisfied with Formby's Lemon Oil furniture treatment, which seems to increase the depth of the grain slightly and helps darken scratches and chips somewhat, making those look better. I don't think I want a shinier finish than that. Larry

I heard a fabulous group, "Time for Three" at the most recent local Beethoven Society Concert. The 3 players, 2 violins and a string bass, all classically trained at the Curtis school of music in Philly, are absolutely fantastic in very rapid playing, staying exactly together in interpretation as well as the notes. The bass player is phenomenal, IMHO, in pizzacato and playing very high, in the cello and viola as well as deep bass range. According to GaryMD, their style is a sort of folksy and bluegrassy. They do a great Orange Blossom Special, but with a mysterious, impressionistic beginning. At the other end of the spectrum, their "Bach Double" is a bluegrass rendition of the first movement of the Bach concerto for 2 violins in D minor. I would never have picked up on this except for seeing their amazing perf at the concert. Their website is http://www.timeforthree.com/. The CD I have is simply called "Time for Three" -- it's privately published and not yet on a label. Their website currently has a phone # to call for ordering. Larry