MD-VA-DC Strathmore Tchaikovsky 4th Klipschfest, Saturday, April 25, 2009

[LarryC]

I don't see any vinyl of this piece at either Acoustic Sounds or Music Direct.

The most hair-raising CDs are Mravinsky and the Leningrad Phil, if you don't mind 1960 sound. Symphonies 4-6 are at http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Symphonies-Pathetique-Pyotr-Ilyich/dp/B000001G8B/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1241027923&sr=1-6. There is a cheaper version of the same set, for some reason, at http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Symphonies-Path%C3%A9tique-Pyotr-Ilyich/dp/B000E0W24S/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1241028636&sr=1-22

Another probably good one would be Jansons/Oslo Phil, http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Symphony-Minor-Op-36/dp/B000000ACT/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1241027923&sr=1-4.

However, my first recommendation is the DVD I mentioned in the thread, because it's very informative and you can watch it, at http://www.shopsfsymphony.org/shop/product.php?productid=803&cat=42&page=1. I suppose you can't play the audio on a CD player.

Otherwise, you may need to look at used LP places, and I'm not familiar with those. This ebay item should be a good perf: http://cgi.ebay.com/SEALED-TCHAIKOVSKY-FOURTH-SYMPHONY-LP-'64-LONDON-MAAZEL_W0QQitemZ350194175935QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090424?IMSfp=TL0904242010005r25857.

Feel free to call me on your cell if you see something at a library or thrift shop.

[LarryC]

How's this one Larry?

http://store.acousticsounds.com/browse_detail.cfm?Title_ID=7254

Oops, didn't see this Q. I don't see any reviews of this performance, but Monteux is good, if not the most Tchaikovskian, and the Boston Symphony plays with a LOT of vigor and clarity. Otherwise, can't guess how you'd like it. That price gets you the Mravinsky CDs of 4-6, which you can borrow if you want to hear it first.

[garymd]

Thanks Larry! I think I'll take the plunge since it's a 180 gram Classic Reissue. Can't beat the price and those are usually very well recorded as we both know.

Didn't I see that exact LP next to your TT on Saturday or did I dream it?

[DoubleJ]

Great write-up(s), guys!!!

Though not the same as being there in person, I did find some of Tchaikovsky's 5th and 6th in my old vinyl archives and played them on Saturday night.

I sure would like to hear some Classical music on a finely tuned TT system. Mine set-up is amateurish (by design..new to the game) and though I have had the pleasure to demo a few nice set-ups..The music of choice has been ...Random Horn Blowin Music. Which isn't my cup of tea.

Larry: Michael mentioned that you have a record cleaning machine...What model do you have?

Thanks again guys for sharing your adventures!!

JJ

P.S. Larry: I got your email and I'll reply to you later this evening

[LarryC]

Didn't I see that exact LP next to your TT on Saturday or did I dream it?

You weren't dreaming about Monteux, but it was another work. My old LP of the 4th which I always liked turns out to have been Mravinsky and the LPO.

[LarryC]

Michael mentioned that you have a record cleaning machine...What model do you have?

It's a Nitty-Gritty that I bought a few decades ago. It's one of the mostly mechanical models -- it rotates the record, but I have to switch on the motor to rotate it and then switch on the motor + vacuum. I think the NG is fine, but VPI owners like Gary consistently really like theirs.

[colterphoto1]

I saw that Larry had posted and got all excited.[] I'd sure like to read what he thought of the symphony (other than short in the string section), the other two pieces of the evening, and how he feels the 'class' is progressing in terms of knowledge and appreciation of the symphony.

Excuse me guys, I have to go sort out the 300+ LP's I bought in Chicago. Look for a Garage Sale piece in the upcoming months offering some of these, there's no way I can keep and enjoy ALL this music!

Michael

[LarryC]

Hey guys, thank you for all the huge, magnificent work you did on your great, long write-ups!!! I had to get some other things out of the way and now have time to put down my own comments.

It was a great weekend for me, too. I listened to more jazz or similar (I never know what to call it) on Saturday during the day than I ever have before. I really liked the very HIGH quality Count Basie recordings I picked up somewhere, and liked the "Yes" album somebody played. I also liked some of the other stuff, but not as much. Times were tense for me in trying to work out everyone's seating, and 4 non-Klipsch friends were delayed and had to hunt down their tickets in the ticketing area after everybody went inside. It was all OK once the concert started, of course.

I'm glad everyone liked the first two pieces, the In the Steppes of Central Asia and the Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2, a piece I'd never heard. Like any of Borodin's works, Steppes is beautifully orchestrated and I see that everyone appreciated that. The Prokofiev was less an attraction for me, and I was surprised that they didn't use a 2nd percussionist since the one they had had to handle the bass drum, snare drum and triangle at around the same time. As Michael said, he was very expert and professional, holding his triangle "tinger" (should I explain that?) in one hand along with a snare drumstick, in order to switch quickly. Percussionists are trained on ALL those instruments, including some very unusual ones, and have to literally choreograph their own ballet running from place to place in a piece like Carmina Burana, where 7 or 9 percussionists play some 30 different percussion instruments.

The Tchaikovsky used 3 to play a bass drum, triangle, and cymbals, but I guess that's because they were played at the same time. Tympanists are a separate breed, btw.

Steve picked up on the fact that this was not a large orchestra. The full symphony orch. has about 100 people, and indeed the program listed about that many on the National Philharmonic roster. However, I only counted about 75 actually on the stage. I don't know, but suppose it's partly economics -- these are paid players, like any professional orchestra, and all orchestras have to watch their pennies these days! Besides, the hall was far from packed! That's a real shame, as the NPO and its conductor are VERY good IMO. Not only that, but the balcony seats with our outstanding view have been almost totally undiscovered, at least by subscribers!! (Good thing, since they get first choice before my seating requests are filled.)

Anyway, orchestras are made larger or smaller by the number of strings, since the winds and percussion are all a sort of Noah's Ark of one-of-a-kind: If the composer writes for 2 trumpets, that's what he/she gets. (Horns are an exception, they usually add 1-2 more, since they have a weaker sound than trumpets or trombones). So, I counted only about 50 strings (e.g., only 12 instead of 14-16 first violins) instead of the nearly 70 you'd see with a full-size symphony. It takes that many to balance with brass and woodwinds playing at regular volume, so that showed in places.

Although no one complained, as the NPO is quite good and all the woodwinds did a fine job, the really great orchestras have great woodwind players that really know how to play in beautiful styles and interpretations. The Michael Tilson Thomas DVD of the San Fran Symphony, for example, has a TERRIFIC oboe player. That's one of the hardest positions to fill because of the special talents needed, and I've been told it's one of the highest-paid instruments in the orchestra. The NPO's oboe was good but not that great. OTOH, the "hottie" bassoonist, who was rather tiny, did almost as good a job as the SFS's fine bassoonist, a real credit to her. Bassoons, like oboes, play a prominent role in Tchaikovsky, too. BTW, double reed instruments like the oboe, English horn and bassoon are hard to play because the opening in the reed is VERY small and it's like holding your breath to play long notes on them. Not true of clarinets or flutes, or especially brass of course.

It was clear that the "regulars" (Gary, Mike L., Michael, Steve, Marty, Mark, and others) are no longer buffalo'd by all those strange players sitting in puzzling places -- they know immediately where to look for the oboe, bass clarinet (if there is one), horns, and trumpets, and EVEN the cellos and violas! They are also becoming very well schooled in the conductor's interactions with the orchestra!

Pics start in the next post --

Larry

[LarryC]

Pictures:

Here's a pic of a few of us standing outside Mamma Lucia's restaurant (I have to do one of these per post).

Skonopa, Catherine Thibault, Marty, Mike, and Michael.

[LarryC]

Here's a on-balcony pic where everybody looks good but Gary (according to him):

Steve, Mark, Gary, Michael, Mike Lindsey, Jim and Bridey Joy (friends), and Marty and Catherine

[LarryC]

This is a pic where Gary looks much better (according to him), and the others, well, almost as good.

[LarryC]

This picture suffers from having me in profile. I prefer more mystery, myself.

Thanks again, everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!

[colterphoto1]

Gary has the way coolest shirt of us all! [H][ip]

[thebes]

Great pics Larry and two more great write-ups by Michael and Larry.

Oh, Larry, those Count Basie Pablo's were a batch I gave you to select a few from. Can't remember if the extras ever came back to me. If not dig them out and enjoy.

[colterphoto1]

Marty, after we cleaned the Basie's and gave them a good listen Larry allowed me to pick a couple- so Thank You! They're super cool!

M

[Amy]

Looks like a lot of fun, guys! [Y]

[SWL]

Glad to hear you guys had fun! []

Did any fights break out in the mosh pit?