Messages

Just listened to it again for the first time in ages.  Good heavens, it's *so* Hollywood, but in a fun, guilty pleasure sort of way.

I was about to post, "What do you mean by 'only recording'?  I'm looking at a commercial recording of the first four quartets at this very moment."  I had my reply all typed out and ready to send when I realized I was looking at a recording of the quartets of Hugo KauDER, not Hugo KauN.  Oops. 

This is a real winner.  And the shade of Mahler only adds to the enjoyment.

Your *first* visit to Wexford?  You, the very model of a modern major traveller -- and a musical one at that?

It sounds much like Glimmerglass in their heyday.

...and I was about to write, "Perhaps they'll read about it in 'Opera News'," but I see that went the way of so many monthlies a year ago.  Oh, dear.

With the passing of physical stores, the need for distributors in target nations has passed as well. If you're ordering everything on Internet websites, it doesn't matter where the websites are hosted.

And just as stores have disappeared, so have mainstream websites like Amazon stopped serving the needs of record collectors. If you're into classical music at any depth, where you know who Raff was and take chances on him, you are going to know about sources like Presto or JPC.  You will know about Musicweb International or Fanfare; you'll know about how to obtain music in the current world.

So not to worry.  As Ilja pointed out, rapid discounting is common enough at JPC. 

JPC ships to America at a nominal cost.   That should cover the distribution problem, especially in the absence of brick-and-mortar stores.

Smetana wouldn't have it any other way.  And he says it's "Mariánské Lázně".

I'm a bit confused. Why is this a private release? Isn't it already release by Toccata?

My comment was on the thread topic of the new Toccata recording, not the off-topic chat about the private release of some other recording of something else -- perhaps the 1st piano quartet?.

It's strange to have gotten so late in the day before making the acquaintance of a composer of this quality, but there you have it.  This a fine disc (aside from some shaky intonation now and then, but it's tolerable).  Now I am backfilling with whatever else is available, the happiest new discovery since Gernsheim.

And then there's Berlioz...

I would strike Berlioz because of his low productivity.  A 19th century Haydn would need to match his productivity/innovation/quality synthesis.  Liszt fails on quality (at least consistent quality).

Perhaps there was no 19th century Haydn?

Quartet #6, you mean.  As of this writing the subject appears as #4. 

I'll get it, but without high hopes, save that the CPO series continues. 

News to me.  I have the Grand Piano disc of the piano sonatas 1 & 2, so this release is good news. 

That's a very thorough and fair review.

We're so sorry, Eugen D'Albert
We're so sorry if your search has been in vain.
We're so sorry, Eugen D'Albert
But there're no hits hitting home
And I believe they'll stay the same.