Roon Music Blog: Classical Community Conversations [2025]

Although it would seem like we need another recording of the four seasons, like a you know what, I am really enjoying this new recording of Vivaldi‘s masterpiece by Daniel Pioro and the Manchester Camerata. Reminds me a bit of some of the unique changes that Nigel Kennedy made back in the day of his 1st recording, but still very beautifully played with less Kennedy edge. Manchester Camerata brings great accompaniment esp if u like ur 4 Seasons with larger forces than say the excellent but very diff and “smaller” sound/forces of Mutter/Trondheim Soloists (another of my faves on DVD-A). Not sure what I think of the poems but they’re interesting at least. There have been several new releases of this piece in the past month or two and this is the new one that seems to have kept my attention.
Happy listening!
D

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I know I’m replying to my own post here but after listening to both of these back to back on Apple Music and Dolby Atmos, I have to think the second recording (de Swarte) actually sounds/recorded better (wider/taller soundstage though at times soloist too upfront) and I like the overall program on the album better (2 discs so you get a lot for your money streaming this one). I still think I prefer the performance of the Vivaldi four seasons by Pioro vs De Swarte due to some interesting though not over the top ornamentation and bowing tricks, but both are excellent and worth a listen!

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Someone may have mentioned this somewhere else on this site. It made it to some best of year lists.

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it’s well deserved Its a brilliant record with great performances.

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Chunks of the recently released 80 CD Michael Tilson-Thomas box set are available on Qobuz (Tidal as well I would assume)…hopefully all will eventually show…look for the “remastered in 2024” in the album titles. They are all mixed in to his discography not just in the most recent releases under his name. Found about half of them so far! Really enjoying this Debussy La Mer/Nocturnes disc at the moment. Also nice video on YouTube by David Hurwitz of the box set contents. He pretty much like the vast majority of it except the Beethoven cycle! Happy listening!
D

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this is a favorite from that box:

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I’m only now un-Raveling after listening to the recent Seong-Jin Cho DG (150 anniversary) release of Ravel’s complete piano works. He’s been performing these live at a single performance with two breaks. That would be an extraordinary listen. What of the recording? Another distinguished, finely articulated, nicely colored performance with splendid dynamism. I expect it’s me, but I find the recording somewhat muted, as though the microphone(s) were behind something, baffling the sound. When I compared it to other favorite “complete” solo piano recordings (Casadesus, Thibaudet, Bavouzet, Lortie, Queffélec, Chamayou, Tharaud, Rogé, Bavouzet, Simon François, Abbey Simon and Michelangeli), I find it a welcome interpretation/performance. I’ve listened to it thrice and I may return to it, but not before the others I’ve mentioned. Well worth a hearing, though. If you want to get into the weeds of Ravel complete solo piano recordings have a look at What’s the best complete set of Ravel’s piano music?, which although the discussion is a bit dated now, has some good takes for the perspicacious and attentive Ravellian.

DG will release Mr. Cho’s Ravel piano concertos Feb 25, which I look forward to.

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Thank you for pointing out two excellent new Quattro Stagioni. Here’s a completely different Seasons, composed by Christopher Simpson and splendidly performed by the Sirius Viols. As Earth’s axis and solar orbit start bringing more light to the northern hemisphere and recedes as harvests approach in the southern, it is fitting to consider the growth that the progression of the seasons bring.

Antedating Vivaldi Le Quattro Stagioni by 25 y, Christopher Simpson, an English baroque viola da gamba master, composer and theorist wrote a Fantasia, Ayre and Galliard for each of the seasons, beginning with winter. Though there are no thunder- or rainstorms, cuckoos or barking dogs, there are musical elements and instrumentation consistent with each of the seasons. Hille and Marthe Perl (treble and bass viol), Frauke Hess (treble and bass viols; Sirius Viols), with Lee Santana (cittern and theorbo), Johannes Gontarski (bandora, guitar, cittern) and Andreas Küppers (positive organ) play these delightful pieces most pleasingly. The different instruments used for the continuo adds a further dimension of interest. Delightful alternative to the Vivaldi. Listen to the end and go deep with Eccles.

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@Douglasmaurer Thanks for bringing up the TIlson Thomas Columbia, CBS, Sony, RCA box. All the albums from the box were recently added to TIDAL as you predicted.

That Debussy La Mer is stunning and, coincidentally, it’s streaming right now in my office.

We now have three Michael Tilson Thomas boxes: CBS/Sony/RCA, Deutsche Grammophon/Erato and Pentatone. Maybe we’ll see another MTT box from SFS Media.

A long-time MTT favorite of mine is another Debussy included in the new box.

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The late Sophie Watillon planned to release a two volume set of Simpson’s Seasons and “Monthes”. She sadly passed before Volume 2 could be recorded.

Thanks for the Sirius Viols recommendation. It’s new to me and now on my listen later list.

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Greetings, all!

Just popping in to say that the first installment of Classical Community 2025 is now available on the Roon home page. You’ll find nearly 14 hours of your expert recommendations assembled for the enjoyment and edification of all Roon listeners.

My sincerest appreciation and deep gratitude go out to our playlist contributors for the new edition. In order of appearance: @Thomas_Becker, @Ken_Talbot, @Bolivar_Pou, @CoralRad, @bill_perkins, @Rugby, @Marco_Gymnopoulos, @eclectic, @Douglasmaurer, @mSpot, @7NoteScale, @Nick_Zwar, @woodford, @Mike_O_Neill, @Arjan_Uittenbroek, and @Richard_Graham!

Unsurprisingly, this month’s Classical Community continues in the long tradition of inspired lists effortlessly spun from the springs of your prodigious musical knowledge. Thank you, as always, for your passionate recommendations and ever gracious, genial conversation.

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Two great Mozart works on this fine release. Made to celebrate the 80th birthday of Sir Neville and the 50th of his son Andrew who is the soloist here. Excellent sound quality too.

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This is a recital collection of piano music for left hand only from 1991, streamable on Qobuz USA. Fleisher developed a debilitating problem in his right hand in the 1960s and did not resume recording for both hands for 35-40 years.

Here is his return to recording 2 handed work from 2004 at 75 years old, also streamable on Qobuz USA:

Both discs are filled with excellent piano playing,

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This is good, well balanced and performed (as the excellent review says) with appropriate reverence to the music. Soloists, choir and orchestra all sound first class to my ears.

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I have been enjoying this release over the past week

This passionate, thrilling, 1998 live performance was, I believe, the first recording Argerich and Perlman made together and is streamable Qobuz USA.

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Here’s another specialty Roon list for February, featuring a subsection of classical composers that are lesser known.

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Galante era works. Tempesta di Mare are from Philadelphia.

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Def rec this new Hyperion recording of Schumann violin sonatas performed by Alina Ibragimova and Cedric Tiberghien. Wonderful playing and palpable “you are there” in Henry Wood Hall listening engineering!
D

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