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#11

Composers & Music / Re: Giovanni Bottesini

Last post by Maury - Yesterday at 17:41

Thanks for your reply. Yes pre WW1 Italian composers have a pigeon hole (opera) that they must reside in or they will be ignored by the critics and then the public. I understand that. Paganini is rather a special case. My question is why he seems to be ignored here too relatively speaking? I believe the LP you refer to has been reissued on Sony Essential Classics CD series wiih Ricci and Petracchi and Francescatti. The quintets I have are on SOMM with I Musicante while the Quartets are on Dynamic. I did not see the Quartets issued on Naxos or CPO. Do you have the citations for them?  I have seen CPO and  Naxos CDs of his orchestral pieces.

I agree on Bottesini's double bass writing; it is quite marvelous and light footed for  a double bass. But I can understand why classical audiences don't rush to hear them. Other than for violin, cello  or piano, concertos are unsung by major orchestras.

#12

Recordings & Broadcasts / Re: Meyerbeer: Le Prophète

Last post by Mark Thomas - Yesterday at 16:54

A must buy for me too but how will it measure up to the classic Marilyn Horne, Renata Scotto, James McCracken set on CBS?

#13

Recordings & Broadcasts / Re: Meyerbeer: Le Prophète

Last post by Alan Howe - Yesterday at 12:57

I note that this is a co-production with Bru Zane - interesting:

#14

Composers & Music / Re: Giovanni Bottesini

Last post by terry martyn - Yesterday at 12:25

I first encountered Bottesini on the flipside of an LP mainly devoted to Paganini (his Fourth,from memory).  I imagine that the CDs you are referring to are from Naxos and cpo.  I have always found him eminently listenable,and melodies from the Grand Duo readily spring to mind.  Apart from the likes of the frontline composers such as Verdi and Paganini,Italian orchestral music,and particularly,concertante works,have not been tremendously in vogue. When you occasionally encounter Bazzini,for example,and his dashing,Fourth Violin Concerto,I am surprised that more interest has not been shown.

#15

Recordings & Broadcasts / Re: Meyerbeer: Le Prophète

Last post by Alan Howe - Yesterday at 11:09

Try this YouTube recording of the Cathedral Scene (30+ mins, audio only), evidently from the same performance in Aix-en-Provence on 15th July last year. I'm assuming it was recorded from the radio broadcast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl995uHhDqo

I can hear an awful lot of pre-echoes of Verdi here: the Auto-da-fé scene in Don Carlos comes to mind....

How different from the direction Raff was to take just a few years later in Samson - I'd like to hear his earlier opera König Alfred (which is roughly contemporary with Le Prophète) for comparison purposes...

By the way: I've put my (pre-)order in for Le Prophète straight away - the singing sounds exceptional (for once!)

#16

Composers & Music / Giovanni Bottesini

Last post by Maury - Yesterday at 07:27

Obviously Giovanni Bottesini was a noted 19th C. double bass virtuoso. Unlike most such  instrument virtuosos, he wrote quite a lot of music in genres and for ensembles outside of his specialty. I have CDs of his string quartets and quintets along with a couple of his more well known double bass pieces. I started this thread because I was a bit puzzled by the relative lack of mentions here except en passant. As far as I can tell this is the first thread dedicated to his music. Is he considered not an Unsung or is there some other reason for the lack of discussion? To me while his double bass music is obviously a mainstay for that instrument, his other music seems to be invisible.I know he wrote operas as well but have not been able to find any recording of them except for the Ali Baba overture. If I have somehow strayed off the reservation with this thread feel free to delete.

#17

Recordings & Broadcasts / Meyerbeer Le Prophete LSO Live

Last post by patently_obvious - Yesterday at 05:45

Forthcoming in June from LSO Live:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9624610--meyerbeer-le-prophete

I tried to link this to the previous thread on this opera, but could not, so maybe one of the moderators can help me here.

Done [Mark]

#18

Recordings & Broadcasts / Re: Feux et Tonnerres ! - Homm...

Last post by kolaboy - Yesterday at 04:04

A must-have, thank you.

#19

Recordings & Broadcasts / Bossi violin sonatas upcoming ...

Last post by eschiss1 - Yesterday at 03:27

In July 2024, according to Presto, a disc of Enrico Bossi's 2 violin sonatas performed by Emmanuele Baldini and Luca Delle Donne will be issued on Naxos. (I know offhand of only one other recording of these two works together.)

#20

Recordings & Broadcasts / Re: Feux et Tonnerres ! - Homm...

Last post by semloh - Yesterday at 03:11

Yes, this is very interesting and the recording sounds excellent to me. Thanks for alerting us, Wheesht.