Their stories are amazing, please read them. (The future) Professor Kowalski twice escaped from the Nazis on his way to be executed; and, in among all that, he managed to study at the Moscow Conservatory for a while.
Boris Goldovsky's mom was the violin teacher of the tots of the (extended) Romanov Russian Royal Family, pre-Revolution. She told him to pack one suitcase of things that could not be replaced, and they left Moscow during the October Revolution.
They settled in Berlin. But in 1933, the still-young Boris laid down the law: "They mean to kill us all." He insisted that they immediately decamp for America.
Of the extended Goldovsky and Luboschutz families, from Moscow to Paris, only Boris, his sister, and their mother survived WWII. Because they were in America. (We Americans are so blessed.)
And Mr. G. became one of the most important cultural figures in the US in the 20th-c.
Oh, BTW, Mr. G. forced the Metropolitan Opera to hire one of his opera students, one they were disinclined to hire because of his race. Mr. G. would not accept that. So, the future father of Bobby McFerrin (Robert McFerrin), became the first African-American singer to sing a title role (Rigoletto) at the Met, in the 1950s.
I have been very blessed. Thanks again.
john
PS: I sign off with my name in all lower-case, in honor of Mr. Goldovsky's "Rule No. 6."
PS: Two: I am listening to Playlist No. 2, and I am still loving it. Please also take a look at Hyperion Knight's online course.
Great to hear all this unamplified music. I have the undogmatic view that electricity and music make uneasy bedfellows, so most music I listen to is acoustically-based, with (ideally) no amplification interfering with overtones. I've preferred "classical" music since I was a tot, though do listen to a lot early country and bluegrass (and even some pre-1975 Grateful Dead). I taught band and orchestra in public schools (get your kids OUT) for 35 years, and retired mostly insane, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
Caveats, I've had a few... the big one that is relevant here is that, my semi-fame as a classical music record producer is based on my recordings of string quartets. I am a bowed-strings specialist (and I know a fair amount about singing), but, I am not a keyboards specialist or expert. So, I don't think that my advice on keyboard recordings is necessarily more valid than any well-informed classical music fan--especially one with a Qobuz subscription!
So, Brace Yourself, this one is not coming from Left Field.
It is coming from the Eastern field.
Taking sound quality into account, my recommendation is the BIS recording of Masato Suzuki, who has succeeded his father as conductor of the Bach Collegium Japan.
Thank you. On first listen, very interesting. I think I prefer the harpsichord on this to my previous favorite, Gustav Leonhardt on SEON, but for some reason do not like the accompaniment as much. Must listen more. For a piano version, I like Murray Perahia's.
My memory probably exaggerates how good it was, but I used to have, in the early 1970's, a version by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields on the Audio Fidelity label. A friend liked it so much I felt obligated to give it away and have not been able to find one since. Oh well, my Thorens is packed away anyway.
There are CD reissues floating around, one of which is up on Qobuz but which does not show a recording date, of a version by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, it appears to have Andrei Gavrilov, who was a protege of Richter's, on the piano, and, on first listen it seems very fine indeed.
I have looked for an Audio Fidelity LP of Bach Hpschd Cto 1 with Marriner/ASMF, but is does not seem to exist on the internet. There is an Audio Fidelity LP however, that does have Concerto 1, with a different cast.
but that does not seem to have been digitized either for CD or streaming.
Now, there's a Discogs seller who wants less than $7 for his LP. If that is the LP you gave away, perhaps you live in an area where a place like Hunt Photo, which will digitize your family videos and photo slides, has also started ripping LPs for people.
I think there's a place in Lincoln RI that does that, and I think a quick search might find a reasonable price somewhere near you for washing and ripping such an LP.
"Listen for the distinctive sounds of the variety of guitar techniques the composer Britten summoned, including harmonics and percussive pluckings and hammerings."
Forgive my musical ignorance, but are there musical notations beyond the usual lines with notes on them that we usually think of as sheet music?
Scores often include so-called "performance directions" which are usually Italicized words, such as "sul ponticello," which is in fact found in Britten's Nocturnal score.
That is usually an instruction for players of bowed string instruments such as violin and cello. It means to move the bow as close as possible to the bridge, so the strings have less compass to vibrate, with the resultant tone being "white," thin, disembodied, and creepy.
I've never before seen it on a guitar score, but I don't read many guitar scores.
There's also the use of a Zero ("0") floating above a note sign, to indicate a Harmonic. And, the "tremolo" signs, which are two or three thick strokes or slashes through the stems of the notes, which indicates that the performer is to play quickly repeated notes. That's a convention in order to avoid writing out or engraving or typesetting torrents of 16ths or 32nd notes. The guitar score also has suggestions for use of the right hand. But those are based on Spanish words, so the letter "P" means, use your Thumb.
There's a YT with some guy's own performance of Nocturnal that has the score go past as video slides. Very good job on both counts. I think he gets better as he goes along, performance wise, and by the end, the result is very poignant.
I feel compelled to note that John said something nice about Worcester, MA -- regarding the Mechanics Hall venue. I spend a fair amount of time in Worcester and don't often hear or experience the good side of it.
Wow. The breadth of knowledge and experience evident in this post is overwhelming. Thank you for sharing.
Dear Rick,
You are too kind; but, heartfelt thanks.
I owe so much to my teachers, and my mentors, and my inspirations; primarily Henryk Kowalski and Boris Goldovsky.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henryk_Kowalski
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Goldovsky
Their stories are amazing, please read them. (The future) Professor Kowalski twice escaped from the Nazis on his way to be executed; and, in among all that, he managed to study at the Moscow Conservatory for a while.
Boris Goldovsky's mom was the violin teacher of the tots of the (extended) Romanov Russian Royal Family, pre-Revolution. She told him to pack one suitcase of things that could not be replaced, and they left Moscow during the October Revolution.
They settled in Berlin. But in 1933, the still-young Boris laid down the law: "They mean to kill us all." He insisted that they immediately decamp for America.
Of the extended Goldovsky and Luboschutz families, from Moscow to Paris, only Boris, his sister, and their mother survived WWII. Because they were in America. (We Americans are so blessed.)
And Mr. G. became one of the most important cultural figures in the US in the 20th-c.
Oh, BTW, Mr. G. forced the Metropolitan Opera to hire one of his opera students, one they were disinclined to hire because of his race. Mr. G. would not accept that. So, the future father of Bobby McFerrin (Robert McFerrin), became the first African-American singer to sing a title role (Rigoletto) at the Met, in the 1950s.
I have been very blessed. Thanks again.
john
PS: I sign off with my name in all lower-case, in honor of Mr. Goldovsky's "Rule No. 6."
PS: Two: I am listening to Playlist No. 2, and I am still loving it. Please also take a look at Hyperion Knight's online course.
# # #
Great to hear all this unamplified music. I have the undogmatic view that electricity and music make uneasy bedfellows, so most music I listen to is acoustically-based, with (ideally) no amplification interfering with overtones. I've preferred "classical" music since I was a tot, though do listen to a lot early country and bluegrass (and even some pre-1975 Grateful Dead). I taught band and orchestra in public schools (get your kids OUT) for 35 years, and retired mostly insane, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
Again, thanks for this. If I may ask, do you have a favorite version, or versions, of Bach's Harpsichord Concerto No. 1 in D minor (BWV 1052)?
Caveats, I've had a few... the big one that is relevant here is that, my semi-fame as a classical music record producer is based on my recordings of string quartets. I am a bowed-strings specialist (and I know a fair amount about singing), but, I am not a keyboards specialist or expert. So, I don't think that my advice on keyboard recordings is necessarily more valid than any well-informed classical music fan--especially one with a Qobuz subscription!
So, Brace Yourself, this one is not coming from Left Field.
It is coming from the Eastern field.
Taking sound quality into account, my recommendation is the BIS recording of Masato Suzuki, who has succeeded his father as conductor of the Bach Collegium Japan.
https://play.qobuz.com/artist/600487
How do you like them apples?
john
Thank you. On first listen, very interesting. I think I prefer the harpsichord on this to my previous favorite, Gustav Leonhardt on SEON, but for some reason do not like the accompaniment as much. Must listen more. For a piano version, I like Murray Perahia's.
My memory probably exaggerates how good it was, but I used to have, in the early 1970's, a version by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields on the Audio Fidelity label. A friend liked it so much I felt obligated to give it away and have not been able to find one since. Oh well, my Thorens is packed away anyway.
There are CD reissues floating around, one of which is up on Qobuz but which does not show a recording date, of a version by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, it appears to have Andrei Gavrilov, who was a protege of Richter's, on the piano, and, on first listen it seems very fine indeed.
https://play.qobuz.com/album/3614978595986
I have looked for an Audio Fidelity LP of Bach Hpschd Cto 1 with Marriner/ASMF, but is does not seem to exist on the internet. There is an Audio Fidelity LP however, that does have Concerto 1, with a different cast.
https://www.discogs.com/release/13099807-Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Rudolf-Zartner-K-Schicker-N%C3%BCrnberger-Symphoniker-conducted-by-Othmar-F-M-Maga
but that does not seem to have been digitized either for CD or streaming.
Now, there's a Discogs seller who wants less than $7 for his LP. If that is the LP you gave away, perhaps you live in an area where a place like Hunt Photo, which will digitize your family videos and photo slides, has also started ripping LPs for people.
I think there's a place in Lincoln RI that does that, and I think a quick search might find a reasonable price somewhere near you for washing and ripping such an LP.
Best of luck,
john
Thank you. That was above and beyond!
"Listen for the distinctive sounds of the variety of guitar techniques the composer Britten summoned, including harmonics and percussive pluckings and hammerings."
Forgive my musical ignorance, but are there musical notations beyond the usual lines with notes on them that we usually think of as sheet music?
Hi.
Good question.
Scores often include so-called "performance directions" which are usually Italicized words, such as "sul ponticello," which is in fact found in Britten's Nocturnal score.
That is usually an instruction for players of bowed string instruments such as violin and cello. It means to move the bow as close as possible to the bridge, so the strings have less compass to vibrate, with the resultant tone being "white," thin, disembodied, and creepy.
I've never before seen it on a guitar score, but I don't read many guitar scores.
There's also the use of a Zero ("0") floating above a note sign, to indicate a Harmonic. And, the "tremolo" signs, which are two or three thick strokes or slashes through the stems of the notes, which indicates that the performer is to play quickly repeated notes. That's a convention in order to avoid writing out or engraving or typesetting torrents of 16ths or 32nd notes. The guitar score also has suggestions for use of the right hand. But those are based on Spanish words, so the letter "P" means, use your Thumb.
There's a YT with some guy's own performance of Nocturnal that has the score go past as video slides. Very good job on both counts. I think he gets better as he goes along, performance wise, and by the end, the result is very poignant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5ZAGvyOSn8
I hope that helps.
john
Thank you so much! Listening now. Seems to be Russian writing at the beginning. I used to be able to read Russian but all I get now is B. Britten. :-)
There is no score available from IMSLP, because Nocturnal was composed in 1963 and Britten died in 1976, so, don't hold your breath.
I feel compelled to note that John said something nice about Worcester, MA -- regarding the Mechanics Hall venue. I spend a fair amount of time in Worcester and don't often hear or experience the good side of it.