Count Petofi and Comte de St.-Germain

[victoriawinters]

What a wonderful thread!  We've had long discourses on books and films...but I don't recall one like this on Classical music.

Now, someone, PLEASE give me the Title and Artist of a CD where I can hear "Symphonie Fantastique"!!

raineypark, i am recommending to you the recording by leonard bernstein with the new york philarmonic.  while not the "definitive" recording, i think you will enjoy LB's conducting.  plus, i happen to know there is a huge bassoon part in one movement and the NY Phil has some fantastic bassoonists!

the other reason i'm recommending this recording is that LB explains the whole piece on track six.  it's called, "berlioz takes a trip."  (an opium trip that is. lol!!!!)

on amazon, i found it for $11.98.  i might just get it for myself lol!

(now for more modern recordings there is colin davis.  but i would not get the set with the complete orchestral works with jose carreras.  i don't care for him.  i still haven't forgiven him for his performance on west side story with bernstein conducting.  also, a recording on deutche gramaphone will be of top sound quality.)

[victoriawinters]

This is very outside info and I'm not even sure I should be mentioning it, but I can't resist -- someone in my family owns a clock that was owned by Louis XV, made by his royal clockmaker.

that must be quite something to see.  it must be really ornate.  i bet it still keeps perfect time too!

There are huge gaps in the record of his whereabouts, often a dozen years at a time, when he really could have been anywhere, so he could easily have been a student of Brivio's in Italy.

anything is possible with this guy!

Excellent use of Hungarian folk music in today's ep, when Petofi is under a gypsy tribunal (sorry, hope that's not too much of a spoiler!)

looking forward to that.

The comments in this thread are inspiring me, though.  But I do have another story that was much closer to completion that I should finish first.

sounds like me having all kinds of web pages in the works lol!

RE: Berlioz's music.  I'm glad to be informed about this, too. I'm not familiar with the work and probably couldn't identify Berlioz by hearing. (OT-- my favorite composers are Bach, Vivaldi, and Heinichen -- I can usually identify them accurately ... and Mozart and Beethoven, too. And of course Debussy, Chopin and others would be my second favorite era, though I'm not very knowledgeable about time periods, classifications of music, etc.  I undertook a study of Mozart's late symphonic scores at one time and got to know those quite intimately -- though Mozart is not my favorite composer by any means.  Most beautiful piece I can think of:  Alegri's Miserere; though I think Andrew Lloyd Weber's Requiem is nearly as wonderful.)

you might.  i think part of the symphonie fantastique was used in disney's fantasia.   if you remember that, then you have also heard stravinsky's, rite of spring.

i have such a hard time picking favorite composers and find myself constantly finding new favorites the more i find new and unique things to listen too.  it's still the never ending job building up an opera recording library.  but at least now have some great old recordings.  some of them i like better even though they are in mono.  a great voice is a great voice just period. 

[Raineypark]

raineypark, i am recommending to you the recording by leonard bernstein with the new york philarmonic.  while not the "definitive" recording, i think you will enjoy LB's conducting.......   also, a recording on deutche gramaphone will be of top sound quality.)

What a coincidence!!!  The Dvorak recording that I mentioned above was conducted by LB....and recorded on Deutche Gramaphone.  I guess excellence is obvious, even to a tin ear like mine!!  Thank you, victoriawinters!!