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FERNANDO OLIVA   24/1/2003	Subject: TUDOR CD´S Message: Dear friends, Somebody knows if is possible to find Tudor CD´s in Spain, and specially in Barcelona or North-East Spain Zone? I want to buy Raff´s works by this label. Is the quality similar to Marco Polo? Thank you for anticipate, Friendly, Fernando.
luis de orueta   29/1/2003	RE: TUDOR CD´S IP: Logged Message: Speaking in general, TUDOR CD´s contain perfomances of Raff´s music that beat their Marco Polo counterparts by a wide margin. I often wonder how can anyone really enjoy some of the Marco Polo versions of his symphonies.To me they are to be carefully avoided (unless they happen to be the only available ones, and even so...). I recommend for his 3rd, either the LP by Richard Kapp, my favourite, or the D´Avalos, as second best.The fact that Marco Polo´s are much cheaper and often two shymphonies in one single redord should be ignored in favour of quality. Look for non Marco Polo versions of his symphonies in any of the following sites. JPC. Classical ( the best but expensive extra delivery costs), Amazon.com,Classical.net, Tower Records.com,Crotchet classical, Yahoo´s Classical. Enter Joachim Raff if you dont want to get mixed up with some misterious "Riff-Raff". Good Luck. Luis.
Jamie   31/1/2003	RE: TUDOR CD´S IP: Logged Message: Luis, how could a serious Rafficionado like you recommend the old Kapp recording of the 3rd? Certainly, we all heard Im Walde for the first time when this recording was released in the early 70's, but Kapp eviscerates the finale just as Schneider did on Marco Polo which ought to remove these recordings from any consideration. I never realized at the time that he went directly from the end of the exposition to the coda, omitting the entire development and recapitulation sections! I just thought the movement was rather oddly structured. Speaking of cuts, both of the available recordings of the 9th symphony ("Im Sommer") similarly gut the finale. I only became aware of this when I purchased the score.
luis de orueta   31/1/2003	RE: TUDOR CD´S IP: Logged Message: Jamie, Once again you are right. I admit to be biased towards first, and slow movements, and less interested in scherzos and finales. (I never liked Kapp´s treatment of the last movement of Im Walde). You are also very perceptive about another bias: the "nostalgic" factor, which ought not to interfere opinions. Changing the subject, have you heard the Adagietto of the 4 # piano trio, the way it is played by Il Trittico? If yes, could I have your opinion? With sympathy, Luis
Jamie 31/1/2003	RE: TUDOR CD´S IP: Logged Message: I haven't heard the Il Trittico recordings, but can't imagine that they would be any more persuasive than those of the Trio Opus 8. The cellist's wonderful playing of that incredibly beautiful main theme (along with the rest of the slow movement) of the 4th trio is so full of passion and fire that I find it hard to believe that any ensemble could play it better.
Jamie   31/1/2003	RE: TUDOR CD´S IP: Logged Message: Luis, I just listened to the opening of the Il Trittico's version of the slow movement of the 4th trio (at amazon.de) and it just reinforced my stated opinion above. The very opening piano chords turned me off. I haven't seen the score, so I don't know if those chords are marked staccato or not, but Il Trittico plays it in such a desiccated bloodless manner, that it just about ruins the piece for me.
luis de orueta   31/1/2003	RE: TUDOR CD´S IP: Logged Message: Jamie, I would like to send you one copy so that you can hear it from beguining to end. If not, I asked for it and got your answer. Luis.
Jamie   31/1/2003	RE: TUDOR CD´S IP: Logged Message: Thanks for the offer, Luis, but you don't have to send me the Il Trittico recordings. I reread Mark's review and I think he hit the nail on the head in his comparison of Il Trittico with Trio Opus 8. Just listening to the way each trio interprets that same excerpt (the opening to the 4th trio's slow movement) is enough to reinforce my opinion of the entire set.