Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Stunning Recordings

Thanks for the recommendation.

Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of American composer Samuel Barber in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Barber was one of the 20th century composers who never stopped composing beautiful melodious music which was sometimes derided as "old-fashioned" by snobbish critics.

I'll bring your attention to his gorgeous violin concerto in a performance by young Canadian violinist James Ehnes from Brandon, Manitoba with the Vancouver Symphony. This disc, which also includes the concertos by Korngold and Walton, two other composers who gave us beauty in sound rather than sterile academic exercises, won a Grammy in 2008, as well as the Canadian Juno award for Canadian artists.

This superb disc, which I'm listening to as I type, is available from Amazon and the other usual sources to give you a lifetime of listening pleasure.

Never heard of the guy. The samples were nice. Lush, slow-moving pieces and a gallop away on your pony song. Thanks John.

I finally found a classical music station out here today on my way home from work and they were featuring his music. Heard Mr. Barber singing, too!

Sean, I also heard that program. I suppose you listened to KBAQ at 89.5.

Yes! That's the station. Gave the dial a turn to start at the beginning and hit the seek button, and boom, it was right there.

Now for something a bit heavier: Mahler's mammoth Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection". I listened again to this at Easter, although Mahler's theme wasn't the Resurrection of Christ, but the journey of mankind through life, death and resurrection, as he saw it. These vast themes called for the full resources of the finest orchestras to be employed to the max, and my favorite version is by Zubin Mehta, who whips up the Vienna Philharmonic to play with more intensity than customary for them. Excellent remastered sound to match the intensity of the performance, and as is common, again we find no correlation between quality and price, available from Amazon sellers and other sources at bargain prices.

Thanks, John. I added it.

I will get it with my next batch of CDs from Amazon as well. Thanks John.

Just was about to order 3 CDs from Amazon, what's a fourth. Added and ordered.