Klemperer’s Brahms is irreplaceable. I love this gritty Symphony No. 4 with the Philharmonia. The outer movements build implacably towards their towering codas, while the Allegro Giocoso is a rare example of Klemperer’s sense of humour, which served him so well in Mahler.

Mackerras’ set of Mozart’s late symphonies with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra is one of my favourite albums. I was feeling fatigued this morning after a long week, but these performances put wind into my sails again! Every movement is so lyrical and lively!

Steinberg and the Boston Symphony always made magic together. It’s a pity he was passed over for Leinsdorf. This recording of Holst’s “The Planets” is marvellous. I love how dynamic and fast paced the direction is, and how much the brass pop. It’s thrilling music.

#NewProfilePic idk if I’ll stick with this one

@HarrisonOfHelen Tbh it’s an anachronism from the days of vinyl releases. EP (extended play) records were smaller than LP (long play) records, and had less tracks on them. Singles were even smaller. Today “EP” is just used to mean a mini album.

RT @boulezian: Daniel Barenboim’s announcement

Lorin Maazel’s “Tannhäuser without words” turns Wagner’s rough-edged, majestic masterpiece into an hour of first-rate romantic music. Obviously, it’s no replacement for the opera itself, but it’s definitely worth a listen if you don’t have three hours on hand. Thrilling stuff.

Most of the arguments are dealt with in more depth in "Left wing Communism: an Infantile Disorder", but I think this pamphlet is valuable as a reminder of the energetic debates and internal democracy which were so valued within the Communist Party before Stalinisation. (2/2)

I finished re-reading Capital Volume II. After being blown away again by the literary flair of Volume I, I was underwhelmed by how stylistically flat this work was. Regardless, the actual material which Marx discusses is fascinating, and sows the seeds of future debate.

We are so lucky to have so many great live recordings from the Bayreuth Festival! This 1958 recording of Tristan und Isolde features the electrifying Birgit Nilsson and Wolfgang Windgassen at their best. Both are especially compelling in the hysteric climaxes of Acts I and II.

@resolutereader They’re my friends’ bookshelves actually! I was watching it at their place. They’ve got some interesting stuff there though.

Look what I found!!!

@chestermeffield and I on our first hike of 2025!

After watching Lars von Trier’s Melancholia, I had the urge to listen to Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde again. Every time I immerse myself in the music, I discover new treasures sparkling below the surface. Every single chord pulses with sensuous energy and glows from within.

Returning to Das Kapital Volume II (the one no-one likes apparently). It’s written in the driest style imaginable, but the concepts within are electrifying and revolutionary in every sense. @profdavidharvey wonderful serious of lectures has elucidated its depths for me.

I’ve exclusively been listening to Medtner over the past week. What an extraordinary composer! The intensity of his musical argument is hair-raising, driven by his magnificent talent for motivic development and contrapuntal detail. Each sonata is a polished, shining masterpiece.

@karamazovluvr Lowkey looking angelic in that lighting

@tranz_schubert Andre Rieu has that effect on me too.