Too Budapest

So what if Liszt spent most of his life in France and Germany and never learned to speak Hungarian? The music of the Magyars' fiery favorite son played by a hot-blooded local boy is an irresistible combination. Even the delightful Dohnanyi filler (variations on ''Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'') doesn't really douse the flames. Put it in the CD player and let 'er rip! Just be sure to remove all flammable vestments first. (Entertainment Weekly)

Neither too nationalist nor too internationalist, this 1995 recording of Béla Bartók's two violin concertos featuring Thomas Zehetmair with Ivan Fischer leading the Budapest Festival Orchestra is just right. Austrian-born Zehetmair has a fabulous technique, a warm but focused tone, and lively sense of rhythm, all of which make him an ideal Bartók player. His interpretations are less about showing off then about digging in, and his performances are more about the music than they are about the musician. Hungarian conductor Fischer and his Hungarian orchestra are not only up for the music in a technical sense, they are also down with the music in an emotional sense, and their accompaniments ground Zehetmair's coolly flamboyant performances. Captured in white-hot sound that is almost too vivid for its own good, these performances deserve to stand among the finest ever recorded.

This DVD features performances by Yes that were filmed for television 1998. The performances features hits such as "Owner of a lonely heart" "Long distance runaround", "Rhythm of love" "I've Seen All Good People" and "The revealing science of God" plus many others…

Fans of Gustav Mahler's joyous Symphony No. 4 in G major will relish this buoyant performance by Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, featuring soprano Miah Persson, for it is wholly in keeping with the light tone and merry spirit of the score and is as delightful as any other recording on the market.

Franz Liszt: A Faust Symphony,S108 - Hans-Peter Blochwitz, tenor; Budapest Festival Orchestra; Hungarian Radio Chorus; Iván Fischer
Classical | 1 CD | EAC Rip V0.99 prebeta 4 | 278 Mb | FLAC+LOG+M3U+Cue | Scans included | 4shared links
Publisher: Philips

Ivan Fischer’s latest Budapest Festival bull’s-eye realizes the full breadth of Liszt’s vision, focusing to near-perfection Faust’s anguish (starting with the Allegro impetuoso at 2'28''), Gretchen’s tender modulations (try from 3'38'' on track 2) and the cynical thematic transformations that keep Mephistopheles alive and kicking. It is, above all, a profoundly authentic – or should I say authentically ‘lived’ – production, consistently animated (lightning shifts from piano to forte and back again are meticulously gauged), vividly recorded (note the tuba’s presence at 3'06'' into track 1) and with heavily scored tutti passages granted maximum impact…
For me, Fischer’s Faust Symphony is a clear front runner – more spontaneous than Rattle’s, more agile than Bernstein’s and better focused than Sinopoli’s.
Reviewed: Gramophone 4/1998

Franz Liszt: A Faust Symphony S. 108 – Hans Peter Bloochwitz, tenor; Budapest Festival Orchestra;
Hungarian Radio Chorus; Ivan Fischer - conductor
Classical | 1 CD | EAC Rip | 322 MB (3% recovery) | FLAC+LOG+Cue | Scans
Publisher: Philips | Recorded: 1998 | Published: 1998

Ivan Fischer’s latest Budapest Festival bull’s-eye realizes the full breadth of Liszt’s vision, focusing to near-perfection Faust’s anguish, and the cynical thematic transformations that keep Mephistopheles alive and kicking. It is, above all, a profoundly authentic – or should I say authentically ‘lived’ – production, consistently animated, vividly recorded and with heavily scored tutti passages granted maximum impact…
For me, Fischer’s Faust Symphony is a clear front runner – more spontaneous than Rattle’s, more agile than Bernstein’s and better focused than Sinopoli’s. - Reviewed: Gramophone 4/1998

King Crimson - Millenaris Centre, Budapest, Hungary - July 15, 2003 (2009) {2CD DGM 16/44 Official Digital Download}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44kHz - Official Digital Download (dgmlive.com) -> 791 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 311 Mb | Artwork (pdf+jpg) | 5% repair rar
© 2003, 2009 Discipline Global Mobile / King Crimson / DGMlive.com
Rock / Progressive Rock / Art Rock

Whichever way you look at this is a significant show: the last time King Crimson played anywhere in mainland Europe. As such there’s a certain end-of-term aspect here - a rushing Dinosaur, a final flush in the cheeks of Red as it hits the finishing line. Humour plays its part as well when Belew quips to quell the photographers before a dazzling ConstruKction of Light.

October 21, 2012 marks Sir Georg Solti's centenary and Decca is celebrating this with several important reissues. Sir Georg was an exclusive Decca artist for 50 years.