Willem Mengelberg

This extraordinary pianist studied the piano at the Moscow Conservatory with Emil Gilels and Yakov Zak…

RCO - Anthology of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Vol 3, 1960-1970 (2005) {14CD Box Set RCO 05001, Limited Edition}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 4.67 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 2.40 Gb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 230 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1960-70, 2005 Radio Netherlands Music / RCO LIve | RCO 05001
Classical / Orchestral

Despite rumors some months ago that the RCOA series might be discontinued (fortunately unfounded), here we have Volume III, a 14-CD set that contains much of interest, but surely—for this collector—doesn't live up to its potential. For me, ideally that would concist of some of the outstanding performances of great symphonic music played by this magnificent orchestra, recorded in the extraordinary acoustics of the Concertgebouw with the usual Radio Nederland sonic expertise. During the decade represented in this set (1960-1970) the Concertgebouw Orchestra's programming often emphasized contemporary music and that surely is reflected in this album. We have well over five hours of music by Martin, Varèse, Berg, Webern, Henze, Lutoslawski, Nono and Dallapiccola as well as Dutch composers Ketting, Escher, and Vermeulen, and Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz's Music for Strings, Trumpets and Percussion, an 18-minute three-movement work of imagination and vivid scoring.

Riccardo Chailly - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Live - The Radio Recordings (2004) {13CD Box Set Q Disc 97033}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 4.25 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 2.24 Gb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 169 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2004 Q Disc | 97033
Classical / Orchestral

In June this year (2004), Riccardo Chailly stepped down as music director of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, to be succeeded by Mariss Jansons. Chailly's last appearances in Amsterdam exemplified his range as a conductor - there was a new production of Verdi's Don Carlo for Netherlands Opera, running in parallel with performances of Mahler's Ninth Symphony in the orchestra's home at the Concertgebouw itself.

Matthijs Vermeulen - The Complete Matthijs Vermeulen Edition - Orchestral Music (1994) {3CD Set Composers' Voice CV36~38}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.13 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 532 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 21 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1994 Composers' Voice | CV 36 / 37 / 38
Classical / Modern / Contemporary Classical / Orchestral / Symphony

This set has been in currency since 1994 (there is another of the Vermeulen chamber music CV39-41) . It is a monument not only to Vermeulen's music but also to the great work of the Donemus Foundation, the Vermeulen Estate and the enlightened support of the Nederlands Government. The Apennine spine of the set is the septet of symphonies running 1912-1965. All but No 5 are in a single movement; the fifth is in three. In the foothills are three extracts from his own The Flying Dutchman (1930) and the song for soprano and orchestra La Veille (1917 arr 1932).

In the 19th century, the first violin section in Dutch orchestras often contained amateur players. In fact, even the “orchestra associations” in Utrecht, Rotterdam and Amsterdam were not composed entirely of professional musicians, with a significant number of members being amateurs. This mixed line-up of musicians and a strong leaning towards German and French composers had a profound effect on the choice of repertoire, and a marked preference developed for programmes containing a large number of short and contrasting pieces. This explains the success of the overture, a genre that included both the compressed piece of orchestral foreplay to an opera as well as independent pieces.

In the 19th century, the first violin section in Dutch orchestras often contained amateur players. In fact, even the “orchestra associations” in Utrecht, Rotterdam and Amsterdam were not composed entirely of professional musicians, with a significant number of members being amateurs. This mixed line-up of musicians and a strong leaning towards German and French composers had a profound effect on the choice of repertoire, and a marked preference developed for programmes containing a large number of short and contrasting pieces. This explains the success of the overture, a genre that included both the compressed piece of orchestral foreplay to an opera as well as independent pieces.