User Details - brenda

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Name:
  brenda pitts
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Location:
  near Burnley, Lancashire, U.K.
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Email:
  brenda_pitts_2@hotmail.com
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Posts:
  653

 
 
Reviews
Found: 17 show all

Mozart: Piano Concertos (complete)        (8 of 10 found this review helpful)
  July 16, 2005

I am penning this to offer an alternate reponse to this set than those of zany and daland, who I think have been far too harsh in their scores. I agree with them about some things. The sound does vary, with some concertso having a brighter top end than others and some being more reverberant and ... more
Handel: Concerti Grossi Op. 3 - Combattimento Consort Amsterdam          (9 of 9 found this review helpful)
  July 12, 2005

This is an excellent disc that it would be hard not to enjoy. The Concerti are some of Handel's most varied, if not always "deepest" works. Instrumental combinations change for every concerto, though with oboe nearly always prominent, along with violin and organ, and Handel varies the number and ... more
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1, Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 88, 99 - Sir Colin Davis        (5 of 5 found this review helpful)
  June 10, 2005

I endorse all of Castor's comments. The Haydn performances are warm and affectionate in the "best" sixties style and the sound in both stereo and m/c is excellent. However, the Beethoven is a very old fashioned performance, in which Davis gives us a ready-made full-blown romantic composer. There is ... more
Elgar: Enigma Variations - RPO/Menuhin        (5 of 6 found this review helpful)
  June 2, 2005

A big disappointment. Although my fav. Enigmas are Barbirolli (& Halle) and Andrew Davis, I have a soft spot for Menuhin's other Enigma recording, also with the RPO but on Philips, coupled with a fine cello concerto (with J Lloyd-Webber). This lacks the panache and sweep of any of those other ... more
Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra - RPO/Mackerras        (10 of 14 found this review helpful)
  April 14, 2005

First off, I have to confess to being less of a Strauss-ophile than some of you guys, so I can only make one or two comparisons here. This is a decent disc for 5 Euros, but isn’t of the first rank. All three pieces are Strauss in episodic, pictorial mode, - though thankfully none are as discursive ... more

 
 
Latest Posts

Worried that we are running out of SACD players?
July 5, 2007
hawk, I have a backup SACD player, a stand alone "bedroom" model from Philips, so that at least I can keep playing sacds in some sort of surround if my Denon 2900 needs repair. My ex partner keeps a backup player too, just an entry level Sony, mainly for when his (more expensive) denon (A11 ??) stutters, needs servicing or whatever. neither of us ... more
Are Review ratings a popularity contest?
July 5, 2007
dear daniel, in answer to your headline question, yes, the review ratings are - to a considerable degree - a popularity contest. Many reviews seem to be judged on the basis of "do I agree" or "are they written in the only language I can read" or "do I like the person?". My recently ex-partner has had one person follow him from this site to ... more
Discussion: Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1-9 - Haitink
July 2, 2007
Daniel, F. Dutchman and Bret are spot on. Listen to them - and yourself - instead of your "mentor". Brenda ... more
Discussion: Vladimir Godar: Mater - Bittová, Valent, Štryncl
June 26, 2007
Many thanks Rosenk, it sounds really interesting, & I'll look out for a copy. Cheers, B ... more
Discussion: Vladimir Godar: Mater - Bittová, Valent, Štryncl
June 26, 2007
dear RosenK, can you tell us anything about the music? B ... more